Virtual Phone Assistant: Everything You Need to Know
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Last Updated:
26 Feb 24 -
9 min read
In today’s business environment, you may be uncertain😕 about whether to allocate your focus to core business operations or to handling clients and customer phone calls❓
This is where hiring virtual phone assistants can solve half of your problems. Virtual phone assistants can help you deal with your clients and customers’ queries while you can focus on your business operations efficiently.
By the end of this article, you can get a complete guide on the concept of a virtual phone assistant, their duties, and the advantages of hiring them. It will also present the top five virtual assistant service providers and provide insights into effectively managing the VA post-recruitment.
🚀 Key Highlights
- A Virtual phone assistant is a remote professional for your business that not only answers calls but also manages schedules and appointments, processes emails and messages, data entry, and more.
- Virtual phone assistants are required for almost every business in recent days such as e-commerce, it & technology, health care, call centers, and start-ups.
- Differences between virtual phone receptionists and virtual phone assistants based on their purpose, skills & expertise, level of interaction, and costs
- Boost your virtual phone assistants’ productivity with the best virtual phone software such as kripsCall, Ruby, Yodel.io, and Grasshopper based on their features, pricing, and limitations.
- On average KrispCall stands out as the best telephony service provider for virtual assistants.
What is a Virtual Phone Assistant?
A Virtual Phone Assistant (VPA) is a remote professional who offers different forms of remote phone call management and assistance to clients. They utilize communication tools (VoIP and the Internet) to handle tasks like answering, screening, managing calls & scheduling appointments. Communicating via email, managing calendars, collecting information, and researching to assist businesses and individuals.
As remote work gains broader acceptance among workers and employers, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an expected surge in demand for proficient virtual assistants.
Task Performed by Virtual Phone Assistant
- Answering and screening calls: One of the regular tasks of virtual phone assistants is to answer business calls professionally, greet callers, transfer and forward calls to appropriate departments, and manage call logs.
- Managing schedules and calendars: Virtual phone assistants are required to schedule appointments, meetings, and travel arrangements, manage client calendars, and send important reminder notifications for both businesses and clients.
- Process messages and emails: When information and queries are sent by clients or other business parts, it virtual assistant’s job to read and respond to emails, and voicemails on behalf of the company.
- Data entry and document management: Virtual Phone Assistants engage in data entry and document management. As they can input data, and scan documents or digital sources into spreadsheets, databases, or other software programs.
- Research and Report Preparation: Some virtual phone assistants can conduct online research, and gather information, and based on those data they can perform basic data analysis and can create reports summarizing key information.
What are the Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Phone Assistant?
Hiring a virtual phone assistant is not only efficient when it comes to handling customers but also comes with benefits for the business.
Here are some of the major benefits that you can achieve for your business with virtual phone assistants:
- Work from anywhere: Virtual phone assistants have flexibility for work as they can work from anywhere by connecting directly through virtual phone systems. They can fully operate online and can seamlessly operate simply through their telephone devices.
- Cost Effectiveness: You can hire VPAs for specific projects or part-time, minimizing costs compared to paying a full-time salary and benefits. Unlike traditional in-house assistants, VPAs work remotely, eliminating the need for additional office space, equipment, and associated overhead costs.
- Scale your team quickly: find and hire VPAs with specific skills and experience much faster from any part of the world directly. Easily adjust your team size up or down based on project needs or seasonal fluctuations.
- Enhance customer service: Virtual phone assistants can work beyond traditional business hours, providing extended support for customer inquiries. Utilizing virtual assistants across different time zones enables businesses to accommodate a larger customer demographic and diverse language preferences.
- Increased Productivity and Efficiency: Virtual Personal Assistants are capable of handling client management, resource organization, and calendar scheduling, facilitating your efficiency and time management. This enables you to focus more on your core competencies and expertise while ensuring that you remain on schedule and make the most of every minute.
How does a Virtual Phone Assistant work?
A virtual phone assistant works offsite without any workspace within the company’s office premises. The virtual assistant is responsible for procuring and providing their computer equipment, as well as commonly used software programs and high-speed internet services.
Different from salaried administrative assistants working remotely, virtual assistants, operating as independent contractors, are exempt from the same benefit provisions and tax obligations as their full-time counterparts.
Moreover, One must go through certain phases to work as a virtual phone assistant for a specific business, here are the key steps that make you understand how a Virtual Phone Assistant works.
- First, you need to get hired as a Virtual phone assistant.
- Virtual phone assistants get to know about business, services, tasks, duties, and responsibilities.
