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Hiring virtual assistants in the pet industry can be a game changer. However, it’s not always clear how to incorporate one into your business. Fortunately, you don’t have to guess your way through it because we’ve got your back. We’ve created this extensive guide so you can learn what a virtual pet industry assistant can do for your company.

By the time you finish, you’ll know exactly how they can assist you with business growth, boosting productivity, and more. So, without further adieu, let’s get into it!

What is a Virtual Assistant for Pet Industry?

A virtual assistant is a self-employed professional who’s specifically skilled in handling the various tasks you’d rather not have to face yourself. If you’re stuck bookkeeping, sending invoices, and making social media posts, you’ll probably be more likely to experience burnout. After all, who wants to file paperwork when you can be grooming poodles and training puppies? So, if you’re tired of the paperwork, consider hiring a virtual assistant.

Why Hire a Pet Industry Virtual Assistant?

List of duties for a pet business assistant

You may wonder, โ€œWon’t I spend more money hiring someone else than just doing it myself?โ€ Shockingly, a virtual assistant can actually help you save money! Because they’re self-employed, they’re responsible for obtaining their own insurance benefits, office space, taxes, and more.

In addition, our VAs only charge for actual time worked, which is different from employees who must be paid a set amount regardless.ย 

Our virtual assistants are subject matter experts who provide tailored solutions that enhance productivity and business growth. We ensure that the one you work with is proficient in whatever tasks you need assistance with. This experience makes virtual assistants around three times faster at completing those business-related jobs. So, it’s possible that you could be losing money by not hiring a virtual assistant!

Flexible

Pet industry virtual assistants only work when you need them to. So, if some months are busier than others, they can adjust. In addition, if you need assistance after hours or during the weekends, that may also be possible.

Efficient

We match our clients to top-tier U.S.-based virtual pet industry assistants with the specialized skills required to complete the tasks you need help with most. As a result, they are less likely to waste time or money when handling to-dos.

Cost-Effective Solution

Pet industry virtual assistants must pay for their own taxes, benefits, and computer equipment, allowing business owners to save more than they would with in-house employees.

What Tasks Can You Delegate to a Pet Industry Virtual Assistant?

The real question is, what can’t you delegate to a virtual assistant? Virtual assistants can help with administrative tasks, customer service, social media management, tech support, and more. We’ll give you some examples below so you have an idea of how they can assist you with your business needs.ย 

Virtual Assistants Can Doย Administrative Tasksย For Pet Companies

Let’s face it: every business has administrative tasks. Whether you’re a pet sitter with just a few clients or a large pet business with several employees, managing the admin to-dos is necessary.

However, it’s no secret that handling admin work takes you away from your money-generating duties. Thankfully, a virtual assistant can help you reduce your administrative workload so you can handle more important things.

  • Creating and organizing digital folders
  • Adding/updating information in CRMs like Salesforce, Zoho CRM, Hubspot CRM, BusyPaws, Digitail, and more
  • Sending and monitoring client invoices
  • Providing calendar management
  • Researching pet industry best practices
  • Preparing and sending client proposals and contracts
  • Updating spreadsheets
  • Ordering supplies
  • Looking for ways to improve operations so you can focus on providing exceptional care
  • Scheduling appointments
  • Assist with the hiring process, like posting on job boards and scheduling interviews with pet sitters and pet trainers
  • Relay client messages to you
  • And more!
Doing administrative tasks

Virtual Assistants Can Provide Customer Support For A Pet Business

Many small businesses struggle with customer service, especially if it’s a business of one. When you’re busy caring for pets, it’s easy to overlook or forget to follow up on emails or phone calls. Fortunately, a virtual assistant with customer service skills can assist with client communication:ย 

Aiding with client communication
  • Follow up on missed phone calls and voicemails
  • Take messages and give callers information about company services, resources, hours of operation, etc. They can also direct the caller to the correct team member at your business.
  • Answer email inquiries from leads and clients
  • Upsell pet care services
  • Reply to text messages
  • Do outbound sales calls
  • Identify ways to improve client communication and boost customer satisfaction
  • Handle complaints and inquiries
  • And more!

A Virtual Assistant Can Help With Social Media Management

Does your pet company have a social media presence? If not, you could be missing out on several opportunities. Many people check to see if animal care businesses have an active social media profile when deciding whether to work with someone. Here are some ways a VA can provide support:

  • Develop a social media strategy for platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and more
  • Direct what type of content you should capture for your business
  • Obtain your photos and videos and organize them in a digital folder so they access them when generating digital marketing content
  • Look up content that would resonate well with your audience
  • Use Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, or another tool to design graphics and videos
  • Schedule your social media content using platforms like Meta, Planoly, Sprout Social, etc.
  • Monitor social media analytics and make changes as needed
  • Reply to direct messages and comments in a timely manner
  • And more!
VA coming up with social media posts on tablet

