6 Qualities Every Virtual Assistant Must Have

Virtual assistance has become even more essential, especially today that organisations are transitioning to advanced operations which are fundamentally designed to automate operations. Every industry has various needs which in turn requires virtual assistants (VA) to deliver personalised services specific to organisation’s demand. Task management can be a challenge for most organisations, much more to leaders who are always loaded with different tasks which require their expertise. This is where VA take on to recurring administrative tasks to lessen client’s work in a day. Commonly, VA’s are assigned to administrative tasks such as meeting arrangement, relaying of information, and project management.

According to a survey, hiring a VA is relatively cost-efficient than having a full-time employee. Whether you are an entrepreneur, freelancer, or part of a larger entity, you. You can save up to 78% on your operating cost. Clients can save a considerable amount of expenses since VAs (either self-employed or from outsourcing partners) provide their own equipment.

There are factors to consider aside from costs and efficiency, like VAs traits which should be aligned with an organisation’s vision.

We have rounded up six characteristics you should look for in hiring a VA.

1. Reliable

Similar with the other organisation’s employees, VA’s are required to understand business’ workflow which increase reliability. Every VA must be consistent in delivering daily tasks with minimal supervision from their management.

2. Resourceful

Since VAs are known to work independently, having an initiative to perform tasks in a strategic manner increase productivity. They should be able to decide on their own, supported with sufficient information.

3. Transparent

VAs are remote staff, meaning supervision from the management is very limited. Hence, reports regarding project’s status and documentation of tasks are required to ensure every issue that has been encountered and milestones of every project are monitored.

4. Active Listener

Remote work demands active listening more than ever as requests may pile up. VAs must be able to deliver concise output according to their demand. Being keen to details sustain business’ as it helps in delivering top-quality output.

5. Excellent Management Skills

VAs must find balance between their own skills and time. Their capability to sense urgency in every task while attending to others’ needs contribute a lot in an organisation’s satisfaction from their service.

6. Able to Multitask

It is common to handle multiple tasks simultaneously for a VA. Hence, finding balance between quality and quantity of work being delivered is an important factor to VA’s efficiency.

As mentioned, it is crucial for VAs or outsourcing companies who offer virtual assistance to be able to personalise experience for each client—different industry has its own demands. After all, the personality of an individual matters most of the time than their credentials.

Having a VA can increase business’ productivity, while business leaders have control over their time, they can redirect their focus on daily activities than being caught up with administrative tasks. By combining advanced software used for remote works and professional VAs, organisations can improve and streamline their current processes without dreading their recurring administrative tasks.