What Industries Should Hire Virtual Assistants in 2024

Businesses worldwide seek ways to boost productivity, and the virtual assistant industry is a valuable asset to their workforce. Whether in real estate, freelancing, or recruitment agencies, having a VA helps manage daily tasks and provides a competitive advantage by freeing time for more strategic work.  

For entrepreneurs, SMEs, large conglomerates, or even executives, an online assistant frees up time to focus on core responsibilities instead of getting bogged down by administrative duties, repetitive tasks, and schedules. 

Hiring a full-time onsite assistant can be costly. In contrast, a virtual assistant can handle tasks and offer additional benefits at a fraction of the cost. Many industries can greatly benefit from hiring a virtual assistant.

In this blog post, we have outlined 13 key industries that can greatly benefit from having an online assistant to help them boost their business further. 

1. Real Estate 

Hiring a real estate virtual assistant over an on-site assistant can be a game-changer for realtors and real estate agents. Running a real estate agency involves numerous tasks. To perform this job, a realtor often employs a general assistant or mortgage VA who charges a hefty fee.

How Can Virtual Assistant Help Real Estate Professionals?

According to the National Association of Realtors, 200,000+ realtors and more than 1.5 million real estate agents are in the US. 

These online assistants can handle a wide range of tasks, from real estate research and data entry to probate record searches, property tax calculations, owner detail searches, and assessing county site records. 

They can also contribute to your marketing efforts by taking on digital marketing tasks, such as email marketing and posting advertisements on social media platforms.

Benefits of a Real Estate Virtual Assistant

There are numerous benefits to hiring a real estate VA. First, this virtual employee can handle many tasks efficiently at a significantly lower cost than an on-site assistant. Additionally, VAs offer flexibility regarding working hours, empowering you to manage your time effectively. 

VAs often charge hourly rates, ensuring you only pay for their services. Other benefits include Transcription, cultural and linguistic benefits, multitasking, administrative assistance, research, and many more. 

2. Accounting and Finance

In the world of finance and accounting, precision and efficiency rule supreme. However, these professionals often have time constraints and must work longer hours to meet deadlines. A  VA can be invaluable for accountants and finance professionals. By outsourcing time-consuming, repetitive tasks, a VA can significantly improve productivity and efficiency and be cost-effective. That’s why accounting and finance professionals can benefit.

Companies need to hire VAs, such as QuickBooks virtual assistants.

How Can a Virtual Assistant Help an Accountant?

According to an article from Enterprise App Today, the US VA industry is expected to generate $4.012 billion with a compound annual growth rate of 22.5% in 2024. Thus, businesses in the financial world rely more on the virtual assistant industry than on-site assistants.  

VAs can handle various administrative tasks, including bookkeeping, payroll processing, invoice processing, expense tracking, financial reporting, summarizing company reports, and other financial administrative duties.

Benefits of Virtual Assistant for Accountants and Finance Professionals

Financial industry professionals enjoy a wide variety of added benefits from hiring an online assistant. Outsourcing these routine tasks to a virtual employee can free up their time to focus on core tasks such as client service, strategic planning, or other important work to grow their business. 

 As mentioned above, in addition to performing repetitive tasks, VAs can also ensure:

• Smoother operations

• Enhance customer experience

• Maintain compliance

• Provide customer support

• Aid in community engagement

• Schedule meetings

• To help with various marketing efforts

• To assist in expanding the company’s business

• Handling online legal transcription

3. Information Technology (IT) Businesses

In the fast-paced world of the internet, the IT sector has become more relevant than ever. With a growing list of tasks and limited hours, information technology businesses increasingly depend on online assistance. 

VAs, with their ability to significantly enhance productivity and efficiency, have become necessary in information technology businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shift to remote work in the IT sector have only underscored this necessity.

How Virtual Assistants Can Help IT Business?

IT businesses need to employ virtual assistants to conduct various tasks. These online assistants can free up IT business time to focus on the business’s core features while working as executive assistants. An expert VA can provide technical support, assist in quality assurance, troubleshoot, and handle user inquiries, among other tasks, to ease the burden on the IT staff. 

Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant for IT Businesses

A virtual employee can handle a diverse range of tasks. Which includes:

• Project management tasks include keeping track of the project details to ensure the project stays on course.
• Handling data entry, updating the database, and organizing information to improve accessibility.
• Creating compelling content for websites, email copies, and social media posts.
• Conduct market research to stay up-to-date on industry trends.
• Keeping financial records
• Provide customer support via email or phone to improve customer relations and more. 

