Virtual assistants are the best-kept secret of modern productivity. Much like a regular assistant who comes to your house or office every day, a virtual assistant will be able to meet your needs, complete specific tasks, and be in constant communication with you. The only difference is they do it from their own space, and you don’t have the responsibilities that come with employing your own physical assistant. They can save you time and money while efficiently eliminating stress from your daily routine. It's becoming increasingly common to hire an individual who works on your behalf from a remote location, taking care of the crucial tasks that could easily be done more efficiently by someone else, leaving you free to do higher-level work. But how do you really know if you need a virtual assistant or if you should just continue to outsource specific projects?
First, you need to determine if you are just outsourcing to offload tasks or if you are really looking for someone to help you. Here’s the difference: if you are really busy, you can always delegate things like data entry or running errands to anyone. However, some tasks are more specific and require knowledge of your personality and preferences like scheduling or research. When you’re in a time crunch and have a high priority task that you’re having to delegate, most of the time it's already too late (airfare will cost more, reservations will spike in price or likely not be available). Basically, you’ll be scrambling.
If you had a virtual assistant that knew you– keeping a pulse on what you had upcoming and proactively serving as your right hand– they would be able to keep you from those panicky scramble-mode days before something falls through the cracks. If this is what you’re seeking, a virtual assistant would serve you better than general outsourcing. Virtual assistants are able to do both personal and business specific tasks, and their skills vary to match your specific needs. For example, a virtual assistant could specialize in social media, marketing, travel planning, bookkeeping, event planning, and more! No matter how specific or unique your needs are, there’s certain to be a virtual assistant that can match them.
Keep in mind, a virtual assistant should be based on value, not cost. Prices should be competitive but don't shy away from the most expensive firms just because you can get it less somewhere else. Always remember that you get what you pay for; a quality VA should be your right hand and go-to person for any and everything.
At Rivvly, we like to say that VAs aren't designer shoes– they are the ones finding you deals on those designer shoes and making sure you have a matching pair on as you're walking out the door. ;)