How to Use a Virtual Assistant

Running your own business can be overwhelming, and one of the greatest challenges entrepreneurs and business owners face is letting go of control. But your time is limited, and you can’t be everywhere at once. A virtual assistant can take over those repetitive, time-consuming tasks, so you can focus on the part of your business that really matters — generating revenue. Let’s take a look at the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant and the types of tasks they can take on, so you can understand if it’s the right choice for you. 

What Is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant is exactly what the title suggests — an assistant that can help you with various personal or professional tasks. A virtual assistant works remotely, so you can hire them from anywhere.

Benefits of Using a Virtual Assistant

Why use a virtual assistant when you know how to do the work yourself? Outsourcing some of your tasks offers many benefits, including:

1. Freeing Up Time for Your Business

By handing over tasks to a virtual assistant, you free up time to focus on other, more critical tasks that can make a significant impact on your business.

2. Allowing You to Devote Time to Other Aspects of Your Business

Virtual assistants are often affordable. Your time may be worth more than the amount you pay a virtual assistant. 

3. Improving Organization

If you have trouble keeping yourself organized and on track, a virtual assistant can help manage your calendar and send you reminders. 

4. Adding Flexibility

A virtual assistant may be more flexible and willing to work atypical working hours, as they can work from their location. For example, if you’re a night owl, you might prefer hiring a virtual assistant who can sync with you daily from 7-9 p.m. Or, use a virtual chat assistant that can operate for you in the background 24/7. 

5. Making Tasks Efficient

Virtual assistants are often skilled at accomplishing administrative tasks quickly and correctly. They can likely complete more of these tasks in a shorter period than if you tried to do it yourself, making your operations more efficient.

6. Improving Work-Life Balance

If you’re overworked and feel swamped with never-ending tasks, a virtual assistant can help take some work off your plate. Delegating these tasks allows you to put in fewer hours at work. Having a work-life balance may help you feel calmer and happier and improve your productivity at work. 

Types of Tasks a Virtual Assistant Can Handle

You might be wondering what tasks you can assign to a virtual assistant. A virtual assistant can help you by:

• Making phone calls: Your virtual assistant can make calls for you, so you can focus on other priorities. 
• Scheduling appointments: Calendar management is one of the biggest tasks for virtual assistants to handle. Your assistant can book your appointments, make reservations and work any meeting requests into your calendar. 
• Qualifying leads: If your business relies on lead generation, you likely struggle with the time spent on lead qualification. Validating a lead, researching the background and preparing for a call can take hours. But this vital work must be done as quickly as possible. After all, the faster you respond to a lead, the better your chances of turning it into a sale. This is an excellent task to outsource to a virtual assistant, especially a virtual chat assistant. 
• Providing customer support: Customer support is essential for any business, but it’s also a lot of work. Task your virtual assistant with answering customer questions, complaints and suggestions. 
• Handling administrative tasks: Your virtual assistant can help with all types of administrative tasks, including data input, data management and bookkeeping. 

How Much Does a Virtual Assistant Cost?

The cost of your virtual assistant depends on their experience level, their location, the kind of work you need them to do and the number of hours you want them to work every week. 

When Should You Hire a Virtual Assistant?

If you’re in need of assistance and you can afford a virtual assistant, hire one today. A virtual assistant is an investment in yourself and your business. It’s a smart and strategic business decision that pays off as you free up some time to focus on your top business priorities. 

Get Started Today: ApexChat Virtual Chat Assistant 

A virtual chat assistant is one of the most affordable virtual assistant options on the market. ApexChat is a trusted chat assistant provider with over 10 years of experience in the chat industry across multiple industries. Install our Virtual Assistant software for your business today to improve lead response time and lead conversion and offer your customers 24/7 customer support. Find out more now.