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It almost goes without saying, but these days, people are incredibly busy. Numerous individuals are balancing work, school, and parenting. Plus, some are even caring for aging parents or relatives. Therefore, it’s not shocking when we see that 41% of Americans experience burnout even after taking time off work. The average full-time U.S. employee works 36.4 hours per week, spends 21 to 23 hours per week on housework, and over 4 hours commuting to and from work weekly. This constant hustle and bustle leaves little time for leisure and has people wishing that there were more than 24 hours in a day. While we can’t create more time, hiring a virtual personal assistant could help individuals better balance their work and personal lives.

What is a Virtual Personal Assistant?

Unlike household managers, who often assist individuals and households in person, virtual personal assistants, AKA personal life assistants or virtual lifestyle managers, perform various tasks remotely. Many of them are self-employed and have extensive experience supporting clients with multiple tasks, big and small. One day, they could be sourcing babysitters, and the next day, they might be booking travel and transportation. Ultimately, a personal virtual assistant’s job is to make things easier for their clients while remaining professional and maintaining confidentiality.

As independent contractors, virtual personal assistants often obtain their own insurance, pay their own taxes, and provide their own workspace. They could be seen as fractional service providers since they provide their high-level experience but do so as needed. This works well for busy individuals who need extra support but not on a full-time basis.

Why Hire a Personal Virtual Assistant?

Hiring a virtual personal assistant can help you save time, boost productivity, and alleviate stress. With them taking on some of your to-dos, you can focus more on your personal endeavors and/or spending time with your family. Just think about how nice it would be to have someone else tackling some of your routine day-to-day tasks. Plus, once they really get to know you, it’ll be like having “another you” around, which could make your days go by a lot easier and smoother.

A personal life assistant can also provide support to your family. Instead of them asking you to do everything under the sun, they could contact the virtual lifestyle manager and let them handle some of those functions. Imagine the weight that would be lifted off of your shoulders, knowing that you have an extra set of hands assisting you.

Another reason to consider hiring a personal virtual assistant is that it’s often more affordable than hiring an employee. Our VAs are also flexible and can adapt to your needs. For instance, maybe you only require an assistant two weeks out of the month or during certain seasons. Whatever the situation, we can match you to one that can help you fill in the gaps.

Flexible

Personal 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 personal assistants with the professionalism and competence 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

Personal 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 Personal Virtual Assistants Have?

A superb virtual personal assistant must have a variety of skills, such as:

  • Time management: The ideal personal VA can stick to deadlines while balancing multiple responsibilities.

  • Proactive: Once they’re comfortable in their role and know how you prefer to be supported, they can anticipate your needs and how things should be completed without much guidance. In addition, if they foresee a future issue, they’ll address it before it becomes an actual problem.

  • Detail-oriented: Attention to detail is crucial in this role. Your virtual personal assistant should be able to complete tasks accurately, as well as catch and correct errors.

  • Reliable: A personal assistant VA will be privy to many confidential and pertinent details, so they’ll not only need to be dependable but also maintain confidentiality.

  • Organized: Lifestyle management involves many moving pieces, like collaborating with vendors and schedule management. Nonetheless, a good VA will keep things structured and orderly.

  • Interpersonal: Your VA will be interacting with various people on your behalf. Therefore, you’ll need someone who understands how to build and maintain positive relationships. Communicating with others, whether verbal or written, should be done professionally at all times.

  • Resourceful: If your personal virtual assistant is unsure about something, they’ll use their problem-solving skills to address the obstacle and find the answer.

When is the Best Time to Hire a Virtual Lifestyle Manager?

If you’re currently doing everything yourself and feel overwhelmed, it’s probably time to hire a personal life assistant. Also, if you anticipate that the next few months will be very busy, it might be worth bringing on a temporary virtual lifestyle manager. You’ll also find them incredibly efficacious if there are tasks on your to-do list that you don’t know how to do or don’t like doing. When you hire someone who’s proficient at certain tasks and also enjoys completing them, they tend to work faster, thus making them cost-effective.

Ultimately, no matter what your reason is, having one on your team will help you concentrate on your top priorities and reduce your stress levels.

