Apr
26
2011
If you’re a small business owner, you know the value of time and money. Unfortunately, there have probably been times when you’ve experienced a deficit in both areas. Thankfully, with the increasing popularity of the Internet, there are now professionals offering their services as virtual assistants. Small businesses virtual assistants complete much of the same tasks – sometimes even more – as the traditional executive assistant. If you’re new to the concept of virtual assistants for small businesses, you may wonder what value these 21st century professionals will provide your business. Read on to see three of the ways that virtual assistants can provide you the biggest bang for your buck.
Virtual Assistants Free Up Time for Small Businesses
If you’re like most busy executives, chances are, responding to correspondence, scheduling meetings and preparing presentations are not exactly your idea of fun. Thankfully, many virtual assistants are more than willing to complete these and other “mundane” tasks. And, they will do it with a smile. By hiring the service of this type of professional, you will free up your time to spend on the more strategic tasks that are needed to make your small business thrive. You may even find extra time in your schedule so you can dedicate more to friends, family and the hobbies that you used to enjoy.
Virtual Assistants Free Up Money for Small Businesses
So, you’re probably wondering what exactly is so special about virtual assistants. So far, they sound exactly like the executive assistant you employed last year but got squeezed out of your budget. Many small businesses find that virtual assistants provide the same service as a traditional assistant for the fraction of the cost. You read that right – the fraction of the cost. Hiring a virtual assistant will free up some of the money that you were spending on a traditional employee. Virtual assistants are typically hired at an hourly rate, so you’re not paying someone a fulltime salary when there is only 30 hours of weekly work to complete. Also, as a contract worker, virtual assistants do not have the benefit costs that come with a traditional employee. They also make a smaller office space possible and decrease all technology costs. And, because they are working remotely, they are responsible for their own work space and will already have a computer, internet and other office essentials.
Virtual Assistants Offer Expert Work for Small Businesses
Many virtual assistants offer much more than just secretarial type work. Nowadays, small businesses are able to find remote contractors who offer IT, marketing, paralegal and other specialized services. And these professionals come with experience to back up their work. You may wonder why a skilled professional would be willing to provide their expertise for the fraction of the price as a traditional employee. Often, these are professionals that live in rural areas that do not have the business needs that they offer. They do not want to give up their country life for a city job. So, they have turned to technology to help bridge that gap. Other times, it is a full-time professional turned stay at home mom who is looking to continue utilizing their skills without losing precious time with their children. If you do employ a virtual assistant who have children at home, you will want to establish guidelines for what is expected during work hours. Often, small businesses will request that the virtual assistants have childcare arrangements in place for when they are completing their work.
As you can see, virtual assistants can truly offer valuable service to small business owners. By enlisting in the service of these professionals, small businesses around the country are saving money and seeing an increase in available time without experiencing a decrease in production.
Meghan Clark is a writer from http://www.creditdonkey.com/, a credit card comparison website. Small business owners can visit CreditDonkey to compare credit cards for small businesses to get the biggest bang for the buck.