At What Stage do you Need a Virtual Assistant?

One of our most commonly asked questions is at what stage is it best to engage the services of a virtual assistant? In most cases, the right time to find a virtual assistant to support your business is very much dependant on your current circumstances. In fact, there is no hard and fast rule as to what makes the ‘right’ time. 

However, there are certain situations where hiring a virtual assistant can help get you out of a tricky patch or support key objectives, so let’s look at a few of these common scenarios. 

1. Increase in workload 

If the paperwork is starting to mount up and your team is beginning to feel the pressure of long hours and ever-increasing volumes of emails, it’s time to start looking into hiring a virtual assistant. 

Increased workloads can put a huge amount of stress on staff who could well be at risk of business burnout. Too much workplace stress has the potential to lead to prolonged periods of absence. So, think of a virtual assistant as a way to safeguard the health and wellbeing of your current team as well as giving you another pair of experienced hands to help you tackle an influx of work. 

2. Covering staff absence 

As previously mentioned, having staff off sick for any reason can throw a significant spanner in the works no matter your organisation’s specialism or size. 

Virtual assistants can offer a wide range of skills and make excellent cover for absent employees as they are used to slotting into a new organisation and getting up to speed quickly.

3. Supporting business growth 

If your business is starting to see signs of growth, you don’t want to be held back by the fact that you don’t have enough staff to help you deal with phone calls, queries, orders or invoices. 

If you are cautious about employing new team members but still want to support business growth, a virtual assistant (or two!) can help pick up the slack for as long as you need to make a decision on the future of your workforce. 

4. Peak business periods 

Many businesses enjoy peak periods at certain times of the year, followed by a quieter time. Having a virtual assistant can be far less costly and time-consuming than sourcing, interviewing and sorting contracts for temporary employees. 

As virtual assistants offer a wide range of different services and are available for short periods of time, they can be an efficient, effective and trusted resource which frees up your time to focus on the things that only you can do; such as driving your business forwards and capitalising on growth opportunities.