“I would like to hire a remote assistant”… Perhaps you’ve heard this phrase more and more frequently and wonder what that is about, or you may have only seen the Artificial Intelligence assistants on your mobile.
However, hiring remote work is something that more and more entrepreneurs or independent professionals are seeking, because they offer benefits that you too can and should take advantage of.
A Remote Team Member is just a person who can do most any type of work for your businesses remotely, from the organization of tasks to technological aspects.
Don’t think of project-based work or temporary outsourcing only. They might be a lifelong assistant, but with the small peculiarity that they carry out their work from a distance, through the Internet, using tools such as:
- VOIP phone
- Team Collaboration Platforms
- Specialized Applications (for task management, CRM, PM management software etc.)
Let’s find out more about what a remote team member is, what their functions are and what the benefits of hiring one are.
When is the right time to hire an RTM?
As you know, having your own business means knowing how to manage your time and resources efficiently. But, above all, it requires the constant search for business opportunities, without neglecting the execution of your projects and the follow-up with your current clients.
In a few words: Sell without stopping production and produce without stopping selling.
Has it happened to you that you are in an important meeting and a tenant calls you and you cannot answer? Or that you wanted to take a couple of days of vacation outside your country and then you see that you have hundreds of unanswered emails, messages on your social networks and many tasks pending?
This is the perfect time to consider hiring a Remote Team Member!
Why is the presence of a Remote Team Member necessary?
Their importance lies in the fact that they can help us complete those tasks that seem to be quite simple, but that together end up taking a lot of time out of our day.
Time, as you know, is crucial when you want to grow a business.
And if you are alone, no matter how hard you work, how many sleepless nights you spend, or how many vacations and holidays you miss, there will always be tasks to do.
This is where a Remote Team Member comes into play.
They will help you take care of those simple tasks that take a lot of time but are just as necessary to ensure that the company or business operates on a regular basis, while you can focus on other tasks.
How does it work?
Thanks to the use of technological tools, it is now possible to optimize work and perform various functions from anywhere. And the only thing that is needed in most cases is a computer with the right specifications and good internet. This makes it possible for you to delegate certain tasks to another person so that they can follow up and solve them without you being present all the time.
Some of the functions of a remote team member are:
- Email support
- Support via phone
- Technical support and customer help
- Leasing support
- Management of your agenda and appointment management
- Follow-up of sales prospects
- Request for quotes and search for suppliers
- Maintenance dispatch and coordination
- Search for new business opportunities
- Email Marketing
- Response to inquiries on social networks and chat
In order to work with a Remote Team Member, you can coordinate through phone, email and task management tools, which allow you to assign tasks, monitor progress and organize everything by projects if you need it. Similarly, you can implement a CRM (customer relationship management) or customer relationship management tool, such as Lead Simple, Hubspot, Salesforce, Zoho, among others, to centralize the management of contacts, business opportunities and sales closings.
Now, you are probably wondering if it would not be the same to have a regular office assistant. Meaning: What is the advantage of having a remote team member over a regular office assistant?
Here are some huge benefits that hiring remote staff can provide:
- You’ll save a lot of time.
From answering emails to doing specific data analysis, these tasks can eat up a lot of time. You will be able to free up some of your valuable time with the assistance of a virtual assistant.
Time is money in business. That is why having someone available to handle the back-end can be extremely beneficial. Train your virtual assistant and show them the ins and outs of your company. You can focus your attention on other things like growing and operating your business once you’ve established a relationship and are confident that they know the ropes.
- Reduced Labor Costs.
If you hire another full-time employee, you will have to pay not only their salary, but also their taxes, sick days, holiday leave, worker’s compensation, and medical/dental benefits. Virtual assistants, on the other hand, usually work as independent contractors. This means they are responsible for all of their own expenses, including taxes and insurance.
You simply hire them to do a specific job and pay them for their time. Not to mention the reduced labor cost depending on where in the world they are located. Consider how much money you’ll save that could be put to better use!
- Productivity will increase.
RTMs can handle anything from email management, data entry, customer service, to leasing, maintenance coordination, bookkeeping, content creation, web development and so much more!
When you hire a reliable RTM, you will have more time to focus on your business’s growth. Freeing up time means freeing up resources, which is a win-win situation for everyone.
A good remote team member should also be able to identify areas where you can be more productive and save time that you are unaware of.
- Flexibility
When hiring an RTM, you have the option to look for someone who can communicate with you even outside regular business hours.
If they work from home and are in a different time zone, they might be able to take late-night phone calls or respond to emails in the wee hours of the morning, because that could be during their daytime and that’s something you have agreed on.
- Hire specific skills that your business needs
Whether your company is large or small, you and your employees are unlikely to have every skill required to run it.
- What if you need a professional website but don’t have a web developer on staff?
- What if your company requires a new logo but none of your employees are graphic designers?
- What if you need your marketing materials translated into a foreign language but don’t have any bilingual employees?
This is where remote team members can help. Whatever task needs to be completed, we can find a qualified RTM with the skillset you require.
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