Is a Part Time Virtual Assistant Worth It?

Employee Engagement and Retention Strategies for Ecommerce Businesses Image source Success in the fast-moving world e-commerce is greatly dependent on employee engagement – and engagement is the key to employee retention. Employee engagement refers to the level of commitment, enthusiasm, and emotional investment that employees have towards their work and organization, which influences their performance and overall job satisfaction. Engaged employees drive innovation, productivity, and loyalty to the business for growth. High turnover, on the other hand, disrupts operations and increases costs. To lead in the competitive e-commerce space, organizations need to create an environment that makes employees feel valued, motivated, and committed. This article considers some practical strategies for doing so. This article is published as part of a sponsored collaboration. Build a Strong and Inclusive Workplace Culture Strong workplace culture forms the backbone of employee engagement. It shapes how employees relate to the company and their colleagues, informing their overall experience. The first step toward lasting engagement is defining the mission and values of your organization. Employees are more engaged in their work if they clearly see how it serves a greater purpose. Leaders can help promote this mindset by embodying those values themselves—that is, establishing trust and alignment with workplace core values. Inclusivity is equally important. An environment that celebrates diversity fosters innovation and teamwork. Establish policies that promote equity and ensure every voice is heard. A workplace where employees feel they belong encourages collaboration and loyalty. Transparency and open communication further strengthen culture. Regular updates, team meetings, and open-door policies create a sense of shared purpose and ensure employees feel their opinions matter. Invest in Employee Growth and Development Opportunities for growth rank highly as a driver of employee retention. Clear career advancement paths ensure motivation and loyalty among employees. Start with continuous learning opportunities. Given that eCommerce is highly dynamic, employees must always be able to evolve to cope with changes in both the industry and technology. As an employer, focusing on employee professional growth is essential to promote loyalty and employee retention. Provide access to workshops, online courses, and certifications that match company needs with individual aspirations. Another important investment is in the area of career development plans. Work with your employees to map out individualized roadmaps that detail their aspirations, along with actions required to achieve them. All this calls for regular check-ins to review progress and adjust plans if needed. Another main area of recognition is in personal growth. Recognize a job well done through promotions, bonuses, or words of praise. Employees who feel valued will be more likely to stay and contribute at higher levels as they grow their skill sets. Focus on Employee Well-being Ecommerce businesses are characterized by a fast-paced, high-pressure environment – placing employers under significant stress. It’s essential to support the physical and mental well-being of employees for long-term engagement. Equally necessary is mental health support. Share resources such as counseling services, mental health workshops, and stress management programs. Create a culture where talking about mental health is normalized and supported. Physical wellness initiatives can go a step further: ergonomic workstations, wellness programs, or fitness challenges. Employees whose health is considered in their work are more inclined to stay steadfast at their respective jobs. Leverage Technology for Engagement Image source Technology can greatly improve employee engagement in ecommerce businesses. Since most teams work remotely or across locations, digital tools help to keep them connected and collaborative. Collaboration platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams make communication much easier, so everybody is on the same page. Project management tools like Trello or Asana enhance the tracking of tasks and accountability. Standardized mechanisms for feedback are important uses of this technology. This may entail feedback from employee surveys, which provide the means of observing levels of staff engagement and permit active problems-solving in a way that is very proactive. Mechanisms for automating repetitive tasks would involve reducing the more mundane tasks typically performed by human labor through the use of AI or digital alternatives. However, it is important that this technology is not perceived by employees as threatening their job security. Where necessary upskilling of employees to leverage these technologies should be prioritized. Strengthen Leadership and Management It is leadership that determines how engaged employees will be. Great leaders instill confidence, lead, and motivate their teams effectively. First, developing leaders to adopt a coach-like attitude is essential. Leaders should approach their people with a personal touch when providing guidance, focusing not just on task completion but also on individual growth and development. Some basic skills that help build trust and rapport include empathy, active listening, and effective communication. These skills foster an environment where employees feel valued and understood. Transparency in decision-making is also critical. When leaders are open with employees about the company’s goals, challenges, and successes, it creates a sense of shared responsibility and trust among the workforce. This openness encourages employees to contribute ideas and solutions, enhancing their engagement. Lastly, strong leaders lead by example. By demonstrating commitment, positivity, and alignment with company values, they inspire employees to emulate these behaviors. This reinforcement of a culture of engagement not only boosts morale but also optimizes team performance, leading to greater overall success for the organization. Engaged employees are more likely to go above and beyond in their roles, driving innovation and productivity. Monitor and Adapt Engagement Strategies Employee engagement is not a once-off. It calls for continuous review and adaptation to changing needs and an ever-evolving marketplace. Key engagement metrics are important, as the saying goes – if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Variables such as turnover rates, levels of absenteeism, and employee satisfaction scores are vital metrics. Review and analyze these data points regularly to spot trends and areas for improvement. Conduct exit interviews to understand why employees leave and use the feedback to sharpen your strategies. Listening to employees, even as they leave, gives insight into how to retain others. Be agile in approach. Ecommerce is a fast-changing industry, and the needs of

