I recently got a request to do an audio recording, talking about my life in general. I was to discuss my education, livelihood, achievements and limitations being raised in Africa. From a distance, there was nothing unusual about this task and for a minute I thought it would be fun to do. This was until the prospect requested I sneeze periodically during the recording.
How do I make a fake sneeze and make it sound so real considering I did not have a cold at that time? As a virtual assistant, these are some of the requests you may receive from time to time. Honestly, I thought about taking on this task but unfortunately, could not bring up a fake sneeze. I wrote to the prospect and declined this offer. His response was somewhat cynical but I chose to ignore and move on. This whole situation got me thinking about some situations that force one into seeking a virtual assistant. Here are top three:
- You have a request for a service you do not offer
Most business owners myself included like guarding our clients and keeping them all to ourselves; if this is an option. It is out of this that if a client asks for a service you do not provide, instead of turning him down, you take it upon yourself to subcontract to an able person. It is a normal occurrence especially if you oversee a team of VAS but when you think about it critically, it is also possible to pass along your clients details to someone specialized as a referral.
- You are working with a minimal budget or so you want to
Budget is an integral part of any business. Unfortunately, it is abused in the sense that most entrepreneurs are looking to spend the least in launching and running their business. Virtual assistants are budget friendly compared to hiring full-time employees. This does not mean that they are cheap but they cut off some expenses that would otherwise be incurred by full-time employees. Such include setting up an office, employee benefits such as insurance, pension, leave days and all.
Some business owners would rather hire a VA and cut their operating budget even when they are well off financially.
- You are not enthusiastic about doing a certain task
We all have things we do not like doing. Personally, I do not like telemarketing of any kind or being on call with a stranger. I would rather send a message or email than call a prospect. I used to work for an events company and this was a daily task. I would always find someone to make the calls on my behalf as it is something I just did not want to do; even when I had to. Of course, this was at my discretion and my boss never had to know.
Similarly, most VAS are sort after to handle tasks that clients would rather die than do. In some cases, employees do outsource their tasks to VAS but in this case, an NDA serves to protect the client and the VA is not allowed to disclose the nature of work. Handling a task that you loathe doing drains your energy and you spend so much on it that would have been spent on other things.
Conclusion
Virtual services are available for almost any kind of job you can think off. By delegating tasks to virtual assistants, there are able to service your requirements anonymously even for the most intimate needs. Virtual assistants not only work for entrepreneurs but employed persons as well. By signing an NDA, there are able to do your tasks discreetly and will not own or disclose the nature of work to anyone.
What service have you previously contracted a virtual assistant to do? Feel free to comment below.
