If you’re a business owner or executive considering hiring an assistant , it’s important to know what tasks an assistant can handle and whether outsourcing those tasks to an assistant is the right choice. While virtual assistant service companies list a wide range of tasks they can do, not all tasks are a good fit for them.
In this article, we’ll discuss what assistants do and when it makes sense to use them. We’ll also explore what tasks are suitable for outsourcing to an online assistant and what tasks may be better handled by specialized freelancers, agencies, or remote executive assistant services. At the conclusion of this article, you will possess a more comprehensive understanding of the services, and determine whether they are suitable for your particular requirements.
VAs Offer Hundreds Of Services. But Which Tasks Are They Actually A Good Fit For?
When searching online, you can find a wide variety of tasks that can be outsourced with virtual assistant services. Some of the most commonly cited services include email management, phone calls, calendar management, travel arrangements, bookkeeping, social media management, graphic design, SEO, content creation and marketing, lead generation, customer support, and research.
After providing remote executive assistant services for four years, we have discovered that assistants are best suited for recurring tasks that do not require a high level of responsibility or skill. Examples of these types of tasks include data entry and spreadsheet management. If you need this type of support, hiring a part-time online assistant may be a good option for you.
There are several reasons why we only recommend virtual assistant services for recurring and straightforward tasks. For one, assistants may not have the same level of familiarity with your business as an in-house employee, which can limit their ability to make important decisions. Additionally, they may not be able to adapt as quickly to changes in your business. Finally, some tasks require specialized knowledge or expertise.
3 Factors That Make VAs A Poor Fit For Many Of The Services They Offer
If you’re considering hiring virtual assistant services, it’s important to understand that there are some characteristics of online assistant that make them a poor fit for certain tasks. Here are three common traits that you should consider before hiring one:
- Virtual assistants are part-time contractors: While there’s nothing inherently wrong with hiring a part-time assistant, some of the most popular services, such as email and calendar management, are better suited for full-time assistants who work closely with you on a daily basis. These tasks are crucial for managing important business relationships and require a high level of trust and understanding of an executive’s preferences and priorities. It’s too big a responsibility to outsource to a part-time assistant who won’t have the necessary level of trust, experience, or knowledge of the organization to do these tasks well.
- Virtual assistant are generalists, not specialists: Assistants are like administrative and executive assistants in that they can manage a wide range of tasks, but they’re not specialized in any specific area. It’s crucial to bear in mind that several assistant services necessitate technical or specialized skills, such as SEO or content creation for digital marketing services. Generalist assistants typically won’t have well-developed skill sets in more specialized areas, so depending on the services you need, you may be better off hiring specialized freelancers or services.
- Virtual assistants aren’t usually thoroughly vetted: When hiring online assistant through freelance marketplaces or virtual assistant service companies, there’s usually not a thorough vetting process to test and qualify assistants to ensure a consistent level of competency and capability. This means that the competency and capabilities of digital assistants are highly inconsistent, and it’s rare to find who can competently perform the wide range of tasks they claim to offer.
For these reasons, it’s best to only use online assistants for simple, repetitive tasks. If you need more complex tasks that require specialization or advanced knowledge of your business, it’s better to use specialized services or remote executive assistants. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of assistants, you can make an informed decision about whether or not they’re a good fit for your needs.
When Does A Specialized Assistant Or Remote Executive Assistant Make More Sense?
If you’re in need of a skilled assistant who can handle a wide variety of tasks, including complex ones like email and calendar management, then a remote executive assistant might be the best solution for you. With the help of virtual assistant services you can perform most of the tasks. Unlike freelance marketplaces and digital assistant companies, finding a skilled generalist requires a more sophisticated strategy.
However, if you require specialized services like digital marketing, it may be best to hire a freelancer or agency that specializes in that area. To determine which type of assistant is best for your business, consider the tasks you want them to focus on and whether you want them to specialize or work on a range of tasks.
For example, if you need someone to create original content, a specialist in content writing would be best suited for the job. But if you need someone to handle proofreading, publishing, and posting the content on your social media accounts, in addition to other tasks like email and calendar management, then a talented executive assistant would be a suitable fit.
Similarly, if you need a leading brand designer who can develop and direct the look and feel of your brand in all of your marketing materials, a freelancer or agency that specializes in graphic design would be the best choice. But if you require someone to create graphics periodically for social media or email marketing, among other tasks, a skilled executive assistant can handle this effectively.
The following section will outline our remote executive assistant service, highlighting its unique features and the tasks our assistants undertake for our clients.
When Does A Specialized Assistant Or Remote Assistant Make More Sense?
Our company provides a service that matches startup founders, entrepreneurs, and executives with skilled executive assistants who are reliable and competent in many different areas. Our assistants are capable of managing various tasks, such as handling communications, scheduling and time management, project management, social media marketing and management, business operations, people operations, strategic planning, client services, and special projects.
What sets our service apart from others is our unique hiring process. We use a methodology that assesses candidates on four key areas that predict success in a remote assistant role. These areas are problem-solving ability, key character and behavioral traits, communication ability, and tech savviness. We assess candidates using quantitative assessments, structured interviews, work sample projects, communication exercises, and reference and background checks.
Our hiring process enables us to consistently deliver top talent to our clients who exceed their expectations and exceed what most remote or virtual assistant services can offer.
How Our Remote Assistant Service Works
Our company offers executive support to various industries, such as tech startups, non-profits, real estate, and professional services. If you’re a founder, entrepreneur, small business owner, or senior executive, you can try our service for a month or two without any long-term commitments.
Here’s how to start using our service:
Step 1: Fill out a form to tell us what you need.
Step 2: If we think we can help you, we’ll set up a call to discuss our service in more detail.
Step 3: We’ll hand-pick an assistant who we think will be a great match for you based on your needs.
Step 4: Our talent team will guide you through the onboarding process over 2-3 weeks.
Step 5: You’ll pay a flat monthly rate to receive 40 hours of remote work per week from your world-class assistant, who will be like having a full-time employee but without the long-term commitment.