  Are emails bogging you down? Do you feel like you’re spending way too much time at your desk answering them? Do you feel like your inbox could use some sprucing up? Maybe you need a complete email spring cleaning! Whichever it is, it sounds to us like you’re in need of an inbox management virtual assistant.  The good news is that you can actually hire one today! But before you go there, we put together a few things that we think you should know about hiring an inbox management virtual assistant. In this article, we are going to be covering  What Is an Email Management Virtual Assistant? Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant for Email Management 11 Tasks to Hire an Inbox Management Virtual Assistant For How Much Does an Email Management VA Cost? What Are the Best Virtual Assistant Websites to Hire From? Case Study: How John Hired an Email VA & Saved 2 Hours Per Day Sign up for Outsource School and unlock our free hiring packet to help you get the best email management virtual assistant. What Is an Email Management Virtual Assistant? Also known as an inbox management virtual assistant, these individuals are responsible for handling your emails. Their duties involve organizing and sorting emails, creating folders and labels to categorize emails, color coding emails to make them easier to locate, and even deleting unnecessary emails or spam. An outsourced inbox VA will even do all of this for you before you get on in the morning! This way, you can start your with a clean and beautiful inbox and avoid all the stress that unkept email will usually cause. Now, that’s just the categorizing part of the job. You also have the replying side of things, which a more specialized email assistant can handle, too.  When you think about all of that and the amount of time it could take you to accomplish a single day’s worth of emails, you start to see the value of hiring an email assistant. These people typically have developed efficient methods. They will implement proven processes to clean up your inbox and keep it that way. They may also use software programs, as needed and if you prefer, to help manage all the online correspondence.  Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Assistant for Email Management Outsourcing email management impacts both your professional and personal well-being. It frees up your time, so you can undertake other tasks with less strain. Below, let’s highlight the main incentives for hiring an email management virtual assistant. Improved Productivity The average user spends about two and a half hours checking their work email daily, which increases to six hours when you include personal inboxes. This reduces the time spent on productive tasks. Hiring an email management VA frees up these hours, some of which you can allocate to your core business functions, improving productivity. Timely Responses Entrepreneurs understand the hassle of replying to daily client inquiries. Oftentimes, you might get overwhelmed and fail to reply to potential clients, losing business. Email management VAs monitor your inbox for new messages and quickly respond to customer inquiries and feedback. Confidentiality and Security Hiring an email management VA lets you control how many people access your messages, especially those containing sensitive business information. This is safer than allowing the whole in-house team to access your email. It also simplifies following up on security incidents like data breaches. Improved Work-Life Balance You should hire an email management VA if you often check your email when out of the office, including during social gatherings. The VA will respond to incoming emails and only contact you for issues that require your attention. This lets you enjoy your breaks from work and take up hobbies, improving your overall well-being. Professional Communication Email management VAs are trained in effective communication as part of their virtual assistant skills. They are proficient at handling customers, including using the right tone and observing cultural sensitivity. They also align the email responses with your brand communication strategy to give your business a professional image. Cost Advantages Hiring an email management VA is more cost-effective than recruiting an in-house personal assistant. The VA works remotely, so you need not increase your office space or invest in infrastructure to accommodate them. Tasks to Outsource to a Virtual Assistant for Email Management Deleting junk emails and keeping your inbox clear of any unwanted newsletters, subscriptions, or promos.  Forwarding emails to the necessary people within your team or others Archiving old emails that might be useful later so you main box isn’t filled with old mail Responding to emails and setting up automatic replies Some email marketing like sending out mass emails such as newsletters and introductory emails to the selected list of customers Managing your contact list which involves sorting contacts in order of importance or priority, categorizing them with labels (customers, business partners, suppliers, internal team, etc.), adding new contacts, and deleting old ones Sorting emails in order of priority so you know which emails are urgent and which can wait  Some customer support duties like answering customer inquiries  Creating folders and applying labels to emails. Labels add specificity. Folders organize old and new emails for future reference. Setting up filters ensuring incoming emails go into the applicable folders tidying up your main inbox Answering emails about meetings and adding them to schedule  How Much Does an Email Management VA Cost? Virtual assistants have a range of prices depending on a number of factors such as skill level, level of experience, scope of work, specialized knowledge, length of project, are you hiring a VA full-time or a part-time VA, and what country they come from.  If you want an inbox management virtual assistant who does only the admin side of things, then in the U.S. you’re looking at an average of $10-$12 per hour. VAs from the Philippines and India are less costly both averaging around $6-$7 per hour.  Now if you’re looking for a VA who can

