Research is essential for every aspect of an organization.

But, do you find yourself spending every moment on research? It isn’t an easy pursuit. It takes time, skill, and a level of focus many may not be able to devote.

There’s an easy solution to it all – a virtual research assistant!

Virtual assistant research is equipped to conduct online research and manage other research-related tasks your business requires. They condense all the information they find on the internet and present it in a simple manner.

Want to know more? In this post is everything you need to know about virtual research assistants!

What is a Virtual Research Assistant?

Their job title quite literally describes a virtual research assistant. They scour the internet for information pertinent to your business and present it to you.

However, they don’t present raw data; they simplify it and put it across in a manner most suitable for use in whatever part of the business you require it!

Research assistants must have experience in such tasks; it’s often impossible to do such a task without prior knowledge.

At the very least, it makes research palatable, doesn’t it?

Why Not Do My Own Research?

Research is a tiresome and time-consuming pursuit. If you’re running your own business, the last thing you have time for is research. It is especially difficult if you don’t have any prior research in the niche.

A virtual research assistant for research can provide you all the necessary information for a particular aspect of your business without taking any of your time or effort.

What Does a Research Assistant Do?

There is no end to the information a research assistant can get for you. But, are you curious? Here is a comprehensive list of everything a research assistant can do for your business.

Travel Research

Whether it is itineraries or such facts about a city, a research assistant can get the most relevant information on all the places of interest. You won’t have to create another itinerary again! A part of the virtual assistant research services is travel research.

They identify key places of interest, must-see sites and can even craft the perfect itinerary, all with thorough research.

Influencer Research

Brands require influencers, but reaching out to the wrong ones can hurt your brand image. A research assistant can find the perfect influencers for your brand and save you the trouble of having to look through a thousand accounts yourself!

Product and Market Research

When it comes to product and market research, it takes hours to get the relevant information from the internet to help make the right decisions. A product research assistant mines the data on your behalf and indirectly helps in decision-making.

Database Research

Sometimes you just need a regularly updated database of information. However, you might not know where to start looking for such data. A research assistant creates and updates the database for you!

Trend Research

When you live out the trends, you tend not to pay much attention. A research assistant stays on the lookout for new trends and keeps you updated so that you’re ever caught unawares!

Web Research

Google may be the go-to search engine for all your queries, but it’s a pain when you’re looking for information. Virtual assistants have the expertise and tools to quickly identify and sort the information you require with efficient web research.

How to Hire a Research Assistant?

You can’t handle all the research for your entire company or expect your employees to put aside their work for the same. So, hiring an internet research assistant is the best option. Here is how you go about that!

• Find virtual assistant services online.
• Look for a virtual assistant with experience in your industry.
• Ironically, do your research well by comparing several assistants.
• Connect with the virtual assistant!

Where to Find a Research Assistant?

There are multiple avenues for virtual assistants on the internet. Ironically, you’ll have to do your research on each of them to find the right virtual assistant. But, here is where you can find them in the first place.

• Recommendations: Freelance virtual assistant services for research are usually obtained on a recommendation. Ask your colleagues and peers if they have anybody on their contact lists.
• Freelancing Websites: Websites such as Fiverr and Upwork also have freelancers up for hire. Here you can quickly sort through different assistants until you find the one you like.
• Services: Companies like ours have an arsenal of virtual assistants that work with them. You can approach such a company if you’re unable to select a freelance assistant.

Key Advantages of Hiring a Research Assistant

Your business requires your attention. Delegating the work to a professional like a virtual assistant saves you the time, money, and effort required to do your own research and later decide.

Apart from this key advantage, what others are there?

Lower Costs

Research is integral to your business. Without the right market research and data collection, you can’t make the right decisions for your business. Instead of wasting your time flippantly trying to find information on the internet, hire a research assistant.

Whenever you need a large amount of research conducted, you can hire a virtual assistant instead of having an in-house employee. It lets you pay only for the work you’re getting done instead of downtime.

Virtual assistants are also more affordable than in-house professionals due to the industry standard. So, when you’re not paying benefits, downtime, leave, or other such necessities – you lower costs.

Saves You Time

With your research assistant handling all the work you don’t want to do, you have the time to spare for more important business decisions. Take a look at the other parts of your business and focus on the aspects you love most. At the very least, you’ll have more downtime than earlier.

Even with the saved time, you’ll have a simplified report of all the important information on your desk by the deadline!

Superior Research Capabilities

Whether it is virtual assistant market research or primary research, these seasoned professionals have more tools and experience hunting for information than you do. That’s a guarantee.

They’re experts at sorting through the junk online to find valid, reliable sources of information for you. You won’t have to waste your time and energy on such pursuits. Not to mention, the chances of you getting the wrong information are also incredibly low.

So, if you’re going to hire research assistants, do it for their abilities.

Grow Your Business First

Sure, you need to do your research to help your business grow. But, there are many other aspects of the company that you need to take care of. Focus on the larger picture instead of just day-to-day research.

A part of owning and running a business is knowing when to delegate tasks. With a virtual assistant, you can delegate the research tasks and still have a detailed report waiting for you once you get back.

Boost Productivity

Do you want to know what happens when you delegate such tasks? Well, you’re boosting your productivity. All that saved time is going toward your business – and you’ll see it pay off.

Apart from your productivity, hiring a virtual assistant means they’re working wholly on your project for a short period of time. They’re not on payroll or salaried, and they benefit from getting your work done fast and efficiently.

So, they’re bound to be more productive!

Easy to Hire

Research assistants can be found everywhere online!

Whether they’re working for a company or freelancing, there is a new assistant in every corner. So, you’ll have an easy time finding and hiring an assistant for your industry needs.

Not to mention, there is no onboarding period or anything. Once you sign the contract and discuss the project, they’re going to start working on your project immediately!

Qualifications to Look for in a Research Assistant

Even when searching for a research assistant, you need to know the parameters to hold everyone to. Here are some requirements for a good research assistant.

• Needs to be at least a graduate.
• Should have prior experience in the field or similar role.
• Has to be well-versed with online data, sourcing, and research.
• Needs to have a grasp on Microsoft office and G-suite.

Endnotes

Nobody likes to research, especially when there are a thousand other things to do. With a research assistant, there’s no need to do it all yourself. You can concentrate on the aspects of business that require your attention rather than staring into the depths of the internet looking for information.

A virtual research assistant handles all the scouring for information and presents it to you in a clear, concise manner. It is then easier to use that information in every other part of your business!

Ready to get that assistant yet?