virtual assistant

Are You Spending Too Much Time On Admin?

office man looking down at his wrist watch with concern

No matter what field your expertise lies in, a common ground for businesses always seems to be a lack of time. But could it be that we’re all just dedicating the hours to the wrong things? Research shows that SME owners and executives spend a weekly average of 16 hours carrying out administrative tasks and duties – almost half of the average working week! Those extra hours could be crucial for growth and productivity, and yet we’re spending them on tasks most of us don’t specialise in. Of course, we’re not suggesting you start neglecting your admin duties (after all they are a vital part of any business). However, outsourcing those tasks to a trained team could give you back that precious time.

What tasks does admin cover?

There are many duties that fall under administration – each varying from business to business. Most of the workloads cover clerical tasks like organisation, communication as well as maintaining internal databases. In short, admin is often the backbone of your business operations – ensuring everything runs smoothly.

Will outsourcing admin cost more?

Quite the opposite! In most cases, outsourcing admin is far cheaper than expanding your workforce internally. It allows your management to utilize specialist, third-party employees instead of delegating admin duties to your existing team members. This results in higher office productivity, promoting business growth, and sales. Finally, since you’re only paying for the exact time spent per task – you’re cutting down the additional costs of an average salary. Lowering the costs of a salary, recruitment and training means the additional benefits of an extra budget to put back into your business.

How will this benefit my business?

The best use of your time is doing what you’re good at, and freeing up those extra, weekly hours can make a ground-breaking difference to business growth. Giving your undivided attention to core tasks, helps you to focus and produce higher quality services for your clients – ultimately increasing sales and reach. It’s easy to get lost under all the admin, there always seems to be a time pressing task. But to move your business forward you must invest your time wisely – into projects with more prospective potential. 

If you’d like to find out more or if daily admin is getting you down, reach out to our team. Our administrative services are always tailored to suit you and your business’ needs, offering efficiency and a helping hand. Get in touch:  

E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com   T: 01903 688789

Your Very Own Eco-Warriors

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We all want to do ‘our bit’ to save the planet for future generations and it just so happens that us Virtual Assistants have been living up to these terms for years! 

If you already live an environmentally responsible lifestyle or want to start, then working with a Virtual Assistant (VA) can help incorporate these values into your day-to-day business dealings. 

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

– Margaret Mead 

Here are some examples of why we think so: 

  • Working with a VA you don’t need to provide an office. Not only does this save you money, not having to furnish and provide utilities also saves the use of fossil fuels and minimises your carbon footprint! Plus, we generally get the work done in at least half the time of an office-based employee. 
  • VA’s do not need to travel to work as they generally work from home. So that’s one less car on the road on a daily basis, cutting down on fuel consumption and vehicle exhaust pollution.  
  • By the very nature of our business, we are ‘virtual’ and therefore typically use less paper – if any at all. The majority of our work is done via the internet and all files are transferred and stored electronically. Printed copies are only needed at client’s request, if absolutely necessary. 

“One person can make all the difference in the world. For the first time in recorded human history,  we have the fate of the whole planet in our hands.”

– Chrissie Hynde 

As you can see, we’re not only saving you money but more importantly, helping the environment as we do so. We can all do our bit however big or small, plant a tree, recycle or use our services! 

If you’d like to find out more about our services or talk to us about sustainability, then please get in touch.  E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com   T: 01903 688789 

Why hire a VA over a PA?

A persons hand using a laptop trackpad while sat at a desk

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Q – What’s the difference between a VA (Virtual Assistant) and a PA (Personal Assistant)?
A – Nothing apart from geography!

You know that you need to outsource all those niggling admin tasks that are taking up your time and stopping you from earning money and growing your business, but you don’t know whether to employ a PA or not. Sound familiar?

Well there is an answer, and that is using a VA. More and more small businesses and freelancers are hiring VA’s as a solution to the limited time they have available.  Hiring a PA takes a lot more time, energy and money than hiring a VA and here’s why: –

  • It takes time to interview and hire the right person who is qualified and matches your personality (as you’ll have to be with them all day).
  • PA’s cost more than their salaries! There’s training, office costs (heating, lighting, equipment etc), overtime. Also take into account comfort and coffee breaks…!
  • What if some days you do not have enough work for them to do?
  • If you hire a temporary PA through an agency, there are agency fees to consider.

The list is endless.

Virtual Assistants reduce your labour costs, we are independent contractors which means we work around your schedule (including outside normal business hours) at the same rate and you only pay for the time spent on your project. We work from home or our own sourced work space and care about our business, it’s our livelihood. We want you to call us and recommend our services to others, so you know you will get the very best service.

Unless you specifically need and can afford a PA then working with a VA will allow  you to be more productive and give your business the MOMENTUM it  needs to move forward without the extra overheads and employment headaches!

If you have any questions about VA’s or PA’s, then please get in touch. We have an amazing team and we love to help!

