It’s been estimated that basic admin tasks take the average employee 69 days a year resulting in global lost productivity of an astonishing $5 trillion every year. So it’s no surprise that more businesses than ever before are outsourcing duties such as bookkeeping, payroll, calendar management and customer service to experienced virtual assistants who work remotely.

But what is surprising to many is the sheer breadth of expertise that such resources can offer. “Virtual assistants can be capable of so much more than low level administrative work,” Irene Bennetts of Admin Army says. “They aren’t just about saving time, they can bring skills and knowledge to a whole raft of business activities. People are often shocked that they can undertake pretty much any task within an organisation.”

Bennetts reveals that some of the lesser known roles that her team are asked to supply include:

• Research – into customer habits, competitor behaviour, market intelligence or anything else the business needs to know.
• Compliance – an increasingly complex issues for all companies.
• Website management – from loading new products and publishing blogs to responding to customers and site maintenance.
• Content creation – social media posts, blog writing and marketing materials can all be handled.

“Every business is unique,” Bennetts says, “so requirements vary depending on skillsets, experience and staffing levels. It can be difficult to know what should remain in house and what can be offloaded.”

Outsourcing not only saves time and money, it brings new skills and experience that can transform a business. Virtual assistants do more than you think It isn’t just about saving time and money, it’s about personal choice. Bennetts has identified four questions that can simplify the process.

1. Where do you lack expertise?

“A business owner may be highly skilled at providing a core service, but inexperienced at peripheral activities such as website design, Facebook marketing or automating the accounts,” she says. “It’s always best to play to your strengths and outsource your weaknesses.”

2. What do you dread?

If certain tasks always get shoved to the bottom of the list and begrudgingly completed what they absolutely have to, then there’s a solution. “One of the perks of running a business choosing how you spend your time so delegate something that drags you down.”

3. Do you really need to do it?

Every company has repetitive, mundane tasks that are vital, but don’t need to waste the tine of senior leaders. A virtual assistant will do them more quicky and find ways to introduce more automation.

4. Could somebody else do a better job?

Virtual assistants have usually worked for a number of companies and are part of a team with knowledge across many disciplines. “They can often improve the customer experience and staff morale so actually enhance a company’s performance.”

No business can function properly if its key personnel are wasting 69 days getting bogged down doing tasks that could easily be outsourced. “At Admin Army, we take the strain and free up entrepreneurs and leaders to take back control and do what they do best,” Bennetts says. “Having that mental headspace can be priceless!”

Find out more:

Visit adminarmy.co.nz/ accounting-practice-support-caanz for more information on the exclusive pricing available for CA ANZ Members.