10 Tasks You Can Outsource to Virtual Assistants

Businesses are not always easy to start; most startups begin as simply a dream. The U.S. Small Business Administration website details the process of building a business from the planning stage.

However, there is no easy solution to ensure business survival and success. No matter what, the passion that helped a business begin is not enough to maintain it.

Some of the common areas that can quickly overwhelm businesses include:

• The need to answer or return phone calls
• Email communication
• Documenting transactions
• Ensuring receipts are recorded and stored properly
• Organizing paperwork
• Coordinating meetings
• Ensuring nothing of critical importance is missed

However, hiring an in-house resource can often prove to be expensive for businesses. The costs associated with hiring, training, retaining, and helping employees skill up for growth can be significantly high. One of the main ways businesses can receive extra help is by reaching out to a virtual assistant.

What is a virtual assistant?

A virtual assistant is someone who can help with office work, including critical back-end tasks. They are trained and can hit the ground running in multiple capacities.

Here are 10 tasks that can be assigned to a virtual assistant.

#1. Back-office and administration management

This can include recording receipts, storing them safely, and accessing them at critical times, such as during tax season.

#2. Managing communication

Communication is key to growing a great business and a loyal customer base. A virtual assistant can help promptly answer phone calls and emails and even return any questions from potential customers.

#3. Recording meetings

When meetings are held, ideas are discussed and critical brainstorming often occurs. Unless these meetings are recorded, the ideas are likely to be lost, along with the information necessary for decision-making. A virtual assistant can help keep a detailed log of these meetings.

#4. Scheduling meetings

The process of scheduling meetings can take up a lot of time and attention. This takes away time from critical business-building activities for owners and business operators. A trained virtual assistant can help by taking over this task.

#5. Scheduling travel arrangements

For businesses that require their executives and employees to travel often, scheduling journeys and booking tickets can take up a lot of time. A virtual assistant is better equipped to handle this work. They can take care of all the back-and-forth that accompanies seamless travel arrangements.

#6. Taking over assignments such as online research and creating presentations

Presentations can take up a lot of time. This can also be compounded by the fact that presentations often involve fact-checking and research that can take up a lot of time and attention away from business-building activities, including goal-setting and pursuing business-building.

#7. Making stay arrangements for travelers

Businesses can have visitors and potential customers visiting or traveling. Regardless of the frequency of these visits or travel, booking a restaurant or a hotel for a stay can become time-consuming for busy businesspeople. A virtual assistant can help by ensuring correct bookings are made.

#8. Choosing and scheduling festival gifts for employees and clients

Festivals are a time to celebrate and choosing the right gifts to reflect the spirit of cheer is critical for these events. A virtual assistant can help choose, purchase, and even mail out these gifts.

#9. Carrying out basic bookkeeping

Basic bookkeeping includes diligently recording transactions and balances and assisting with inventory tracking and management.

#10. Helping the business with basic lead generation

A virtual assistant can become the point of introduction for a business, especially if this professional can answer phone calls and address communication. This can even be extended to replying to critical client calls or emails to reassure them their work is in capable hands.

Next Steps

• Learn how a trained and professionally managed virtual assistant can help businesses operate better, improve productivity, and how this form of additional support can help boost business profitability for you.
• Email us at sales@analytix.com or call us at 781.503.9002 today.
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