In the past few years, many companies have shifted operations online. With this influx of online work, organizations are hiring virtual office assistants to increase efficiency and profitability. Skilled remote assistants can often perform routine tasks on a quick timeline and at a fraction of the cost of a regular employee.
Is a virtual assistant (VA) worth it? The answer, quite simply, is yes. VAs provide help with scheduling and reminders, research, social media management, data entry, and other routine tasks. They can also do many higher-level tasks like CRM maintenance, customer service, expense reports, and invoicing.
No matter the kind of business you have, you can trust Wing to help you succeed. Wing leverages technology to keep costs at a minimum and provide VA services to clients in a variety of industries. Here are ten industries that are using VAs to increase efficiency, streamline operations, and generate more profits.
Are remote assistants for Human Resources worth it?
Human Resources is a dynamic field that requires professionals to have an extensive network of personal connections and client relations. Remote assistants are supporting many firms by taking over everyday administrative tasks that don’t require this kind of expertise. Many recruiting industry tasks, like screening calls, make excellent jobs for VAs.
Whereas before a company recruiter would need to spend 45 minutes on a call to screen worthy candidates, now she can eliminate that task entirely with the help of an experienced VA. Compounded over many calls throughout the course of a year, that means major savings in time and energy. Here are a few routine tasks requiring no HR expertise that VAs can do:
- Email management
- Document formatting
- Expense reports
- Schedule management
VAs are cost-effective and hiring them results in significant time savings. As contractors who work from home, VAs can be quickly trained to do project-based jobs without needing to use company facilities or having to provide company benefits. When you factor in this reduction in the cost of labor, a virtual web assistant proves to be a major asset for HR and recruiting operations.
Are remote assistants for law firms worth it?
Many leading law firms depend on VA support to effectively cut down on costs and boost profitability as well. A remote personal assistant is an excellent choice for this industry because these tasks often do not require direct experience in the practice. For instance, every law firm needs to manage invoices, so it makes perfect sense that they would turn to remote assistants with expertise in this area to maximize efficiency. Here are some other ways VAs are helping drive growth for law firms:
- Dictation
- Note-taking and transcribing
- Document preparation and mailing
- Scheduling Meetings
- Phone support
Busy law firms have reported using virtual assistants to help with overflow support for legal secretaries and accounting departments. That’s because virtual assistants can handle many back-office tasks such as bookkeeping, invoice write-ups, invoice delivery, and expense tabulation as well. These tasks require minimal training to make a meaningful impact.
Can marketing VAs help your business?
One key area where remote office assistants add value for marketing firms is social media. By 2022, the number of social media users is estimated to be as much as 82% of the U.S. population, making it one of the most popular online activities. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or another platform, remote assistants are a cost-effective way to provide content that reaches billions of customers worldwide.
From account setup and content calendars to community management and basic elements of graphic design, remote assistants are increasingly called upon to provide a strong social media presence for companies. What’s more, remote assistants can provide instant feedback to customer comments on social media accounts in a personable manner. Using remote office assistants to get this work done is a smart move because it allows full-time staff to devote time to the critical task of converting these followers into buyers and increasing revenue.
With a simple text message, Wing VAs can set up a social media page for your business, answer direct messages from customers, or schedule online events such as chats and Q&As.
Are VAs for Information Technology (IT) cost-effective?
Information Technology tasks that can be automated with VAs include system updates, scheduling emails, and knowledge management. Virtual web assistants can also handle incoming tech support phone calls as well as offer troubleshooting tips and customer support. They can also provide services for chat or email customer support.
Routine tasks like these are ideal for VAs because you can train them quickly to troubleshoot most technologies. The work can also be done remotely, which is perfect for a team of VAs working from home. Remote office assistants are contract employees, which cuts down on costs like healthcare benefits for businesses. These benefits are handled by the VA’s employer, which limits the financial impact of hiring and training costly technicians.
At Wing, we make the process even more convenient by offering month-to-month subscriptions for remote assistant services. Assistants are pre-screened and trained, there are no contracts involved, and payment is done easily via credit card.
Are virtual assistants for startups legit?
A skilled remote office assistant can answer phones, interface with customers, respond to questions from prospective buyers, handle returns, and much more. Many startups hire a personal office assistant to manage tasks and facilitate time management, which are critical components to successfully scaling a business.
It’s not hard to see why VAs are so helpful to new businesses. Startups often face difficult time constraints and massive challenges to achieve their goals. Remote assistants provide an enormous value to these young organizations because they are cost-effective, fast-acting, and detail-oriented.
VAs can also assist with sales. Businesses have seen a rapid increase in call volume and leads closed with an experienced virtual assistant dedicated fully to cold calls and conversions. The result is a robust sales pipeline that increases profitability. In this case, hiring a remote employee is not just a savvy business move, it is a meaningful investment in the future of the business.
Is it a good idea to hire remote assistants for real estate?
