The global effect of the Covid-19 pandemic brought to light the vulnerability of working on site. Working in a traditional setup has its own set of advantages. However, the convenience and cost-efficiency of remote work have become more and more popular with business owners worldwide. As the so-called new normal takes its place, so do remote jobs become increasingly popular and normal in various industries. Today, it is no longer uncommon for a small business or a global company to have employees remote working.
One of the fastest-growing remote jobs nowadays is the virtual assistant industry. A virtual assistant (VA) is someone who provides support and offers services to a business digitally. Since there is a handful of business processes that occur online, VAs are able to provide their services while working from home or in a remote location.
It is a common misconception that virtual assistants are only assigned to deal with time-consuming and laborious administrative tasks. When in fact, there are different types of VAs depending on their specialization and field. VAs can handle a lot of responsibilities from customer service, accounting, talent outsourcing, graphic design, and so much more. To give you a better idea, here are some of the most popular and in-demand virtual assistant jobs businesses are searching for.
Administrative Virtual Assistant
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An administrative VA is one of the most common but is also one of the most in-demand virtual jobs today. This type of VA serves as an online executive assistant to a business or a client. They typically handle an array of tasks from calendar management, email management, bookkeeping, finance management, and other paperwork. Administrative VAs are also responsible for answering phone calls, managing appointments, and the like.
Administrative virtual assistants are most commonly hired by a startup that needs an extra pair of hands or someone already high in position who wants to free themselves from administrative responsibilities. Hiring an administrative virtual assistant allows people to free up their time to focus on more important tasks.
Ecommerce Virtual Assistant
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Ecommerce has become a growing industry in the online world. As the number of ecommerce businesses continues to grow by the minute, an ecommerce virtual assistant can help with inventory management, sales tracking, product listing, and so much more. An ecommerce virtual assistant is someone well-versed in different ecommerce platforms such as Amazon and Shopify. Ecommerce VAs are mainly responsible for tracking purchased items and performing basic data analysis on which products are popular and selling fast.
Social Media Virtual Assistant
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Social media management has become an integral part of the business and marketing industries. To help with the growing demand for a social media presence, a social media virtual assistant can help in managing the social media accounts of individual clients or a company, organization, or business.
Public figures and celebrities often have a designated social media manager that would take care of their posts, manage their online activities, and engage their communities. A social media virtual assistant can help public figures keep an active and pleasant online presence without the client having to deal with it themselves. However, it’s crucial for a social media virtual assistant to know proper online etiquette and decorum to prevent creating a negative image for their clients instead.
Graphic Design Virtual Assistant
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Knowing graphic design is another in-demand skill of virtual assistants. Graphic design VAs are those knowledgeable in creating online graphics whether it’s a brand logo, infographic, display images, web design, and other types of digital content.
A graphic design VA is typically hired by a startup company to help conceptualize the brand’s image starting from the logo, theme, color, and the likes. They can also be hired to help companies that are rebranding and needs some guidance on how to reimagine and develop their brand’s previous design. Becoming a graphic design VA doesn’t require a degree or training as many of the VAs in this specialization are self-taught. The one thing that clients often look for in a graphic design VA revolves mostly around their creativity and innovative ideas.
Data Entry Virtual Assistant
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While considered relatively simple, data entry VAs are some of the most in-demand virtual assistant jobs. This is because data is an essential part of any business and data entry is arguably one of the time-consuming and tedious tasks a professional may do. Hiring a data entry virtual assistant can prevent your experts from wasting hours logging data into their data sheets.
However, becoming a data entry virtual assistant is more than just being computer literate. Data entry VAs need to be perfectionists with a keen eye for detail. It’s crucial for this type of VA job to have absolutely no entry mistakes that can be costly or even detrimental for the client or business. Becoming a data entry is arguably the best starting point for aspiring VAs who are just dipping their toes into the industry since it doesn’t really require much experience. It can also be a good training ground as you take on more and more responsibilities.
Customer Service Virtual Assistant
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Customer service is another important aspect of any business. It is a crucial part of a customer’s journey and experience with a brand or company. So to make sure that their customer support is always on the line, online stores and ecommerce businesses are outsourcing customer service virtual assistants.
This type of VA handles customer inquiries and troubleshooting through an array of digital platforms. Depending on the VA, they can specify whether they work with non-voice (online chat, messaging, and email) or voice (call) customer support services. Regardless, customer service VAs are in demand as it plays a huge role in ensuring the satisfaction of buyers online.
Bottomline
Hiring a virtual assistant can be extremely helpful once you started a business. Depending on their years of experience, VAs can handle an array of responsibilities that can help them complete the task at hand significantly faster. However, it is important to note that effective delegation is crucial in order to maximize your VAs potential. Once you learn how to delegate tasks to your VA properly, they can provide you with a wide range of skills that you can utilize to grow your business.
Want to know more about the virtual assistant industry? Sidekicks is an on-demand virtual company and we’re eager to help visionaries and entrepreneurs like you. Get a free ebook and learn more about how we can help you by signing up for our newsletter. We also offer a free 30-minute consultation if you prefer something more personal.
