| Virtual Assistance provides specialized business | | | | effectively handled by a VA who is able to |
| support to assist in the growth and development | | | | respond and deal with questions or concerns |
| of your organisation by an independent contractor | | | | surrounding your products or organisation. |
| or Virtual Assistant (VA). Many of the services | | | | 6. Online Store Management |
| are focused around administrative tasks however | | | | As small business grow and develop, it can |
| the ways in which a VA can benefit your | | | | become difficult for one person to effectively |
| organisation are only limited by your imagination. | | | | manage and run a business. A Virtual Assistant is |
| Listed below are 10 functions which can be | | | | in a perfect position to assist with the |
| outsourced by small to medium sized | | | | management of an online store in whatever |
| organizations offering Virtual Assistance related | | | | capacity is required. |
| services. | | | | 7. Data Entry |
| 1. General Typing | | | | This is an often cumbersome but necessary |
| A secretary or administrator is no longer required | | | | aspect for many businesses that are database |
| to be based in the same office as the supervisor | | | | focused. A Virtual Assistant can be engaged to |
| or the manager. Whether you work from hand | | | | enter data from information sheets and provide |
| written notes or prefer to use a Dictaphone | | | | focused reports when required. |
| machine, typing can be done from any location | | | | 8. Personal Assistant Services |
| and emailed directly to the recipient. | | | | A VA can be utilized as a Personal Assistant as |
| 2. Social Media | | | | and when services are required. This is an |
| With the importance of social media marketing for | | | | extremely cost effective way for an organisation |
| small to medium sized business, a VA can | | | | to hire an extra pair of hands without the |
| regularly update an organization's Facebook and | | | | headache and cost of hiring a permanent |
| Twitter status to keep customers up to date | | | | employee. |
| with what is happening within your organization. | | | | 9. Managing Email |
| 3. Bookkeeping | | | | Day to day we are bombarded with unnecessary |
| For those not skilled in the art of bookkeeping, it | | | | emails. How many of the email messages |
| can be a burdensome chore. By outsourcing your | | | | received in your inbox yesterday were necessary |
| bookkeeping services, you are essentially freeing | | | | for you to actually read or acknowledge? Allowing |
| up your time to focus on other core aspects of | | | | a VA to manage your email accounts can be |
| your business. | | | | particularly time-saving. |
| 4. Blogging | | | | 10. Booking Travel |
| Blogging is an excellent way for small businesses | | | | If you regularly travel for business purposes, a |
| to increase the awareness of their organisation in | | | | VA can arrange the booking of your |
| terms of reaching out to their customer base and | | | | transportation and organize your hotel |
| raising their search engine status. Regularly writing | | | | accommodation specifically to meet your needs. |
| blog posts and managing a blog can be very time | | | | They are then able to provide you with a full |
| consuming and for this reason it is a task which | | | | travel itinerary allowing you to maintain your focus |
| could easily and affordably be delegated to a | | | | on other profit driven tasks. |
| Virtual Assistant. | | | | With the number of skilled VA's now entering the |
| . | | | | Virtual Assistance field, more and more |
| 5. Customer Service | | | | businesses are adapting to this convenient |
| Customer service is vital in running a smooth and | | | | outsourcing method in order to reduce their |
| efficient business although dealing with customer | | | | overheads and take their business to the next |
| inquiries and concerns can be quite a task to | | | | level. |
| manage. This in particular is one task which can be | | | | |