Running an ecommerce business is a challenging task. Online business owners must handle various business processes such as digital marketing, sales, inventory management, product outsourcing, etc. While it’s possible for a sole business owner to handle everything by themselves, doing so can affect the quality of their work.

Specific tasks and responsibilities can be too time-consuming or technical for one person to do effectively. There will also come a time when you grow and scale your business to the point that it’s impossible to do everything yourself. In such situations, business owners should consider hiring a virtual assistant or a team of remote employees to aid in their business operations. 

Whether you’re a business owner looking for a VA or a virtual assistant searching for a job, here is a guide on the top VA services in demand in the remote work industry. 

 

In-demand Virtual Assistant Services

Virtual assistants are remote employees who offer digital support services perfect for ecommerce businesses. Here are some of the most sought-after VA positions and an overview of their tasks and responsibilities.

 

Customer Support

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Customer support is essential for providing customers with a positive experience. According to recent reports, 84% of businesses and organizations believe that good customer service significantly affects revenue increase. Aside from that, it can also build a positive brand reputation and boost customer loyalty and retention. 

Considering this, proper customer support services are crucial in ensuring the longevity of a business. With increasing sales and a growing number of customers, companies can use their customer support services to ensure customers return and even recommend their brand to others.

Virtual assistants can handle a variety of tasks relating to customer support. Customer support VAs can use different digital channels and platforms like email, chat, phone, and help desk tickets. 

However, a more notable benefit of hiring virtual assistants for your customer support team is that they can provide round-the-clock coverage for your business. Having someone readily available to cater to your customers’ needs and inquiries ensures that your customers are tended to on time. 

 

Content Creation

Content creation is another essential part of running an online business. Content is typically used as a digital marketing tool to drive traffic and draw attention to your brand and your products or services. 

Content is used on various platforms and channels. Business owners can publish them on their social media business accounts, ecommerce websites, and even through email. Content can also be a tool to build and establish customer relationships by providing your audience with relevant and valuable information.

Virtual assistants specializing in content creation can offer various services depending on the type of content they make. Some VAs focus on written content such as blogs, case studies, and white papers. Others work on graphic design and produce infographics, logos, etc. Some virtual assistants specialize in video content creation and are skilled in video and audio editing processes.

 

Accounting

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Managing business finances is a complex and time-consuming responsibility. It involves tasks such as receivables and payables, invoicing, bookkeeping, and payroll management. While doing this is possible if you’re managing a startup or a small business with only a handful of employees, business accounting can be extremely challenging as you scale your business and your team grows by the dozen.

Virtual assistant bookkeeping is an in-demand for remote professionals with a background in finance and accounting. These VAs take on the responsibility of managing a business’s finances and financial records through cloud-based accounting software.

Accounting VAs can handle reconciliations of bank statements, preparation of financial reports, the accomplishment of employee payrolls, completion of tax payments, and so much more. With the help of accounting VAs, entrepreneurs can also correctly track and monitor business transactions, expenses, and revenues.

 

Website Design

Building an ecommerce website from the ground up is hard, especially if you don’t have any background in web development or user interface and user experience design. 

Ecommerce websites are crucial for online businesses as they serve as their primary storefront where potential customers can browse their products and learn more about their brand. Considering this, website design and development is another in-demand service for online entrepreneurs. 

Virtual assistants offering website development services can do more than just build a website. They can also conduct regular website maintenance, accomplish payment getaways integration, social media integration, email marketing integration, and comprehensive website analytics setup. 

 

Business Support

In some cases, business owners don’t need help with technical tasks. Instead, they just need an extra helping hand to deal with the overwhelming workload of running a business. 

Various types of virtual assistants offer business support services. They can work as an online executive assistant to a high-level business official or as an administrative assistant and handle day-to-day business operations.

Other tasks that general business virtual assistants can do include data entry, project management, human resource management, file management, database management, etc. 

 

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing campaigns are critical for business success. It is the part where a business puts all effort into finding target audiences, acquiring leads, and turning prospects into customers. 

Virtual assistants specializing in this business niche have a lot on their hands. They handle various digital marketing campaigns, such as email marketing, cold calling, social media marketing, and content marketing.

Aside from that, these specific campaigns involve much more technical work. There is the task of social media management, search engine optimization, keyword research, and lead generation. Typically, virtual assistants in the sales and marketing niche focus on a specific digital marketing strategy and develop their skills to be experts or specialists.

 

Tips When Hiring a Virtual Assistant

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Adding virtual assistants to your team is one thing to alleviate the pressure of running an online business. However, there are some nuances involved in hiring a remote employee. Here are some tips on how to properly manage virtual assistants.

 

Polish your hiring process

Hiring remote employees is quite different from hiring in-house employees. First, you don’t get to meet and interview your VA face-to-face. Aside from that, the talent pool for remote employees turns global instead of being limited to your local area.

Considering this, business owners need to practice a comprehensive hiring process that can determine the right person for the job. Conduct multiple-stage interviews, skills tests, and a paid trial period to see if the applicant fits well in your system.

 

Learn how to delegate

Virtual assistance is a supportive role designed to provide help to entrepreneurs in need. To do so, business owners must understand how to properly delegate work to their VAs. Simply giving a VA a responsibility and leaving them be may not be the best use of their services.

Effective delegation involves taking the time to introduce them to their tasks, guiding and training them, providing detailed guidelines and instructions, as well as explaining the expected outcomes. This will help keep your VA on track to achieve favorable results.

 

Bottomline

Various virtual assistant jobs can provide you with the help and support you need for your business. Virtual assistants can take on work ranging from day-to-day administrative tasks to customer service and even video editing. With their years of experience, skills, and knowledge of the online business industry, entrepreneurs can greatly benefit from adding virtual assistants to their teams. 

 

 

Want to know more about hiring virtual assistants? 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.

 

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