General Virtual Assistant

How would you feel if someone was managing your calendar, booking appointments for you, or working as your virtual receptionist? Finally, you can think of getting valuable free time with these endless works. While we understand your pain, and a General Virtual Assistant can help you.

When talking about virtual assistants, not necessary they have to be niche-specialized. A general VA is more helpful in handling basic administrative tasks.

The core benefit you can get from a general VA is to hire on peak season on a contractual basis and pay only for the work done. There are options to employ full-time and part-time though.

However, let’s talk in brief about what a general virtual assistant is, their responsibilities, and benefits. Then, if you are prepared to hire, we will talk about where you can find the best VA.

What is a General Virtual Assistant?

A general virtual assistant (GVA) is a remote worker who provides various administrative, technical, and creative services to businesses or entrepreneurs. Outsourcing a general VA to handle repetitive and time-consuming tasks so the internal employees can focus on business growth.

A general VA is more beneficial for those who handle a one-man army business with a limited budget. They handle all the basic tasks, but important to keep the business running smoothly.

Most businesses can not differentiate between a virtual general and an executive assistant. This results in hiring a general VA and asking them to handle high-level responsibilities, messing up things. An executive VA handles complicated and strategic tasks with specialized skill and expertise. On the other hand, a GVA provides support for general administrative tasks.

Their tasks and responsibilities differ widely, so let’s focus on the tasks you can outsource from your general VA.

Tasks You Can Outsource to a General Virtual Assistant

When you think of hiring a virtual general assistant, be assured you can delegate all the routine tasks. But there is more to get from these expert VAs, like letting them handle your finances, get marketing support, tackle customers, and so on.

We have talked in-depth about the services you can get from your VA, so you go on the hiring process, and you can precisely point out what service to outsource.

Administrative Tasks

Administrative tasks are known as routine and repetitive tasks. If you hand over these time-consuming common tasks to your administrative assistant, you no longer need to spend your valuable tasks on any less important tasks. Starting from data entry, the VA will handle,

• VA for Data entry – gather, organize, sync, and enter data into spreadsheet databases; form and survey data entry; verify accuracy; & change data formats.
• Database Management – data cleansing & validation, mining, migration, backup & recovery, privacy & security, archiving & retention & analysis & reporting.
• Managing and updating CRM systems.
• Basic HR responsibilities – employee onboarding, making a presentation, posting job ads, and routine inquiries.
• Document activities during meetings and conferences.
• Online file storage & organization.
• Document preparation, filing, scanning, and copying.
• Proofread and edit documents or presentations.
• Draft contracts and organize employee paperwork.
• Update and maintain employee directories and contact lists.
• Plan, organize, and execute office activities.
• Manage office logistics, office supplies, and inventory.
• Book conference or event venues & travel arrangements.

Booking Appointments

You are juggling with booking appointments, setting reminders, and coordinating all the meeting dates. A general VA core responsibility is handling daily tasks like booking appointment that let you never miss any important meeting with your client.

• Appointment scheduling.
• Coordinate and schedule multi-time zone meetings.
• Book meeting rooms or virtual meeting links.
• Cold call & send meeting invitations or personalized appointment reminders.
• Appointment confirmation by email.
• Appointments with clients using calendar tools.
• Arrange meeting logistics.
• Plan appointments for business conferences.
• Lunch meet appointments with overseas clients.
• Manage rescheduling or cancellations of appointments.
• Prepare briefing notes for meetings or appointments.
• Manage appointment waitlists.
• Handle last-minute changes.
• Maintain an organized log of past and upcoming appointments.
• Track attendee confirmations and manage RSVP lists.

Customer Service Support

Customer satisfaction comes with giving regular customer support, handling their inquiries, and engaging with them as their advisor. A virtual general assistant is an expert in giving customer service support to your business.

• Live chat or email customer support.
• Client communications.
• Answer customer questions via phone.
• Route call as required.
• Provide after-hours or emergency support when needed.
• Manage and update FAQs or help center content.
• Develop scripts for common customer inquiries.
• Provide onboarding assistance for new customers.
• Customer base management.
• Order fulfillment coordination.
• Upselling & cross-selling.
• Record phone calls and take notes on customer concerns.
• Check and reply to messages on customer queries.
• Create customer service surveys.
• Develop procedures to resolve conflict, such as sending follow-up emails.
• Report patterns of customer issues to management.
• Seek ways to improve the customer’s experience.
• Assist with product or service troubleshooting.
• Collect customer feedback, monitor and respond to feedback, and set up feedback surveys.
• Handle subscription management tasks.
• Assist with customer retention strategies.
• Monitor customer service metrics like response time and first contact resolution rate.
• Track customer service satisfaction ratings.

