Virtual Staff Philippines Service

5 Basic Apps for Virtual Assistants

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As we all know by now, a Virtual Assistant’s tasks can vary depending on what their client needs. There are a lot of digital tools out there that can help a Virtual Assistant do their jobs and more efficiently. These tools will depend on the kind of job they need to perform for their clients. There are tools for web development, social media, content creation and management, email, among others. 

 

Here are some of the tools a Virtual Assistant should understand and be familiar with before they start with the job. 

 

Slack 

Effective communication is vital to increase productivity and build good relationships in a working environment. A company needs to have a way to communicate constructively and also be able to protect information and files within their workspace; that is where Slack comes in. Slack is one of the most commonly used messaging platform tools used by Virtual Assistants for communication. 

One good characteristic of Slack is better organization of projects, tasks, and files; this helps users avoid getting lost in conversations on messengers or emails. You can also connect Slack to cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox when sharing files and data. 

 

Zoom 

Holding video meetings are also frequent with people working online. Skype was the most widely used video conferencing app before, but today most people use Zoom. The significant difference between the two is the number of participants it can accommodate for each video conference call.

The key features of Zoom that make it innovative are its screen sharing and recording options. Screen sharing allows a presenter to share their computer’s screen on the video conference call for better visualizations. It also allows users to record the Zoom meeting for easier documentation. 

Explaining your work and making your participants understand your presentation by just using words is sometimes challenging. The screen sharing option on Zoom can make it easier to grasp what you want to convey as they can see your notes and visuals. You also have the choice to record the Zoom meeting so that participants have an option to go back and watch the presentation again. It is valuable for someone who has a hard time taking down notes as they can focus more on the presentation itself.

 

Google Apps 

Google Apps, formerly known as G Suite, is the most popular business app available right now. Aside from Google Apps being incredibly easy to use, it also offers a wide range of collaboration and productivity tools. It includes emailing, organizing schedules and tasks, having enough Cloud storage space for files like photos, spreadsheets, presentations, and even doing video meetings. Another good thing about Google Apps is that it’s available on mobile devices.

 

Buffer 

Buffer is a social media management tool. It allows users to access multiple social media profiles in just one place. It helps manage social media accounts and save time posting on different platforms. 

Another great feature of Buffer is being able to plan and schedule posts. Buffer gathers data and gives information on when is the best time to publish posts. With this information, organizing the time of each post will make it more effective in reaching the intended audience.

 

Canva 

Canva is very popular now specifically for people who are not Photoshop savvy. Canva is a simple graphic design platform that has a wide range of templates for all kinds of content. There are options to create Facebook posts, Instagram posts, make art for marketing images, flyers or posters, and even illustrations that are very much customizable depending on what you need. It will also allow you to create presentations and present it, create video and video thumbnail arts, even logos and gifs. 

These tools are just some of the basic online tools needed when you start to work as a Virtual Assistant. You may need to learn a few more tools as you go that will help you kick start your VA career. 

And when you have gained enough confidence to be a full-time Virtual Assistant, you can get help from us HERE.

4 Proven Steps to Become a VA

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With our previous article, we shared all about what a Virtual Assistant does, and why online jobs are the way to go.

Now that you understand what a Virtual Assistant is, and have decided to become one, what is the next step?

Let us go through the checklist of the things you need before embarking on being a Virtual Assistant.

 

1. Make Sure You Are Work-From-Home Ready 

Just like when you prepare for regular office work, you have to make sure you have the right attire, are not late, and are familiar with the tools needed for the job. With work from home, it’s the same. You need to make sure that you are all set before starting your online career.

Here are the things you need to prepare to be work-from-home ready. 

  • A computer/laptop. 

We recommend getting a computer rather than a laptop if you are a first-timer. With desktops, you can update your system unit if a higher specification is needed or if you need to add peripherals to your computer set-up. They are also cheaper than laptops. If there is any downside, that is, it won’t be portable. However, you can easily upgrade to a laptop once you have stable employment.

  • A stable internet connection.

