VA services, or services provided by a “Virtual Assistant”, are exploding in almost every industry and occupation where there are many time consuming, repetitiveVA Services are Booming Worldwide – 10 Reasons Why tasks that need to be done. Now, more than ever, modern technology is making it easier to do work “virtually”, or over the internet.
It doesn’t matter if your co-workers are sitting next to you or 10,000 miles away. Cloud computing and solutions such as Google Docs and Dropbox are making it easier than ever to collaborate in real-time, from all four corners of the world. VA services make more sense today than ever before.
Media attention has also contributed significantly to the mainstreaming of Virtual Assistants, outsourcing, and staff leasing services. The term “Virtual Assistant”, or “VA”, was first popularized by bestselling author Timothy Ferriss in his New York Times Bestseller “The 4-Hour Work Week”. In the book, Tim used his VA’s ingeniously, for a variety of personal and business tasks. The book caused an increase in demand for these types of services – which has led many people to want to become a Virtual Assistant. Besides this best selling must-read there are many other reasons why Virtual Assistants are becoming as normal in the office as the coffee machine.
Here are Ten(10) Reasons Why Virtual Assistant Services are BOOMING Worldwide:
- Cost — Everyone likes saving money, so its easy to see why the number one reason people outsource and hire virtually is to reduce their labor cost and save money. Most Virtual Assistants are located offshore in countries like the Philippines where the cost of living and consequently the cost of labor is much cheaper. Many CEOs report that they can hire 2-3 people virtually for the price of one in-house employee.
- Flexibility — Virtual Personal Assistants can also help with personal and business tasks such as appointment setting, booking airlines tickets or blogging. A Real Estate Virtual Assistant can help a realtor in California find more listings and close more deals. A Data Entry Virtual Assistant can help a lawyer process more cases per month. Independent Contractors are using VA’s to help them set appointments and stay organized. In all facets of the American workforce outsourcing work to Virtual Assistants is becoming commonplace.
- Reduced Risks of Lawsuits — Lets face it, its too flip’n easy to get your tail sued off in the USA! Lawsuits, many of which are frivolous, destroy companies of all shapes and sizes on a regular basis. Outsourcing helps eliminate and/or mitigate the risks associated with employee related lawsuits. If your employee slips on a banana skin in the office, you are liable, if that happens overseas, your outsourcing partner is liable.
- Improved Access to Top Talent — Finding, attracting and retaining top talent has always been a fundamental business imperative. Through smart outsourcing of tasks to a Virtual Assistant, or a team of people working offshore, companies can enjoy access to a larger talent pool and a more sustainable source of skilled labor than is often available at home.
- Change Catalyst — Hiring a Virtual Assistant or leasing staff in the Philippines is not merely a cost-cutting tool, it is also a strategy to energize your business and achieve organizational transformation. Hiring a VA can often bring a unique perspective and a fresh set of eyes to an organization. Many times a Virtual Assistant becomes an indispensable agent of change for a company that may not have achieved that change on its own.
- Improved Quality of Services — A Virtual Assistant may improve your company’s customer service, making your customers happier and more loyal. Lets say your company once answered the phones during normal office hours, 8-10 hours per day, but with a VA the phones can now be answered 24/7, around the clock – thats a massive improvement! VA’s may also create new and improved workflow systems that increase efficiencies and drive errors out of processes.
- Sharper Focus — Outsourcing time-consuming tasks to a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines allows business owners to focus on core business issues while leaving the menial tasks to someone else. You want to spend time working ON your business, not IN your business. You do what you do best, leaving the “busy work” to someone else.
- Healthcare Costs are Soaring — Healthcare costs are soaring in the United States putting more pressure on businesses to cut costs by outsourcing work to Virtual Assistants. Outsourcing companies usually provide a fixed rate per person, per month, which includes all costs including healthcare, insurance, and benefits.
- Greater Innovation — Companies partner with highly specialized Virtual Assistants to seamlessly augment in-house workforce to spur innovation and change.
- Improved Work/Life Balance — Individuals may wish to outsource their work to optimize their work-life balance and create more leisure time. In today’s hectic and demanding world where there never seem to be enough hours in the day this ability is more important than it has ever been.
The use of Virtual Assistants worldwide is booming, driven mostly by the desire of business owners to cut costs and become more efficient. However, companies hire Virtual Assistants for a wide variety of reasons. Bottlenecks in operations or in sales and marketing processes can hinder the growth of a company. If properly executed, hiring Virtual Assistants and outsourcing processes to a qualified partner can help solve these problems, making your company more efficient, scalable, and profitable.