Virtual Assistant Outsource Administration

More and more media are identifying that the pressure is being put on employees when management and business owners have decided to reduce staff through redundancies or not replacing people when they leave.  Something I have noticed a lot of while visiting clients or at networking events, is the flow-on effect that this can have on the remaining staff.

Stress, extra workload, overtime, re-training and up-skilling of staff seem to be common ground and in the short term employees don’t seem to mind, but if this occurs for a long period people seem to feel unvalued and this approach can cause a gradual slowing of workload and limited tasks completed.

Whilst the media are quick at using the ‘recession’ as a reason for why this is happening, it would seem that this has been occurring for quite some time prior as people would resign from the role to seek the gratification and recognition of workload elsewhere, and although at present those people are still employed, they are reluctant to leave unless they have a secure position to go to as their salary is so important.

While delegating additional responsibility to others can be seen as a way to advance an employee into another position, the more additional tasks they undertake, the lower the quality of work will be achieved as they try and spread themselves too thin, this can and does have a dramatic effect on the business as a whole. 

Whilst employee retention and redundancies can’t be avoided, what are some solutions to try and balance the employee’s workload?

ü       Try identifying the right candidate for the right role, when an employee resigns and you are not replacing that position, think about who can do those important tasks competently, and then consider what tasks they can then shift to another person doing similar duties.  Only focus on the important tasks as these are the ones that will ensure the business continues to run smoothly while there is an absence in that role.

ü       Recognise employees for the extra work they are undertaking, there are plenty of non-monetary rewards available to ensure they feel valued.

ü       Give employees assurances that this is for the short term and keep your word, too many broken ‘promises’ just lead to disorder and confusion.

ü       Consider combining all the small tasks several employees are completing and combining it into a temporary, part time or casual position, this will ensure that these continue to remain up to date.  The skill set of the candidate may not necessary need to be at the same level as previous and handover or training will only require minimum attention. 

ü       Finally, consider contracting work out to businesses such as AdminCorp to complete those day to day tasks.  The difference between us and a temping agency is that you have to guarantee a minimum workload, with us it is minute by minute for only what needs to be done.  The other major advantage to using businesses like ours is that you only have to train us once, not try and get the same temp as last time etc. 

Call AdminCorp today on 0800 ADMINC to see how we can help your business today.  This is what we do best!

Tara McGowan

Data to you is the review of collected information in a quick and easy to read, informative manner. A bit like your profit and loss report.

Data to me is how we get the collected information into that quick and easy to read, informative manner that you require.

So now that we understand that, where is your information to be collected? If its for a profit and loss report then you will find it in your bank statements, incoming invoices, last year's financials, employee contracts etc. If its for your sales team, you'll find it in their diaries, in the call log, on the computer etc.

So now that we know where to get the data, what now?

You contract me for a project and I get stuck in and grab the data, compile it, format it and present it to you, your sales team or your accountant.

Now that wasn't so hard was it? All you needed to do was point out what you wanted!

Therein lies the dynamics of data and outsourcing and why so many people love it.

If you have then you'll now be feeling the pinch of being left with more work to do. When cut backs are made it doesn't mean the work stops. If the work does stop, more assessment is required.

Don't cut off your income by cutting back on your infrastructure. Be smarter, in fact be smarter than the rest. This is the time for the select few to flourish, those that rise above the recession and make their business stand out above the rest.

Be smart by getting rid of luxuries, all of them, cut out those things that were great when the market was bouyant but we could do without them. If you aren't hiring any further staff or downsizing, hire a VA, an on call experienced adminstrator to continue the back bone of your business. We are available as your work is required and we complete the tasks expertly.

So don't get left behind, don't let things build up, get out there are be at the top. 

 

Have you ever employed a junior and wondered what on earth you were thinking? Well, so have we. If you are a small business or a one man band where 40 hour supervision is not possible, listen to others when they say "Don't Do It".

Small business owner culture depicts a person who is hard working, dedicated and passionate about their product or service. A junior employee has no concept of this, so once again "Don't Do It".

So if they don't fit with us, then who do they fit with? Well, big companies with HR divisions and dedicated supervisors. Somewhere where they can learn and make mistakes with the 40 hour a week support that they require. Not only that, they will be sitting in a large organisation with many others that have a job where the concept of small business hard work and passion does not exist. Be fair to junior's they need a lot of encouragement and support and they won't get it with small business.

If you are thinking to cut costs, think again. A junior will cost you approximately $1500 per week to start off. Thats wages, your management, compliance etc. Not to mention stress.

Compare that with an on-demand skilled contractor who can work an average of 9 times more efficiently than a junior, you could pay as little as $200 per week including GST. Makes sense doesn't it.

Efficient workflow through-put by reducing the time you spend managing staff.

When outsourcing you gain unlimited access to knowledge and skill not retained within your business.

Outsourcing your administrative business functions gives you more time to focus on things that power business growth and profitability.

Outsourcing means you can limit or grow your relationship depending on workflow requirements.

These are just a few benefits that you can experience when outsourcing.

Mike Chisolm from Acclipse is looking to fill the gaps in New Zealand and Australian accountancy firms by helping them outsource work to India. He's formed a partnership in India and has a team of aprpoxiamtely 30 accountants working already [THE PRESS, Christchurch 24.01.09].

I think its brilliant thinking like this that really shows New Zealanders that we can be techno-savvy and come up with bright ideas.

So now that the economy has taken such a bad turn how about we turn the tables. Setup partnerships here in NZ to sell our services overseas?  Believe me there is a market.

And with the credit crunch shouldn't we buy and sell services within NZ as much as we can?

We all know that skill is a rare commodity in NZ, and as a virtual administrator, all I can say to Accountants that can't find that skill.... try outsourcing to quality NZ Virtual Administrators, it really works.

As a business outsourcing specialist in the Administration field I expected to get very busy from February this year. I was wrong... this week I start with four new clients that are ready to go now.

In NZ employers aren't taking any more employees on and there is an expectation of many redundancies due to the credit crunch (I hate saying credit crunch, it sounds like breakfast).

This means the work needs to go somewhere. Even if businesses are quieter, there is still work to be done.

Smart businesses will find outsourcing specialists like AdminCorp to fill the gaps.

For businesses that are struggling, virtual assistants and outsourcing specialists offer tailored packages to keep the most important tasks going within an affordable budget.

So no matter what the situation, businesses need to maintain their administrative infrastructure and in times of uncertainty and difficulty outsourcing specialists get to show their expertise.

This is our first official day back at work and the phones (ours and clients) are off to a good start. This is promising considering the phones were reasonably quiet for the last 6 months of the year.

I'd like to think that everyone is rested and ready to get back into it. Whats looking to be a hard year needn't be if we are prepared to identify more efficient ways of working.

Over the last month this was our most frequently asked question:

"... can I outsource my small jobs, like follow ups and email or a couple of letters. I only have a few items a week and will probably only take 15-30 minutes, but I just never seem to get around to them ..."

Of course you can, a quick fax, scan or email of what you require and its taken care of. AdminCorp has no minimum for ongoing clients.

So don't think your job is too small or even too big. Outsource it.

Give yourself a head start and ensure your documents and printed material for your business is always professional. Use an administration provider to do all your presentation finishing and printing.

No need to buy expensive software when you can download free word processors, spreadsheet, presentation software. http://www.sun.com/software/staroffice/index.jsp. Working with your provider this program will integrate seamlessly on their system and you don't have any further capital outlay.