  Did you know that you could reap the benefits of outsourcing to India, even if your business is small? In fact, most smaller businesses these days are taking advantage of outsourcing software development to India, along with many other tasks. In this post, we’ll talk about the pros and cons of SEO, customer service, software outsourcing to India, and more. We’ll also look into how businesses normally take advantage of outsourcing to India. Finally, you’ll catch a glimpse into how to outsource work to India once you’re ready to give it a try. Need a quick solution for upscaling your business operations to meet market demand? Try our proven outsourcing methods! Thousands of business owners use our Outsource School templates and guides to simplify their hiring processes. Sign up for Outsource School and get our free hiring packet! Why Do Companies Outsource to India? Is your business expanding faster than expected, affecting your production efficiency? Or are you struggling to balance all the business functions? It is time to outsource to India so you can streamline your operations. Let’s go over the main reasons companies need to outsource to India. Focus on Core Business Functions While administrative functions like customer service and technical support are important, they are time and personnel-intensive. Companies can outsource such roles to third parties, allowing them to focus on more essential tasks. Access to Global Talents Sometimes, the expertise you need is not readily available in your local talent pool. This can hurt your operations and brand image, especially when you don’t meet customer expectations. Offshore outsourcing lets you attract top talent from India to fill your company’s skill gap.  Flexible Scalability Upscaling your business operations often requires additional personnel to handle the growing workload. Outsourcing to India lets you respond to these demands quickly, reducing the impact on your operating efficiency. Additionally, it becomes easier to scale down when the market demand declines. Cost-Saving Small and mid-sized companies can outsource to India to reduce expenses associated with recruiting and maintaining internal staff. For example, outsourcing reduces office space requirements as contracted personnel often work remotely. Streamlined Operations Companies serving global markets should outsource to India to maintain 24-hour operations. The outsourced team could handle customer support when your in-house team clocks out, ensuring continuity of service. Benefits of Outsourcing to India You may be asking, “Why outsource to India in the first place?” Well, the benefits of outsourcing to India include several major factors, which we’ll go over here.  Cost Savings The first of the major advantages of outsourcing to India is cost savings. It will cost you a lot less when you’re outsourcing customer service to India, for example. If you hire from the US, Canada, UK, or other western country, you can easily pay double or triple for the same work. Because India’s economy is different, your dollar will go further than it would at home. As long as you’re still paying decent wages, you should be able to get the quality services that you and your customers deserve. Access to Skilled Talent Let’s say you wanted to try outsourcing SEO to India because of the cost savings. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to know that many Indians are highly technologically savvy. By this logic, outsourcing web development or software development to India is a good idea as well. If you were to ask other businesses out there, you would probably find that most have had at least one Indian involved at some stage in their project.  Time Zone Advantages Hiring from a country that’s several hours ahead may not sound like an advantage at all. However, we think it’s another of the best benefits of outsourcing to India. While you’re still cozy in bed, an Indian team can be hard at work on your app or website. This way, you can immediately have a look at their progress. Then, you still have time to give further instructions for them to do before their workday ends. If you’re outsourcing customer service to India, the time difference means that you can have people taking care of your customers while you sleep. And you’re not even paying the usual night differential! Technology Infrastructure India is one of the few countries in the world that have massive technology infrastructure for serving overseas industries. India is known for tech savvy, exposure to western culture and the English language, and low cost of living. Because of this, they are one of the BPO giants. BPO stands for Business Process Outsourcing, which is an industry centered on helping other countries with outsourcing and offshoring to India. It’s a huge industry because businesses always look for ways to save on costs while getting the same quality output. Types of Services Commonly Outsourced to India You can outsource a lot of different tasks to India. We don’t want you to think that there is a limit on what you can hire for there. These are just a handful of the most common outsourcing examples.  Software Development Outsourcing software development to India is probably the most well-known of all. Getting software built from scratch can be super expensive. This is the main reason why India is a go-to option, since they can do the work just as well as developers from the other side of the world. Mobile App Development Software outsourcing to India isn’t just desktop stuff. These days, a lot of companies are getting their own apps made. This is because just about everyone has a smartphone, and prefer to use it. More than this, companies can target more users with mobile apps because people are on their phones loads more than they are on computers. If you want an app built without getting into debt, consider outsourcing to India. Digital Marketing Outsourcing SEO to India is another really common one. SEO is really technical, and India has a long history of focusing on technical skills. It takes a special mind and special training to understand SEO at

