
Look for a service that offers a wide range of services in one place. Don’t want to deal with an agency that only does transcription? Or editing? Or research?
If you’re looking for business support, look for a company that can handle all aspects of what you need: whether it’s running errands, answering phones or customer support and account management. Think about your needs and wants before starting your search. You might not know exactly what you want until you start researching companies, but having some idea of what you’re after will help narrow down your choices as soon as possible. Consider how much time you have available to dedicate to managing your VA.
While virtual assistants are great at multitasking, they still require supervision and direction from their clients. Before hiring a Virtual Assistant Service, think about how much time you have available each week (or month) to manage them—and if that amount is realistic for your schedule. Consider what type of personality would work best with yours. Do you prefer someone chatty who always has something interesting to say?
Ask the Right Questions Before Hiring Any Virtual Assistant Service
It may be surprising, but you don’t need a big budget to hire a virtual assistant. In fact, you can even hire VA services for free or at very low cost—but make sure you get what you pay for!
When looking for virtual assistants, ask yourself these questions –
- Is there a contract?
- What is included in that contract?
- How long is it good for?
- Can I end it at any time?
- Are there any cancellation fees?
- Will they do all of my tasks, or just some of them?
- Will they work with me on any special projects I have going on that aren’t covered by their service? If so, how much will they charge me per hour/project/task etc.?
- Does their price include training and support after I purchase their service?
- Do they offer one-on-one training sessions?
- Do they offer group workshops?
- Do they offer video tutorials?
- Do they provide email support?
- Phone support? Skype meetings (or other chat options)?
Whatever your answers are, make sure you clarify everything before hiring anyone. You want to know exactly what you’re getting into before spending your money. Once you know exactly what kind of service(s) you want, it’s time to start shopping around. There are many websites out there where you can find virtual assistants. These websites often host thousands of different people who are willing to help you out with your business needs.