You must have heard about Executive or Personal Assistants. Before, all managers and department heads were supported by assistants. It can be personal assistants or an assistant deputed for the entire department. Executive or Personal assistants' job is to assist their managers with administrative jobs and manage internal and external communication including letters and phone calls. This will help managers or department heads to look after their core tasks rather than spending time on administrative tasks.
Due to the advancement of technology, especially in office administrative systems, the workload of assistance had reduced. Also, the companies started finding ways to optimize administrative costs. As a result of which, managers and heads of departments have started using personal computers. And the support of Executive or Personal assistance is allocated only to those who are in high-profile jobs. In recent years, technology has progressed and the concept of remote working has earned momentum in the business. The internet revolution has also helped in eliminating the barriers in operations due to the distance between the locations.
Virtual Assistant and Virtual Assistant Service Providers
A virtual assistant is a resource that works on contract to provide administrative services to clients while operating outside of the client's office. A virtual assistant can operate from home with remote access to the necessary documents of the client. There are companies across the world that provide live virtual assistant support to their client. They employ efficient resources having expertise in similar fields. Also, they would have vast working experience with prominent companies as office managers or assistants.
It is more beneficial for the clients to outsource a company than an individual. Service providers also have the best infrastructure in place besides having employed the best resources. Another advantage of tying up with the service providers is the service providers can employ agents speaking different languages as per the requirement. This will ensure smooth communication with the customers and the clients. Apart from the virtual assistant who takes care of various tasks, there are specialist virtual services also available such as virtual phone assistance or virtual reception assistant. In this case, the support will be limited only to managing telephone calls.
Availability
When you tie up with a professional service provider, you need not worry about the availability of a particular assistant. In a company, there will also be someone else to take charge in case of the non-availability of the assigned person.
Some of the companies even provide service for all 365 days and some even provide round-the-clock assistance. These timings are helpful to clients across the globe since they can avail of the services without bothering the time zones. Net to net, businesses across the globe can outsource tasks to virtual assistants to get more work done, quickly, efficiently, and affordably.
Key Assignments
Listed below are some of the key tasks handled by the virtual assistants.
- Calls and email management.
- Provide clerical support
- Interface with the client
- Schedule appointments
- Maintain the calendar
- Prepare itinerary
- Manage bookings travel/hotel
- Manage social media
- Content Management
- Digital Marketing
- Assistance in Design and Creative
- Sales data management
- Reports preparation and management
- Website management
- Inquiry management
Costing
Virtual assistance companies usually offer different tariff slabs. You can hire an assistant at an hourly, weekly, or monthly rate. The cost would also depend on the scope of work, skill, experience, and location of service of the assistant you are looking for. Some companies even have a system like a ‘pay per usage’ payment scheme.
How to Hire a Virtual Assistant Service Provider
Here are some of the points that need to be taken into consideration while associating with a virtual assistant service provider.
- Prepare a document detailed with a scope of work, service level agreements required skill set including required language proficiency, budget, preferred location, and KPIs.
- Prepare a list of agencies meeting the desired parameters.
- Go through the online reviews, check with people in your contact circle,
- Contact the most suitable agencies on the list and request a meeting and presentation. Also, request for references preferably from a similar type of business of yours.
- Verify backup plans in case of issues with men or machine
- Visit the facility to ensure the availability of infrastructure and human resources
- Meet and verify the credentials of the assistants
- Evaluate all shortlisted agencies and finalize one among them.
- Sign up for a suitable service plan
The concept of virtual office systems and administrative services has gained momentum in recent years. Many entrepreneurs and corporations these days started getting their administrative and business tasks executed more efficiently by tying up with virtual service providers. Like in the case of the developed countries, few companies offer virtual assistants in Dubai. Volga Tigris offers the best virtual assistance service in Dubai. For more information and a quote please visit.
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