A virtual assistant is a professional who provides assistance and support to both businesses and freelancers . They handle both administrative and technical services, depending on the needs of the business or individual. However, they are virtual because they perform their activities remotely, meaning they iran telegram data  either work from home or from an office, but they are not working in the same location as the person who hired them.

What are the functions of a virtual assistant?

The functions of a virtual assistant are very varied and will depend on the company or individual requiring their services. However, the most common ones are:

1. Attention and response to email or electronic mail.
2. Attention and response to telephone lines.
3. Attention and response to queries on social networks and chat.
4. Technical support and customer assistance.
5. Agenda control and appointment management.
6. Event organization.
7. Follow-up on sales prospects.
8. Request for quotes and search for suppliers.
9. Search for new clients and business opportunities.
10. Email marketing.
11. Billing and collections by telephone or online.
12. Administrative management.
13. Creation and management of databases.
14. Translation and transcription.
15. Proofreading and editing of texts.
16. Executive assistance.
17. Receptionist duties.
18. Making multimedia presentations.
19. Project management.

The most common tasks performed by virtual assistants are customer service and support . These include resolving key teams and players to watch at the world championships questions related to

the purchase of a product, assisting customers throughout the purchasing process, and resolving queries, as well as providing post-sales support. Integrating the virtual assistant’s communication with that of other customer service agents is very important, something that can be achieved through an omnichannel strategy .

Reasons to hire a virtual assistant

The reasons may vary depending on your company’s sector and the way you work, but here are the most common reasons:

1. Increased flexibility . Having a virtual assistant automatically gives you more flexibility. You’ll be able to organize yourself much better , as you’ll be more free and have less workload, allowing you to focus on other, more important tasks. Some tasks this can free you up from include answering emails or organizing your calendar or diary, so you can focus on meetings or more strategic tasks. It will also allow you to have more free time for yourself and your family.
2. No office required. A virtual assistant works remotely, so you don’t need to find a space for them in your office. They can work from anywhere in the world , although it’s important to consider your company’s or your clients’ time zone , as they must be available to them. Likewise, a stable internet connection is essential to ensure good communication with clients.
3. Work by the hour or by project . You can manage this through tools like Trello or Jira, for example. As for salary, you’ll pay the agreed-upon budget per hour or project; that depends on each company or individual.
4. Set goals . You can set a specific goal , such as improving customer service. That way, you can focus on a completely different objective, without worrying about tasks related to the goal you set for the virtual assistant.
5. It helps you stay connected . Having someone in charge of managing emails, communications, complaints, and comments from customers and even employees is always helpful, as it’s work you can save yourself and always takes a lot of time to complete, and above all, to do it well.

Benefits of hiring a virtual assistant

The benefits of hiring a virtual assistant are numerous. Below are the main ones:

1. You don’t need to provide a physical space, as the assistant works remotely . As we discussed in the reasons, this is also  telegram data an important benefit.
2. You save on equipment and supplies . Since the virtual assistant isn’t in the office, you won’t have to provide work equipment or pay for supplies.
3. You can hire them by the hour, project, or period, reducing fixed costs. As we mentioned in the reasons section, you can manage them by the hour or project, and you don’t need to keep them on a permanent staff; you can hire them during peak work periods.
4. You avoid Social Security expenses . By not having the employee registered like a regular worker, you save on Social Security and other related expenses.
5. Improve customer service . You typically hire a virtual assistant to support your customer service. This will improve customer satisfaction by having someone available to address their questions, issues, and queries.
6. Increase productivity . You’ll have fewer interruptions, so your work will be higher quality. You’ll be able to focus on tasks that truly matter and delegate tasks that the virtual assistant can handle efficiently.
7. Your business will remain operational 24/7, if you so desire . Even if you’re not there, if your business is an e-commerce site, for example, it can be operational as many hours as you need thanks to the work of a virtual assistant.
8. You can establish a global presence, if you wish . You can have a virtual office in any country, which makes it easier to assist clients anywhere in the world.
9. It gives more professionalism . Having an assistant who serves your clients professionally and efficiently creates an image of greater professionalism and trust.

What is a conversational virtual assistant or chatbot?

A conversational virtual assistant, or chatbot, is a system based on AI , or Artificial Intelligence, specifically NLP, that facilitates customer interaction tasks through text or voice. They are often used as an intermediary between customers and company agents, and are integrated into websites and instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp Business .

At Más IP Telecomunicaciones, we help our clients solve the technological challenges of their internal and external communications systems through virtual telephony,  virtual switchboards ,  omnichannel contact center software, and CRM and ERP integrations.