In this era of remote work and remote teams becoming the norm, more and more businesses are looking to hire virtual assistants.

But if you’re new to all this, things may be confusing and you may have a lot of questions. Like what is a virtual assistant even? How would you manage them remotely? How do you pay them? What are the risks involved with virtual assistants?

Well, look no further. This guide has all the information you need to get started on hiring virtual assistants so you can form your own remote team and work from home for good!

What is a virtual assistant?

If you’re new to remote work, “virtual assistant” just sounds like someone who does administrative tasks… virtually. But it’s actually more of an umbrella term for a host of services from scheduling appointments to social media management to tech support. Whatever your business needs, there’s a virtual assistant with the expertise for it looking to find work. Any business in any industry can benefit from working with a virtual assistant.

Why should you hire one?

There are only three good reasons to hire a virtual assistant that businesses care about.

1. They free up your time

You started a business because you’re good at and passionate about something, and 

that’s what you want to focus on. But running a successful business requires mundane, repetitive tasks to be done like answering inquiries, getting leads, ordering supplies, etc.

Hiring an administrative assistant to do all that frees you up to work on the parts of your business that you do best.

2. They save you money

Saving time automatically means you’re saving money. But other ways you can do so is hiring virtual assistants to work at an hourly rate, especially if you only need one for menial tasks. This greatly reduces costs compared to hiring a full-time employee.

If you need more professional work done, such as copywriting or graphic design, you also save money with a specific type of virtual assistant rather than taking the time to learn their craft yourself, and because you no longer need to train them. They can just start working right away while you continue with the business.

3. They know what they’re doing

Virtual assistants are verified experts in their field. Everything that a business needs to be successful in this day and age, such as content creation, social media management, web design, to name just a few, there is a virtual assistant for that. They can do it better and faster and with better insight than you or anyone else on your team. If you think keeping all work in-house saves money, think again. Hiring a virtual assistant does.

What should you outsource to a VA?

That’s entirely up to you! Things that take up too much of your time, things you don’t like doing, things you’re better off delegating, and more so you can concentrate on what you do best. 

If you’re still unsure about what type of virtual assistant is best for your company, below is a quick guide defining and differentiating the basic types of virtual assistants. This can help make your decision easier and prevent you from making a wrong hire and wasting valuable time and resources in the process.

Freelancers vs direct-hire vs agency-hired independent contractors: which one is right for you?

Freelancers

Basics: Freelancers operate as their own business. They typically work on different projects under different clients. They set their own rates and are paid per project. They invoice their clients rather than receive a salary, they pay their own taxes, and they typically don’t receive benefits. They own the intellectual property rights to their work.

Risks: It takes more time to find the right talent in the freelancer marketplace. No mediation services available in case of disputes. There is a possibility they will end up not doing the job. They can share your intellectual property with the other clients they work with.

Hire them for: One-time tasks. If your budget requires less than 20 hours per week of work. If you need a specific type of work done right away.

Direct-hires

Basics: Direct hires are contracted directly by a company or business (you) for a specific type of expertise that they offer. Like freelancers, they too operate as their own business, but since they are under contract they receive a flat hourly or monthly rate. You have more control in setting company-or-client-set guidelines for their work as well as deadlines for tasks and projects. 

Risks: Hiring directly means there will be no mediation once again in the case of disputes. And despite the existence of a contract, there is still the possibility of them not showing up to do the work at all.

Hire them for: Long-term projects. If you want to save on agency fees. If you want them to work for you exclusively and follow a schedule. If you want your intellectual property safe and under contract.

Agency-hired

Basics: These contractors are hired through a virtual staffing agency. That means the agency is the one that sources and recruits them according to your needs. It also means having terms and conditions set by the agency which gives you support in case the contract ends unexpectedly. Unlike the other two, there’s mediation between you and the contractor ℅ the agency.

Risks: It might take longer to find the right talent and you’ll also need to pay the agency fee. But if you have the time and the budget, then you’re much better off going this route than the other two.

Hire them for: Long-term projects and growing your team. If you don’t want/have the time to go through screening and shortlisting candidates yourself. If you want ongoing support/mediation with your VA as well as a proper contract. If you want your VA to work only for you. If you want to minimize the risk of your intellectual property being stolen.

Types of virtual assistants

Which type of virtual assistant do you need for your business?

Below are seven of the most popular VA jobs among businesses and their respective responsibilities listed.

1. General Administrator

This is one of the most common virtual-assistant jobs because of its versatility and high

demand from small businesses. Some responsibilities include:

– Data entry

– Answering emails or phone calls

– Organizing calendars

– Scheduling meetings

– Finding potential business partners

– Project management

This requires good organizational and communication skills as well as the ability to think quickly.

2. Sales Administrator

Unlike a general administrator, sales administrators focus solely on the, you guessed it, sales aspect of the business. Getting a sales administrator is ideal for small businesses who don’t have a sales team yet. Their tasks revolve around:

– Managing the sales calendar

– Updating the sales CRM

– Sending invoices to customers

– Finding leads

– Updating sales records

It’s good to be knowledgeable about sales tools for this such as Salesforce and HubSpot.