If you are to spend money on your new work-from-home set-up, we highly advise that you invest more in your internet connection (if at all possible). A fast and stable internet connection is a must if you plan to work from home. It helps with your productivity and saves you from the nightmare of a buffering internet when you need to attend online meetings or interviews.

Another tip is to get a reliable backup connection like a pocket-wifi – this is a lifesaver when your primary internet connection suddenly becomes unstable. 

  • Noise-canceling headphones

There is hardly a zero-noise environment unless you are in a soundproof room. And most times, you need a quiet space to have a peaceful and focused conversation with your client or even when you are just working on your tasks. Investing in affordable but decent noise-canceling headphones will help you greatly when working.

 

2. Make Sure You Are Interview Ready 

In one of our articles, we shared Five Ways To Impress Your Recruiter Even Before The Interview. Here is a summary of that article: 

  • Have an organized resume that showcases your skills, talents, and employment history. 
  • Have a prominent online presence and ensure that your social media accounts or online profiles have professional content (if public).
  • Research your prospective employer’s business. It is always a plus if you put a lot of effort into knowing the company you are applying for because this shows your future employer that you are interested in working with them.
  • Go through some possible questions and practice answering them. 
  • Make sure your computer, headset, and video cam are working, and the internet is stable before the interview. If your internet is unstable, tell your interviewer or client and advise on how long it would take you to get back online or to reschedule it all together. Sometimes technical difficulties are unavoidable even if you made sure that everything is ready. With the right response to your interviewer or client, you might get a second interview or meeting. 

 

3. Make Sure You Are Training Ready 

It makes a good impression and shows commitment to being a Virtual Assistant if you have undergone Virtual Assistant training/courses. 

There is a lot of free and paid training for Virtual Assistants that you can go through. However, if you can’t afford to buy training yet, you can probably use your existing skillset and leverage it. 

In our article, “How To Make Money From What You Know,” we explained how your previous office-based experience could help you land a work-from-home job without an online course.

 

4. Make Sure You Are Payment Ready 

With PhilTeamFinder, once we have placed our candidate with an employer, their trial period is already paid. It is in your best interest to set up a PayPal account, the most popular online payment platform used by overseas employers, to get paid without hassles.

 

Starting from scratch may be difficult, but remember that anything worth having will require some work. Do what’s needed, work smart, and stay focused on your end goal.

Now that you have more information about the steps to being a Virtual Assistant, are you ready to become one? Our team can help you get started here. 

 

What does a Virtual Assistant actually do?

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Ever dreamt of working anywhere you want? Like your living room while in front of the TV in your PJs? Or, using your laptop at your dining room table while having breakfast with your kids? Or maybe you just don’t like working in an office? 

Is this even possible? 

You may have seen posts on social media and on various job posting sites about a job called “Virtual Assistant.” This may be new to you, but, Virtual Assistants or VAs have been a real thing for quite a while. It became highlighted with job hunters when the pandemic started because people are opting for a safer option.

 

What is a Virtual Assistant?

In case you are wondering, a virtual assistant is a self-employed worker who provides support or administrative services to businesses and entrepreneurs remotely (as in, not in the same physical location).

Virtual assistants are in HOT demand. This applies to small businesses and for big companies. Virtual Assistants can do many different tasks without the need to be in an office.

 

A Typical Virtual Assistant Job Description

 

Some tasks that a Virtual Assistant does might be:

 

  • Support Services, like customer support, email support, and chat support. They can handle simple customer inquiries through email or chat. 
  • Bookkeeping, orders, and refunds. 
  • Administrative Services like managing appointments, bookings, calendars, and contacts. 
  • Content Creation Services are content creation, ghostwriting, editing, proofreading, transcription, content research. 
  • Other services specific to your skill sets include website design, WordPress website maintenance, graphic design and layout, editing videos, digital marketing tasks, social media management, and lead generation. 

 

As we shared in our previous article, How To Make Money From What You Know, these skills might be something you already know or have vast experience working in an office. 

 

Why Become a Virtual Assistant? 

So the next question is, why become a Virtual Assistant? It was covered in our article:  Why Working from Home is Here to Stay, and to give you a summary, it is just more flexible and rewarding to work from home. 

