Do you ever wish you had more time in the day to get things done? Or better yet, be able to split yourself in two so that half can do one set of tasks and the other half can take care of the rest? Well for most of us cloning isn’t an option, and that clock on the wall only has 24 hours. But there has to be a solution, right? How about duplicating yourself by hiring a Virtual Assistant?!!
A Virtual Assistant (VA) can take on pretty much any job that is done in a physical office, provided he or she has all the required knowledge, skills and experience, as well as the right equipment and technology in place. He/She would handle all the day to day tasks of your business that do not necessarily produce income, allowing you to focus on the areas of your business that do actually make money. In effect, a Virtual Assistant is your duplicate!
The list of tasks a Virtual Assistant can take off of your to do list is vast, and I have already discussed some in the post “What kinds of tasks can be outsourced?” but here are a few more.
Customer Service
Hand over the routine customer service issues to your VA and let them answer your client’s questions and concerns. Give the VA access to your customer service emails or your tracking system if you have one. Let them maintain and update your FAQs and point your clients in the right direction to help resolve their issues. If they come across something they cannot handle, then it is time for you to get involved. But in the meantime you have saved so much time by not having to deal with these everyday problems personally.
Document Preparation
Creating, editing, formatting, and proofreading a document can be time consuming when it is not in your area of expertise. Defer this task to your VA to take care of. The rough information can be sent to them by email, fax, voice mail (if short), for example, or started in one of the various collaboration tools available, such as Google Docs. Don’t be concerned if it is in point form or bullets, just be sure to provide clear instructions of what you expect and let the VA do the rest. Yes it may go back and forth a few times before it is perfect, but that will take a lot less time than doing the entire document yourself.
Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is another task that can be taken off your agenda, whether you assign an accountant or a VA that has bookkeeping experience. Many VAs offer bookkeeping services and are versed in the various accounting software packages out there such as QuickBooks, as well as manually with spreadsheets. All the required information, receipts, checks, invoices, etc., can easily be shared through email, regular mail, local pickup, or various online depository services. Getting the information ready will take a lot less time than sitting down to actually do the work. Save more time, and money, by hiring a VA that also has experience in preparing financial statements.
Calendar Management
Do you have a busy calendar to manage with lots of appointments and meetings? Let your VA take care of those details. He/She can keep track of what is coming up and send you reminders of where you need to be and when, along with what you may need to take with you. Scheduling conflicts? No worries, your VA can take care of that too. Have to travel? Your VA can make all the arrangements for you and provide you with the itinerary. No need for you to spend your precious time on the phone with airlines and hotels.
These are just a few more on the very long list of tasks that a Virtual Assistant can take off of your to do list, allowing you to duplicate yourself.