10 Ways to Save Time by Using Your VA
Virtual Assistants (VA's) are a great tool and asset to small business owners.
If your business is under tremendous growth, hiring an assistant may be your next step.
However, in a small home based office you have to deal with restrictions such as space, equipment and most of all taxes and fees associated with hiring an employee to your company.
VA's do all the same work (with the exception of things like filing that must be done in the office), from their home office.
VA's are business owners themselves.
So they pay their own benefits and taxes.
They are there to assist you in the growth and success of your business.
Whether or not you have a Virtual Assistant (VA), these suggestions will help business owners decide what tasks to delegate to your current or potential Virtual Assistant: 1.
Correspondence - Dictation is a great way to get this done.
Via 800 numbers or a digital recording that can be downloaded to their computer.
Your VA can type this out, format it and send it back to you for review.
With a stash of your letterheads and business envelopes your Virtual Assistant can send this out with an electronic signature! A great time saver on your part.
Why? When writing you tend to stop, reread, rewrite, and edit.
Your Virtual Assistant does all of the work.
All you have to worry about is the review! 2.
First Contact for Information Requests - With a great process nailed down.
Anyone requesting information from you about your services and/or products will be able to contact your VA via phone or email and request this information.
Again with ready available supplies your VA can send this information out and get you the information you will need for a follow up.
Also, they can enter any information you have into your contact management database immediately! 3.
Product Orders - Product orders can be filled and shipped on a timely basis.
If you are out of town on business for a week and receive several orders for products.
You don't have to worry about whether or not someone is ordering a product and you're not in the office to ship it.
4.
Answering Phone Calls - Whether in a meeting or out of town on business, your phones can be routed to your VA so you know that calls are being answered whether you are in the office or not.
5.
Scheduling - When it comes to maintaining your schedule.
There is a number of ways your VA can help you.
When someone first contacts you about a meeting or engagement, they almost always have dates in mind.
Use your VA to catch those individuals right away and get them booked! 6.
Invoicing and Collection - We all know as small business owners this can be a time consuming detail.
Has that company paid what they owe your company for the speaking engagement you did two months ago? Do you have checks that need entering into your financial management system from products that you sold last month? Do you have a financial management system in place? Your VA can enter all information and make follow up calls for you on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis and keep everything up to date for you.
7.
Internet Research - With a good idea of what you are looking for, your VA can get you the information that you like and send it to you, via the file it comes in or if using remote networking software like GoToMyPC, and even print it up on your computer for you to grab when you have a chance.
8.
Travel Arrangements - Need to book a flight? Rent a car? Get a hotel room? Let your VA do it! If you have specific places that you stay during a trip, make sure he/she knows this, as well as any price ranges.
We are here to help you! 9.
Updating your Webpage and Blogs - A lot of VA's are knowledgeable in HTML applications! This saves time and money.
A great gain when it comes down to it.
Your business will not have to contract out with another person to make minor changes to your websites and blogs.
10.
Relaxing - Your Business can utilize all nine tools.
They are many more your VA can help you with.
You will find spending time with your family and friends may have opened up tremendously.
These items may seem small, but remember that a 5-minute phone call for information can turn into a 10-minute mailing.
Then a 15-minute update in your database.
Then 10-minutes of appointment scheduling, 30-minutes on correspondence and 30-minutes on billing! You add that up and its 1 hour and 40-minutes of work that you could be using on a client or best of all Relaxing!
If your business is under tremendous growth, hiring an assistant may be your next step.
However, in a small home based office you have to deal with restrictions such as space, equipment and most of all taxes and fees associated with hiring an employee to your company.
VA's do all the same work (with the exception of things like filing that must be done in the office), from their home office.
VA's are business owners themselves.
So they pay their own benefits and taxes.
They are there to assist you in the growth and success of your business.
Whether or not you have a Virtual Assistant (VA), these suggestions will help business owners decide what tasks to delegate to your current or potential Virtual Assistant: 1.
Correspondence - Dictation is a great way to get this done.
Via 800 numbers or a digital recording that can be downloaded to their computer.
Your VA can type this out, format it and send it back to you for review.
With a stash of your letterheads and business envelopes your Virtual Assistant can send this out with an electronic signature! A great time saver on your part.
Why? When writing you tend to stop, reread, rewrite, and edit.
Your Virtual Assistant does all of the work.
All you have to worry about is the review! 2.
First Contact for Information Requests - With a great process nailed down.
Anyone requesting information from you about your services and/or products will be able to contact your VA via phone or email and request this information.
Again with ready available supplies your VA can send this information out and get you the information you will need for a follow up.
Also, they can enter any information you have into your contact management database immediately! 3.
Product Orders - Product orders can be filled and shipped on a timely basis.
If you are out of town on business for a week and receive several orders for products.
You don't have to worry about whether or not someone is ordering a product and you're not in the office to ship it.
4.
Answering Phone Calls - Whether in a meeting or out of town on business, your phones can be routed to your VA so you know that calls are being answered whether you are in the office or not.
5.
Scheduling - When it comes to maintaining your schedule.
There is a number of ways your VA can help you.
When someone first contacts you about a meeting or engagement, they almost always have dates in mind.
Use your VA to catch those individuals right away and get them booked! 6.
Invoicing and Collection - We all know as small business owners this can be a time consuming detail.
Has that company paid what they owe your company for the speaking engagement you did two months ago? Do you have checks that need entering into your financial management system from products that you sold last month? Do you have a financial management system in place? Your VA can enter all information and make follow up calls for you on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis and keep everything up to date for you.
7.
Internet Research - With a good idea of what you are looking for, your VA can get you the information that you like and send it to you, via the file it comes in or if using remote networking software like GoToMyPC, and even print it up on your computer for you to grab when you have a chance.
8.
Travel Arrangements - Need to book a flight? Rent a car? Get a hotel room? Let your VA do it! If you have specific places that you stay during a trip, make sure he/she knows this, as well as any price ranges.
We are here to help you! 9.
Updating your Webpage and Blogs - A lot of VA's are knowledgeable in HTML applications! This saves time and money.
A great gain when it comes down to it.
Your business will not have to contract out with another person to make minor changes to your websites and blogs.
10.
Relaxing - Your Business can utilize all nine tools.
They are many more your VA can help you with.
You will find spending time with your family and friends may have opened up tremendously.
These items may seem small, but remember that a 5-minute phone call for information can turn into a 10-minute mailing.
Then a 15-minute update in your database.
Then 10-minutes of appointment scheduling, 30-minutes on correspondence and 30-minutes on billing! You add that up and its 1 hour and 40-minutes of work that you could be using on a client or best of all Relaxing!
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