Calendar Management

The most important of a personal assistant is that they can manage calendars, schedule meetings, set reminders, and make a to-do list. All you need to do is follow the calendar to save you from missing deadlines.Virtual assistants for calendar management responsibilities are,

• Manage complex personal and team calendars.
• Schedule your social engagements.
• Enter important dates into your calendar.
• Record all your meetings, events, tasks, and deadlines.
• Schedule your leisure days.
• Coordinate times for team meetings.
• Organize to-dos into a prioritized list of tasks.
• Coordinate travel plans.
• Prioritize deadlines based on urgency and time sensitivity.
• Set reminders.
• Provide daily or weekly overviews.
• Use calendar tools.
• Keep your Google Calendar and other digital or paper calendars synced.
• Update your CRM with meeting notes and client data.
• Integrate calendar with other productivity apps.

Email Management

Your inbox is overflowing with messages. After a long, hectic day, you are filtering the emails, or sending pitching emails to the clients. This takes at least two precious hours of yours. But an email management virtual dedicated assistant makes your inbox manageable.

• Filter, sort, segment, and unsubscribe email lists.
• Ensure important emails aren’t missed.
• Set automated email reminders.
• Organize contacts into segmented email lists.
• Draft and schedule follow-up emails.
• Set up template responses.
• Manage spam.
• Monitor high-priority emails.
• Sort and verify the email addresses of prospects.
• Update your calendar based on appointments arranged by email.
• Prioritize responses based on urgency and importance.
• Ensure security vigilance.
• Implement email encryption & protect sensitive information.
• Create and manage email signatures with company standards.
• Analyze trends in email interactions.
• Integrate email with other communication tools.

Basic Accounting & Bookkeeping

Accounting and bookkeeping management need focus and basic mathematical knowledge. By using bookkeeping software, your virtual dedicated accounts manager can keep your finances tracked and manageable.

• Accounts receivable & payable management.
• Payroll processing, invoices & payments management.
• Financial statement preparation.
• Financial data entry & financial reporting.
• Inventory management.
• Budgeting & forecasting support.
• Sales tax calculations & tax preparation support.
• Handle employee expense reimbursement requests.
• Vendor management.
• Handle client invoicing and payment follow-ups.
• Create general ledgers.
• Remind you to pay bills.
• Expense tracking and management.
• Bank and credit card reconciliations.
• Bookkeeping software management.
• Cash flow management.
• Credit control.

Transcription

Taking notes, such as putting audio or video clips into written files, is important so you do not miss any important notes. Of course, you do not have that time, so here is a VA for your solution.

• Transcribe meetings, interviews, lectures, and more.
• Time-stamp transcripts.
• Accurately transcribe audio/video content.
• Customize transcription styles and formats.
• Format transcripts like PDF, Word, or HTML as required.
• Create summaries & provide contextual notes.
• Transcribe multilingual content, adapting to different accents.
• Upload and share transcripts.
• Maintain an organized archive of all transcribed files.
• Synchronize transcripts with slides or other visual aids for presentations.
• Integrate transcribed data into other documents or databases.
• Utilize transcription software.
• Conduct quality checks on transcriptions.

Virtual Receptionist

A virtual receptionist is more helpful for online businesses. Just like a physical receptionist, a virtual one can greet customers, communicate with them, and inform your team about them.

• Send welcoming and greeting texts to guests.
• Answer frequently asked questions & client inquiries accurately.
• Answer inbound and outbound calls.
• Manage and route incoming emails to the appropriate departments.
• Handle emergency calls.
• Provide detailed messages to staff from calls or visitors.
• Manage waitlists and notify clients of openings or cancellations.
• Assist with event registration and ticketing.
• Conduct customer satisfaction follow-up calls.
• Monitor and manage a virtual lobby or waiting area for online visitors.
• Handle specific requests such as document forwarding or information verification.
• Ensure no missed business opportunities.
• Conduct lead qualification.
• International reach.
• Multilingual service.
• Offer after-hours support.

Social Media Management

You can not think of expanding your business without proper marketing & social media management. If you are spending hours handling your business’s social media presence, then why not hire a general virtual assistant? They will handle,

• Social media account setup and optimization.
• Manage and update company social media profiles.
• Content creation and curation.
• Content scheduling and publishing.
• Share relevant content from other sites.
• Design content specific to each social media platform.
• Write the copy for social media captions.
• Use general and customized hashtags.
• Utilize graphic design skills to create posts.
• Update or delete existing content.
• Develop social media marketing strategy.
• Influencer outreach & hashtag research.
• Maintain a consistent brand image across channels.
• Identify audiences and brainstorm new ideas for content.
• Schedule content to a social media calendar.
• Manage social media advertising.
• Launch social media campaigns.
• Answer consumer and client questions online.
• Monitor follower counts.

