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Post-pandemic, more and more businesses are going virtual. In case you missed it, we already talked about “How outsourcing a Virtual Assistant can save your business time and money” in a previous post. In addition to this, there are more reasons why your business needs a virtual assistant in 2022. 

1 Scale up and scale down as you need to 

Outsourcing a Virtual Assistant is not like having an employee on a permanent contract. A lot of VAs are flexible with their time and can pick up and put down work as you need them to during busier or quieter periods. This can help you with cash flow and save your business the costs of having a permanent member of staff. 

2 Direct access to the talent pool 

Instead of you advertising and searching for the ‘right’ candidate, outsourcing gives you direct access to a pool of talented and experienced VAs. Most of them will tell you what their strengths are and what jobs they are both capable of and enjoy doing as it’s in both parties’ interests for it to be a good fit. 

3 Access to global talent 

In addition to having a direct line to experienced VAs, outsourcing gives you the opportunity to access talent in other geographic locations. This has pros and cons, as you’ll see in a moment and you’ll need to carefully weigh up the benefits before going down this route. 

4 Hiring an overseas VA may be cheaper 

Wages and salary expectations can be cheaper in other markets and depending on where you hire your VA, you might get a good deal. However, be aware of things like exchange rates going up and down and currency transaction fees. 

5 Expand your hours of operation and service to customers – go 24/7

One key benefit of taking on a VA from another country is the time-zone benefit which gives you the ability to extend your office ours. Most customers now expect service during evenings and weekends and so being able to offer this could increase your business. 

6 Drive business growth

Ultimately, having a virtual assistant in 2022 should save you time and help you to shift your focus from some of the more mundane administrative tasks, to where your time is best spent – in the growth and development of your business. 

Want to find out more about why your business needs a Virtual Assistant in 2022? Get in touch with eDivert today! 

We’ve discussed why businesses should consider hiring a VA and the benefits of outsourcing in previous articles but today we’re going to look at how you go about doing this. There are no hard and fast rules for going about choosing a VA. But with our help, we can point you in the right direction. Hopefully, we can offer some nuggets of wisdom that will help your journey go more smoothly. Here’s how to hire a Virtual Assistant – the right way. 

1. Are you ready? 

Although it doesn’t take as much time as hiring an employee, there is still a time commitment involved in finding and choosing the right VA for your organisation. You’ll want to get the best person for your business and make sure that they are a good fit. So prior to embarking on this journey, ensure that you are prepared and have the time to dedicate to this task. 

2. Consider your budget and location 

One of the key benefits of hiring a Virtual Assistant is to be able to extend your office hours and potentially offer 24/7 sales/support/service to customers. If this is what you’re going for, choosing a VA that is located in a different time zone OR finding a company that offers VA services covering multiple time zones should be on your radar. Geography also has a direct impact on the price you pay, so be aware of this too. 

3. Prepare a job description 

You may not need to prepare a full-blown JD of the roles and responsibilities, but it does help you to have an overview of the tasks that your VA will be undertaking. This can help you match tasks with the talent and provide realistic expectations about what you are looking for. 

4. Define your goals

Similar to the above, a list of tasks is important but you should also be very clear about your goals. Document the steps for how to achieve them, particularly if they are part of your organisational KPIs. This will help a VA step into the role more easily. 

5. Engage and shortlist 

You can begin your search for a VA directly through places like Upwork. There are also other freelance platforms. Or you can find a company that offers VA services, such as eDivert. Make a shortlist of candidates and companies and contact them. See what services they offer and how they propose to work with you. 

6. Start small and go from there 

Once you have made your selection, start with a small package with a few tasks and a minimum number of hours to test the waters. Most companies will require you to sign up for 3 months minimum. And that’s ok – it gives you time to see how the relationship pans out. You can then make alterations if necessary and both parties have the opportunity to build something. Once you are happy with things, you can increase the number and diversity of tasks and the time that you have the VA for. 

Get in touch with our team today to find out more about how to hire a Virtual Assistant – the right way. 

