As virtual assistant services become more and more popular, it’s estimated that there are now 40+ million virtual assistants in the world. For businesses looking to streamline their work and boost productivity, VAs can help with a wide range of tasks.
Most businesses hire an administrative virtual assistant but today, you have more options to choose from! Due to how quickly they adapt to any niche, there are over 20 types of virtual assistants that you can outsource work to.
With a wide variety of VAs available, it can be tough to know which one is the right fit for your business needs. In this article, we’ll discuss the most in-demand types of assistants, what they can do, and some tips on how to hire a virtual assistant that’s best for your business.
- Most businesses get VAs for administrative tasks but today, there are over 20 types of virtual assistants to choose from.
- VAs are reported to have 13% increased efficiency and productivity than in-house employees.
- Small businesses and startups can greatly benefit from hiring a VA, especially in saving on operational costs.
- A growing number of freelancers are stepping up to provide the most in-demand virtual assistant services which gives you better chances to hire a virtual assistant that’s right for your business.
Virtual Assistants for Hire: Their Role in the Modern Workforce
On-demand virtual assistants are highly-trained, educated, and experienced remote workers, fully equipped to provide administrative, technical, or creative support. As a hiring alternative, they play an increasingly important role in the modern workforce by helping businesses save time and money.
The different types of virtual assistants allow businesses to outsource non-core tasks, freeing entrepreneurs and teams to focus on what matters most. Without sacrificing the quality of work, more things are done with them in your workflow. In fact, VAs are reported to have 13% increased efficiency and productivity than in-house employees!
Small businesses and startups can greatly benefit from hiring a virtual assistant, especially in terms of cost savings of as much as $11,000. Freelance virtual assistants can be hired on an hourly or project basis, giving you flexibility in hiring for certain roles or fluctuating workloads.
A global talent pool also provides many opportunities for your business to get an edge in the industry you’re in. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a growing number of freelancers stepping up to provide the most in-demand virtual assistant services. This gives you better chances to hire a virtual assistant most fit for the job.
Customize Your Virtual Team Based on Your Needs
What Are the Best Types of Virtual Assistants?
There are many virtual assistant niches in the industry and it’s up to you to find the right fit for your business. To help you determine which on-demand virtual assistant you need, here are seven of the most popular types of virtual assistants available:
1. Administrative Virtual Assistant
An administrative virtual assistant functions as a generalist who takes on clerical duties and other daily tasks in your business. They are the most common VAs you can hire in the industry. Here are some things virtual assistants can do:
- Online research
- Data entry and transcription
- Project management and documentation
- Booking appointments and travel arrangements
- Managing your calendar
- Answering phone calls and emails
- Organizing files and documents
They are great for busy professionals who need the extra help but don’t have the space or resources to hire a full-time worker. Small business owners and solopreneurs who need someone to keep track of things can also hire a virtual assistant to focus on running and growing their businesses.
2. Virtual Sales Assistant
Sales work is a lot of work and you need all hands on deck to effectively close a sale. A virtual sales assistant provides support to sales teams and businesses to help them boost sales and revenue. They assist in different sales-related tasks such as:
- Market research
- Lead generation
- Cold calling
- Appointment setting
- Lead qualifying
- Lead processing
- Email and phone follow-ups
- Data scrubbing
Sales is one of the most commonly outsourced specialized virtual assistant services in industries such as real estate, finance, and software solutions. Virtual sales assistants help to improve the efficiency and productivity of a sales process by automating repetitive tasks. This way, the sales team can be more hands-on with potential customers and potentially close sales.
3. Digital Marketing Virtual Assistant
A digital marketing VA specializes in online marketing tools and strategies including but not limited to social media, SEO, SEM, and PPC. They have the expertise to create and manage digital marketing campaigns, track results, and adjust strategies accordingly.
A few other things virtual assistants can do are:
- Setting up and managing social media pages
- Producing and scheduling social media posts
- Managing email marketing campaigns
- Building and optimizing website content
- Assisting in competitive analysis and online surveys
- Doing the market and keyword research
- Making digital marketing reports using data analytics
As one of the most popular types of virtual assistants, they boost a business’s online presence that helps reach and engage with the target audience. This creates a more positive customer experience which can affect the profitability of a business.
4. Accounting Virtual Assistant
Money is a crucial aspect of the business so it’s important to keep track of how much you earn and spend. An accounting virtual assistant can improve your productivity and efficiency by taking care of the day-to-day financial tasks in your business.
