With the ever-changing and competitive business landscape, virtual assistant outsourcing continues to become in demand. In fact, statistics show that the global virtual assistant market size is anticipated to earn USD 8613.5 million by 2028.
This signifies that a customer service virtual assistant (VA) is a crucial asset in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) companies. They play an essential function in assisting entrepreneurs in managing customer service business operations to assure clients’ satisfaction and attain business growth.
If you are interested in understanding more about their contribution to the business industry, here are some frequently asked questions about the responsibilities of a customer service VA:
What is a Customer Service VA?
A customer service VA is a remote worker who offers virtual customer service for companies through digital channels like social media, emails, or live chats. Their role is more immersed in handling a variety of professional tasks, depending on their skill set, that feeds support to prospective customers.
Some of the most standard tasks of a customer service VA include operating calls and messages and responding to inquiries. They can also aid in placing orders, addressing complaints, project management, and evaluating customer data.
Does customer service VA differ from a call center agent?
Most people think of a customer service VA as the same as a call center agent. Although both are the most in-demand positions in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry, they differ primarily in their tasks.
Call center agents’ tasks are more scripted, and they can handle multiple clients simultaneously. Depending on the type of request from callers, they offer administrative tasks to support clients’ needs. This includes technical assistance, handling product complaints, market research, billing inquiries, and order processing.
Meanwhile, a customer service VA can do the exact tasks. However, unlike call center agents, VAs usually offer a variety of tailored assistance. Apart from administrative tasks, they can also do technical, creative, writing, and operational tasks, which means that they are flexible in delivering customer service to clients.
What services can a customer service VA do?
Customer service VA often utilizes digital channels to offer its services. Hence, you can entrust them with tasks that require email and phone support, message and receptionist services, and live chat. Moreover, customer service VAs also offer digital marketing assistance, social media management, content creation, outbound sales calls, and full helpdesk support.
Are customer service VAs considered employees?
VAs, including those in customer service, are considered contractors, not employees of a company. This means that a business owner is not responsible for supplying them with the traditional work benefits and expenses ought by employees. Hiring customer service VAs means adding contractors to your business, who will be paid only based on their working hours.
What are the benefits of hiring a customer service VA?
Hiring a customer service VA is an ideal help to an entrepreneur or business as it presents lots of benefits. Compared to hiring an in-house worker, hiring a customer service VA is more cost-effective. You only need to pay for their working hours without additional expenses, and they will still provide the best, high-quality customer service your clients need.
Subsequently, customer service VAs can help businesses, particularly owners, enhance their productivity. These VAs can also lessen a business staff’s workload since they are the ones handling customer-related tasks; employees can focus more on strategic tasks needed. Lastly, customer service VAs can enhance customer satisfaction, which could positively impact your business.
What are the things to consider when hiring a customer service VA?
When hiring VAs, it is essential to evaluate their skill set, effective communication, experience, and professionalism to determine if they are worth hiring. It is also paramount to check their portfolios, conduct in-depth virtual assistant interviews, and review the feedback given to them by previous clients to guarantee that they are a good match for your business.
How to manage a customer service VA?
Although customer service VAs work remotely, business owners still need to manage VAs to help them exceed expectations. When managing a VA, it is vital to approach them with constant communication and clear instructions. Further, setting expectations in working hours or work quality, giving feedback, and pinpointing conflicts that need a solution is also required.
For instance, business owners can set up or manage a regular meeting per week to learn about the tasks accomplished by the hired VA. These meetings can also be utilized to discuss how the VA handles business clients and the conflicts they have encountered. In this case, the business owner can still oversee, solve, and manage the operations done by the customer service VA.
When do I need to hire a customer service VA?
If you are a business owner who struggles with handling administrative tasks, dealing with a large number of clients, and getting overworked, you need to hire a customer service VA. A customer service VA can offer an extra pair of hands to reduce your workload. They can manage time-consuming tasks such as overseeing customer support to allow you to focus on more critical aspects.
Where to find customer service VA?
While customer service VAs have become in demand in the business landscape, there are various ways to find a high-quality one. An effective way to find a customer service VA is through searching online for reliable virtual assistant companies, like OVA Virtual. Such companies will equip you with specialized and skilled customer service VAs who can deliver professional customer support. In addition, social media platforms, including Facebook and LinkedIn, can also be utilized to find VAs.
Final Thoughts
As the business industry continues to expand, the need to hire a helping hand can put you at ease while achieving your business goals. Hence, outsourcing a reliable customer service VA can be considered. They have a significant contribution in streamlining business operations, providing efficient customer support, achieving client satisfaction, improving an enterprise’s productivity, and sustaining business success in the dynamic market.
If you are an entrepreneur searching for a renowned VA company, OVA Virtual can be your best choice. We are a Philippine-based all-female VA company that is well known for offering our clients high-quality virtual staffing services. At OVA Virtual, we are committed to providing a team of highly skilled and passionate VAs to deliver the support you need to achieve business growth.
Feel free to check out our website today to get started.