Managing a Team Remotely? Delegate Tedious Tasks to a Virtual Assistant

"If you really want to grow as an entrepreneur, you've got to learn to delegate."

Else – you’re just putting your feet in one too many boats and probably making holes in all of them. And that’s a sinking situation every smart entrepreneur must avoid.

To grow your business by steady leaps, you will need to delegate essential but tedious tasks that do not involve ‌high-level decision-making – such as managing your team’s daily needs.

If you run a remote-first organization, you shouldn’t keep your hands full with day-to-day management. But in such a case, hiring a team manager is not always a budget-friendly move, especially for startups and small businesses. Luckily, this is where virtual assistants come in.

But can virtual assistants manage remote teams? How do you even define who they are? Or where you can hire one?

Let’s try and answer your questions one by one.

Who Exactly are Virtual Assistants?

Before exploring why you need a virtual assistant to manage your team, let us first understand who exactly virtual assistants are.

A virtual assistant is a remote employee or an independent contractor that specializes in providing administrative services to businesses. They operate from their remote locations and handle tasks like an executive assistant would do.

Although there are no set tasks they do, depending on your needs, here are some things virtual assistants can do.:

• Administrative work like scheduling meetings, booking travel, organizing calendars, and answering phones and emails.
• Bookkeeping helps businesses manage budgets, make purchases, and track expenses.
• Personal assistant for business owners and founders.
• Customer service, like resolving customers' queries and collecting feedback.
• Social media management work , like posting content and engaging with the community.

The concept of virtual assistants is not new at all. In fact, it has existed since digitization and internet access made telecommuting popular. The newfound acceptance of remote work post-pandemic has made virtual assistants more popular than ever.

How are Virtual Team Managers Different from Regular On-site Managers?

As you can see, virtual assistants have similar skill sets to regular employees. So, how exactly are they different? They are different for two main reasons – location and nature of the contract.

Virtual assistants can work from anywhere and have the diverse skillset to perform various tasks. And businesses can hire them on flexible contracts, which is much more cost-effective than hiring full-time assistants and on-site support teams.

Why Do You Need a Virtual Manager?

Now you know who virtual assistants are, but do you really need them to manage your team? – Yes, you do. And here are some reasons why your workspace needs a virtual team manager.:

1. Boost Productivity

A virtual team manager is a skilled professional with expertise in resource management. They can take care of day-to-day employee scheduling and reminders. With a virtual assistant managing your teams, routine and repetitive tasks are no longer your responsibility to bear. Instead, you can focus on scaling your business and boosting revenue.

Similarly, employees know exactly who they should contact for details about their schedules. So they are not waiting for their boss to respond to their email. Instead, they can connect with your assistant and focus on their tasks.

2. Cost Efficiency

Virtual assistants can be a low-cost option for businesses and individuals requiring administrative and personal assistance. Virtual assistants do not need office space, benefits, or a regular salary compared to traditional in-house employees. In addition, virtual assistants are typically hired on a contract basis. As a result, they are only paid for the hours worked, eliminating the need for overhead expenses such as office rent and utilities.

Another benefit of having virtual assistants is that they can work from anywhere, allowing businesses to access talent from all over the world while lowering the cost of hiring locally. Virtual assistants are also skilled professionals with expertise in various tasks, and businesses can employ them for specific projects to reduce the cost of paying full-time employees.

3. Streamlined Communication

If you are a small business owner responsibility to oversee communication flow falls on your shoulders. And if you have a remote workplace, communication becomes even more of a hassle. So if you are attending to emails and text messages, when can you focus on other vital aspects of your business?

According to a report, 35% of managers overseeing one to two people feel that the expectations of their role are not clearly defined and communicated. As a result, there is miscommunication at the workplace, which also impacts collaborations and workplace productivity.

But that is not the case if you hire an assistant to manage teams virtually. A virtual team manager will handle your team's communication, whether email or Slack. So every team member is on the same page and performs their tasks efficiently.

4. Effective Project Implementation

Got a new project? Virtual assistants can greatly help you in project implementation by assisting at various stages in the process. One way they can assist is with project planning. They can help with research and information gathering, creating project plans, schedules, and budgets, and tracking deadlines, ensuring that the project is well organized from the start. Virtual assistants can also help delegate tasks to team members, ensuring everyone works efficiently and effectively.

A virtual assistant also keeps team members informed and on track by managing project-related communications such as email, phone, and virtual meetings. They can also help with data management, such as data entry, database management, and report generation, reducing project managers' workload.

Finally, virtual assistants can also assist in monitoring progress and following up on tasks, ensuring that the project proceeds as planned. Virtual assistants' efficient and organized assistance leads to more effective project implementation and increased productivity, ultimately leading to project success.

How to Hire a Virtual Assistant to Manage Your Virtual Team?

Hiring virtual managers is very simple. Just follow these steps.:

1. Conduct Do Online Research

Hiring a virtual assistant is much easier than hiring a permanent support staff. Start by looking for virtual assistant services on the Internet. You will findget many platforms that offer online assistants, but it is better to take your time to find reputed virtual assistant services.

Make a list of skills needed in your new assistant and compare available talent on different virtual assistant websites. It is better to select a virtual assistant service that has assistants listed with ample expertise in work like project management, admin, bookkeeping, and more.

2. Evaluate Your Options

Your research will give a handful of ideal candidates to fill the shoes of a virtual manager. And you will need to filter the absolute best of the best talent to manage virtual teams. So, decide who will be the best fit by comparing factors like skills, price, work experience, etc.

Before finalizing a candidate, you should also see their client reviews and a star rating on the virtual assistant platform. It is also a good idea to get reviews on candidates from founders and owners in your social group who rely on virtual assistants.

3. Set up a Meeting

Now that you have your ideal candidate/s for the role of virtual team manager, it is time to connect with them. So, set up a video conference session with the talent so you can get a better understanding of their skills and experience in managing virtual teams.

Interviewing a virtual assistant is not any different than interviewing a candidate for a full-time role. Have all your questions ready to get to know your candidate. At the same time, convey your expectations of their position.

We recommend hiring only from a platform that pre-vets the talent before listing them on the website to ensure you only interview the ideal candidates.

4. Onboard Your New Virtual Manager

Onboarding a virtual assistant into your team is much more hassle-free than hiring a full-time employee. You do not need to wait for their probation period to end or train them for the role.

Instead, online assistant services help you bring virtual assistants into your team within 24 hours. As a result, your organization continues to function at its maximum productivity levels.

Hire a Virtual Assistant to Manage Virtual Teams with Wishup

Hiring a virtual assistant is vital in attaining the highest organizational efficiency and helps businesses grow without hassle. If you own a small business and have to manage a remote team, hiring a virtual manager will save you crucial work hours and money that you can then invest in scaling your operations.

Having a virtual manager saves you from investing in office real estate and facilities to accommodate an additional employee. Instead, you can hire them on flexible contracts. Also, there is no need to train virtual assistants. Just hire them, assign them the work, and grow your business. Hiring a virtual assistant is quick and easy with Wishup. You can onboard an assistant in less than 24 hours. Delegate to make an impact with Wishup. All you need to do is schedule a free consultation with our team or drop us an email at [email protected] to get going.