A Virtual Assistant Can Assist With Email Marketing For Pet Sitters

Email marketing is considered one of the most effective ways to connect with leads and customers. It also can improve brand loyalty and potentially boost sales. Here are some ways a VA can assist you with email marketing:ย 

VA doing email marketing for pet industry
  • Set up automated email campaigns
  • Segment your subscriber list
  • Prepare email marketing campaigns by creating captivating captions, finding images/videos, and making graphics
  • Upload email addresses, names, and other details to the email list
  • Schedule the content using Meta, Planoly, Hootsuite, or another scheduling tool to post weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc.
  • Monitor the analytics to check for the open rate, clickthrough rate, and more
  • And more

A Virtual Assistant Can Provide Technical Support To A Pet Business

If you’re not tech-savvy or don’t have time to focus on technical tasks, let your VA handle it. They can help with technical tasks like:ย 

  • Adding or updating examples of pet care services on your website
  • Organizing blog posts so leads can read about pet care tips or pets you’ve worked with
  • Assisting with integrations that lead to more streamlined operations. They can look for ways to automate some of your routine tasks.
  • Setting up your CRM tool and/or project management software
  • Teaching others how to run a pet care business! A VA can set up an online course using platforms like Kajabi, Thinkific, etc.
VA in office space helping a pet biz

A Virtual Assistant Can Do Personal Assistant To-dos, Too

 

Maybe you don’t need help with your business, but you’d like someone to give you a hand managing your busy lifestyle. A virtual personal assistant could support you in the following ways:ย 

Completing personal administrative tasks for pet sitter
  • Find and interact with vendors on your behalf (e.g., housekeepers, interior designers, lawn care services).
  • Shopping for gifts
  • Schedule doctor appointments for you and your family
  • Send appointment reminders
  • Assist with travel planning (e.g., researching transportation and lodging, etc.)
  • Identify childcare services
  • And more!

What Characteristics Does A Great Virtual Assistant Have?

You want to be intentional about the person you hire for your pet business. After all, you’ve put a lot of effort into building your pet biz and aren’t trying to diminish its quality.

But, just in case no one’s told you, hiring the wrong VA can be a nightmare. The wrong one might not have the expertise to help you with your unique needs, and that’s the opposite of what you want.

So here’s what qualities you should look for if you want to be set up for success:

  • Organized: The best VA won’t have any trouble keeping track of your tasks, goals, and other specific needs.

  • Time management: While you’re tending to your furry friends, they’ll be effectively dividing their time to focus on various obligations. They’ll understand what priorities come first and which to-dos they can tackle later.

  • Great Communicator: Whether handling back-office operations or in a client-facing role, they’ll interact professionally with you, your team, and others. This includes verbal and written communication.

  • Detail-oriented: Each of the pets you work with is different, and no two clients are the same. A good VA will have a keen eye for noticing errors in pet notes, scheduling, billing, and more.

  • They MUST love animals: The person who helps you manage your pet business should have an interest in pets themselves. They’ll understand your commitment and want to contribute to your success.

Assist with managing pet sitters

How Can I Prepare For Virtual Assistant Services?

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is failing to prepare for a new virtual team member. Preparation is essential for a quality experience.

Scheduling appointments and sending invoices
  • Make a task list that includes all of the duties youโ€™d like them to work on
  • Create work instructions that they can refer to
  • Determine when you’d need your VA to be available
  • Come up with a list of tools/software theyโ€™ll need access to and/or be trained on
  • Determine your budget
  • Decide if you want to work with U.S.-based VAs or overseas talent
  • Schedule a discovery call with Imperative Concierge Services. We’ll work closely with you to figure out how to address some of your business’s unique challenges.

When Is The Best Time To Hire A Virtual Assistant?

Not really sure when you should bring on a VA to support you? You may need an assistant if you’re saying “YES” to any of the following:

  • Managing your workload is becoming difficult
  • You’re missing important client messages, and it’s interfering with customer satisfaction
  • You simply want to enhance your productivity
  • There’s a software/tool that could enhance your pet care operations, but you donโ€™t know how to set it up or manage it.
  • The exceptional care you usually provide is declining because you’re experiencing burnout
  • You’re unable to bring on more furry friends (clients) because you’re bogged down with other tasks.
VA managing invoices

Ready To Delegate to a Virtual Assistant for Pet Industry?ย 

Pet care owner

Whether you’re a trainer, pet groomer, pet sitter, or run doggie daycares, a virtual assistant can help you run your business so you focus on what matters most to you.

If you’re ready to take the leap and enjoy all of the benefits of having a virtual assistant, schedule a discovery call with Imperative Concierge Services below.

We’ve been assisting clients just like you since 2015 and would be glad to learn how we can also help you achieve your pet business goals.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get on the road to helping you achieve time and financial freedom with a virtual assistant today!

Learn more about hiring a VA here.ย 

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