What is a Virtual Assistant and what do they do


Since human beings perform the job of a virtual assistant, it’s expected that the ideal question should be who is a virtual assistant and what do they do?

Because we make blogs based on demand and what people are searching for, we will stick to what is a virtual assistant instead of who is a virtual assistant.

Digital and Virtual are used interchangeably throughout the post. They mean the same thing. They are mere synonyms.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant is an individual who works remotely undertaking administrative functions for clients.

While Virtual Assistant is a role that entails helping an executive with routine and special tasks when delegation becomes an absolute necessity.

He/she interacts with his clients via phone, email or social media platforms.

A digital assistant handles and complete tasks that are challenging for his client, and deliver high-quality results.

Digital assistants provide a lot of services ranging from sending emails, to posting updates regularly on social media and creating contents for blogs to cold calling.

Meanwhile, there is a range of services which we might not exhaustively mention here but they are…

Virtual Assistant Services List

It’s easier to understand virtual assistant services base on a range of activities that they perform.

There are administrative digital assistant, data entry digital assistant, real estate digital assistant, content management digital assistant.

Administrative Virtual Assistant

For some routine tasks, it’s easier for managers to save time for other things by outsourcing those to virtual assistants.

These tasks are not the same for all industries. It’s left for the manager in question to figure out when and where to employ the service of a digital assistant to make him maximize time.

Since the brick and mortar administrative assistants do more of liaison tasks – interfacing with C-Level executives, it’s more cost-effective to use the service of a digital assistant on a similar level of engagements.

As you can see, the task of an administrative digital assistant is widely in demand across many industries and widely among managers.

Virtual assistants tasks include the followings

  • Managing and responding to calls and emails,
  • fixing appointments,
  • file management,
  • sending greetings,
  • drafting letters,
  • preparing necessary documents for meetings,
  • writing minutes, etc.

Data Entry Virtual Assistant

Virtual Helper 247

Most businesses, whether big or small, have a lot of data that they have to work on regularly. A data entry digital assistant eases the strass by computing the data into a database accurately and comprehensively.

The tasks they handle include

  • Preparing,
  • Sorting and
  • Compiling
  • Cross-referencing and correcting data with errors,
  • Getting rid of old and irrelevant information,
  • Keeping records of tasks,
  • Interpreting and presenting data in a clear format.

Real Estate Virtual Assistant

Real Estate Virtual Assistant
https://www.acelerartech.com/real-estate-virtual-assistant-services/

Being a realtor means that you’ll have to go through a series of dialogues, negotiations, proper documentation, filing, inspection, etc.

This is a whole lot of work to do.

Having someone with experience in real estate services will go a long way in lifting the weight off your shoulders.

Such virtual assistants handle tasks like listing, arranging customer database, sending out sales emails, greetings, messaging buyers, etc.

They also monitor and update accurate information on the website, generate leads, call prospects, compile daily reports, and so on.

Content Creating Virtual Assistant

The job of a virtual assistant here entails producing engaging content in relation to the brand value of your clients’ business.

The content created can be aimed at growing online marketing or sparking up engagements.

Businesses increasingly search for efficient virtual content creators today to match the demand for an online presence and to help their companies widen their reach.

These virtual assistants undertake assignments like

  • creating and publishing content on social media,
  • writing blog posts for websites,
  • guest post writing,
  • occasional update of the website and landing page,
  • writing video scripts (VSL)
  • creating the content calendar,
  • drafting business reports, etc.

E-Commerce Virtual Assistant

For online business managers like e-commerce store managers, it’s likely to have a range of routine activities that are best outsourced to a virtual assistant.

If you will catch up with the level of competition, imagine using Oberlo in Shopify to copy product name and description, instead of laying down the rules and rather be the project manager?

That will be time-consuming and a cost you cannot afford to tradeoff if you know how much you are loosing when you are not using a digital assistant.

E-commerce virtual assistants can help ease the burden. They do this by rendering services like

  • handling transactions with Google spreadsheet,
  • managing inventory with SAS or the likes,
  • creating and publishing SEO-friendly product descriptions with Oberlo,
  • providing 24/7 support for customers with Zendesk,
  • taking and executing orders,
  • categorizing products on Shopify,
  • handling return and exchange of products, etc.

Marketing Virtual Assistant

Marketing is the lifeblood of any business. Without it, the business dies. And while it’s important, there are aspects of marketing that are best when you outsource it to a digital assistant.

A digital marketing assistant helps his clients to achieve those goals seamlessly.

A digital marketing assistant is a person who employs various tools like Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, IFTTT etc for social media content automation. Xlite and other customer relationship software for cold calling and lead generation. All to increase the gross sales for his principal.

