A virtual assistant refers to a freelancer or independent contractor who provides administrative services to individual clients and businesses on a remote basis. These assistants operate from their own offices or home offices but can access all the necessary client documents and emails remotely in order to fulfil their duties.
With the corporate world continually evolving through technological advancements, and traditional office working hours changing into flexi-time or hybrid ways of working (sometimes from home), virtual assistants have become more popular in the industry.
Some large corporates choose to work via virtual assistant agencies to assist them with their day-to-day administrative tasks. But these assistants prove to be most beneficial paired up with entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses. This is due to the several major benefits these businesses can look forward to when using a virtual assistant to perform their administrative tasks:
[1] No need to provide expensive tools
A virtual assistant works remotely, and do so with their own technological tools such as a laptop, mouse, printer etc. They also have their own internet connection and data. This means that a business will save on costly equipment and additional internet connections and data.
[2] Save on day-to-day expenses
Since virtual assistants work from their own office space, businesses can also look forward to saving on day-to-day expenses. These might seem small but do add up each month. Expenses can be anything from additional office space, desks and chairs to coffee, milk, toiletpaper, stationery etc.
[3] Spend your time wisely (and profitably)
As a start-up or entrepreneur, your time is valuable and much better spent developing your business and products or services. A virtual assistant will take care of all the tedious administrative tasks and customer queries and will thereby free up your time to take care of all the important business development tasks or projects. This will also lead to better customer service as you don’t have a split focus and limited time, but rather an individual dedicated to assisting with customer queries, feedback and admin.
[4] No labour related issues
Virtual assistants sell their services or hours, and do so through their own service agreements. This means that a business won’t experience permanent employee expenses and other labour related hurdles such as:
- Setting up an employment contract
- Contributions such as UIF, SDL, pension funds, medical aid etc.
- Possible CCMA cases or other disputes
- Strict labour laws and regulations to adhere to
- Full-time employee salaries
[5] Top talent at a lower cost
Virtual assistant rates are tailored to your specific time, projects and needs and are therefore more affordable than a full-time employee who might not be busy all day or week. These assistants are usually highly skilled at what they do, extremely productive and you only pay for the exact services or specific projects you need assistance with.
Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Take care of your business development while we take care of the minor details. Contact us today for more information on our virtual assistant services.
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