What is a Virtual Assistant? 3 Things You Should Know

There are currently more than 70 million freelancers in the US.

There are all different kinds of freelancers, and in recent years, many people have taken up the role of virtual assistant. They can help businesses in a range of ways and provide an agile solution in terms of team organization and business operations.

So what is a virtual assistant? Keep reading to find out.

1. What Is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant is a freelance worker who offers a range of services, typically in office administration. The nature of business has evolved over the years, and job roles have changed. A company can hire virtual assistants to perform certain tasks that they might not want to hire a full-time employee for.

2. What Do Virtual Assistants Do?

Every virtual assistant is different, and each individual will decide what services they want to offer. With that in mind, some are more common than others. Some of the most common tasks that virtual assistants do are:

• Bookkeeping
• Administration
• Social media management
• Content creation
• Copywriting
• Email management

While these are quite typical, not every virtual assistant will offer all of these. Some will also have more advanced skills and offer services like video editing, graphic design, and web development. If you need to hire a virtual assistant, you’ll need to determine your needs and look for someone who can handle everything you require.

3. What are the Benefits of Virtual Assistants?

You can always hire contracted employees, but it’s not always ideal. Virtual assistants provide a range of benefits that make them ideal for many businesses.

Reduced Operating Costs

Virtual assistants are generally inexpensive, often costing less than contracted employees. This is because you can hire them on an “as-needed” basis rather than for contracted hours.

Save Time on Projects

Virtual assistants can take on different tasks, and some of these can be very repetitive. By hiring a virtual assistant to take care of these, your employees will have extra time to deal with more important aspects of projects, such as lead generation and client meetings.

Improved Efficiency

Virtual assistants can work alongside your employees to help get things done quickly. You might have a social media manager, for example, and they can delegate tasks to virtual assistants as needed to maximize efficiency.

More Flexible Work Environment

One of the main advantages of virtual assistants is that they provide flexibility. As virtual assistants all have different offerings and live in different locations, you’ll be able to find someone to suit your needs. This could mean performing certain tasks for a specific number of hours each week or working at certain times that are beneficial for your company.

Hiring Virtual Assistants

You’re no longer wondering, “what is a virtual assistant?” but you might still be a bit confused about hiring one. FreeUp can help you find virtual assistants that are perfect for your company. Freelancers with a huge range of skills use our platform – you can let us know what sort of person you’re after, and we’ll find you the ideal candidate within 24 hours.

If you want to hire top talent to help with your business, click here to get started.