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One of the most common concerns we hear from business owners is how they can go about delegating work to a virtual assistant. You know that you’re overworked and struggling to keep up with your admin, but the idea of handing it over to someone else can feel like a whole new chore. 

Of course, the aim of using us as your virtual assistant is that we make your work life easier and give you more time for your business. We like to think that we do that from the very beginning. So here are our tips for delegating your admin to your VA. 

Identify the admin tasks causing you issues

This might seem obvious, but actually deciding what you want to hand over to your VA is one of the biggest challenges. Some tasks seem too small to bother with or are just once a month. Some seem too complex to explain. And before long, you’ve talked yourself out of needing that VA again, and you’re back to juggling. Remember – your time is valuable, and better spent working with customers. The aim here is to make your work life easier. 

When we first meet you, we’ll have a long chat about what your current admin challenges are. We’ll help you breakdown the various tasks you do and establish how much time you’re spending on them – time that could be spent with your customers. 

Decide how long you need a VA for

Once we all have a better understanding of where you’re spending your time, we’ll know how long you actually need a VA for. It might be that you are entering a busy period or have a one-off project that is taking all your time, and you only need a quick fix to get you through it. If your admin tasks are more regular and long-term, you probably want to establish a strong relationship with the person that you’re delegating your business tasks too. 

At Aggrandise VA we want you to see us as an extension of your own office. Whether it’s short-term or ongoing, we pride ourselves on becoming a part of your team. We offer flexible contracts that give you the right amount of hourly support you need to get the job done. 

Consider which software or systems your VA needs

It’s likely that you already have your admin tasks set up on various software or systems. A virtual assistant is used to adapting to different systems, and we are very quick to pick up anything new. If you are using something we haven’t seen before, which can be common with purpose-built CRM systems, for example, there will naturally be a learning curve. But don’t give up and think it’s just easier to do it yourself. We’ll soon get the hang of it.

If you haven’t already got your admin set up – well, this is our speciality. We love systems and creating efficiencies. We’ll work out what you are currently doing, discuss how it’s working out for you and offer some recommendations for software that suits your kind of work and your budget, and that we have tried and tested. If we can help you to streamline some tasks then it will not only make your business more efficient, but there’ll have more time that we can use to take something else off your hands too.

Be honest about budgets

Talking of budgets, this is something you need to consider. You might well have a long list of admin tasks you want to hand to a virtual assistant, but you have to decide what can be done within your budget. It’s all about prioritising. What do you most want to hand over to someone else and not have to do yourself?

Security and confidentiality is vital

As with all businesses, we understand the importance of GDPR and cybersecurity, and take it very seriously. We use a system called LastPass to share confidential information, which means you can give us the access you need to without handing over your personal log in and password information. You can even share your business banking information so that we can handle your bookings.

We are happy to sign an NDA (if you have one), and we only start work after a complete client agreement is signed which outlines our Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Policy.

Working with a virtual assistant 

So, is handing over your business admin to a virtual assistant a whole new chore? As you can see, we start helping you from the very first conversation by working out what you need to delegate to us in the first place. 

We know that at the beginning you’ll need to spend time explaining things, but that short-term pain will be a long-term gain. Once you’ve delegated the tasks you don’t enjoy to us, you won’t have to do them again, and that definitely makes it worthwhile. And once we have your admin running smoothly, you’ve got all that time back to do something else – whether it’s working on your business, or just having a few hours a week for yourself. 

If you’d like to discover more about how Aggrandise VA can help you and your business, please get in touch today on 01785 337 810 or email us at helen@aggrandiseva.com.

At Aggrandise VA we love what we do and we like to know that we’ve added value to your business. Our clients see us as an asset, not a cost. But if you’ve not worked with us before, you might not be sure how we can do that. So, how can a virtual assistant help your business to grow?

The difference between a VA, EA, PA and OBM.

Before we start considering what we do, we should clarify who we are. There’re a few different titles for the work we do. Most people have heard of a PA – a Personal Assistant – or an EA – Executive Assistant. In classic terms, a PA works for one manager and may support with more traditional admin tasks. An EA may be more involved in day-to-day running of the business and offers additional skills.

