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In this digital era, you’ll find that some of the most successful businesses have a solid tech stack. Technology can help streamline various processes in your company that you’d otherwise have to do yourself. Stats suggest that almost 90% of small business owners feel that implementing technology platforms helps them find more enjoyment in running their business. In addition, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce shared that over 80% of small businesses that use six or more tech platforms saw increased sales and profits.ย However, despite these benefits, actually handling technical to-dos is still very intimidating for many business owners. So, what do you do when you recognize how crucial technology is but don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself? Well, you could consider hiring a technical virtual assistant.

What is a Virtual Technical Assistant?

Technical virtual assistants are who you call when you need help updating a WordPress plugin or setting up an online course. Most of them are self-employed professionals with advanced knowledge of various tech to-dos that business owners face. As independent contractors, they are responsible for paying their taxes, obtaining benefits, buying equipment, and setting up a workspace.

Some people refer to tech VAs as fractional service providers, meaning they offer their services to multiple clients on an as-needed basis. Business owners who want access to high-level talent but can’t yet justify the need to hire a part-time or full-time employee will benefit from this sort of arrangement.

Why Hire a Technical Virtual Assistant?

A tech virtual assistant can help you avoid some of the problems associated with not embracing technology. If you try to avoid it or don’t adapt to technological advances like artificial intelligence, your business may become less relevant. Some companies even end up spending more money when they don’t update their tech tools, as their business ultimately operates below its capacity. These operational inefficiencies may end up being passed down to your customers, who may seek alternative solutions. You’ll end up missing opportunities if your tech stack can’t keep up with your target market’s expectations, so it’s better to stay on top of it.

As a business owner, you naturally want to focus on the tasks you’re good at, and if technology isn’t one of those, you may find yourself sweeping it under the rug. However, instead of putting tech on the backburner, utilize a virtual assistant who’s tech-savvy. They’re often much more affordable than employees and can adapt to your business needs. For example, maybe you only need a tech VA once a month to ensure plugins are updated and performing as expected. Or you could hire a VA once to help set up workflows in your new customer relationship management (CRM) tool.

Whatever your business needs are, we can likely identify a technical virtual assistant who can assist and fill in the gaps.

Flexible

Technical 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 technical 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

Tech virtual assistants are responsible for paying their own taxes, benefits, and computer equipment, allowing business owners to save more than they would with in-house employees.

What Qualities Do Great Technical Virtual Assistants Have?

If you’re thinking about hiring a technical virtual assistant, you’ll want someone who displays the following traits:

  • Adaptable: Technology is constantly changing, so you’ll want a virtual assistant who can keep you informed of updates.
  • Strategic thinking: A great technical VA should be able to identify how certain tech tools can help a business meet its goals.
  • Effective communicator: The best tech VAs can take technical jargon and make it easy for others to understand.
  • Detail-oriented: Small details and missteps can lead to errors, so a great technical virtual assistant will do their due diligence and triple-check their work.
  • Project management: Your tech VA should adhere to and be aware of your budget and timeline when working on various projects on your behalf.
  • Problem-solving: If an issue arises with one or more of your tech tools, the ideal technical virtual assistant can troubleshoot it and devise a solution that resolves it.

When is the Best Time to Hire a Tech Virtual Assistant?

technical virtual assistantIn our humble opinion, we think it’s best to have a tech VA available from the very start.ย They can help you work “smarter” instead of “harder” by implementing streamlined processes that minimize manual labor. A technical VA can also help you save money. So many business owners have multiple monthly subscriptions when they really might only need one or two. For instance, a platform like Dubsado eliminates the need to have a contract tool, booking software, and invoicing platform, as it includes all of that.

However, if you feel like you’re pretty savvy and can handle most things yourself, just hire one when you have a technological hurdle you lack the expertise to address. You could also hire a tech virtual assistant for short-term projects that you don’t have the time to work on. It doesn’t hurt to bring one on board to assess your current infrastructure for gaps and inefficiencies as well. We only know what we know, and an extra set of eyes can see things we might often overlook.

What Tasks Can Virtual Tech Assistants Do?

There are tons of technical tasks your virtual assistant can help you with. Consider the following:

Website Maintenance

  • Ensuring plug-ins and themes are up-to-date
  • Installing security patches to help protect against hackers
  • User management – You wouldn’t want your customers to gain administrative access to your website, right?
  • Accessibility testing – Your website should be accessible by everyone so your tech VA can double-check that it performs well on mobile and more
  • SEO monitoringโ€” If you hope to rank on major search engines one day, you’ll want your website to be set up for success. A technical VA can check your website’s ranking, traffic, backlinks, and more.

Landing Page Creation

  • A landing page draws people’s attention and motivates them to take a specific action without distractions. A technical VA can build one focusing on your top product and/or service.

CRM Set-up

  • CRMs like Honeybook, Dubsado, 17hats, Pipedrive, and more are powerful tools for small business owners, but they’re not always the easiest to set up. A tech VA can get your CRM up and running so you can get the most out of it.

Online Course Set-up

  • Today, many professionals are interested in selling online courses to earn extra revenue. However, getting the lessons, assignments, and more arranged on platforms like Thinkific and Teachable is time-consuming. If you hire a technical VA, they can set up the course while you use your expertise to create the material.

Email Automation Software Set-up

  • Email automation tools like MailChimp, ConvertKit, Constant Contact, and more can help you stay in front of your customers and achieve more sales. Unfortunately, many people are utilizing these platforms. A tech VA can ensure it’s set up correctly so you get the most out of your email marketing experience.

Membership Set-up and Management

  • Offering memberships is a great way to reward an active customer base or boost customer loyalty. Yet, no one talks about the work involved in establishing and monitoring a membership program! A technical virtual assistant can help ensure your membership program runs smoothly.

How Can I Prepare for a Virtual Tech Assistant?

If you’ve decided that you’d like to hire a technical virtual assistant, here’s what you need to do to prepare:

  • Create a list of tasks you’d like them to complete.
  • If you want them to follow a specific method for certain tasks, create standard operating procedures (SOPs) they can refer to.
  • Determine when you’d like them to be available. Will it be as needed or for a one-time project? Would you prefer your tech VA to be available daily, weekly, monthly, or every quarter?
  • Generate a list of tools/software they’ll need access to. You may have to add them as a user, which may incur additional costs.
  • Decide what your budget will be for a tech VA.
  • Schedule a discovery call with Imperative Concierge Services so we can match you to a remote technical professional.
technical virtual assistant

Ready to Hire Your Ideal Virtual Technical Assistant?

Don’t let the technical aspects of your business bring you down! If tech isn’t your forte, or it’s something you’d rather not focus your attention on, contact us! We’ve been matching business owners with scaling companies to top-tier virtual assistant talent since 2015. And we’d be glad to assist you, too! All you have to do is schedule a free discovery call to learn more. If what we have to offer aligns with your business needs, then we’ll begin to work our magic. You can tackle your revenue-generating priorities while we handle the time-consuming tasks associated with hiring a virtual assistant.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!

Book A Discovery Call Today