 

Work anywhere. This is a luxury most people dream of. Working anywhere you want might be working from a different zip code every week. Some would look at this as spending the whole day working at the comfort of their bed. Being a Virtual Assistant allows you to have the freedom to do things to make a living but still feel like you’re living. 

A study showed that people with a comfortable working environment had increased work productivity.  ² Experimental research conducted over the last 30 years has found anywhere between a 2.7% to an 8.6% increase in productivity.  

Without the toxic commute and the pressure of office-settings, you can focus on working and performing. 

 

Rewarding. Rewarding is getting satisfaction or gratification. If you ever feel dissatisfied or unhappy with your work because of pressure and not being appreciated enough for your work, being a Virtual Assistant might be for you. VA’s have the freedom to work and get satisfaction because they are not motivated by the pressures of an office-based environment. They are driven by comfort and convenience. 

³ Another research by Flexjobs in 2019 found that 65% of professionals think they would be more productive working remotely than in a traditional office, with 49% saying they go to their home or home office when they really need to buckle down and get work done.  

 

If you want a type of career that can rid yourself of safety concerns, the pressures of office-based work and the convenience of working from the comfort of your home, going for a VA job is possibly the best fit for you. 

 

PhilTeamFinder can help you be the next Virtual Assistant HERE. 

 

² The Comfy Team. “The Comfort Productivity Connection”
³ Emily Courtney. “The Benefits of Working From Home: Why The Pandemic Isn’t the Only Reason to Work Remotely”

Why Working from Home is Here to Stay

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Since the declaration of the pandemic in the early months of 2020, there has been a significant change in the workforce. 

Businesses had to adjust their strategy and adapt quickly to survive. Most opted to offer their services online, and enterprises that rely heavily on human labor encouraged their employees to work remotely.

While there has been a significant increase in remote work worldwide over the last few years, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the WFH (Work From Home) movement to new levels. Based on US statistics analyzed by Flex.jobs and Global Workplace Analytics, there is a 44% increase in people opting to work from home in the last 5 years and 91% in the last 10. 

Another study by Lenovo suggests that 87% of employees who either were encouraged or required to work remotely by their employers as a result of the pandemic, were already ready to make the shift to working from home.

 

Here are several factors why work from home is here to stay:

 

 

People who work from home have benefited a lot from avoiding stress brought about by daily commutes. There is no need to take the bus and get seated with someone who might be a bad egg. Forget about expensive cabs when public transport is unavailable. Say goodbye to penalties incurred by being late because of chaotic traffic. 

Now you can spend what would have been that commute time with family or doing other things like improving your skills. 

 

 

Apart from stress caused by traffic, another highlight that plays a big part in the switch in the working environment is office politics. 

Sure, there are office politics, even in the online setting. However, it is more tolerable because workers won’t need to deal with overbearing co-workers in-person.

Introverts benefit a lot with this setting and find they are way more motivated and less anxious.

Also, without additional drama, employees are happier. And when employees are happy, they are less likely to get sick, which means reduced absences and higher productivity.

 

 

Working from home helps you save.

There will usually be initial setups to buy the required equipment to work from home, e.g., internet subscription, electric consumption, headset, a proper desk, chair, etc.

However, it is also good to keep in mind that these are initial investments, and most are not recurring expenses (apart from wear and tear in office equipment that may need occasional replacement). 

Data from the Census Bureau in 2018 indicates the average work from home employees can earn an extra 10-20% per year more than a traditional office job when working for overseas business. With the savings on transportation and take out food, you can be in a position to save an extra 10-20% extra.

Add to that a life of less stress (longer travel time = less sleep, workplace politics, etc.), and the future looks bright.

 

 

Imagine spending more time with family and have rounded work-life balance.

The flexible work schedule makes it possible for remote employees to bond with their family members, friends, and do healthy activities like yoga, pilates, running, etc. There are no missing important events, and they have more control over their overall well being.

There are many benefits for people who want to work from home if they are serious about it. If there is a silver lining brought by the pandemic, one of them is, going/working online seems to be the way forward.

 

Are you planning on working from home? Philteamfinder can help you get started here