Chances are you’ve heard the phrase “freelance virtual assistant” at one point or another, but many business owners may not fully grasp what the role can be or the benefits it can offer. In this short article, we’ll define what a freelance virtual assistant is, the types of services they provide, what they can do to help streamline your business operations, and how to find the right VA for you. Interested in learning more about why and how to hire a virtual assistant freelancer? Let’s dive in.
What is a Virtual Assistant?
A freelance virtual assistant is a remote independent contractor who provides operational administrative support for your business, typically on a flexible hours basis. Virtual assistants are often the ideal choice for small businesses, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs and busy professionals who need support with the non-core tasks running a business requires that they don’t have time for or lack the skillset to complete themselves.
Now that we have answered the question about what a virtual assistant is, it’s time to discuss the types of virtual assistants and the services they can provide.
Types of Virtual Assistant Freelancers
If you’re looking to hire a virtual assistant, there are three main categories available for you consider: generalists, specialists, and executive assistants. Generalist VAs have a host of administrative skills and can complete a variety of tasks. Specialist VAs can also complete a variety of administrative tasks but also choose to focus in one or two areas such as marketing, bookkeeping or on an industry. Executive assistants or EAs are typically more experienced in providing higher-level, professional administrative support for the executives of a business
Below we dive into four of the top service categories and skills that VA’s can provide for your business.
4 Popular Virtual Assistant Services:
1. Administrative Support
- Administrative operational tasks (answering phones, email management, contact management, etc.)
- Calendar management and appointment scheduling
- Meeting coordination
- Travel planning
- Internet research
- Template-based communications
- Transcription
2. Data Entry:
- Obtaining and organizing data
- Data entry into data management systems (e.g. CRM)
- Pulling reports from systems
3. Bookkeeping:
- Financial recordkeeping
- Data entry into bookkeeping systems
- Expense management
- Invoicing and payment processing
4. Marketing Support
- Social media administration
- Copyediting
- Posting prepared content to website
- Newsletter support and administration
Though these are some of the most common skillsets sourced, VA offerings can expand beyond those listed above.
Virtual Assistant Benefits and How to Choose the Right One for You
It goes without saying that freelancers offer a variety of benefits by providing essential operational support and offer the flexibility to scale up and down cost-effectively.
To recap a few of the major benefits of using a freelance virtual assistant:
- Your increased productivity to get more done
- Your ability to focus on the high value core work of your business
- Access to skills you need, for just the time you need those skills
- Reduced labor costs and expenses
- Increased flexibility
When choosing to hire a virtual assistant, you should begin by first considering the tasks that you need to outsource, the skills that you need, the level of expertise and the rates that you are willing to pay in exchange for the value you’ll receive.
You can find resources on your own through an online job platform. When taking the do-it-yourself approach, it’s important to be clear on your needs, read reviews, and check references before hiring someone. While doing it yourself is tempting, this can also be challenging as it takes your time away from the focus of your business, often requires a significant upfront time investment and can ultimately cost you more if the resource doesn’t work out.
The second approach involves partnering with a recruitment service. Outsourced recruiting solutions help you clearly define your needs and mitigate hiring risk and mistakes by eliminating the guesswork. Recruiting services actually do the work for you: they assist with building job descriptions, offer expert advice and find and interview candidates based on your specific needs.
Find a Virtual Assistant with ResultsResourcing
Working with freelance VA talent can help you deliver the service your customers have come to expect from you, and ResultsResourcing works to give you a choice of freelancers best-matched for your business, satisfaction guaranteed. ResultsResourcing offers two paths to find the virtual assistant you need.
On Demand VA matches you with a virtual assistant from our talent pool of US-based, pre-vetted freelancers, typically in about 24-48 hours so you can get the help you need – FAST. Recruiter Solution’s unique, no-hassle, talent-curation process begins with assigning a recruiter for each new contracting position. The recruiter and client then work together to create a detailed job profile which is used to find qualified candidates. The recruiter then sifts through all applicants to discover the top 8-10 candidates, interviews them, and creates a customized talent pool with the three best-matched choices. Finally, the client meets with the final three contenders and selects the best fit for their organization.
Ready to learn more? Book your free 30-minute, no obligation session to learn how ResultsResourcing can find the right virtual assistant for your needs. Ready to hire a virtual assistant? Register on our platform to begin your search!
