What is a Virtual Assistant?

What is a Virtual Assistant?

Most people probably have an idea in their head of what a Virtual Assistant (or VA for short) does. But as individuals, every VA will take a slightly different approach to their work. To understand more let’s look at how the idea of a VA was born.

Personal Assistants

If we go back just a few short years, PAs (or Personal Assistants) were the norm. More than a Secretary, PA’s were a vital asset to busy business owners and managers. They took care of a lot of the background administrivia. Paperwork, filing and document preparation was all taken care of. Phone calls and meetings were scheduled and in the diary. Emails were written and ready to be signed off.

Virtual Assistants

But what about small and micro business owners who often work out of their home? Should they not experience the benefits of having a good PA? And so VA’s (or Virtual Assistants) were born. Often taking on most of the same duties and responsibilities of PAs, VAs work remotely but still offer the busy business owner the support that they need.

Modern VAs

The last few years have been a bit of a rollercoaster for most small businesses (and some large ones too!). Between Pandemic Lockdowns and Global Crises, many activities have moved online. And this has only highlighted the strengths of working with a good Virtual Assistant. In particular those VAs who specialise in technology (or tech for short).

What services does a VA offer?

As individuals, every VA will have slightly different service offerings. And that is a good thing! What works for you may not work for someone else. The trick is finding the Virtual Assistant that fits your business, your personality and your needs.

Mandy Bungey VA Services

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Do You Really Need a VA?

Only you can answer this question. If you are comfortable with tech, and able to make it work for you, then I would say no! you don’t need a VA. But even if you are happy doing all the tech and admin, there are other benefits of outsourcing some of your workload onto a good VA. There is a separate article on these benefits which you can read here.

Next Steps

Hopefully this article has prompted you to think that maybe a VA would help to grow your business. If this is the case then I would recommend you look around and find 3-4 potential candidates. Remember you need to get on with whoever you choose! A good choice at this stage will make all the difference to whether the business relationship helps to grow your business or the contrary.

If I have made it onto your shortlist, that’s great! Please click here to book a discovery call with me. We can have a short conversation about your business needs. There is no fee and no obligation for the call. Not sure what a discovery call is? Click here to read this short article.

And if I haven’t made it onto your list, thank you for visiting and I wish you all the best in your business endeavours.