For every new business, manpower is a common struggle. No matter how much an enterprise asks for development, if the company is not capable of matching the higher work demand with additional manpower and resources, expansion and growth will simply be tougher and more challenging to attain.
This is extra prevalent for startups. A small number of employees being made to shoulder workload that’s meant for a bigger workforce can end up experiencing burnout because of the excessive amount of pressure put on their shoulders.
Well, that’s the usual scenario for office-based employees.
Presently, virtual or remote assistants are gaining higher popularity across different industries and business sizes.
Business owners who lack familiarity about virtual assistants struggle to achieve more with the limited physical manpower that they have.
What they do not realize is that hiring virtual assistants for their business is just as good an option compared to hiring actual full-time, office-based employees.
With today’s digital evolution, the development of the internet and technology has contributed a huge part in the change of perspective towards virtual assistants.
It opened the eyes of many to the help and efficiency that VAs can offer to businesses. In a study about global outsourcing published by E. Mazareanu, data and results show that the outsourcing industry has significantly grown and emerged over the years.
Some refer to hiring remote assistants as freelancing. Regardless of how it is referred to by different businesses, it cannot be denied that virtual assistants are continuously dominating the professional arena.
A lot, if not all business transactions can be done via the internet, and this setup makes it a win-win for both business owners and virtual assistants.
Here are some note-worthy reasons on why hiring a virtual assistant is a must for companies and businesses, particularly startups:
1. Cost-effective
The work efficiency that VAs offer is what attracts business owners the most. Resources and cash are among the most important factors needed in order for a business to survive.
Companies would prefer spending less to generate their desired quality output. Cost-efficiency and quality output can both be achieved through the help of virtual assistants.
To be more particular, an attribute of most VAs is that they can be available on-call. They provide their services depending on the demands of their clients, thus fixed-rate salary is not always required for companies employing virtual assistant services.
Payment system can be arranged based on a per hour or per project rate. Employee benefits and contributions for virtual assistants will no longer be the responsibility of the hiring company.
Since virtual assistants already possess the necessary skills and experiences needed by the startup business, additional training will now be optional.
Some companies offer training and seminars for virtual assistants. Still, companies get to save more because training and seminars can be done remotely.
As a consequence, businesses get to save up resources for other company necessities such as money for paying rent and utility bills for the office or covering maintenance and repairs where it is needed.
There will be additional cash for additional enhancements that will benefit the company.
2. Time saver
Time management is crucial in every business, whether it is a startup or an established corporation. When time is properly distributed across all important factors of running a business, ample amount of focus is also given to building, analyzing and implementing strategies that can be helpful to the development of the company.
Multitasking is a common scenario for employees and business owners in startup companies. From performing administrative duties to managing the company’s finances, to supervising and ensuring that team members are working harmoniously and strategies are being carried out according to plan, there is simply a lot on the plate of startup business owners and their employees.
In addition, the process of hiring new employees can also be arduous work for the team. The workload includes scanning all the resumes, conducting interviews, selecting the most suitable candidates, and training them can take much of the time and attention of the limited number of manpower and resources available.
With the contribution of virtual assistants, however, there is a bigger pool of candidates available for a specific position.
As was mentioned, training no longer becomes a priority and time can be maximized. Certain tasks can be assigned remotely while office-based staff can focus on the more urgent requirements of the company.
The quantity and quality of work, distance, and location will not be a problem, thanks to online communication tools such as Skype, WhatsApp and even Messenger.
Virtual Assistants are capable of doing executive, administrative, clerical, and other tasks based on the needs of the startup. Their efficiency in meeting deadlines and accomplishing more in a shorter amount of time paves the way for small and startup businesses be more progressive even with the limited resources that they have.
3. Increased organization and productivity
Productivity becomes even more crucial for startups. Everyone must do their job in the best way they can in order to generate ideal results. The output of each and every staff is counted to the total productivity of the company.
If hiring additional office-based employees can be a bit of a stretch for startup owners, they can hire virtual assistants to help out in their company’s operations.
Specifically, job positions that hold the most pivotal roles in the business, such as clerical and administrative job titles can be assigned to experienced virtual assistants.
Since documents can now be handled and disseminated digitally, keeping records and ensuring that all company papers related to its operations, employees, expenses and utilities can be easily managed even remotely.
This helps save space and diminishes time spent for organizing files. Offices that are less cluttered and have more space to work on contributes to the capability of staff to focus and be more productive.
4. Minimized conflicts
It is within everyone’s knowledge that virtual assistants work outside the actual office which implicates that, technically, they are exempted from office drama.
Conflict at work is unavoidable since it already serves companies and offices serve as a small community with different people who have different personalities, beliefs, background, upbringing and experiences in life.
Contradicting personalities can create disagreements and hard feelings among the workers which in turn can decrease productivity and efficiency.
Despite communication disadvantages, working remotely also means being less prone to arguments and confrontations that only bring unnecessary stress to the workplace.
This also means virtual assistants are comfortable enough to stay focused on their specific tasks and responsibilities.
5. Increased personal time and rest
With the work done by virtual assistants, the chances of workplace burnout is significantly reduced. Virtual assistants help even out the daily workload; thereby helping startups achieve it core goals in a faster manner.
On the part of the staff, the workload shouldered by virtual assistants enables in-house employees to perform better since they are given more time to rest their brains and exercise their skills where it is most needed.
The same thing holds true for virtual assistants, since they are working within the comforts of their home.
Both remote and in-house staff are rewarded with extra time that they can utilize for personal matters such as spending time with family, leisure, recreation, and their personal hobbies.
Giving employees time for themselves will also benefit the company since their workers have good mental and physical health. Happy workers reflect positively on the employers as it shows that the company prioritizes the well-being of employees.
Owners can now focus on developing the company and workers will not have to worry about being swamped with additional or extra tasks. Balancing the workload between in-house and remote staff can definitely create a win-win situation for everybody.
As the competition in the industry continues to rise, it is practical for startups as well as small to mid-sized businesses to take advantage of the trends and developments in technology and communication.
It is important for owners to use their wit, wisdom, and creativity for their business to pursue. Virtual assistants represent how distance is no longer a hindrance to hiring employees with the skillset and experience suitable for the job.
For as long as there is a clear line of communication between the employers and the remote staff, and objectives and responsibilities are conveyed with clarity, then VAs can truly be instrumental in helping businesses grow and be more dynamic and achieve new heights of success.
Have you experienced hiring virtual assistants for your business? Do you plan on hiring virtual assistants in the future? Share your experience and your thoughts on employing remote staff as additional manpower!