If you own your own business, you’ll know how stressful juggling day-to-day tasks can be. A virtual assistant (VA) can be the solution you need, as they provide the support you need to manage these daily tasks, so you can concentrate on more important matters.
However, with the virtual assistant industry market growing fast, expected to reach $25.63 billion by 2025, more and more people are becoming virtual assistants themselves. A lot of these people are skilled and qualified, but by the same token, many lack the qualities of a good virtual assistant.
To avoid costly mistakes for your business, it’s important to know what to look for in a virtual assistant, ensuring your choice is the right fit for you and your company.
If you’re wondering what to look for in a virtual assistant, you’ll need to watch out for the following:
Let’s look at these points in more detail below.
Virtual assistants regularly handle everyday tasks, but no matter how mundane these jobs are, they are important. Having a virtual assistant handle these tasks ensures you can focus on more significant matters.
Hiring someone reliable means you don’t need to worry about these jobs being finished properly and on time. If your virtual assistant isn’t dependable, you’ll have to do more work yourself, taking your attention away from more important business issues.
Additionally, your virtual assistant should also be honest, as they will need to handle sensitive data. Information like credit card numbers, emails, and flight data can be dangerous in the wrong hands. With credit card fraud rising over recent years and hackers using phishing emails to target individuals regularly, the wrong virtual assistant could leave your important information at risk.
Make sure your virtual assistant demonstrates honesty and reliability when you interview them. Ask them how they handle the responsibilities of juggling various tasks and looking after sensitive information.
Always call references before you hire to make sure they have displayed these qualities in the past, even if the candidate shines in the interview.
If you’re wondering what to look for in a virtual assistant, make sure your choice has good organisational and time management skills. These skills help a virtual assistant sustain order between various documents, tasks, and information. If a virtual assistant isn’t organised, they won’t be able to retrieve important paperwork or data as soon as it’s required.
Additionally, juggling tasks and meeting deadlines requires good attention to detail. Time management and organisational skills mean that VAs don’t just finish tasks on time, but that they are completed to a high standard.
A good virtual assistant understands how to maximise your time, fitting work tasks into your busy schedule quickly and efficiently. They work out what needs to be done first, tackling urgent tasks immediately while keeping up with long-term projects.
Good organisational and time management skills ensure a virtual assistant remains calm and doesn’t miss important matters, which is key in keeping you and your clients satisfied.
A virtual assistant’s classic role involves computer tasks, so it’s important for VAs to have sufficient computer skills. These skills should be more than simply switching on a desktop and using a few applications. Virtual assistants should understand computer programs and project management tools well, like Microsoft 365, Trello, or Monday.
Virtual assistant tasks often require searching for people, contact details, business information, and other details online. Make sure your choice has a good understanding of the internet and how to carry out online research.
You may need your virtual assistant to have advanced internet skills depending on your business, such as support or maintenance for your database or company website. Virtual assistants with these skills are incredibly valuable, so these skills are regularly laid out as separate requirements in job descriptions.
Whether you work with me or my team at Virtual Assistant, Millie, we can help you with everyday administrative tasks, as well as advanced internet needs, like editing your website and landing pages.
We’ll help you elevate your productivity so you can focus on more important tasks, helping you to achieve your business goals.
Ready to get started? Get in touch to discuss your needs today, or check out our services to learn more about what we do.
Word processing is one of the most important qualities of a good virtual assistant. If you analyse your company or tasks potential customers carry out each day, you’ll notice that several jobs rely on formatting text correctly.
Typing at a relatively fast speed and using word processor tools is part of this, but remember that word processing also involves data entry skills and organising chunks of text sufficiently.
For example, a virtual assistant may have a typing speed of 70 words each minute, but if their work contains hefty text blocks with lots of errors, this may lead to more problems than the initial ones you attempted to solve.
A good virtual assistant’s word-processing skills should balance speed, accuracy, and structure. It may be useful to have potential virtual assistants carry out data entry and typing tests before you hire them, to help you narrow down candidates for the interview process.
According to the Rest of The World, remote virtual assistant jobs are on the rise in the Philippines. Many people hire virtual assistants from other low-cost countries, like India, or China to save on cost.
You may save money this way, but your virtual assistant won’t be useful if they do not have a good level of English proficiency. There’s no point in hiring a VA who you struggle to communicate with on the phone, through email, or video chat.
Your virtual assistant will need to interact with clients too. Failing to speak English to a good standard can affect your reputation in the eyes of other clients, which can damage your business’ image.
Before you hire a virtual assistant, request that they take a basic English proficiency test online before the interview. This can save you time when choosing who to interview, ensuring your choices have good English communication skills.
There we have it! We hope this post helped you understand what to look for in a virtual assistant, improving your chances of hiring a skilled, qualified, and reliable virtual assistant.
At Virtual Assistant, Millie, we can help you manage everyday tasks like inbox management, travel coordination, and event planning, so you can concentrate on growing your business.
Whether you work with me or my skilled team, you’ll have the support you need to remain organised and productive, helping you simplify your life as a result.
Get in touch today to find out more, or browse our services to learn more about what we do.
