Six things you didn't know a virtual assistant could do

One of my clients is a salesman who spends most of his time on the road. His request was that I help him keep track of receipts and expenses, do general admin, and renew his passport. His CRM system works, but he often needs help updating it, especially when he's on holiday! My question was how he found our service, and he replied that it "really helped him out, since it allowed him to focus on his customers". 

Many businesses are considering the use of Virtual Assistants to cut down on costs, as they offer excellent value for money. Without having to hire employees and deal with the high costs that come with taking them on, small businesses can hire virtual assistants to assist with a wide variety of tasks, including bookkeeping, data entry, social media management, and other administrative tasks. The fact is that a virtual assistant can do so many things for you that you will be surprised!  So here is a list of seven things you probably didn't know a Virtual Assistant could do! 

1) Virtual Assistants help create and manage CRM systems

It’s hard to keep up with growing customer data. Even if your company’s CRM system is up to date, it can be difficult to manage these records yourself. Most Virtual Assistants know exactly how to use various CRM software programs and can even create one for your company if need be. The bottom line is that having a virtual assistant around to help organize and manage information will help keep your sales force function more smoothly and increase overall productivity. 

2) Manage social media accounts

Because customers want to get information from companies, not just a bunch of employees, it’s important that businesses have someone monitoring their social media accounts. A VA can be hired take care of these accounts. They can post content and respond to customer enquiries, and they can even schedule posts in advance, so your business never falls behind on a single update. 

3) Create Customer Service Teams

As companies get larger, they sometimes forget that one person can’t be a jack-of-all-trades.  Virtual Assistants can be that essential help to a busy office by taking on tasks such as:

order fulfilment and tracking,  refunds processing, and  complaint escalation handling, to name a few.  

If a customer needs assistance in learning and understanding one of your business’ processes, the customer service virtual assistant is the best person for the project.

4) Manage and run databases

One of a VA’s best skills is ensuring that reports are current and accurate. In fact, most VAs have some sort of technical training or certification that helps them run advanced database reports for their companies. When you hire a virtual assistant, she should be able to take over these administrative tasks for your company, freeing up employees from having to deal with all that data entry themselves.

5) Can be remote workers

Even though they’re not in your office, virtual assistants can save your company big money. Not only are they cheaper than having an employee onsite, (in some cases), but they don’t require payroll costs or other benefits—which can be a significant cost saver for companies. With small businesses, hiring remote workers instead of full-time staffers can be an essential way to cut costs and make sure all your teams are as lean as possible. 

6) Monitor Competitors

A good VA can monitor your competitors’ website and business operations closely. By keeping track of your competitor’s performance, you’ll be better able to assess their weaknesses and strengths, key developments within their industry, where they are likely to go next in terms of new products or services, and ultimately how best to tailor your own business to compete with them.

Hiring a Virtual Assistant could be the best decision you can make today – the above list is just the tip of the iceberg of reasons why you should consider hiring them.  Not only will they allow you to focus on growing and nurturing your business, but outsourcing the important tasks can save you time, money and maximise your profits. 

Ready to take that leap?  You can click here to talk to us or visit our website.  As an introductory offer, if you take out one of our silver or gold packages, you can enjoy 30% off your first invoice (offer to new customers only).