The virtual industry in Australia is booming now more than ever. Many business, companies, and industries have been greatly employing the use of technology to their advantage—in any possible way. There’s no doubt about it most of the businesses in the Australian market are becoming more virtual. From meeting international clients, buying supplies, and even hiring remote employees and virtual assistants.
While building offshore teams used to be routine for only companies, the technological shift enables smaller industry players such as start-ups and small to medium companies to enjoy this perk as well.
Today’s trend in the Australian market is outsourcing help from other countries. According to recent reports, over 25,000 Australian jobs were outsourced to BPO companies based in different countries, especially South East Asian countries, in 2017. Experts predict that this trend is likely to continue in the near future with the figure soaring to 50,000 this year. The Australian economy and business sector are high-wage, high cost. In order for businesses to be more cost-effective, they need to be smarter.
One of the reasons why many businesses are hiring Virtual Assistants is because of its cost-effectiveness. A Virtual Assistant is an independent contractor who is hired to manage the day-to-day tasks that you can’t handle yourself. Sometimes you simply don’t have the time to do everything by yourself, and sometimes you lack the skills to do it right. Either way, a qualified VA can help you take a load off which in turn allows you to do more important things that will help you grow your business.
Virtual Assistants specialize in many different areas, including:
- Social media marketing
- Online marketing
- Email answering and sorting
- Updating your website, uploading content
- Creating personalized content, business presentations and proposals
- Internet research
- Event management
- Travel bookings
- Bookkeeping
While virtual assistant services vary from business to business, there has been a trend in the industry on which services and work type is the most common across companies.
Some experts say that while there can be many types of qualifications and job descriptions for Virtual Assistants in Australia, they can be grouped into three general categories: administrative, technical, and creative. Here are some of the most in-demand virtual assistant services for Australian businesses:
Administrative
Virtual Assistants who do administrative work are in charge of data processing, gathering, input, etc. While this part of business is regarded as one of the most menial, nobody can deny that it is also the backbone of most businesses, and should be given priority and importance.
Administrative skills include:
- Customer service
- Email management
- Task management or project management
- Calendar management
- Data entry
- Online research
- Updating blogs or social media accounts
Customer Service and Support
Successful companies have always reiterated the importance of a great customer service and support for businesses in any field. A great customer service and support from a company can make or break it and affect its reputation and business in the long run.
Besides keeping the present customers loyal, great customer support inspires word of mouth publicity. That’s why businesses with satisfied customers usually grow promptly and exponentially.
Customer Service and Support skills include:
- Handling phone calls with customers
- Receiving feedback
- Assisting customers
- Answering customer enquiries or passing them on to the appropriate department
- Giving information and helping to solve customer
- Selling products and taking orders.
Creative
Investing in the creative aspect of your business is as important as focusing on the technical aspect. This is what many business owners tend to forget when dealing with the creative side and work requirements of their business.
From designing your website, logos, website content, press releases, to bigger responsibilities like being in charge of your brand identity, company owners should acknowledge that hiring the right people who should focus on this facet of business is important and crucial in the long run.
Creative Skills Include:
- Website design
- Graphic designing
- Content writing
- Marketing
- Brand development
Hiring Virtual Assistants offshore can not only help Australian businesses minimize operating and labour costs, but it can also contribute to the development of the local economy. At the same time, Virtual assistants can not only help you with the work piling up in your inbox and office tables, but they can also benefit everyone in your organization. Adding a virtual assistant in your team can be one of the best decisions you make as a business owner. They provide support, experience, and skills when you need them, and can become a critical part of your workforce.