Virtual Assistant
— and the Importance of Virtual Assistant Services in the Rapidly Increasing Digital Landscape.
With the rapidly evolving digital environment, the need to have efficient administration and management of business activities has given rise to a new profession called Virtual Assistance. The role of a Virtual Assistant or a VA, has been increasingly important when providing technical, creative, or administrative support to online businesses and entrepreneurs.
So What is a Virtual Assistant?
Virtual Assistant, as the title suggests, is an assistant that offers assistance in a virtual environment. They are highly skilled individuals who work and collaborate with their clients remotely by utilizing modern technology to communicate effectively.
Unlike traditional administrative assistants, VAs have the flexibility to work from anywhere in the world as long as they have a reliable computer and a stable internet connection. This role has become increasingly common in every business niche, whether it’s financial consultancy, digital marketing industry, real estate, construction, or any business niche for that matter.
What Key Skill-sets are Required to be a VA?
Because VAs work in a remote environment for online businesses, it is very important for them to build digital skills. For instance, by using online workspaces such as G-Suite, Microsoft365, Zoho Workspace, Salesforce, etc., and project management software like Clickup, Asana, Trello, or Jira, virtual assistants can help you manage your day-to-day business operations.
Effective Communication
Although they need to have a technical skill set to be able to use these tools effectively, the most important skill required for this position is effective communication. VAs are expected to be able to understand the requirements clearly with the ability to maintain clear communication with their clients. Why? The answer is simple: it is a remote role and if the communication gets affected, it leaves a negative impact on the administrative operations.
Organization and Time Management
An ideal VA has the ability to organize the workflow, prioritize tasks and ensure deadlines are met. In addition to that, it is important for virtual assistants to possess time management skills in order to manage multiple assignments efficiently.
Adaptability
It is one of the most crucial skills a good VA should possess as they are expected to adapt to client requirements, keeping in mind the tools they use and the industry they are in. For virtual assistants, change actually is the only constant. This role encourages every individual to keep upskilling themselves with the latest technology in order to work effectively in a dynamic work environment.
Attention to Detail
Since this is a virtual role that comes with the luxury of working independently, VAs should ensure the element of accountability when executing tasks. Therefore, they are expected to be detail oriented so as to handle tasks with accuracy and precision. Even if it’s something as basic as data entry, one incorrect entry can affect the decision-making process. This is why being detail oriented is an essential skill a good virtual assistant should possess.
Professionalism and Confidentiality
Even though working in a virtual environment has its perks, it also comes with the risk of confidentiality breaches. Maintaining professionalism is the utmost important trait a VA should have and that comes with maintaining ethical boundaries and ensuring confidentiality of information. By doing that, VA builds trust with their clients which leads to a long-term professional relationship.
What are the Common Roles of a Virtual Assistant?
Among many roles a VA is expected to perform, here are some of the most common ones they are responsible for:
Admin Support
Providing admin support is the most basic responsibility a virtual assistant has. Whether it’s scheduling appointments, managing inboxes, organizing documents and files, or preparing reports, VA is responsible to do all of that.
Correspondence and Communication Management
As mentioned, effective communication lies at the core of their role. Virtual assistants serve as a liaison between clients and their teams and they also help bridge the communication gap between third parties and the business they work for. From managing and drafting email correspondence to holding weekly or daily team meetings, a good VA can efficiently manage it.
Project Management
This is yet another crucial hat a virtual assistant wears. Most businesses in the digital world are small businesses such as startups, service agencies, or software development companies. They are often run by entrepreneurs who initiate small projects from time to time. This is why they need a virtual assistant with project management experience to manage those projects. Whether it’s app development, managing monthly packages their client offers, or handling daily business management, it’s second nature to VAs to manage projects.
Creativity
Virtual assistants wear many hats, one of which is to be able to produce creatives. Whether it’s content writing, image design, or video editing, a good VA possesses a basic skill set to do creative designing or write copy and captions for social media.
Specialized Virtual Assistant Services
There are certain cases where businesses need VAs with specialized skills. For example, some e-commerce stores require an Amazon or Dropshipping virtual assistant, a real estate firm look for a real estate VA or a law firm looks for VAs who have experience working for law firms.
It is important to find a rock star VA for your team that can help you grow your business. But there is no formula for finding the right virtual assistant. It is all about what the business needs and how a VA can help you fulfill that. At the end of the day, if virtual assistants have an aptitude to keep learning and upskilling themselves, they can add value to any business they work with.
Bear in mind that consistency is the key whether it comes to building a solid team or maintaining a long-term relationship with the client. Therefore, it is essential for a business as well as the virtual assistant to work together in order to achieve a common goal of growing the business.
If you are looking for a Rockstar VA for your business, get in touch with us at contact@whiraconsulting.com