Virtual assistants are employed by virtually every type of business in 2024. From e-commerce virtual assistants all the way to those employed in real estate, virtual assistants make a massive contribution to the business world as we know it. They handle tasks that would take too much time and energy from your full-time staff, and they’re quite dependable.
The work model they provide is flexible and the system is scalable. Still, what kind of tasks are best left to virtual assistants? Where do they excel? The list is quite long but here are seven examples to help you understand this concept a bit better.
1- File storage and organization
Every enterprise is using some kind of file storage and optimization platform, so having someone to help with Dropbox or Google Drive optimization is always a huge plus.
These virtual assistants can also create and manage spreadsheets and perform subsequent data entry. Data entry is far more efficient when the person who created the table manages it.
File conversion, splitting, merging, and comparison are a common occurrence in the modern workplace, especially when creating more elaborate resources.
Speaking of which, preparing materials for onboarding and presentations is a task that you can feel free to pass onto the virtual assistant.
2- Bookkeeping Services
While every business should have an accountant, there are so many bookkeeping tasks that you can delegate to a virtual assistant. Sure, they can be put in charge of managing accounts payable and receivable, but they can also engage in more specialist tasks, like handling bookkeeping for real estate.
One of their common tasks can be reconciling bank statements, which is something that you’ll be doing more commonly than you expect.
Tracking expenses and receipts is a task that you need on a daily basis, meaning that having a licensed accountant do it may be incredibly expensive.
Finally, preparing financial reports and summaries is a standard form and can easily be handed over to a bookkeeper.
3- Social Media Management
Social media content depends on being posted at the right time for optimal engagement. Content scheduling and posting can be the responsibility of a virtual assistant.
A lot of potential customers are sending brand messages on social media or leaving comments under their posts. While you could entrust this to a chatbot, it’s always better to have a person tend to some of these comments and outreach.
Virtual assistants put in charge of your social media can also monitor brand mentions. This way, they can do a sort of soft analysis of the audience sentiment.
With the help of new generative-AI tools, they can also be put in charge of handling basic graphic design for posts. This can really speed up the posting process.
4- Email Management
One of the things that your virtual assistants can do is tend to your email inbox, especially sorting and categorizing emails. You would be surprised at how even some of the best email service providers can get inaccurate when determining what’s important (or what’s spam). By having a virtual assistant, you can have someone to help you conduct a sort of triage.
Virtual assistants can also be put in charge of responding to routine inquiries. There are so many questions that don’t require someone high up to respond. In fact, most of these email inquiries are like this. Sure, AI is making great progress in this field but it can’t do everything.
Not to mention that email marketing is still quite effective, so having someone managing email campaigns could prove to be a huge boost to your business.
5- Calendar Management
Scheduling meetings and appointments can be done by software; however, it’s better to have someone who will understand you on a more personal level. Just think about it, a real human being has a much easier job of understanding your workload and your capabilities.
All that they have to do is handle your calendar and send reminders and confirmations on a regular basis.
Another thing you need to take into consideration is the fact that coordinating with multiple time zones is far from easy but for a modern workplace (hiring remote employees and teaming up with international partners) it’s an everyday thing. You need someone on top of this, someone who can coordinate with all the parties when necessary.
6- Research and Data Entry
Market research and trend analysis are the keys to doing business in 2024; however, this is something that’s not one-and-done. The majority of research and analytics is done by software, so all you have to do is keep someone on top of it and know who is going to deliver you the report you need. There’s no reason this shouldn’t be a virtual assistant.
They can compile contact lists and databases, so that you can just go through them and interpret them without having to engage in preparatory work.
Next, they can conduct product or service comparisons. They don’t even have to be too familiar with the industry, all it takes is for them to have access to enough reviews and an adequate comparison tool.
They should also be in charge of organizing and inputting data into CRM.
7- Customer Support
Responding to customer inquiries via chat or email is one of the most important responsibilities of an average virtual assistant. They’re there to be a human alternative to a chatbot. Sure, chatbots are slowly winning ground; however, customers still prefer to have a real human on the other end of the line.
Handling basic troubleshooting is not that difficult, especially for someone who has undergone the necessary training process and has access to the necessary resources.
They can easily handle processing returns or refunds (which is the most common complaint other than troubleshooting).
At the very least, they can be put in charge of managing FAQ and knowledge base updates.
Wrap up
Ultimately, these are the tasks that you can outsource to remote workers and virtual assistants without overextending too much. They’re simple yet vital for the survival of your business. Still, they can’t do everything and they can’t do everything equally as good. Understanding strengths and weaknesses is the key to properly using any asset.
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