3. Content Marketer

Content marketing involves creating copy that helps a business sell its products and services, or establishes it as an expert in its field. Tasks for this are:

– Writing web content

– Writing newsletters

– Researching and writing blog topics

– Proofreading and editing

– Creating a marketing strategy

It goes without saying that excellent grammar and writing skills are needed for this position, but a knowledge of marketing and search engine optimization are a huge plus.

4. Graphic Designer

A graphic designer is in charge of the visual aspect of your brand and making sure it’s all consistent. Tasks include:

– Creating/editing images for website, social media posts, blog posts, etc

– Designing product graphics and mockups

– Designing logos, templates, etc that reflect the branding

Knowledge of Photoshop and InDesign are a must to apply for this position.

5. Real Estate Assistant

Working in real estate can be tedious with all the paperwork involved. An assistant can help with following:

– Posting listings

– Scheduling home viewings

– Typing up contracts

– Mining data from eBay and Craigslist

This job requires being updated with the current real estate trends to be successful.

6. Research Assistant

Research is needed to stay on top of the constantly changing and competitive market. Outsourcing that once again frees up a lot of time. Tasks are usually:

– Researching and gathering data from the market and competitors

– Researching customer persona

– Finding leads

– Conducting interviews with customers and industry experts

– Analyzing and interpreting the data

– Presenting the data in an easy-to-digest way

This job is great for those who are curious and love to interpret data. 

7. Social Media Manager

All businesses are on social media now and if they aren’t, they’re doing it wrong. Since there is more than one platform, having a social media manager to monitor all of it takes that right out of your hands. Here’s what they do:

– Create all social media content

– Engage with your audience and answer their questions

– Create campaigns

– Scheduling all content

– Writing ads and report on paid campaigns

Nowadays, social media management can be learned online. There’s a ton of resources, including Facebook itself, that teach the basics and update on changes regularly.

Where to find virtual assistants

Here are some popular and reliable websites where you can find virtual assistants by posting a job and a description of the type of worker you’re looking for.

Upwork

This is one of the more well-known marketplaces for hiring virtual assistants. The screening process is very thorough and there’s a bidding for jobs, so you’re assured of a small pool of qualified candidates to choose from.

Onlinejobs

This platform only provides VAs from the Philippines. It also has its own time tracking tool (Timeproof) that screenshots and also automatically invoices you. Users are required to provide proof of identification and to take tests in order to apply for job postings, so there’s quality control as well.

Freelancer

Find a virtual assistant for any type of job, big or small, short or long-term. Payment is also done securely through a Milestone System, which means it can only be released once a freelancer has performed the task. There are also a lot of in-app features such as live chat and file-sharing.

How to pay virtual assistants

There are different ways to pay VAs because of how they charge clients and the type of payment platform they prefer. 

Payment Structure

Depending on the tasks you need them to perform, you can pay VAs by the hour, by project, or by a flat rate. Hourly rates are preferable if you have set tasks on a daily basis. Meanwhile, project-based and flat rates are better for long term agreements and if you have set hours per week for them to work for you.

Payment Platforms

The only thing to remember about a payment platform is to choose one that’s accepted worldwide, since VAs can be from anywhere in the world. Here are some of the better known payment platforms used widely:

PayPal – You don’t need an account to start using it and it recognizes over twenty currencies in the world. However the transaction fees can be quite high and it takes up to five business days to transfer money.

Payoneer – This one supports over 100 world currencies but needs an account. It’s also integrated with popular freelancing websites such as Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr. There’s an annual fee of $29.95.

Wise (Transferwise) – Wise offers the most accurate mid-market exchange rate, but it’s only used in 50 countries so far. Registration is free. Automatic recurring payments is not doable.

More tools to make remote working easier

Here are helpful tools you can find online to make working with a virtual assistant easier and stress-free!

1. Communication

Communication is key in remote teams in order for everyone to be on the same page. Zoom is great for team meetings and one-on-ones while Slack keeps everything organized and secure.

2. Project management

For busy teams with lots of tasks, project management software is heaven sent. Tools like Asana or ClickUp make it easier to navigate and keep track of tasks, delegate work, and keep everyone accountable.

3. Time tracking

Tracking time is important for determining hours worked, how much to pay, and to make sure the VA actually worked on the task. Worksnaps is a very straightforward tool that takes screenshots as proof of working and also captures keyboard and trackpad strokes. Time Doctor is another time tracking tool that also automatically calculates billable hours as well as integrates a payment method of your choice.

Managing a virtual assistant

Now that you’ve learned the ways of remote work, are you ready to manage your VA?

Most employers are unsure of this part but that’s okay. When you hire a virtual assistant from Remote Workmate, it doesn’t end with contract signing and your Workmate’s first day at work.

We also help with the onboarding process and assign you and your Workmate a Client Success Manager. A CSM acts as the middleman between you and your Workmate to ensure clear communication and manage expectations. We schedule a monthly evaluation up to six months for both the employer and the Workmate to make sure everything is working out well for the two of you.

If that sounds right up your alley, sign up for an obligation-free call where we assess your needs and situation, and help you find the VA that’s perfect for you and your business.