Free your time!
Have you wished there were just a few extra hours in the day? Ever longed for an up to date contact list? Or wished someone could send a few holding replies to ease the pressure on your overflowing inbox?
Maybe it’s time you thought about hiring a Virtual Assistant.
A Virtual Assistant…what’s one of those?!
It’s not the first time I’ve heard this question, yet the profession of Virtual Assistant (VA) is a rapidly growing one.
A VA is an independent contractor who provides administrative services. Some of them provide telephone answering services, some specialise in certain business sectors, some offer executive level support and others offer more general skills.
VAs often run their own business, so not only do they bring their skills as a professional administrator, they understand how a business works and what it’s like to be a business owner.
Your time is money…
How much is your time worth? When you run your own business, sometimes it’s difficult to make the decision to outsource to another person. However, you need to think about the impact on your time as well as the cost.
For example: We recruited an on-site administrator for a property developer. It took us a total of 10 hours (1.5 days) to complete the task. We drafted the job description and advert for the client. Once they had approved it, we placed the adverts with the agreed sites. Once the adverts were placed, we managed the enquiries, reviewed the applications and created a shortlist of applicants. The shortlist was sent to the client who confirmed who he wanted to interview. We scheduled the interviews and arranged the venue, including refreshments. Once the interviews were complete – we confirmed with the candidates whether or not they were successful.
The client could have done this all himself, but he would have had two options: balance the work around his day-to-day client work or take time off. Neither of which were practical.
How much is 10 hours of your time worth?
Great 1st blog. Often we are so busy trying to clear tasks that we don’t perhaps think how much our time is actually costing – and just perhaps it might be cheaper to outsource!
Thanks Karen! Glad you like it. You’re right, I also think we forget that with outsourcing we’re engaging someone who’s an expert in what they do, whichever profession it is. So although we might be able to complete the task ourselves, it may take the expert half the time. That’s where the time value really becomes apparent.
Virtual assistants are definitely lifesavers. They not only help in accomplishing your work but also, with VAs at your disposal, you can now spend more time for yourself and your family.
Thanks William!