Virtual assistants have slowly become an integral part of the business world. Many companies recognize them as dependable assets. Virtual assistants are professional individuals capable of handling different tasks. From simple clerical and administrative tasks to highly confidential or technical tasks, they can handle it all. If you are considering hiring one too, read on this blog which highlights the pros and cons of hiring a virtual assistant.
Pros of Hiring Virtual Assistants
1.
Handling Mundane Tasks
Virtual assistants are skilled at handling
mundane and repetitive tasks for you so that you don’t have to waste your
precious time (as a business owner). Examples of such tasks include follow-up
calls and emails, calendar management, travel management, etc.
2.
Minimal Training
If you hire an experienced VA, you don’t
need to provide them with much training. Instead, they can often help you
organize your office and segregate tasks by priority.
3.
Expertise
Many virtual assistants also have expertise
in specific tasks like blog posting, social media management, etc. So, they can
handle such tasks with efficiency.
4.
Scalability
When you have a staff shortage or a sudden
inflow of tasks due to the arrival of a new client, the VA can help you tackle
the extra workload.
5.
Round the Clock
Operations
VAs help many businesses become available
online 24 by 7 as many VAs are in a different timezone and can ensure your
business always seems operational.
6.
Cost-Effective
Hiring virtual assistants is also
cost-effective. You can pay them by the hour (which is quite low in many third-world
countries) and don’t need to pay them any benefits you offer to the full-time
employees (like retirement benefits, insurance, etc.)
Cons of Hiring Virtual Assistants
1.
Communication Challenges
If the VA you have hired speaks a different
language, there might be some communication challenges. Also, if they are in
another country, you can’t do in-person meetings.
2.
More Supervision Needed
You might also have to supervise the VA at
least for a few days until they learn the ropes. It can be a challenge for busy
businesspeople.
3.
Delayed Updates
When time zones are different, there might
be a few hours delay in getting business updates (like the need to follow-up
with a potential client).
4.
Lack of Focus
Many virtual assistants do multiple jobs at
a time or tackle multiple clients. So, they might be less focused on your
business tasks and more focused on another client. It might negatively impact
your business (like they delay the social media posts for your business, and
you lose the social media engagement of potential/existing clients).
5.
Data Risk
If you don’t do a thorough background check
of the virtual assistant, they might be fake. They might compromise crucial and
confidential business data (like your clients’ contact information) by selling
the same to your competitors.
6.
Potential Abandonment
A virtual assistant working for many
clients might abandon you anytime if they get a better or high-paying client.
As a result, your work pace or business operations might suffer.
Sources:
https://csuiteassistants.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-virtual-assistants/
https://www.kineticstaff.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-hiring-a-virtual-assistant/?country=CA
https://virtualassistantsupplier.com/hiring-a-virtual-assistant-advantages-and-disadvantages/