Marketing Support

A digital marketing expert VA can help you market your business to a wider audience by optimizing your websites, doing content management, and all other marketing-related tasks. Their wider marketing service involves,

• Search Engine Optimization (Keyword Research, On-page SEO, Link Building, Local SEO, E-commerce SEO).
• Manage your Blog (Basic WordPress Skills).
• Publish posts on your blog.
• Lead generation & lead qualification.
• Sales funnel creation and optimization.
• PPC advertising (Google Ads, Facebook Ads, etc.).
• Competitor research and analysis.
• Use the best CRM for management (customer relationship management).
• Affiliate marketing management.
• Webinar setup and promotion.
• Influencer research and outreach.
• Graphic design (creating images, infographics, etc.).
• Video editing and production.
• Project management support.
• Podcast management (editing, scheduling, promotion).
• Web development (landing pages, microsites, etc.).
• Conversion rate optimization (CRO).
• Identify new demographics to target & develop a buyer’s persona.
• Monitor activities from competing brands.
• Improve marketing strategies.
• Track engagement throughout campaigns.
• Use multiple channels to engage target audiences.
• Coordinate promotional events (product launches and sponsored parties).
• Advertising campaign management.
• Email marketing.
• Marketing automation tool.

Technical Support

Though technical support needs specialized knowledge of software or website management, sometimes a general technical VA helps with these back-office tasks. If you want technical support, assess your general VA technical skills, who can give you services like,

• Software setup, configuration & update.
• Password management.
• System updates and maintenance.
• Website and hosting support.
• Cloud services support.
• Security and backup.
• Vendor liaison.
• Coordinate with IT support for technical issues and system updates.
• Troubleshoot hardware issues.
• Manage user access and permissions for software applications.
• Assist with data migration and system integrations.
• Conduct regular security audits to identify vulnerabilities.
• Train users on new software and technology updates.
• Offer remote desktop support to resolve issues.
• Implement disaster recovery plans.
• Support telecommunication systems, including VOIP services.
• Facilitate video conferencing setup and support.
• Provide ongoing advice and best practices for optimal system performance.

Benefits Of Hiring a General Virtual Assistant

The core benefit of hiring a general virtual assistant is having someone to manage your routine administrative tasks, set your appointments, manage your calendar, and let you only focus on scaling up your business. More 9 benefits you can avail from a general VA are,

1. Save time on initiatives and projects.
2. Reduced costs for staffing and operations.
3. Renewed focus on core business services.
4. A healthier, more flexible work environment.
5. Improved turnaround of time-consuming tasks.
6. Increased scale of operations.
7. Maintain a consistent online presence.
8. Generate your leads.
9. Take care of customer service.

Must-Have Qualification Needed For General Virtual Assistant

Every virtual assistant, including a general VA, must have excellent communication, organizational, time-management, and problem-solving skills. With these basic assistant skills, they can handle administrative tasks properly. Though virtual assistants’ skills vary with their role, a general VA should have more basic skills.

Strong Communication Skills, Both Written and Verbal

General virtual assistants may need to communicate with customers and collaborate with team members, managers, HRs, or business owners. So, when looking for a VA check their communicational skill, both written and verbal.

Computer Skills & Proficiency in Office Software

Handling repetitive tasks or routine tasks using software can reduce time. Moreover, to keep the workflow smoother, computer skills are a must so everything can be done digitally. So, the general VA another must have knowledge of computers or digital tools.

Problem-Solving Skills

You can not solve every problem that may arise during work. A general VA with great problem-solving skills will never bother you to fix issues unless they are really messed up badly.

Technical Proficiency

A good quality of a virtual helper is their technical proficiency. Since VAs work in a virtual platform, they are more familiar with digital tools and are able to fix any technical issues. Check if your virtual general assistant can solve technical troubleshoots.

Time Management Skills To Meet Deadlines and Manage Schedules

General VAs are more like virtual office managers because they need to be careful about project deadlines and manage appointments. With their help, you can rest assured of not missing any important meetings. To do all this, time management skill should be their core ability.

Organizational Skills With Attention to Detail

With tons of files of data entry or information about the clients, everything should be organized so you can access them whenever you want. A virtual assistant stays organized with all the files and has keen attention to keep every piece of information accurate and up-to-date.

Familiarity With Customer Service Principles and Practices

If your business is more into customer service, then the VA should have a customer-focused mindset. This way they exactly know how to serve or communicate with the potential customers and ensure the highest customer satisfaction.

Adaptability To Work With Different Industries and Job Requirements

General VA work responsibilities are not niche-specific; rather, they are more generic, like data entry, email management, or bookkeeping. Hence, they become adaptable to different industries as per job requirements.

Where You Can Hire the Best General Virtual Assistant?

Though you may think finding a general VA is easy as they are adaptable to the industry, it is not. Can you rest assured of the high-quality work? Or will you get any instant replacement in case they are on emergency leave? At YesAssistant, we can offer you all of that.

YesAssistant is a leading virtual assistant service provider with experienced virtual assistant teams. Here, we solely first understand client requirements, and based on the needs, we provide our best VA. So, without worrying about the quality, you can start working with the VA right now.

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