When it comes to project management, there are always a ton of moving parts. From tracking down the marketing assets to staying ahead of deadlines, project management can be more susceptible to human errors—especially if you have one individual handling every aspect on top of their everyday work responsibilities. That’s why many businesses are choosing to lean on the support of virtual assistants.

Virtual assistants act as an extension of your company and are there to provide the extra pair of hands you need to succeed. They're a cost-effective alternative to hiring a project manager and can help you stay on top of everything from an operational standpoint.

We're here to walk you through how hiring a virtual assistant can enhance your experience and help you stay on track with your project management needs.

Let's dive in.

What Is A Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant (VA) is a remote professional who, depending on their individual experience, can help business owners with a wide range of administrative, executive, and even personal tasks. Think of them as part-time specialized executive assistants remote. They can work with agencies, team members, and different departments to ensure everything gets done promptly. VAs for hire are typically considered independent contractors, so you don't need to worry about adding another individual to the payroll.

Since most VAs are self-employed and work from home, most businesses find them to be a much more cost-effective option than hiring full-time, in-house employees. Studies show that a company can save up to 78% of costs by hiring virtual assistants, and a 2021 Global Workplace Analytics study showed that American Express remote employees were 43% more productive than their office counterparts. With that in mind, you can rest assured that your VA for hire is hard at work with any task you give them. They're there to handle all your project management needs with care, no matter where they're based.

See: 7 Ways A Virtual Assistant Can Help You Work Smarter

Who Needs A Virtual Assistant?

No matter what industry, any business looking to get organized and achieve more with their time can benefit from a virtual assistant. A VA is there to alleviate stress and help you stay informed on all the initiating, planning, executing, and monitoring of a project.

Here are a few of the industries that can benefit:

Healthcare

Think about all the different departments that will play a role in a project in the healthcare industry. Each department could benefit from having someone who can keep everything organized and in one place. A VA can help follow up with different departments, gather assets, and ensure everyone is on schedule.

E-Commerce

Whether your e-commerce business has been around for a while or you're just launching a new venture, there's usually always at least one project in the pipeline. If they're always put on the back burner, it could affect your scalability and growth.

Let's say you're working with a public relations agency and a marketing agency to get your products seen by a prospective audience. In this instance, virtual assistants are a great option for handling meeting notes, following up with deliverables, and ensuring everyone is doing their part. A virtual assistant will work diligently to provide you with ongoing updates and help to keep everything running smoothly.

Finance

Projects in the financial sector need to be handled with care and diligence to ensure all the assets and figures are accurate. Virtual assistants can help you stay organized and keep all the moving parts in one place, so you can focus on making crucial decisions for the company.

How A Virtual Assistant Can Help

VAs want to make your life easier and provide you with the support you need to succeed. With a virtual assistant's help, you can say goodbye to the massive amounts of time you’d previously sink into admin, organizing assets and data, and following up with different teams and third parties. You’ll always be in the know on the progress, accomplishments, and roadblocks, but now you’ll have much more time to focus on the bigger picture.

Schedules and Timelines

One of the most integral parts of project management is the schedule and timeline you need to stick to. With a virtual assistant, you can rest assured knowing someone is there to follow up on deliverables, connect with other team members, and keep things moving in the right direction.

Communication and Collaboration

No matter what project you're working on, it’s likely there’ll be multiple people involved in making it happen. Whether it's the sales team developing a sales pitch deck or the marketing team brainstorming marketing deliverables, all the different pieces of the project puzzle need to come together as seamlessly as possible. A virtual assistant can help make sure everyone is on the same page, and ensure deliverables are being completed.

Proofing

Whether it’s a proposal, presentation, or poster, errors in grammar or punctuation can change the meaning of what you're trying to communicate with your audience. This can cost you dearly in terms of time, money, or credibility, so it’s important to get it right.

When it comes to checking documents or assets, asking someone who was involved in creating it can be a mistake. Because they are so close to the project, they can often become blind to the details and may not spot any errors. A better option is to have a fresh pair of eyes to check it over. This person is more likely to notice mistakes and will be able to tell you how well the item is delivering its intended message. So before you send out any important files or documents, an experienced virtual assistant can help you avoid any potentially costly mistakes.

Invoicing

As a business owner with so many tasks, projects, and plans that need your attention on a daily basis, sometimes it can be easy to forget when certain invoices are due. And it’s not just money that’s at stake with late payments, but your time, too. According to recent reports, business owners can lose up to 20 days per year chasing late payments!

But by offloading this responsibility to an experienced virtual assistant, they can help you stay organized and stop overdue payments from slipping through the cracks. From creating and sending invoices to sending payment reminders and updating your records, there are many ways a VA can help save you valuable time and energy on repetitive invoicing work.

Goals and Reporting

At the end of the project, a virtual assistant will be able to show you all the data you’ll need to understand the success and ROI of the project.

From monitoring KPIs to staying on top of the individual success of each deliverable. Everything will be tracked and organized throughout the entirety of the project. Whether you’re looking for weekly, monthly, or quarterly analytics: they can take notes of all the results throughout the project. All they’ll need from you is clear guidance and instructions on your processes and metrics for success.

What’s The Bottom Line?

When it comes to your business, there are certain things you need to handle yourself, but there are many more where you'd benefit from an extra pair of qualified hands. A virtual assistant can help you streamline your working days by handling the tasks that are too time-consuming or tedious for you to conquer alone. Our free to-do list optimizer can tell you exactly which of your regular tasks you should be working on as the head of your business.

But don’t risk your valuable time, energy, and money trying to find the right virtual assistant through trial-and-error. At Time etc, we are dedicated to helping entrepreneurs take back control over their days and do more, achieve more, and earn more by matching them with the best virtual assistants for their business. To ensure that you have a great experience as well as great results, we have a rigorous 10-stage application process for VAs looking to join us, with only the top 2% of assistants making it through, on average. Plus, we offer a complete lifetime satisfaction guarantee for all our users.

If you’re ready to start reaping the benefits, try a virtual assistant for free or speak to our team to help us build a plan that’s perfect for you.

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