Well if you have considered using a VA you are not alone. There are over 60,000 VA’s listed on LinkedIn worldwide, up from almost nothing 3 years ago. The total number of VA’s worldwide is estimated to be over 100,000, with most based in the United States, Western Europe or Asia, and VA numbers are expected to grow significantly in the next 3 years.
So what is a Virtual Assistant I hear you asking? The advancement in technology and the internet over the last 3 years has made it possible for VA’s to perform 90% of the duties of a Personal Assistant (“PA”), at 25% of the cost of a PA. The table below summarises what a VA can do compared to a PA:
|
PA |
VA |
|
|
Place of work |
In your office |
Remotely from anywhere |
|
Take your calls |
Y |
Y |
|
Make outbound calls |
Y |
Y |
|
Manage your diary and contacts |
Y |
Y |
|
Manage your emails |
Y |
Y |
|
Take meeting minutes |
Y |
N |
|
Organise your personal life (eg shopping, gifts, kids) |
N |
Y |
|
Update your website content |
N |
Y |
|
Manage your social media Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter |
N |
Y |
|
Manage face to face meetings |
Y |
N |
|
Photocopying |
Y |
N |
|
Marketing – eDMs, Direct Mail campaigns, e-newsletters |
N |
Y |
|
Writing blogs, articles |
N |
Y |
|
Sharing of documents (via dropbox) |
Y |
Y |
|
Organise your events |
Y |
Y |
|
Order stationery |
Y |
Y |
|
Graphic design |
N |
Y |
|
Send packages |
Y |
Y |
|
Manage your print jobs |
Y |
Y |
|
Managing your mail |
Y |
Y |
|
Reconcile your accounts / invoicing |
Y / N |
Y |
|
Manage your CRM / client database |
Y / N |
Y |
While a good PA can cost up to $70k p.a., a good VA (based onshore) will cost $18k p.a. (at the most). And a good VA based in Asia will cost you even less, about $12k p.a.
And technologies like Sypke, Dropbox, iphones and Gmail make it easier to work remotely and communicate easily.
The best thing about VA’s though is that they are nearly always tech savvy and can perform functions that traditional PA’s cannot. And these functions are now critical growth drivers for businesses – managing your website content, your social media, graphic design and marketing activities such as newsletters, eDMs and direct mail campaigns.
I have been using Thevirtualassistant.com.au for some time now and they have been an invaluable asset in helping me build my online presence and help coordinate my marketing activities. The Virtual Assistant is run and owned by Bronwen who is lots of fun and is very experienced. The thing I like about what Bronwen offers is a daily capped fee, no matter how much you use her services. There are also hourly fees products which most VA’s offer.
In 3 years VA’s will be the norm. If you are a senior executive or a business owner and you want to save some money and boost your IT capability I recommend that you give VA’s a go – if you find a good one you will wonder how you got along without one.
If you would like more information on VA’s please do not hesitate to contact us via info@cfoadvisory.com.au.
