What is a Virtual Administrator (VA)?

Virtual Administrators help businesses reduce administrative overhead by serving as flexible, reliable, and resourceful sources of talent. They provide administrative, clerical, and support services that can range from scheduling conference calls and sending invoices to more complex tasks regarding PR, marketing, and project management. 

 

Here’s a quick overview of the skills you should look for:

• Administrative support

• Customer service

• Communication

• Research and data entry

• Time management

 

To find the best fit for a VA (Virtual Administrator), identify your needs first. You might be looking for simple administrative tasks such as scheduling meetings and answering phone calls. The cost of your project will depend largely on your scope of work and the specific skills needed for the project.

 

How much does it cost to hire a VA?

Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions. An experienced virtual administrator may command higher fees but also work faster, have more-specialized areas of expertise, and deliver higher-quality work. ​Which one is right for you will depend on the specifics of your project.

​

Typical rates charged by a VA.

• Administrative Professional/Data Entry VA Proofreading, data entry, clerical work, research, Excel, etc. $12-20+

• Marketing VA/Customer Service/Accounting Support, Copywriting, budgets/accounting, marketing support, customer support, CRM software experience, email marketing, social media marketing; software like PowerPoint, Quickbooks, etc. $20-35+

• Advanced VA/Consultant, Executive Assistant, Business consulting, content management, project management, etc. $38-50+

​

 

When working with a Virtual Administrator:

• Hire for tasks instead of filling roles. Outsource a task and you may save yourself an hour. Outsource a role and you save yourself a job. He or she can be trained to perform all the tasks associated with that role, keeping management time to a minimum.

​

• It’s important to clearly define the role and the project scope. You can accomplish this by writing a clear project description for hiring a VA. Make a list of the specific tasks—social media posts, booking travel arrangements, scheduling meetings, etc.—of the role you’d like to outsource. Create a picture of the responsibilities, skills, and experience required of that role. Clarify whether this is a long-term hire or a one-time gig. Transparency will save you headaches and unmet expectations in the future.

​

• You’ll still want to check in periodically on the projects and tasks you’ve assigned to your VA and provide feedback on his or her performance. How else is your VA supposed to learn how to better meet your business needs? Fortunately, plenty of project management tools are out there to help you better manage your VA and other members of the team. There are even freelancer management systems especially geared toward helping you work with VAs and other remote freelancers.

​

• Remember, they can wear many hats. They can relieve you of all the repetitive, administrative, and clerical tasks associated with marketing, accounting, sales, and so much more. But to take full advantage of a VA’s skill, you’ll need to be able to trust him or her. Trust has to be built; it’s a two-way street. You have to first ascertain whether you’re actually ready to delegate responsibilities to a VA. Then you have to be able to screen your short list and judge intangibles such as personality fit and attitude. Consider using test projects in your hiring process to help you select the right VA for your team.

​

• Yes, it’s important to factor in the cost of hiring a VA; budgets must be balanced. However, it’s even more important to remember that when you hire a VA you’re really investing in a person, a new member of the team who can help take your business to new heights. Congratulate your VA on his or her successes. Keep your criticisms constructive. The VA you bring onto the team today could grow into a full-fledged project manager tomorrow. Nurture your investments and they’ll pay dividends in the future.