If you’re ready for your first assistant…

…or maybe your fifth, have you considered the pros and cons of a Virtual Assistant? There are clear advantages and disadvantages to both. Let’s take a look at what they are!

Have you ever sat down and thought about which of your admin tasks have to be done locally versus them being able to be done remotely? Fortunately, the vast majority of processes and tasks that need to be done can be done from anywhere in the world. Pretty much anything you can think of is something they are already doing. They are already managing mailings, emails, follow-up calls, transaction management, and more. You may not be comfortable with it, but you need to know that all your staff does not need to be local. 

The fact that a virtual assistant is not physically there with you has upsides:

• You don’t need another desk, computer, phone line or any other hardware. The VA’s are already set up with everything they need.
• There are no issues with scheduling. The VA is task driven and they get the work done at their own pace.
• You don’t have to worry about water cooler activity! Let’s face it, time is lost with employees for silly things like this. With a VA, you’re paying them to get specific tasks done. They often charge per task but they also charge by the hour. You can keep it task oriented until you’re comfortable with the person and then maybe go to hourly projects.  
• You don’t have to worry about personality conflicts with other office personnel. Not everyone gets along with everyone else. Tension in the office is not a thing when they are not in the office.
• VAs are more easily replaceable if they are not working out. The number of VAs available makes it easier to find another one.

Clearly there are pros and cons of a Virtual Assistant You can certainly hire someone local with experience and the following are also applicable to VA’s. The challenge tends to be that there is simply less of a pool to choose from when you are looking locally. You have a nearly infinite number of choices of experienced people with VAs. The likelihood that you can find someone with the following locally is much smaller.

You won’t have to train them on many processes

The VA has other customers for whom they are working and each agent does things a little differently. VAs know what you need to in many cases because they worked with so many people.  They can be advisors as to how to get things done more efficiently for you.

You won’t have to train them on any software

Same deal! Although there are many kinds of software and VA’s certainly don’t know all the software, you can search for a VA based on your needs and what you are already using if that is the case.

Along with Pros and cons of a Virtual Assistant, another issue worth delving into is with which CRM software the VA is experienced. Often, a VA has one they decided they like to use and they recommend that one if you are not already using one. This is a potential issue. Because a VA likes a CRM software does not mean it’s the best one for your specific needs. VA’s do a lot of transaction management so they tend to use CRMs that are strong with that. That’s not a bad thing, but it may be different than your primary needs.

You really should do your research and get your own CRM implemented prior to hiring an assistant.

Then when you’re ready, you find a VA who knows that CRM. If they don’t know it and it’s a popular CRM, they may be willing to learn it. Also note that if the VA already knows the CRM, part of what you hire them to do can be to train you on it If you aren’t up for finding your own CRM, then using the VA’s preference will work. It’s just not the best case scenario. You definitely want a CRM so go ahead and use theirs.

For help with choosing a CRM, organizing your team, or building workflows, contact me so I can help!