T: 01903 688789 E: makeithappen@mbsmih.com

You Need A PA – Here’s Why

A calendar notebook layed out on a table

A Personal Assistant, or Virtual Assistant (the same thing – just not taking up extra space in your office!) is an invaluable resource for exponentially increasing your productivity.

A bold statement I know, but let me explain.

Let’s take last Monday as an example.

Prelude: The previous week was a fantastic week for business, everyone was back into the swing of things, there were a ton of enquiries and existing customers were focusing on the big plans for 2016. Friday came round crazy fast and before you could say 6 o’clock it was time to head off to get ready to travel to Wales for the weekend – family wedding! The packing was done (well… mostly!), but the Hotel wasn’t confirmed and nor was the suit hire. The car needed refueling and there were no plans for dinner. An absolute stressful nightmare – but it all got resolved with some last minute organising and a slight delay in arriving at the Church on Saturday! The rest of the weekend was brilliant, catching up with family and lots of celebrating. Back home late Sunday night, (check a few emails) and thoughts turn to everything that needs to be done on Monday…

So, last Monday. First things first – create a ‘to do’ list.

# Vet appointment for Archie
# Meet Dave re Website enhancements (+lunch) 10 – 1pm
# Get time booked in with Rachel this week – Thurs?
# Send Quotes – Forum Ltd / Harry D / Exom / Mark / Sarah H
# Chase flyer prints
# Organise team meeting for tomorrow – minutes from previous / actions!! / lunch??
# Dinner out this evening!!!
# Send Invs – Sam / Grover PH
# Emails!!
# Airport parking

By the time the ‘to do’ list was created, there’d been a couple of urgent emails and two phone calls. It’s already 9.15am and time to start thinking about travelling to the meeting with Dave. No real prep done for the meeting – there hasn’t been time! And need to call Dave to see where the meeting is.

10 – 1pm     Meeting and lunch finished with lots of actions to take away regarding content gathering for Website enhancements. Now it’s time to get back to the office and take action on the rest of the ‘to do’ tasks.

1.30pm         First things first, review emails and respond to urgent ones.

2.00pm        Create and send quotes – can’t send Mark’s or Forum’s as need additional information, emails sent to request info.

2.50pm        Call several venues looking for a suitable meeting room for tomorrow, lunch booked (a little more expensive than preferred). Actions from the previous meeting reviewed, several actions require others’ input – have not heard from them so it’s likely they have not been done either. Will select the most urgent and discuss / defer the rest for the following meeting.

(Several calls received in between)

4.30pm        Booked restaurant for this evening, only early tables available as such short notice! Action several urgent emails. Finally make Vet appointment for Archie – this Thursday.

5.10pm        Type up minutes and actions from previous team meeting, ready for tomorrow.

6.00pm        Get ready and head out to dinner.

9.45pm        Finish and send minutes and actions for team meeting tomorrow. Review and reply to a handful of non-urgent emails.

So, by the end of the day the ‘to do’ list looks a little like this ..

# Get time booked in with Rachel this week – Thurs?
# Send Quotes – Forum Ltd / Harry D / Exom / Mark / Sarah H
# Chase flyer prints
# Send Invs – Sam / Grover PH
# Emails!!
# Airport parking

.. with plenty more to add into the mix from today’s activities.

Does this sound familiar? Even a little bit? Long days no-where near as productive as you had hoped. It’s not a bad thing though, busy means business is going well right?

Unfortunately, no – we can all be extremely busy being ‘busy’. There’s a perpetual cycle here, with each day feeding the next with more disorganisation and personal disappointment at the tasks that have not been done. Having a Personal Assistant to delegate your key (but not necessarily highly skilled or bottom line increasing) tasks is a fundamental requirement for any business owner looking to grow their company.

If we go right back to the weekend away, even before the Monday ‘to do’ list was created, there’s a significant number of small daily tasks a PA can support you with, ensuring your personal as well as business plans run smoothly:
# Confirm the Hotel
# Confirm the suit hire
# Book a table for dinner
# Organise meeting venue with Dave
# Action and research majority of content gathering / requirements for website enhancements
# Respond to email enquiries and obtain additional information as required
# Organise venue, lunch and participants for team meeting
# Type up meeting minutes and actions straight after meetings – ensuring they are sent with plenty of time to for everyone to complete the actions
# Book restaurant for evening meal
# Book Vet appointment
# Reply to non-urgent emails and simple enquiries on your behalf

Not to mention the additional tasks on your ‘to do’ list that would have also been completed:

# Get time booked in with Rachel this week – Thurs?
# Chase flyer prints
# Send Invs – Sam / Grover PH
# Airport parking

When it comes to your business, nothing is more valuable than your time. A Personal (Virtual) Assistant will help ensure you stay focussed and on track by taking care of the day to day tasks that take you away from running your business.

If this is you and you’d like to find out more about how a Virtual PA can help you, then please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you. Our Virtual Assistant services are extremely flexible. You can have daily support or make ad-hoc requests as and when the need arises.