- Virtual phone assistants go through a training phase and then start working remotely.
- They answer calls, manage schedules, and handle tasks per your instructions.
- Communication and reporting keep you in the loop.
What types of Businesses Hire Virtual Phone Assistants?
The demand for virtual phone assistants is increasing globally in almost every Business and industry that deals with clients and customers. With that in mind here are some of the well-known businesses that hire virtual phone assistants.
1. E-commerce
E-commerce, as an online business operates everything virtually, due to which hiring a virtual phone assistant, is the best option. A virtual assistant can handle calls, emails, and inquiries from a high number of customers. As customers don’t have to wait on hold for a long time that enhances customer satisfaction.
2. Small Businesses/Start-ups
A virtual phone assistant can save a lot of additional costs for small businesses and start-ups. business owners don’t have to worry about extra operational expenses like hardware equipment, paid software tools, and office space.
3. Health care
Health care is one of the crucial sectors that require virtual assistants as most of the time health care workers are busy. In case of an emergency, it is tough for them to handle every call, as ever calls related to health are important. This is where virtual assistants are required to reduce the burden.
3. Call Centers
The Call center’s main purpose is to provide phone assistance to their customers. Virtual phone assistant services can be valuable assets for call centers as they reduce wait times by solving basic inquiries and resolving customer issues.
4. IT & Technology
IT and technology enterprises often find it challenging to manage both technical responsibilities and client communications effectively. This is where virtual phone assistants (VPAs) come into play, providing essential aid beyond call handling, which in turn optimizes processes and improves overall customer satisfaction.
Difference between virtual phone receptionists and virtual phone assistants
The terms virtual phone receptionists and virtual phone assistants may sound similar but they do have major differences that are discussed based on the points listed below:
| Base on | Virtual phone receptionists | Virtual phone assistants. |
| Purpose | Main task involves answering incoming calls, directing them to the right person or department, and recording messages as necessary. They help maintain a professional image while efficiently managing call flow. | Offers an array of services beyond call answering, including appointment scheduling, calendar management, email correspondence, research, and administrative support. Their focus lies to enhance your overall productivity and efficiency. |
| Skill & expertise | Demonstrate outstanding communication skills, excel in interpersonal interactions, handling multiple calls, and accurately follow call routing instructions. Moreover, familiarity with phone systems and basic administrative tasks. | Skills required for a Virtual Phone Assistant go beyond communication, tasks like scheduling, data entry, email management, and industry-specific knowledge. Their background often includes experience in project management and organizational skills. |
| Level of interaction | The business phone virtual Receptionist usually engages in brief exchanges with callers, concentrating on directing them to the correct person or department and recording basic messages. | The Virtual Phone Assistant commonly experiences more detailed interactions with clients or colleagues, where active listening, problem-solving, and the proactive undertaking of assigned tasks. |
| Cost | Pricing structures is based on call volume, required features, or a monthly subscription plan. Typically, their services are cheaper due to the specific focus of their responsibilities. | Rates for Virtual Phone Assistants can vary depending on their experience, skills, and the level of task complexity. Typically, their services are pricier due to wider scope of responsibilities they handle. |
| Right options | A Virtual Phone Receptionist is perfect for businesses seeking fundamental call management and professional first impressions. | Virtual phone assistants are ideal for businesses that require additional assistance beyond call answering, such as administrative duties, scheduling, and project management. |
KrispCall for virtual phone assistance solutions
With time different businesses and industries are hiring virtual phone assistance due to how convenient it is for the business. It’s important to understand that services offered by virtual assistants do not require additional expenses like regular assistants but they must require a quality platform to operate.
KrispCall is one of the best options when it comes to providing telephony solutions for virtual phone assistance due to its advanced features, multiple phone numbers, and easy-to-use dashboards. KrispCall can be operated from anywhere at any time with just a reliable online connection which is perfect for virtual phone assistants.
Join KrispCall today to boost your virtual phone assistance or you can try a free demo.
FAQ
1. Can I use my phone to work as a virtual assistant?
Yes, you can use your phone to work as a virtual assistant as all the operational activities are done through phone communication with business bodies or customers.
2. What are the services offered by virtual assistants?
The services offered by virtual assistants include not only picking up calls but also other advanced activities such as bookkeeping, online marketing, community management, scheduling calls, and more.
3. What is the difference between a personal assistant and a virtual phone assistant?
The primary difference between a personal assistant and a virtual phone assistant is the fact that a personal assistant operates from the office, whereas a virtual assistant works remotely and utilizes technology for communication.
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