A virtual assistant is considered as someone who is working remotely either from an office or from home. They are generally working for clients who are located overseas. Many people want to be a VA because they think it has more flexibility with time and place of work, and possibly more earnings.
But what does it really take to be a VA?
What are the things that you need to understand when aspiring to become a VA?
Here are 3 probably obvious but serious things you need to consider about being a virtual assistant:
#1 You are working – This may sound obvious but it’s not. Many aspiring VAs want to work online because they think they can earn money online whenever they want to, wherever they want to. The truth is, a VA is a worker. They are expected to work at a certain time of the day and at a place where there is strong internet connection. These are the most important expectations you can have when working: time, output and internet connection. What time are you available to work for the clients? Are you able to deliver them the results according to the expected output and at a set deadline? Do you have strong internet connection that helps you to work on the tasks quickly and efficiently? If you answer yes to all of these, then you are off to a good start.
#2 You are working virtually – Now this is obvious since the name itself “Virtual Assistant” implies that the work is virtual. But there is more to this because this is not the Siri type of a VA. You are actually working as a human being assisting a fellow human being. It means you actually need to build trust, confidence and strong business relationship with clients. Part of this is having the skills to navigate online tools, use communication platforms, and be tech savvy. Also, it is important to have certain characteristics to last in this field. Are you service-oriented? Are you good with time management? Are you tech-savvy? These are only a few of the things you need to assess for yourself. Know how to make the clients happy. On top of that, you need to know how to make clients, who live on the other side of the world, happy.
#3 You are working as an assistant – Have you seen how an executive assistant works? They are not just there to run errands for the boss, right? They are there to help keep the boss’ life in order, more organized and well supported. This is the same thing with a VA. You are not just there to receive instructions and get it done. You are there to think of how to make the client’s life easier. It means you need to think how to make the processes better. You also need to know the tools so you can assist the client better without you being trained or without the client closely supervising you. So it entails initiative and pro-activeness on your part. And oh yes, it also means you need to be flexible with your skills. Try to learn new tools, train yourself, get things done without waiting on the client. If you need to suggest, do so. Clients love it.
There is a lot more to say about being a VA but these are a few of the most important, and a glimpse of what being a VA looks like. If you want to learn more, sign up to our blog and find out more interesting facts about the Virtual Assistant life!
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