Real Estate VAs are skilled in filling out paperwork, cold-calling leads, preparing listings, and other low-impact repetitive tasks that real estate firms must deal with. Whether it is editing digital materials for marketing new properties, managing social media, or scheduling meetings and reminders on the calendar, remote office assistants can provide valuable, meaningful contributions to a real estate firm at a fraction of the price of regular staff.
Remote office assistants also have more specialized experience they can bring to the role; for instance, they can handle Buyer Under Contract agreements and update MLS listings with open house information. So much goes into marketing, staging, and selling a property. However, many of these tasks are repetitive, low-impact ones that don’t necessarily require the expertise of a licensed Real Estate professional.
By having a VA handle this type of work, Real Estate professionals can focus on closing more deals faster, generating new leads, and seeking new growth opportunities.
Are remote assistants worth it for management work?
A remote office assistant is on call at any time of the day or night to assist busy managers, consultants, or supervisors. VAs can book travel arrangements, manage appointments, and interface with meeting attendees. These remote support professionals are available by email, text, phone, or however the client needs.
Wing remote assistant services are high-quality solutions to the costly and time-consuming process of onboarding additional staff. Wing’s global staff of college-educated, English-speaking assistants provides support to executives and consultants before, during, and after traveling abroad on business.
According to statistics, management consulting firms are expected to top $895 billion in global market size in 2021. VAs help drive that growth by handling daily tasks, giving consultants more time to focus on more important priorities like solving their clients’ problems and generating new business.
Are SEO virtual assistants cost-effective?
VAs can conduct simple audits of on-page SEO. They can devise and build a content strategy as well as deliver content pieces to support this strategy. SEO best practices are consistent for any company using the web for marketing.
For this reason, skilled remote office assistants are an excellent way to cut costs for this type of work. A strong SEO framework builds credibility for a business, improves user engagement, and delivers quantifiable results. All of these things contribute to driving growth for businesses.
Are e-commerce remote assistants worth it?
The rapid expansion of the e-commerce industry has made it an excellent proving ground for virtual web assistants. E-commerce remote assistants can handle customer support calls, order fulfillment and management, live chat, inventory sourcing and management, and many other tasks. Remote assistants contribute a lot to e-commerce companies because they can respond quickly to customer support requests, shipping issues, and changes in retailer requirements. This is driving increased growth in a rapidly expanding marketplace.
Wing connects e-commerce retailers with remote office assistants who can perform e-commerce tasks accurately and on time. These tasks include:
- Community management
- Advertising and promotions
- Product listings
- Price monitoring
- Managing order and shipping processes
Companies that conduct e-commerce business with major retailers such as Walmart, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Shopify have also had success with virtual assistants who interface with those platforms and manage online stores. The result is increased sales and profitability.
Are remote assistants for healthcare workers cost-effective?
As with the other industries on this list, remote office assistants are making a positive impact for healthcare and medical professionals too. ResearchandMarket.com projects that the market for these services in the healthcare sector will expand to $1.7 billion by 2025.
Remote assistants with strong customer service skills can provide phone support, schedule appointments, and maintain calendars for busy offices throughout the healthcare industry. They can also deliver therapeutic guidelines, answer patient questions, and provide non-clinical support like records management and streamlining patient discharge. As such, a key advantage to hiring virtual assistants in this context is timing and flexibility.
Some healthcare professionals need to change appointment bookings frequently due to unforeseen circumstances. Virtual web assistants can respond instantly to these requests, make changes, and notify patients of these changes. And there is no substitution for a human touch, especially in the field of healthcare.
Wing provides real, happy, helpful people to support healthcare clients. Having a responsive human being on the other end of the phone makes a big difference in the customer experience.
Are virtual assistants worth it?
There are an estimated 1.2 billion freelancers globally. This number has been steadily increasing year over year. If properly trained, the right remote office assistant can be a major asset to a business’s productivity. What’s more, it doesn’t matter what industry the business is in; there are tasks that almost every business requires, which a VA can perform with ease.
But is a VA worth it? Consider time savings first. According to a Stanford study, virtual assistants are 13% more efficient than in-house employees. This increase in productivity is attributed to the convenience of working remotely and contributes directly to a client’s productivity.
VAs save time and money
Consider cost when deciding whether a remote office assistant is worth it for you. In the United States, VAs get paid an average of $32.27 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,291 a week or $5,593 a month.
Wing provides these services with a flat, affordable fee that is much lower than the current market rate. We’re able to do this with the help of technology and a management system geared towards effective outcomes for clients.
Having a competent virtual assistant is a great investment for businesses. Remote assistants free up staff to focus on more meaningful, profitable work. Wing also has a global staff of English-speaking remote office assistants who are available to provide these mission-critical services for businesses in a variety of industries.
This team of motivated professionals is supported by a robust network of artificial intelligence which helps to keep costs low and streamline efficiency. Find out how we can help your business today—schedule a call to get started!
Dan Eder writes frequently about digital marketing trends, SaaS, and e-commerce. He has previously worked as a content writer at an SEO agency for tech companies, an e-commerce specialist at a Fortune 500 company, and a journalist for several educational outlets. Read more from him at www.daneder.com.
