Being a virtual assistant can be a lucrative venture. With the advancement in technology, it is now possible for businesses to offload some tasks from their in-house team to a virtual assistant. You will be counted upon to handle tasks that suit your skills. Whether it’s handling phone calls, administrative or back office skills, and others, there will always be a business that will require your skills.
While your soft skills will be your main ticket to career growth, you need to understand that there are other skills you need to have to succeed as a VA. Let’s check out these skills and see if you have what it takes to be profitable as a VA.
10 Skills of A Successful VA
- Communication Skills
- Attention To Detail
- Basic Computer Skills
- Good Decision Making
- Customer Service
- Project Management
- Time Management Skills
- Willingness To Learn
- Organization Skills
- Motivation & Positive Thinking
Top 10 Skills of a Successful VA
Being successful as a virtual assistant goes beyond soft skills like data entry, computer literacy, and others. You also need intrapersonal and interpersonal skills to be effective in a VA career. In this article, we identify the skills you need when venturing into a virtual assistant career.
1. Communication Skills
Even if your task is not client-facing, it is still important to have good oral and written communication skills. Since there is no physical contact, you communicate with clients through emails, phone calls, messaging platforms, and video calls. Effective communication can help ensure a positive experience for the customer.
Effective communication skills allow you to convey ideas, instructions and updates smoothly. This is a good way to build trust and professionalism in your relationship with the customer. Effective communication allows you to clarify project and task details. In addition, it can help you reach out to the client regarding the progress of your task, problems you encountered, and whether or not you can meet deadlines. More importantly, it can help bridge the gap between you and your client.
2. Attention To Detail
Attention to detail is another important skill that you need to possess to succeed in your VA career. Since there is no face-to-face interaction, clients are likely to provide you with a lot of details in explaining the task to you. You must get the finer details of the project to deliver the best results to the client.
As a virtual assistant, you will most likely multitask so paying attention to details will come in handy. Attention to detail means being aware of any mistakes before the client spots them. You must take the necessary steps to ensure that you have fully understood the client’s instructions and follow them.
3. Computer Skills
In today’s digital age, virtual assistants need to have IT skills. All VA tasks are done over the computer so you must possess at least basic computer skills. It is not enough that you can switch on and shut down a computer and launch a few apps. You should also know how to operate the software that is related to your field. For example, if you are a graphic designer VA, you should know how to use Adobe Photoshop.
In addition, you should know how to do online research. There will be times when you will need to use Google for your tasks. You may be asked to locate company names, individuals, and contact information so being skilled in online research can come in handy. Finally, you may be asked to submit reports and other computer-related tasks.
4. Good Decision Making
One of the most important skills you need to succeed as a VA is being decisive. There are times when the client is not immediately accessible to answer questions that you may have. This is especially true if you are working in a different time zone from the client. Rather than wait for the client’s response, you can find a momentary solution and let the client decide on it once they check on your task.
To achieve success as a virtual assistant, you need to think outside the box when finding a suitable solution. Good decision making also entails prioritizing tasks in case you encounter problems. For example, if there is a sudden power outage you will not be able to respond to priority emails or complete priority tasks but you can do some administrative tasks.
5. Customer Service
This is an important skill to have if you are dealing with clients or customers. Having great customer service skills means ensuring a wonderful and positive experience for the customer. You must be able to remain calm in every situation and pacify the customer so they can better express their concern to you and provide the best solution.
Virtual assistants will perform various customer service roles such as answering queries, handling complaints, appointment setting, or travel planning. With good customer service skills, you should be able to listen and understand the needs of your customers. As a virtual assistant, you can help put a personal touch on customer service.
6. Project Management
From time to time, virtual assistants may be tasked to handle projects or manage a team. You may be asked to provide support on company projects or do some administrative functions. Project management requires skills such as planning, organization, communication, and problem-solving. In addition, you may be asked to monitor progress, assign responsibilities, or break down complex tasks into manageable ones.
Moreover, you will also be tasked with managing team priorities as needed. As a virtual assistant project manager, you need to learn how to adjust and be flexible with any emergencies. You need to be quick on your feet before the issue goes out of hand. As a project manager, you need to be a skilled multitasker.
7. Time Management Skills
It is common for virtual assistants to handle multiple clients and work in different schedules. There will also be instances when the deadlines will overlap. Effective time management skills can ensure that you can complete tasks on time and please your clients in the process. You need to manage your workload to meet deadlines.
There are many time management tools online that are available for your disposal. Take note of important deadlines. You can categorize tasks into urgent, priority, and can wait. Also, meetings can be time-consuming so don’t schedule them on days when you have a lot of deadlines to meet.
8. Willingness To Learn
As a virtual assistant, you would not want to be stagnant with the tasks that you want to do. Maybe your client wants you to do other stuff for him but you are afraid because you do not know about it. Successful virtual assistants do not stop learning. They aspire to develop their current skills or learn new ones.
There is a common saying which goes, “If you don’t love what you do, you will not succeed no matter how hard you try.” Showing your client that you are willing to learn is the first step to succeeding in your VA career. Seeking out opportunities for learning skills will help you get more clients and become profitable as a virtual assistant.
9. Organization Skills
If you are handling different clients, being organized is a must. You need to be always on top of deadlines and tasks so you won’t miss any assignments. Clints may require you to multitask so it pays to be organized. Thus, you need to have a system in place to make sure that every client is served.
Organizational skills help you identify what is urgent and what is the priority. Utilize different organizational tools such as digital calendars, project management software, and others so you can keep track of your workload and deliver prompt work to your client.
10. Motivation & Positive Thinking
Lastly, every virtual assistant should be motivated and optimistic. They should start the day with eagerness to work and full of energy. They should keep in mind that many obstacles can turn their day into a bad one. They should not let distractions get in the way of accomplishing tasks. Since no boss is supervising you, it can be easy to lose motivation and focus.
Having a positive mindset will put you on the right path to finishing the goal you have set for yourself for the day. Whatever happens, being optimistic will help you succeed. Everything emanates from being motivated and positive.
The virtual assistance industry is a competitive sector. It is becoming a popular career because of the freedom and flexibility it offers. However, you need to possess these 10 skills of a virtual assistant to become successful.
Outsource Your Virtual Assistant with airisX
By outsourcing to a leader like airisX, you will be able to scale up quickly by getting the right resources, processes, and technological infrastructure. No matter what your scaling requirements are, airisX will give you the best optimised solution and you will be able to focus on delighting your customers. Your back office operations will be simplified, giving your users a high-quality experience.
airisX is your collaborative partner, not just a vendor of services. We offer transformational growth through our highly skilled architects and innovators. Our success is measured by your growth and not our revenue numbers alone. Learn about our proven track record. Get in touch with us at contact@airisx.com for your virtual assistant needs.