They are trained in accounting principles, procedures, and accounting software to help you with bookkeeping, tax preparation, budgeting, and financial analysis. Other accounting tasks they can handle include:
- Preparing financial statements like balance sheets and income statements
- Sending and receiving invoices
- Processing refunds
- Managing the payroll
- Assist in preparing and filing tax returns
- Making basic financial reports and analyses
Accounting virtual assistants make sure that your financial records are accurate and up to date. This way, you can focus on your business and make informed decisions.
5. Customer Support Assistant
A customer support assistant helps businesses in interacting with their customers to ensure customer satisfaction. This can include tasks such as:
Handling different customer support channels such as chat, phone, and email
Answering customer queries like giving information about products and services
Resolving customer pain points and complaints
Assisting in order processing, returns, and exchanges
Collecting data from customer responses
To provide these specialized virtual assistant services, customer support VAs are skilled in positive scripting, escalation management, and other best practices, as well as in using support tools and software. They can also be trained on specific product or service information.
Customer support VAs are great for businesses that want to give extra attention to their customers without the added cost and effort. Most businesses that hire a virtual assistant such as this are in fields like retail, finance, SaaS, and tech.
6. Technical Virtual Assistant
One of the developing types of virtual assistants in the industry is the technical VA. With the rise of AI and other modern tech, the human touch is still crucial to ensure everything goes smoothly and that’s where technical assistants come in.
A technical VA has knowledge and skills in fields such as IT, computer science, and engineering. This allows them to help businesses with troubleshooting and solving tech issues, configuring software and hardware, and providing training and support.
Other techie tasks they can handle are:
- Website development and maintenance
- Software development
- Network administration
- IT support
Moreover, tech VAs can now do data preparation for AI models to accelerate their life cycles. This includes tasks such as annotation, transcription, and model evaluation.
7. E-Commerce Virtual Assistant
A lot of work goes into running an online store and an e-commerce virtual assistant can help improve a business’s efficiency on different e-commerce platforms. They can handle multiple e-commerce tasks at the same time like:
- Managing an online store
- Handling customer transactions
- Creating product listing
- Keeping track of the inventory
- Processing orders and shipping
- Writing product descriptions
- Taking photos of products
- Responding to customer inquiries
- Assisting with customer data analysis
The most popular e-commerce VA is a Shopify virtual assistant. They manage a business’s Shopify store and handle related tasks like admin work and customer support. They are ideal for both startup businesses and established brands looking to improve their online sales and customer engagement.
Hire a Virtual Assistant That’s Right for Your Business
Choosing the right one from the many different types of virtual assistants can be challenging but crucial in ensuring you get the best work results. Each on-demand virtual assistant has their own set of skills and expertise to effectively help you.
To help you in hiring a virtual assistant that’s right for your business, here are some tips to keep in mind during the hiring process:
1. Assess your work process
Before anything else, you need to look inwards and find out what hurts your productivity and efficiency. Evaluate how you do things and see if you can outsource VA services to help you with it. It can be repetitive tasks such as managing your email and calendar or more specialized work like customer support.
2. List the tasks you can delegate
Start identifying the tasks you need help with and the specific skills needed to do those tasks. This will help you to narrow down the types of virtual assistants that are most relevant to your business needs.
3. Research and look for suitable candidates
Look into the virtual assistants for hire in the market. Get to know more about the type of VA you want such as the expected virtual assistant salary, where to find them, and relevant experience and qualifications.
Compare the rates of different VAs to ensure that you are getting value for money. Check their availability to work since some are based in different time zones. You should also check reviews, references, and other information VAs provide.
4. Screen candidates meticulously
Once you have a shortlist of VAs, take the time to interview them properly. This may be through a phone call or video meeting. Review their resumes and portfolio (if there are any) and ask the right virtual assistant interview questions. You can also choose to evaluate them with a practical test.
5. Communicate clearly
When you’re ready to hire a virtual assistant, make sure to communicate your expectations and goals clearly. This lets you be on the same page and sets up a good working relationship. Create a strong and consistent VA onboarding process to avoid disruptions. This should also include setting KPIs and performance evaluations.
Get the Most In-Demand Virtual Assistant Services with Magic!
Ready to hire an on-demand virtual assistant to help your business grow? Take your pick from the different types of virtual assistants Magic provides!
Avoid the costly hassles of hiring a virtual assistant by yourself with Magic. We’ll handle the entire hiring process for you so you can get the right virtual assistant for your business. All you have to do is talk to us about your business goals and needs.
Match With a Vetted Virtual Assistant in 72 Hours!
