Frequently Asked Questions

About Virtual Assistants

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Who hires Virtual Assistants?
Many businesses can benefit from hiring a VA. VAs offer the following advantages:
  • more cost-effective than having a full-time employee
  • helps free up your time
  • lightens the workload of on-site employees
  • reduces the need to train in-house employees
  • helps streamline business processes
  • improves customer service
  • minimal commitment
  • increases productivity
  • virtual assistant faq
That’s why more successful companies are turning to VAs! It’s not just big companies either—entrepreneurs outsource work to virtual assistants, too!
Are you curious about what a virtual assistant is and what they do? Are you thinking about hiring one but don't know where to start?
This blog post will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about virtual assistants. We'll cover what a VA is, what they can do for you, how to hire one, and how to work with them.
By the end of this post, you'll have a better understanding of whether or not a virtual assistant is right for you!
What are Virtual Assistants?
A virtual assistant or VA is an individual who provides certain services for your business from a remote location. Depending on the setup, virtual assistants can work for your business on a part-time or full-time basis. Virtual assistant services fall under the wide umbrella of outsourcing.
What does a Virtual Assistant do?
  • VAs have a wide range of skills and expertise. Their work can be divided into a few broad categories:

  • Administrative Support
  • Marketing Support
  • Systems Support
  • Operational Support
  • Financial Support
How Are Virtual Assistants Different from Regular Employees?
There are key differences between regular employees and virtual assistants.
Most regular employees physically report to work. Meanwhile, virtual assistants can work from anywhere in the world, as long as they have a reliable internet connection. In fact, many of them are off-shore VAs! Expert Virtual Assistants is a 100% US-based, women and minority owned business.
In many cases, regular employees are also full-time employees. On the other hand, VAs offer more flexible employment set-ups. They can work between 20-40 hours each week. This is why many business owners hire a VA on a need-to-need basis.
In addition, virtual assistants work with multiple clients, which makes them quite different from regular employees, who typically work for one boss.
Why Should You Hire a Virtual Assistant for a Startup?
Startups and small business owners usually have fewer resources than larger, established businesses. After all, there’s a lot of work to do when you’re starting a business!
More often than not, a startup team will be stretched out too thinly. It isn’t uncommon for them to juggle multiple roles and most tasks.
Unfortunately, there’s only so much you can do in a day. Many startup teams often struggle with time management. It’s also important to give you and your team regular time off to recharge and avoid burnout.
Hiring a virtual assistant can help address some of these startup issues. Hiring a virtual assistant usually costs less compared to onsite employees.
You can outsource a wide range of tasks to help lighten your team’s load without breaking the bank. That way, your personal life doesn’t have to take a backseat to your business.
How can virtual assistants help startups succeed? Read how this business owner expanded her business with the help of VAs.
How Can Virtual Assistants Boost Productivity?
  • By hiring a VA, you aren’t only getting an extra set of hands--you’re hiring highly skilled individuals who are trained to automate and streamline processes. A good VA will know how to maximize productivity apps and help make sure that everyone’s on the same page.
  • Administrative and busy work are inevitable in any business, but you don’t need to be weighed down by it. A VA can take over so that you can spend more time following leads and growing your business.
  • Once you find the right fit, you may be surprised at how much your VA can do for you and your company! They can help you take your business to the next level!
  • Looking for more ways to get the best from your virtual assistant? Here are some work tips you can try!

  • How Do You Hire Your First Virtual Assistant?
  • Before you begin the hiring process, it’s important to know what you need help with. It’s helpful to list down all of the tasks or outcomes you want to delegate to your VA.
  • If you can, try to prepare a detailed job description. Having clear expectations from the get-go will help facilitate the hiring process.
  • If you’re hiring a freelance virtual assistant, you’ll need to take charge of the screening, the phone interview, and the whole application process. You'll also have to iron out other details before you finalize their engagement.
  • On the other hand, a virtual assistant company can help simplify the entire onboarding process. This is because VA companies have already screened and trained their virtual assistants.
  • After sending in an inquiry to a VA company, a representative will get in touch with you to set a meeting. During the meeting, they’ll try to get a good sense of your needs. They’ll use that information to match you with one of their in-house VAs. On top of that, a good VA company will continue to provide support through the entire onboarding process.
  • During the onboarding process, don’t forget to set up your business security systems! That way, your VA can access what they need.
  • Are you interested in learning more about the VA hiring process? Here are some killer strategies you can use to successfully hire your first VA!