By Rigor Arellano
It’s 11 p.m. You’re just about to get your final wink for the night when you suddenly remembered that darn needed email you forgot to send for tomorrow’s meeting.
Your baby starts to cry.
You begin to think that those fresh, smiling faces on ads about starting or growing your own business should be banned from TV. Well, maybe they just had VRs.
To start with, VR isn’t a gadget. But the number of VRs or virtual receptionists has grown considerably. One statistics offer an increase from 2,500 to 25,000 in just four years, and that was in 2012.
Today, there’s just about a VR for almost every business need, from booking cheap flights for trips to identifying an independent bookstore within a 20-mile radius.
In that spirit, here are a few more on what VRs can do for you and your business’ future:
Keep your emails and databases tidy
If you’ve read time-management tips or a book on things successful entrepreneurs don’t do, you probably now know to skip reading emails at the beginning of the day. And with VRs, you might never have to.
Managing your inbox (answering emails, making sure nothing’s missed, everything’s organized) is just one of the energy-consuming tasks virtual receptionists can rid you of. And simply because you didn’t become an entrepreneur just to consume 28% of your day emailing.
Then, there’s data entry. Whether it’s encoding a box’s worth of business cards you got from attending a conference or logging new social media contact details, there’s a VR for that too.
And if you guessed that a virtual receptionist can also act as your personal, online secretary then, “YES.” They can help plan your work day, schedule meetings, and even offer a fresh take on how you do business, depending on their background and expertise.
Make you look awesome online
If you want to establish or boost your online presence but find it financially and mentally taxing to set up office space for a new employee, then have a VA to write or create graphics for you.
The talent pool of freelancers has gotten wider globally over the years. In fact, freelancers account for 34% of the workforce in the US alone. That includes writers, graphics designers, SEO and SEM experts who are literally just a few mouse clicks away on freelancing sites like UpWork. Or even on LinkedIn if you will.
So whether it’s producing content that speaks directly to your target market or helping your business standout amongst the competition with a killer ad (or a Pokemon Go-related post), remember that there are VAs for those too.
And being virtually available, they already have their own computer and internet connection—two other things you won’t have to worry setting up any more.
Get you focused on more important things
Hiring VAs can do a lot for managing online stuff. But their skills extend to handling bookkeeping and payroll duties, event planning and management, and
print marketing.
It’s important to note though that good employees, office- or home-based, take after good employers as well. So it’s not enough to simply hire VAs, but also to determine your priorities and set proper business goals first.
So be sure to prepare well, as you would with hiring office-based employees. Albeit, less the stress of screening applicants, providing equipment, and splitting the limited office floor.
It is a latter of delegation, after all. And perhaps, with a clear set of tasks given to your VA, the next time you’re up at 11 p.m. and your baby starts to cry again, you’ll have more time and energy for that little thing that matters more. Much, much more.