The crux of a marketing digital assistant task for an e-commerce business is to increase sales. And some others include:

  • Optimizing e-commerce store for search engine aka Search Engine Optimization (SEO). And they do this with the use of keyword research tools. An e-commerce digital assistant SEO technique is mostly targeted to search engines like Google, Bing, Yandex etc.
  • Understanding consumer preference and targetting them using paid advertising. This is done with the use of Facebook ads. They use a variety of Facebook tools. Like Facebook pixels, retargeting, interests etc.
  • They also use content distribution techniques to rank their principal’s website to various search engine channels. A major example is content writing and distribution in the form of guest posts, website commenting and picture link back and Private Blog Networks (PBN) techniques.

Bookkeeping Virtual Assistant

Businesses need bookkeeping services as it helps in the smooth running of their enterprise.

This service demands time and a lot of resources, but virtual assistants make if easier.

They undertake tasks like:

  • inventory management,
  • record-keeping,
  • budgeting,
  • account reconciliation,
  • expenditure management,
  • processing payroll, etc. 

Virtual Assistant Services are not restricted to the above-mentioned niches; there are other services out there.

You can always find digital assistant services that suit your business. 

Virtual Assistant Companies 

These are companies that provide administrative assistance remotely. They also provide support resources that aid in bringing focus to your business operations.

Digital Assistant Companies make it possible for small and big businesses to outsource tasks ranging from content creation to inventory management.

They undertake these tasks more efficiently than you can do yourself.

You should carry out a digital assistant company assessment before employing the service of one.

The criteria clients judge with are the:

  • price range,
  • reviews,
  • payment options,
  • language,
  • dedication,
  • account management and security.

A few recommended digital assistant companies are MyTasker, WERVAS, etc. You can always pick the one that matches your criteria. 

Virtual Assistant Website

As a virtual assistant, using a digital assistant website is a good way to show off your level of expertise.

Having a website for your virtual assistance business makes you appear more professional.

And as a startup, it is vital to have a high-quality website.

It provides a medium for your potential clients to have a look at your work, learn more about your business, and see how your services are going to help improve their business operations.

It’s also easier to move from just being a digital assistant to a business venture by hiring other digital assistants to work under you. And this is easier when you have a digital assistant website.

Owning a website is not costly nowadays, so creating one for your business, is a step in the right direction.

In addition to your website, you could establish your presence on global marketplaces like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer etc.

If you do not know how to create these profiles, you can take a leaf from this post: How to Make Money Online in Nigeria with Fiverr.

https://1000nairadaily.com/2019/how-to-make-money-online-in-nigeria-with-fiverr/

Virtual Assistant Software

Every virtual assistant makes use of some digital tools to increase his/her productivity.

Virtual Assistant software is applications employed by digital assistants to ensure high productivity while handling their day to day tasks.

These apps help in various ways ranging from checking emails to booking appointments.

Examples of tools used by assistants are

  • ZenPayroll for making salary payments,
  • FileThis for fetching and uploading your monthly statements,
  • Expense Tracking for checking how revenue is spent, and so on.
  • Canva for graphics

These tools are beneficial as they go a long way in making the job less stressful.

What is a Digital Assistant Salary?

The salary earned by a virtual assistant is dependent on the nature of the job and responsibilities.

A big virtual assistance firm will command a considerable salary. However, a digital assistant with necessary skills bags an average salary of about $61,300 per annum.

Virtual assistant salary UK

Virtual assistant salary UK
Glassdoor.co.uk

Virtual assistant salary UK averages around 11 pounds per hour. And this is relative to the location and the employer in the UK.

For example, PWC virtual assistant salary UK is higher than the average virtual assistant salary UK. It’s about 24 pounds per hour. While the obtainable digital assistant salary UK averages around 11 pounds per hour.

Virtual assistant rates Philippines

Virtual assistant rates Philippines
Glassdoor.com

Virtual Assistant Tasks Everyday

Being a virtual assistant means that you’ll be taking on so many tasks remotely.

The tasks can be easy to undertake; sometimes, it could also be very strenuous.

The daily tasks virtual assistants undertake include:

  • Answering phone calls
  • Sending and replying mails 
  • Basic data entry
  • Organizing your to-do list and calendar
  • Making travel arrangements
  • Search Engine Optimization and Conversion 
  • Making a schedule for posts 
  • Creating content 
  • Engaging with followers 
  • Carrying out research 
  • Customer Support 

Conclusively, a career as a virtual assistant is worthwhile and begins with learning the basics.

The Internet has made it easy to sell your business and get paying clients. Employing it as a veritable tool will help widen the reach of your services. 

The question of what or who is a virtual assistant comes with a broad answer. But we believe this post has shed light to your question.

If you have any contribution or question, you can do so in the comment section.

Faith Nte

Faith Nte is a Content Writer and Personal Finance Blogger

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