4. Legal Services

In judicial systems, lawyers and paralegals consistently struggle to meet deadlines. They need to perform extensive research for case management, work on client communication, and perform many other tasks. The virtual assistant industry can be a game-changer for legal professionals. Using an online assistant can free them up to focus on the core part of their business, i.e., winning cases. 

How Can an Online Legal Assistant Help Lawyers?

For any legal team, an online legal assistant who is well-versed in the legal world can significantly affect their productivity. These VAs can aid in extensive legal research, case preparation, and document organization, ensuring you have readily available information. 

An online assistant can also help schedule meetings by organizing calendars for court appearances and other official judiciary work so that you stay on top of deadlines. 

Benefits of VAs in Legal Service

The benefits of a virtual assistant in the legal industry extend beyond time savings. They significantly contribute to cost-effectiveness, offering a more affordable alternative to hiring a full-time paralegal. 

They can also assist in conducting legal research and provide valuable information to support your cases. Additionally, they can manage client communication, handle initial client intake, draft legal documents, and manage financial management, among other tasks of law firms.

5. Healthcare

Virtual assistance plays a critical role in transforming the healthcare industry. Recently, VAs have been performing multi-dimensional tasks, assisting various stakeholders in the healthcare industry. Some of the most beneficial online assistants are for health coaches, doctors, patients, medical administrators, telehealth providers, pharmaceutical companies, and other members of the medical industry. 

How Can a Virtual Assistant Help a Healthcare Industry?

The US is facing a massive shortage of doctors and nurses. According to an article posted in The Hill, it is feared that by 2030, there will be a total shortage of 124,000 doctors and 200,000 nurses. Experts suggest that a considerable shortage will hamper the total healthcare industry. 

Virtual Assistants can address this shortage by improving efficiency in the medical sector. A VA can assist doctors, nurses, and health care providers by taking on their insignificant work so that they can focus on the core part of their job. 

Benefits of Virtual Assistant in the Healthcare industry

Online assistants can significantly reduce client wait times by performing routine tasks and communicating with patients, as stated below.

• Hire administrative VA: manage appointment scheduling, patient inquiries, paperwork, and patient records.
• Communication: manage patient communication through phone calls, emails, appointment reminders, etc.
• Data entry: assisting in data entry, medical coding, updating patients’ records, scribing, and others.
• Cost-effectiveness: less expensive than hiring an on-site working assistant.

6. Cleaning Business

Cleaning and janitorial businesses are another industry that can undoubtedly benefit from hiring virtual assistants. These businesses are usually run locally and often need more marketing and client communications.

There is a massive gap between high- and low-earning cleaning businesses in the US. Marketing and reaching commercial, residential, and industrial clients can reduce this widening gap in income inequality. Small and mid-sized businesses can significantly reduce this gap by hiring virtual employees to gain new customers and expand their business. 

Hiring a Virtual Assistant for Your Cleaning Business

According to an article in The Method, a small cleaning and janitorial service provider can make between $35,000 and $50,000 annually. In comparison, some commercial cleaning service providers earn $1.2 to $1.5 million a year. By employing a virtual employee, this business can lower this income gap by marketing its service, managing its resources well, and gaining a consistent stream of customers. 

Benefits of an Online Assistant for Cleaning Business

Virtual Assistants for cleaning businesses can handle marketing for the cleaning company and reach a broader audience of customers. 

• Marketing: conducting various marketing strategies, from traditional marketing to digital marketing. 
• Communication: handling client communication. 
• Earning leads: getting mere leads so that they can gain a new set of customers and expand their business.
• Scheduling: Scheduling appointments and calendar management
• Administrative tasks: Performing tasks such as attending phone calls, organizing documents, emailing, etc. 

7. Lead Generation Business

Since their inception, virtual assistants have significantly generated quality leads for Lead-Generation service providers. Recently, many industries, from e-commerce to finance, marketing to real estate, and small businesses to large enterprises, have been relying on lead-generation service providers. 

In modern times, leads have become crucial for growing any business. Lead-generation businesses and service providers have mushroomed to cater to the demand. Good leads are essential for any industry to grow; thus, an online assistant plays a significant role in finding those leads. 

Why Are Virtual Assistants Essential for the Lead Generation Industry?

According to an article in Yahoo Finance, the lead generation industry will reach $10 billion by 2032. Lead generation market leaders constantly seek quality virtual assistants to meet this enormous demand. 