The main difference between a PA, EA and a VA – Virtual Assistant – is that we’re, well, virtual. Your PA/EA will most likely be an employee who works in your office, while your VA is usually outsourced and works for themselves. 

The pros and cons of this relationship are really based on practical elements of budget and requirements. Your EA will need everything an employee would expect – desk, equipment, benefits packages – while your VA provides their own. An EA may have set working hours, while your VA is flexible. If you have a big project on and require your VA to provide more support, we can do that on a month-by-month basis. And when your VA is sick or on leave, another member of our team steps in so that you never lose your support.

When it comes down to the actual tasks that a VA or EA does, we offer the same services. Our job is to assist you with the day-to-day running of your business. What that looks like is very much up to you. 

And then there is the newer title that is growing in popularity – the Online Business Manager or OBM. It sounds very grand, but the service is the same. When you need help managing your business admin, we’re here to help you. 

There is one other benefit of using a VA we should mention. Your in-house EA will learn your systems and do things the way you always have done. As we work with different clients with different needs, we use a variety of systems. We are very much up to date with the latest technology and software options available. If you want us to, we can recommend online systems that might improve or even revolutionise your own processes. And, of course, we’re happy to learn yours too. 

The tasks we do to grow your business

If you haven’t used a VA before, you might ask for a nice list of things we can do for you. If you Google ‘jobs a VA can do’ you will find websites with a whole range of suggested tasks. At Aggrandise VA we don’t write a restrictive list. What we do is identify the tasks and the skills you need. If you need a traditional VA that will help you with diary management, email management or document production, that’s fine. And if you need something a little more specialised or tailored, for example social media support or CRM, EMS or LMS support, we can do that too.

You’ve launched your very own business so that you can use your skills – and instead you’re stuck spending all your time doing the admin tasks that come with running a business and not growing your business. Our aim is to give you back the freedom to do what you love.

By having more time for your clients, you have time for more clients. And that means business growth!

Admin and office support for your business

Here’s an example of how that might look for you. 

We work with our client, Amanda, who delivers training in legal and regulatory information. With her knowledge, her clients remain compliant in their industry. It’s an important and needed role, and she is in demand. The more time she has with clients, the more training she can deliver. She doesn’t want to have to turn clients away. 

So, we manage Amanda’s diary. We answer her emails, flagging up anything important and responding quickly to queries. We also provide support for her online membership portal, so that her members have a quick response to IT issues, lost passwords and so on – by phone and web chat support. 

The membership portal needs regular new content, which Amanda writes. We then upload it.  We manage her email management system ensuring automations are set up, data is accurate and up-to-date and that the mail shots are being sent. We keep an eye on comments and engagement on social media and respond appropriately. We organise her events and meetings, booking rooms, making sure she has everything she needs, including a projector, the correct leads and lunch/refreshments on hand. And we review and edit her workbooks and presentations for a professional finish. 

By passing all these tasks to us, Amanda can concentrate on creating the content that requires her experience and expertise. She is free to speak with her clients, knowing that those time-consuming admin tasks are done exactly the way she would want them. Her business is growing, and we’re handling the increase with her.

Using a VA is better for your health

At Aggrandise VA, our aim is not just to do your admin – it’s to take away the stress and pressure you feel in running your business, so you can focus on being the expert your clients need. We give you more time for your clients. But we also give you more time for yourself. 

As a lot of business owners know, running your own business isn’t a 9-5 job, especially if you are an entrepreneur. You probably find you’re doing your admin at home in the evenings. By passing those tasks to us, you also find you’ll have more home life back as well – better for your stress and your well-being. 

So,  what does a VA bring to your business?

• greater efficiency
• specialist admin skills
• better systems and processes
• less stress 
• better client and customer relations and communications
• better work/life balance 
• greater well-being

If you’d like to achieve more business growth without increasing your stress, contact us today on 01785 337 810 or email us at helen@aggrandiseva.com.