Many business owners find themselves juggling multiple tasks on a daily basis and sometimes it’s hard to stay on top of things. Delivering your service whilst managing emails, phone calls, marketing and social media to name but a few things can take up most of your time. Outsourcing a Virtual Assistant can save you time and money. Perhaps it’s time to take on some outside help?

When it’s time to bring in help, you might immediately think that taking on an employee is the best route. But hold on a moment, have you considered the benefits of outsourcing? Outsourcing a Virtual Assistant can save you time and money.

Why outsource? 

1. Outsourcing can save you time 

Before you hire an employee, you have to find one first! This process itself can be extremely time-consuming. You have to write a job description and person specification, prepare job adverts and decide where best to advertise. And depending on where you advertise, this can be an expensive exercise with no guarantees of success. Then you have to field the enquiries, put together a shortlist, conduct rounds of interviews and finally recruit your employee. Oh and don’t forget all the employment documents that you’ll need to provide them with; employment contract, policies and procedures, staff handbook and so on. 

Outsourcing a VA cuts right through that entire process, and provides you with a qualified, experienced person who can help you with the extra workload. You’ll still need to interview them and brief them on the duties, but there is a much greater likelihood that this will be less of a headache for you! Especially if you can work with them to determine which bits of work you want to keep and which bits they are best placed to take off your hands. 

2. Outsourcing can save you money 

We’ve mentioned the cost of advertising your job position – by outsourcing you are going directly to a pool of talent, specifically trained for the role and so you can save money here. 

Moreover, outsourcing is often much cheaper than hiring – we’ve already talked about the hiring process, which is time-consuming and that equates to a shift in focus – you’re spending more time finding someone than you are on your actual business. 

If you hire a member of staff, don’t forget you have to pay them for time off. There’s holiday pay, statutory sick pay etc. and in addition, you’ll have to pay for someone to cover while they’re off (more on this in a moment).

With an outsourced VA, you only pay for the hours that you actually use them, meaning that you’re making efficient use of your money. Some VAs are flexible and can pick up work when needed, so you’re not paying them during quieter periods or in your off-season. 

eDivert has a team of qualified and experienced VAs to assist with a variety of business requirements. Get in touch with our team today to see how outsourcing a Virtual Assistant can save you time and money.

Web enquiries, emails, social media and live chat facilities all have their place, but the telephone is still the preferred and quickest communication tool of choice for many when it comes to business. With this in mind, find below how we answer the phone at eDivert on behalf of our customers and learn how you can apply this in your own business.

The first one is probably the most obvious one; we like to answer all calls quickly.

It gives a good impression and it makes the caller feel valued. It also proves that your business has everything in place. Your customers will feel a more positive connection with you if they can get through to you quickly when they call you.

Answering the phone ‘with a smile on our face’ might sound cheesy but it really works.

It doesn’t matter if you are having a bad day, are half way through a complicated spreadsheet or half way out of the door on your way home. Your caller should take priority; warm and enthusiastic should be the order of the day, as soon as you answer the phone. At eDivert, we believe in: ‘Always treating people how you would like to be treated’.

Even when the caller is impatient, we remain positive and professional.

There are little phrases you can use that will ensure the caller feels you are taking him or her seriously and are trying to help to resolve the issue, sometimes without giving concrete answers there and then. You can use for example: “Let me find that out for you” and “Let me get back to you on that”. It is preferably to use these phrases, rather than a simple “I don’t know”. The first two show interest and a willingness to help, which is the customer service rule number 1 at all times.

Keep language choices appropriate to the conversation. For example, enunciate every word and avoid using ‘cheers’, ‘uh-huh’, ‘mate ‘,’yeah’ etc. You are speaking to a business contact not your drinking pal. It is best to keep it business-like; a balance between friendly and formal at the same time.

We always mention your company name, when we answer the phone.

It provides the caller with the confidence that they have dialed the right number and it sets the tone for a professional conversation.

When we take a message, we like to check the information that we are noting down.

It is good practice to re-confirm any spellings that you are unsure with the caller in order to avoid mistakes. Don’t hesitate to read back email addresses or telephone numbers to ensure you have the correct details – You don’t want a red hot business lead in your hand that you can’t get back to.

This is how we roll at eDivert and we enjoy managing the incoming calls of our customers.