What Tasks Can Virtual Personal Assistants Do?

virtual personal assistant

A remote personal life assistant can help you with a ton of things! Here are some examples of tasks they can do:

Vendor Management

Finding reputable vendors is time-consuming, but want to know what else is? Working with them. Your personal virtual assistant can search Google, TikTok, Yelp, Thumbtack, Angie’s, and other platforms to find the vendors you need. Then, they can contact them to share what you’re looking for and gather quotes. From there, they can present an organized list of options to you, and you can select whom you’d like to work with. Once they’re hired, your virtual assistant can act as a liaison between you and those vendors, so you don’t have to worry about coordinating schedules, outlining expectations, etc. Whether it be house cleaners, plumbers, landscapers, car repair shops, or interior designers, your VA can support you.

Shopping

Do you want to find the perfect gift for your family members, friends, and/or clients but don’t have the time to do so? If yes, let your personal life assistant handle it. They can also help you schedule grocery shopping and delivery, order Amazon products, and more.

Appointment Reminders

Sometimes, having an appointment on your calendar just isn’t enough. For certain appointments, you might need a personal reminder from your virtual assistant regarding how to prepare, what supplies you need, meeting format, etc.

Travel Planning

There’s nothing quite like going on a nice, relaxing vacation, but first, you have to plan it. If you know where you want to go, maybe you can task your virtual assistant with finding a quality hotel, booking plane tickets, securing a rental car or transportation company, and identifying activities. Having someone else plan your vacation itinerary will allow you to focus on other stuff.

Identity Childcare Services

There are often waitlists for childcare services, which can be problematic for working parents. Facilities urge parents to submit applications as soon as possible so that their little one(s) can claim that spot when an opening becomes available. If this sounds like a lot to keep up with, consider having your virtual personal assistant help.

They can search for reputable daycares and children’s centers and present you with information about each. Once you determine which ones you’re interested in, have them sign up for your top three choices so you have backup plans in place. In addition, ask your personal VA to call those facilities to express your interest further and determine how far you are from the top of the list.

A virtual personal assistant can also help you find highly regarded babysitters, nannies, au pairs, and/or respite services. Let them gather potential candidate information, quotes, and qualifications that meet your expectations.

Arrange Pet Care Services

While your remote lifestyle manager cannot physically walk your dog or watch your cat, they can look for companies that can. Maybe you’re heading out of town and need a pet lodging service. Or if your pet isn’t feeling its best, have your VA call around to see what veterinarians are available. Do you need a local pet groomer? They can help with that, too! Even if you want your pet to travel with you on your upcoming trip, your virtual lifestyle manager can also assist with that.

How Can I Prepare for a Virtual Personal Assistant?

If it sounds like hiring a personal virtual assistant is the right move for you, consider taking these next steps:

personal virtual assistant

  • Decide if you just want the virtual assistant to support you or if you’d like them to assist your family members as well.

  • Create a list of tasks that you’d like them to do.
  • Do you want your personal VA to follow certain steps when completing tasks on your behalf? If yes, create some basic work instructions or standard operating procedures (SOPs). When you create those, you minimize the likelihood of being asked, “How do I do this?” later, which can become time-consuming.
  • Decide when you’ll want your virtual personal life assistant to work. Do you need them for a one-time project, or will it be as-needed? Would you prefer your VA to be available daily or just a few times per month? It’s up to you!
  • If there are certain software or tools your virtual assistant will need access to, jot that down. Adding users sometimes results in additional fees, so you’ll want to plan for that.
  • Determine your budget for a virtual personal assistant.
  • Schedule a discovery call with Imperative Concierge Services so we can match you to a remote personal assistant.

Ready to Be Matched To A Highly Skilled Virtual Personal Assistant?

If you’re ready to ditch doing everything yourself and want to hire an experienced personal virtual assistant, you’re at the right place! At Imperative Concierge Services, we make outsourcing to top-tier virtual assistants seamless for busy professionals who desire more time and freedom. Since 2015, we’ve matched our amazing clients with remote workers who’ve helped them elevate their lives and businesses. And we’re ready to help you, too!

All you have to do is book a free discovery call below so we can learn more about what you need assistance with. If we decide it’s a good fit, we’ll get to work! While working with us, you won’t have to worry about posting a job description, reading through hundreds of resumes, or trying to schedule interviews. We’ll take care of the time-consuming aspects of hiring so you can continue focusing on more important to-dos. We aim to show you that hiring a virtual assistant doesn’t have to be complicated.

If you’d like to learn more, contact us!

Book A Discovery Call Today