Finding constant, quality leads is time-consuming; thus, online assistants play a huge role. Different strategies exist to get quality leads that matter most to the business. Hiring an online assistant well-versed in lead generation can be a massive relief for lead generation businesses. 

Benefits Of Virtual Assistant In The Lead Generation Industry

The benefits of hiring a virtual assistant for the lead generation industry are immense. Here, we have outlined some key reasons why businesses should consider hiring VAs:

• Research, prospecting, and follow-ups.
• Creating lead magnet by using digital marketing strategies
• Saving overhead costs from in-house employees
• Consisting efforts Assessing lead quality
• Nurturing relationships with potential leads
• Streamlined acquisition process
• performing routine tasks for office management
• Conducting social media and email campaign

8. Marketing Companies

Marketing companies can significantly benefit from the virtual assistant industry. Traditional and digital marketing businesses can outsource tasks to remote teams, allowing them to focus on client acquisition and other core business tasks. In 2024, hiring a VA was a common practice for top-notch marketing firms.

Why do you Hire a Virtual Assistant for Marketing Companies?

A marketing company has many tasks to do to run its business. From content creation to content management, administrative functions to communicating with clients, social media management to social media marketing, CRM management to email marketing, and SEO to content optimization, a virtual assistant can perform almost all the tasks you can name. 

An online assistant comes with various skills, from technical to creative VA. All these skills count for marketing firms. Therefore, hiring an online assistant can have added benefits for up-scaling a marketing firm. 

Benefits of VAs in the Marketing Industry

The benefits of an online assistant go far beyond cost-effectiveness. Here, we have outlined several reasons for hiring a VA:

• Reduce overhead costs
• Pay only for what they do
• Communication and Customer service
• calendar management, 
• Improve client satisfaction
• engaging online presence
• Seasonal demand
• Scaling up and down. 

9. Small Businesses and Startups

Virtual assistants are a blessing for solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and SMEs. Every minute counts in the early stages of any business, and with limited resources, this assistant can be a game-changer. Small companies and startups face a cash crunch but must juggle multiple responsibilities. Employing VAs to perform their day-to-day duties and specialized tasks significantly enhances the productivity of the overall business operation.  

Hiring Virtual Assistants for Small Businesses and Startups

The United States Census Bureau projects that 27,806 new business startups will be created in 2024. Since only 1 percent of startups race towards becoming unicorns, these companies should consider hiring a VA rather than an on-site employee as a cost-cutting measure to boost their business growth. 

Benefits of Virtual Assistants for Small Businesses and Startups 

Experts suggest hiring full-time virtual assistants to perform your day-to-day tasks and other specialized jobs, which gives small business owners and startups an edge. They recommend hiring virtual assistants for several reasons, including:

• VAs offer cost savings compared to hiring full-time on-site employees 
• Their hourly rates or task-based fees are more budget-friendly
• Remote work eliminates their need for physical office space
• Can delegate routine administrative tasks 
• VSs can handle email correspondence and other communication
• Can help generate leads to grow your business
• It can be scaled up or down
• It comes with specializations according to your needs and requirements
• Contributes to increased efficiency and work-life balance

10. Insurance Company

 

According to an article in Statista, the global insurance industry is forecast to be worth around $9.81 trillion by 2028. In the ever-evolving world of insurance, virtual assistants play an increasing role in day-to-day business management. In the insurance sector, efficiency is crucial, and VAs can significantly improve processes, boost productivity, aid client satisfaction, and drive sales. 

How Does Insurance Virtual Assistant Work?

Insurance businesses face numerous hurdles in running their daily operations. They must stay up-to-date on managing policies, handling customer inquiries, ensuring compliance with regulations, and assisting insurance agents in their day-to-day activities. Hiring a remote assistant will boost efficiency and improve client satisfaction. These online assistants further aid in the company’s cost-effective growth. 

Benefits of Virtual Assistant in Insurance Company

Skilled VAs can work as extensions of your team, freeing up valuable time for a wide range of tasks. This assistance can help the company in the insurance sector in the following ways:

• Manage initial client contact, answer basic questions, schedule appointments, and give data entry service.
• Assist with policy renewals by sending reminders, collecting payments, and processing updates, ensuring seamless policy maintenance.
• Gather information, schedule inspections, and handle initial communication with claimers.
• Manage social media accounts, create email marketing campaigns, and research to generate new leads.
• Handle data entry for customer information, quotes, and other insurance-related tasks.
• Manage your calendar by scheduling appointments, managing emails, and sending appointment reminders.
• Aiding further customer satisfaction

11. Education

The education industry faces challenges, from rising class sizes to ever-increasing administrative burdens. These can overwhelm educators with administrative tasks and other non-teaching work. Hiring a VA is a game changer for teachers, as they can focus on the core job of teaching rather than other non-essential tasks.

