The pandemic has made many businesses go virtual, but that’s far from all.  It has also made administrative professionals virtual.

More than half of American employees say they would prefer to be remote at least three days a week, even after the pandemic, according to a recent PWC study.  Some of these workers have become downright nomadic with their newfound ability to work wherever they are, some even going so far as to trade in their homes for RVs and total location independence.

“The pandemic proved that all of the talent doesn’t necessarily have to be in the office,” according to Jeff Amon, CEO of The Clear Desk, an outsourcing services company.  “In fact, oftentimes it is beneficial to have them out of the office.”

The solution is a new kind of assistant – a virtual assistant (VA) – trained to meet the needs of the location independent workforce.

So, what is a virtual assistant?  How do you use one?  How much should you pay for a virtual assistant, and how do you find one?  More mobile business owners than ever are asking those questions, so we’re here to answer them!

What is a virtual assistant?

A virtual assistant is a freelancer who provides administrative, creative, technical, operational, or personal services for clients remotely – often from a home office.

“Anything that can be done on a phone or computer can be done by a virtual assistant,” said Robert Nickell, CEO of Rocket Station, a company that provides virtual services to other companies.  According to Robert, the traffic to his site surged by 300% during the pandemic as interest in finding virtual help clearly skyrocketed during this time.

VA’s take their craft one step beyond freelancing platforms, like Upwork or Fiverr, providing remote entrepreneurs with assistance on an ongoing basis.  That virtual aspect can also translate into significant financial savings as well.

“The quality of virtual assistants is extremely high while their cost – particularly for overseas VAs – remains relatively low compared to traditional employees,” wrote Nickell. “Virtual assistants often have college degrees, valuable skills, extensive work experience, and the perfect disposition to work effectively in a remote environment.”

The ultimate benefit?  You’re not providing for benefits, equipment, taxes, or overhead – making the hourly cost of a virtual assistant exceedingly reasonable in comparison to hiring a full-time employee.

How people are using virtual assistants

Many executives and entrepreneurs are using virtual assistants for all kinds of tasks.  Those can include content writing, search engine optimization (SEO), social media management, newsletters, email marketing, and general administration tasks such as managing calendars and email accounts, to name a few.  The truth is, there is no limit to what virtual assistants can do – as long as you find the right one.

One thing to keep in mind is that even though VAs can do almost anything, it doesn’t mean they can do it well.  It’s important that you verify that the virtual assistant you’re hiring has the skills and qualifications to get the task done that you’re looking to delegate.  Most importantly, be sure to spell out all your expectations.

How much does a virtual assistant cost?

Many location-independent entrepreneurs have switched most of their business to using virtual assistants because of the money they save.  You can find an English-speaking VA for as little as $5 an hour in some countries, but that can be problematic on multiple levels.

As in most cases, you’re often “getting what you pay for”.  A quality virtual assistant can run anywhere from $20 up to $65 an hour, all dependent upon skill level and experience.  For instance, you can hire a VA to manage your email marketing setup and expect to pay somewhere in the range of $45 an hour for their expertise.  The less specialized the work, usually the lower the cost per hour.

One thing to take into consideration is to think about the ethics in the hiring decision.  Hiring by nationality – which can be code for paying substandard wages for virtual assistance – can be an issue.

“People are beginning to seek out and pay virtual assistants according to the value of their skills and experience, with nationality not being a factor,” says Hannah Dixon, who runs Digital Nomad Kit.  “This is something I have been advocating for years, and it’s really encouraging to see a marked shift in direction for this space.”

How to tame the “crazy” in your life

If the idea of a VA resonates with you in the post-pandemic world, you are not alone.  Many find themselves so disorganized that they don’t know where to begin.  A virtual assistant is skilled at managing chaotic and crazy situations, bringing order and organization to the madness.  In fact, I’ve seen “chaos management” listed as a specialty on one site! (Brilliant, if you ask me.)

Virtual assistants provide the most important resource a person can have, in my opinion, which would be time.  However, there is a right and a wrong way to buy time.

Take inventory. Make a list of all the things you do in a day, in a week, or in a month.  Then decide what you alone can do and what you can delegate.  Ask the virtual assistant you are considering if they can do the list of things you’d like to delegate, and they will let you know if that falls into their skillset.  You might find that you need more technical support that email management, so you want to ensure your VA aligns with your needs.

Don’t go with the cheapest option.  It’s almost always the wrong option.  Emerald Storm, whose virtual assistant company has grown by 263% this year, stated, “I’ve had so many clients who come to me after two or three bad experiences hiring overseas or even domestically because they went with the cheapest option.”  She adds, “They are burned out, hurt, and out all the money and time that went into trying to make the cheaper option work.”

Check your gut.  Are you ready and willing to let go of the reins and trust someone else to do the work?  Are you prepared to train your virtual assistant to be able to do the tasks to your preferences?  Are you ready to make yourself available to answer questions and give guidance, particularly in the first few weeks?  If the answer is yes, you’re ready for a virtual assistant.

The Ambitious Assistant has a background of over 25 years’ experience in administrative and managerial roles and would love to become a strategic business partner in your business!  You can also check us out on Instagram @theambitiousassistant.  You can also contact me anytime at josie@theambitiousassistant.com!