Time is one of the most important resources to any person, team or business. When it comes to doing a task or project, time will always be a factor in how well it can be done and how successful you will be in the long run. By managing your time correctly, you will be able to succeed immensely. In the same way, if you don’t manage your time well, you can fail immensely and very quickly.
As a business owner, you have to excel at time management to make sure that your business stays afloat. There are so many tasks and fine details that need your attention, but there are only 24 hours in a day. Thus, drawing up a good schedule and always adhering to it would go a long way in your business’ success. But, what if there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get all the tasks done and you find yourself drowning?
That is when you need to get help, and if you are a start-up or newly established business and you cannot afford a full-time employee, then a virtual assistant is your best option! Your VA will help you manage your time effectively, not only by getting your tasks done but also helping you to streamline task management and increase efficiency. Here are a few ways that a VAs can help you get more done in less time:
Communications and customer care: You can get a VA that is well spoken and has good professional communication skills to man your phone line and email accounts. By getting this one task out of your way, you can greatly free up your time already. You can also take it to the next level by employing a VA in a different country or time zone so that they can manage your phone lines and emails while you are finished for the day. This is especially useful for online businesses and businesses that have customers from all around the world. By using web-based voice calling apps like Skype and email management apps like Hiver, you can easily set up a 24/7 customer care service, making the most out of each day.
Social media management: In the same way that your VA can manage your communications, your VA can also manage your social media accounts while you are busy or finished for the day. In recent times, social media has become an important factor in running a business and many customers would rather use Facebook or Twitter instead of calling or emailing. Customers also value instant messaging or live chat customer care because their inquiries or needs are answered immediately. Your VA can also keep up with the latest industry news that could help you come up with ideas or find resources, and they could also create content to keep your social media pages active.
Data and records management: You can employ a VA to enter, manage and interpret all your business data. Database management is one of the most time-consuming tasks, so by employing a VA to do it for you, your time is instantly freed up. Databases and records can also get confusing and messy if neglected for too long, so employing a VA to regularly keep on top of it will definitely be worthwhile. They can also provide you with useful insights on where your business is heading through data interpretations and regular reports.
Editing and proofreading: Some VAs have very good language and writing skills. These are very useful when it comes to making sure that all your reports, emails, and blogs are grammatically correct and make sense. Editing and proofreading are tasks that can take a lot of time, so it will be more efficient to get someone else to help with it. Furthermore, having someone else to edit your work allows you to get a different perspective which is usually very helpful in developing well thought out written work.
Recruitment: When you are ready to grow your business and start employing staff or volunteers, it will save you lots of time by getting a VA to run and manage your recruitment. Instead of wasting your valuable time looking through the many applicants and sifting out only the suitable ones, you can employ a VA to do these initial stages of recruitment for you. They can sift through resumes received, choose suitable candidates according to your specifications, and conduct first round interviews. When they do find a suitable candidate, they can then pass them onto you for a final interview.
Research and planning: Research is important for you to find out more about where your business is heading, where your industry is most profitable and if they are any like-minded businesses and people to potentially partner with. VAs can get this research done for you if you educate them well on your business, your goals, and your vision. You can also employ VAs to help you come up with new ideas to drive your business in your desired direction and to maintain business growth. Since research and planning are time-consuming tasks, this will also free up loads of time for you to focus on other matters.
Time is a force of nature and it cannot be controlled. But, you can use the time given to you effectively by managing it correctly. If you’re struggling to keep up and you only just manage to keep your business afloat, then it is imperative for the survival of your business that you seek help. As you can see, there are several ways and systems that you can put in place so that an affordable VA can help you. Let our VAs help your business to make the most out the day, the month, and the year ahead.
Beyond VAs is a London based social enterprise that helps solopreneurs and SMEs grow their businesses by connecting them with talented virtual assistants from countries with high unemployment rates. To find out more about Beyond VAs, get in touch with us or subscribe to the newsletter here: www.beyondvas.com/contact-us