Hiring Virtual Employees: What You Need to Know
Hiring Virtual Employees: What You Need to Know
Hiring a virtual employee to perform tasks outside your office can help your business in a variety of ways. You can gain access to a wide range of talent and conserve costs while generating more revenue.
Virtual employees can work a variety of jobs and tasks and greatly benefit your business, provided you give them the tools to do so. So, instead of heading straight for your HR software to begin recruiting, get the must-know details, first.
What Virtual Employees Can Do
As of 2008 there was anywhere between 8,000 and 25,000 virtual assistants worldwide, that from Outsourcing Comes of Age: The Rise of Collaborative Partnering, 2008. That number has grown in the last four years as dedicated virtual assistant firms and associations have developed.
Virtual employees can have a wide range of skills and certifications that your business may take advantage of. According to the International Virtual Assistants Association, rates range anywhere from $15 to over $100 per hour for any number of services.
- General office support: Any task that can be accomplished remotely, your virtual assistant can do. Outsource administrative tasks like word processing, phone answering, appointment scheduling, email screening, invoicing and reports.
- Specialized areas: Virtual employees can work in web design, client development, marketing support, and many other sectors.
How They Can Benefit Your Business
Your virtual employee is an independent contractor who performs the work of a regular employee for a single fee. Your business doesnt have to deal with high overhead costs like office space, taxes, benefits, insurance, or HR all of this is bundled into your virtual employees fee.
- 76% of businesses report that lowering costs is the main reason they hire virtual employees and telecommuters. 70% also want access to a greater pool of talent, and 63% want to delegate job responsibilities to the outside sources who can best accomplish them.
- Businesses also use virtual employees to increase business model flexibility, improve customer relationships, and develop new products/services (PriceWaterhouse Coopers, 2008).
- Outsourcing compatible jobs to virtual employees and telecommuters can save a typical business $11,000 per person per year in overhead and operating costs; this according to Global Workplace Analytics, The State of Telework in the US, June 2011.
Tools You Need
Virtual workers communicate primarily through digital media such as email, social media, and chat, as well as specialized programs that enable video conferencing, file sharing, and more. In order to get the most out of your virtual employees, you need to utilize these tools effectively.
- Youll need a well-organized system of procedures and communication. Make sure they know exactly what is expected of them: appropriate response times, deadlines, and working hours.
- Project management software can help you keep track of your employees and check on their progress and performance.
- Utilize videoconferencing software in order to share files and show visuals during conference calls. Use cloud storage in order to share and edit files.
Virtual employees can help your business thrive by fulfilling multiple types of jobs at a lower overhead cost than on-site employees. You can easily hire the best of the business to design your website, generate sales leads, or plan your events.
If you are prepared to communicate effectively and manage projects through remote-management tools, your virtual employees will save you time, money, and hassle.
Megan Webb-Morgan is a web content writer for ResourceNation.com. She writes about small business, focusing on topics such as call center software and small business loans.