How Virtual Assistants Are Transforming Education?

Since COVID-19 and the digitalization of classrooms, remote assistants have been in massive demand in the educational sector. According to an article posted in Markets and Markets, the global digital education market is set to grow by $66.7 billion by 2028. This enormous demand in the academic industry has dramatically increased the requirements for online assistants for teachers and other educators.

Benefits of Virtual Assistants for Educational Institutions

virtual assistant companies can offer a wide range of support for teachers, including:

• Lesson planning and grading
• Assisting in Parental Communication
• Offering Tech Support
• Communication and email management
• Staying organized in day-to-day work
• Finding Researched Learning Materials
• Educational Content Creation
• Keeping parents informed
• Manage school website and other social media platforms

12. Entertainment and Event Planning

Entertainment and event planning experts believe virtual assistants are a strategic investment for success in this industry. These professionals must juggle numerous jobs to run a successful business. They are often overwhelmed with various tasks, from booking venues, managing talent, creating social media campaigns, and handling logistical nightmares. Hiring a VA can be a game-changer for these industry professionals, as they can streamline their work efficiently. 

How Can a Virtual Assistant Help You Plan A Business Event?

According to Allied Market Research, the US entertainment and event planning industry is set to reach $538.6 billion by 2030. This industry needs more on-site entertainment and event management professionals. To run a successful event management firm, a remote assistant is the way to move forward and cater to this high demand. 

Benefits of Virtual Assistant in the Entertainment and Event Planning Industry

Hiring a VA in this industry has several benefits, which can streamline your team’s work. Below, I have started a few:

• Manage initial client inquiries, schedule calls, and draft emails, ensuring smooth communication
• Research venues, artists, vendors, and caterers,
• Create engaging content, schedule posts, and interact with followers
• Social media management
• Assisted with email marketing campaigns, managed online ads, and created digital flyers.
• Track deadlines, manage budgets, and keep you organized
• More affordable than an on-site full-time staff member
• Working as a personal assistant to event planners
• Handle travel arrangements for performers or speakers, manage guest lists, and create detailed event timelines

13. Nonprofits

Nonprofit organizations perform multiple functions; the VA industry can play a significant role. Whether fundraising, awareness campaigns, program development, implementation, or client services, the nonprofit sector increasingly relies on virtual assistant services to optimize costs and support their development work. Hiring a VA allows them to utilize their resources smartly and efficiently.

What Can VAs Do for the Nonprofit Industry?

There are 2 million nonprofit organizations supporting development work worldwide. These not-for-profit firms often operate on tighter budgets, requiring efficient resource utilization. This firm often needs to provide specialized support in tasks like:

• Grant research and writing 
• Donor management
• Client management 
• Event planning and management
• Social media management
• Email management
• engaging online presence
• Website creation and optimization
• Administrative support service
• Communication support

Hiring full-time onsite employees can be expensive, and they might need more skills. Thus, to manage all this specialized work, nonprofit industry professionals often outsource it to Virtual assistants. 

Benefits of Hiring Virtual Assistant for Nonprofit Industry

As said earlier, hiring a VA is often more affordable than hiring an on-site employee. Other than cost-effectiveness, these online assistants can assist nonprofit firms in various ways. Which may include:

• VAs can juggle multiple jobs, aiding the development of your business
• Virtual assistants can often help research grant opportunities, provide compelling data for proposals, and write proposals. 
• They can also aid in donor communication, keep track of donor records, and foster strong relationships with them. 
• Helping with the logistical task for funding events, sending invitations, and event planning

Conclusion

Due to the virtual assistant service’s cost-effectiveness, this form of remote working has been a game changer for many industries. The minimum wage in the US varies from state to state, ranging from $7.25 to $18, which makes it challenging to hire on-site employees for a business.

Hiring a VA is not only cost-effective but also an intelligent decision for employees who are looking to grow their business. In 2024, we have seen that every industry relies heavily on online assistance, whether the real estate agency, nonprofit organization, legal service, or insurance company. 

Finding a good virtual assistant is always a difficult and time-consuming task. To find a good VA, you can always rely on YesAssistant, who has decades of experience and expertise working with top-notch companies in various industries. So, in the modern digital era, all of the above businesses are burdened to hire a quality VA.