Virtual assistants have proven invaluable to a myriad of business owners, and any entrepreneur worth their salt would tell you that having a virtual assistant has given them an array of benefits. For one, virtual assistants give you extra time, and they are there to help you with various tasks that you would otherwise spend hours doing. Another advantage of virtual assistant services is that you can now stay on top of your database, and you no longer have to spend an inordinate amount of time on your books and other records. But there’s an even bigger question on the minds of many entrepreneurs and business owners: when can you most benefit from a virtual assistant? Here are the answers to your top questions.

First off, what are they?

You may already have a particular idea of the services they can provide, but they’re way more than just someone who can do your data entry tasks for you. They are there to provide you with innumerable other services, such as managing your schedule and calendar, booking your appointments, providing customer support, and managing your website and social media. Almost everyone has a virtual assistant these days, and there are now companies specialising in virtual assistants who can help you manage your personal affairs and offer other services.

But on to the original question: when exactly do you need one? There may come a point when you need the services of a virtual assistant, and they can be a more-than-worthy addition to your business.

When you need someone to work on a part-time basis

Virtual assistants can prove highly useful when you need someone to work on a part-time basis. Let’s say you need someone with the proper skills to work on a particular task, like bookkeeping or accounting or keeping your records or database in order. Such tasks require a lot of skill, not to mention take up a lot of time. Rather than have your regular staff do it for you, which takes them away from their core duties, you can hire a virtual assistant instead.

When you need someone to work on a specific project, hiring virtual assistants is smarter and more financially feasible instead of going for someone full-time.

When you have repetitive tasks 

Many business enterprises spend an inordinate time just finishing tasks that are deemed repetitive. And they aren’t just repetitive; they take a lot of time and effort. These tasks, such as answering emails and telephone calls, are best done by someone like a virtual assistant. The great thing about a virtual assistant is that you no longer need to waste valuable resources to train them. They’re adept at it from the get-go. They are fully efficient at what they do, and they may even be able to do the job more quickly and with less hassle or headache. 

Virtual assistants are either freelancers or work with an agency, so it’s up to you to determine which kind you need. But a virtual assistant working with an agency or company would do best if you need someone with a particular set of skills.