As your business grows, so does your to-do list. But not all tasks are created equal. At some point, it’s time to offload the repetitive tasks on yourself longer so you can focus on the skill-based tasks that drive your business forward.
You’re reading this article because you’re ready to hire an assistant, but now the question remains: What kind of assistant do you need?
Hiring a housekeeper can be very expensive.
Between the time spent vetting potential assistants (~$4000 acc Glass door), training (~$1252 according to the Talent Development Association,) Salary (~$70,000 acc salary.com), benefits, paid vacation, and other overhead costs, hiring a new housekeeper totals about $92,750 a year—and that’s if they stay.
expectation The average executive assistant is reported to only stay on the job for 1-2 years, which means you’ll have to constantly restart the hiring and training process and lose even more time and money finding a qualified replacement.
Smart business leaders like you realize that in-house assistants are no longer needed in most cases. You can gain all the benefits of having an assistant at a fraction of the cost when you hire a Virtual assistant service.
Now you are probably wondering: “Do I need a virtual assistant or a virtual personal assistant?”
Good question! These job titles seem interchangeable at first glance, so let’s break down the similarities and differences.
What’s in this article:
Similarities between a virtual assistant and a virtual personal assistant
What does a virtual assistant do?
How are virtual assistants different from virtual personal assistants?
Typical responsibilities of a virtual assistant
Responsibilities of a virtual personal assistant
How to hire your own virtual personal assistant
Similarities between a virtual assistant and a virtual personal assistant
The biggest difference between a virtual assistant (VA) and a virtual personal assistant (VPA) is that a virtual assistant’s job is primarily focused on administrative tasks within the business, while a VPA tends to a wider range of tasks, including the personal needs of their employer.
However, there are many similarities between the two roles.
organization
If there was only one word to describe what VAs and VPAs do, this would be it. The ability to organize is the main skill that all assistants have in common.
professionalism
VAs and VPAs are expected to be competent and reliable. When you rent a A managed virtual assistant company Like Prialto, you can rest assured that these expectations will be met.
computer skills
Because they work remotely, all VAs and VPAs should have computer skills. At Prialto, we train our assistants to be experts in using a variety of software so they can easily jump in and use your preferred processes.
Related: Essential software tools for a virtual assistant
reliability
Your assistant supports several aspects of your life and business, so it’s very important that you find someone you can trust.
Reliability is one of the biggest benefits of hiring a managed virtual assistant service like Prialto instead of an independent contractor. We perform background checks and monitor the work of our employees within enterprise-level security, so you don’t have to worry about any breaches.
Related: What to know about virtual assistant security
communication skills
Your assistant’s job is to support you, which means they must be excellent communicators.
Despite the fact that Prialto’s assistants live in different countries, they are all college-educated, fluent in English, and trained at home so that no important messages are lost.
What does a virtual assistant do?
A VA’s primary role is to help with a variety of administrative tasks.
Calendar management
Let your VA manage your calendar and be prepared to worry less as all the exciting puzzle pieces of your work and life seem to fall into place.
Once your VA knows your preferences, they can schedule meetings with multiple stakeholders and block vacations so you can address your priorities.
expenses
At Prialto, you can easily set up secure systems with your VA so they can track all your expenses for you.
Email management
Say goodbye to inbox flooding. Your VA can Organize your inbox So you only see priority mail, and aren’t distracted by less urgent messages. Everything else can be easily organized into folders, so you know where to find everything you need, when you need it.
travel booking
Your VA can find the best flights, hotels and car rentals for you, so you don’t have to waste hours of your life trying to find good deals.
Organizational support
VA support can transform operations for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a small startup and only need one VA, or a larger team that needs extensive support, Prialto has the solution that will work for you.
How are virtual personal assistants different from virtual assistants?
Virtual personal assistants can perform all these administrative tasks as well, but they take it one step further by helping you balance your personal life as well.
Personal arrangements
Need a prescription filled? Your VPA can call the pharmacy. Need a dry cleaning pick up? Your VPA can arrange this. Need to schedule a parent meeting? No problem, your VPA is on it.
With the help of the Internet and services like Uber Errand, your VPA can handle almost any errand you can think of.
grocery shopping
Let your VPA handle meal planning and order groceries to be delivered when you get home.
Home and family organization
Need to organize a house cleaner? Looking to hire a new nanny? Your VPA can research options, schedule interviews and handle payroll.
Event planning
Whether it’s your colleague’s retirement or your youngest child’s birthday, your VPA can help you find the best caterers, entertainment and designers to make any party an unforgettable event.
Orange moments
At Prialto we strive to go the extra mile and give a personal touch to everything we do.
Instead of simply booking a weekly staff lunch at your favorite restaurant, your VPA might contact the restaurant and see if they have a frequent diners club. Instead of just booking appointments on your business trip, your VPA might research fitness classes they know you’ll want to attend during your downtime.
We call this level of service “Orange Moment” because it stands out as a unique benefit you get from working with us.
Typical responsibilities of a virtual assistant
Prialto Virtual Assistants typically give one member 55 hours of support per month, with slight variations as needed. In addition to all the tasks we’ve already mentioned, many of our VAs do the following daily:
Online research
Whether you need to find new leads or the right SEO keywords, your VA can save you dozens of hours every week by doing the research for you.
data entry
Many of the VAs at Prialto are already Excel and data entry experts, and if they are not, we will train them on your specific processes so that all your data entry needs are met.
preparing documents
Preparing documents can be tedious and time consuming. Instead of wasting your energy doing it yourself, have your VA prepare standard documents so you can focus on tasks that require your unique skill set.
Answering phones
Although Prialto VAs work from other countries, they always work within business hours for your time zone so answering the phones is not a problem.
Virtual Personal Assistant Warranty
Virtual personal assistants do all this, and more.
Order online
Once your VPA knows your preferences, you can trust them to handle all your online orders for you.
Restaurant orders
Want to try a new restaurant? Your VPA can research the top chefs in your area and send you recommendations. Once you’ve decided where to go, your VPA can make a reservation for you and even make special requests on your behalf (see “Orange Moments” above).
gifts
Want to send your partner a gift? At Prialto, all your preferences are recorded, so all you have to do is tell your VPA your budget and they’ll help you find the perfect gift to send.
How to hire your own virtual personal assistant
A virtual personal assistant can make your life much less stressful. There will be sleepless nights and days when your mind feels so busy.
When you hire a Prialto VPA, they’ll help you organize your life so you can prioritize what’s most important to you and be sure everything else is taken care of.
Send us a Request a demo To find out how a personal virtual assistant can change your work and life.
Learn more: How to find a personal assistant
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