Virtual Assistant Cost: Factors, Plans & Pricing Insights Wanting to know common virtual assistant rates? In general, virtual assistant rates vary between $3 per hour up to $20+ per hour. My name is Connor Gillivan. I’m an entrepreneur and I’ve been hiring virtual assistants for the past 10 years. I’ve hired 100s of VAs for scaling my companies to 6, 7, and 8 figures with an exit in 2019. When I first started hiring VAs, I too wondered: How much does a virtual assistant cost? What virtual assistant rates should I expect to pay? In this article, we’ll dive into everything you need to know about virtual assistants and the rates associated with them. Here’s what we’ll cover:  The Rise of Virtual Assistants What Services Do Virtual Assistants Offer? Average Cost of Virtual Assistants Virtual Assistant Package Examples Factors Influencing Virtual Assistant Pricing What to Consider When Comparing Virtual Assistant Packages How to Negotiate Virtual Assistant Rates Maximizing Your Virtual Assistant Partnership Is Hiring a Virtual Assistant Worth It? The Rise of Virtual Assistants The demand for virtual assistants has grown rapidly in recent years. According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, the number of virtual assistants in the United States alone has increased by an average of 10% every year since 2016. The growth rate is expected to continue over the next decade, with virtual assistants becoming increasingly more sought-after and in-demand. The rise of virtual assistants is due to the increasing need for businesses to streamline their operations and reduce costs. Virtual assistants can provide a range of services, from customer service and data entry to more complex tasks such as scheduling and project management. They can also be used to automate mundane tasks, freeing up time for employees to focus on more important tasks. The 2020 pandemic also caused more business owners to look for remote talent, instead of only being focused on talent that could work in a local office. Needless to say, virtual assistants are on the rise and it’s important to learn how to incorporate them into your business. What Services Do Virtual Assistants Offer? The range of services that are offered by virtual assistants is vast and varied, but certainly not limited. They can be hired for: administrative support customer service technical support project management marketing sales support data entry online research content management They can also provide creative services, such as: web design logo design video editing animation graphic design. Finally, virtual assistants can also handle:  virtual event planning social media management virtual bookkeeping virtual receptionist services scheduling appointments managing calendars creating reports. With the right virtual assistant, businesses can save time and money while still getting the help they need. Average Cost of Virtual Assistants Factors like their location and specialization impact exactly how much your VA will charge you (more on these later). Note, too, that the VA industry is booming, with a projected value of $19.27 billion by 2032, a 22.3% growth from 2023. This means the demand for VAs worldwide is increasing, which consequently causes an uptick in VA rates. The reason is simple: the higher the demand, the higher the rates. Let’s break down how much you’re expected to spend when you hire a VA: Virtual Assistant Cost per Hour On average, virtual assistants charge anywhere from $10 to $20 per hour, according to freelance marketplaces like Upwork. Hourly arrangements work best for VAs that cover routine tasks daily (like administrative services) rather than output-focused projects (such as software development). For the latter, a per-project or per-milestone arrangement is typically more appropriate. Keep in mind, too, that hiring through an agency can be more expensive than getting an independent contractor on board. Philippine Virtual Assistant Cost Filipino virtual assistants charge an average of $7 per hour. On a monthly basis, rates range from $400 to $1,200, depending on their type of services, expertise, and experience. You may also find VAs that charge as low as $3 per hour (usually by entry-level VAs or very basic services) or as high as $20 per hour. Be mindful of offering extremely low rates, though. That’s one of the most common outsourcing mistakes that can turn off potential candidates. Hint: Offering $3 per hour or lower is considered lowballing and is frowned upon in the freelance marketplace. Virtual Assistant From India Cost Similar to VAs from the Philippines, VAs from India charge an average of $7 per hour. However, the pendulum can swing from $1.2 (101 INR) to $10, depending on the type of services you require. Again–beware of lowballing, though. Always match the complexity of the services you need with the rates you’re going to offer. Also, considering that the average VA from the US costs $26.80 per hour, hiring from India is a more cost-effective option. If you need work covered round-the-clock, the difference in time zone can also help cover the hours you’re not online. Not sure where to start? Download our free hiring packet to access our case study, VA calculator, outsourcing tips, and more. Virtual Assistant Package Examples Another option you can consider is hiring through virtual assistant packages. These are a set of deliverables that you expect your VA to fulfill within a set timeline. This applies to per-project arrangements where you’re looking to hire an independent contractor for their expertise instead of on an hourly basis. It also helps ensure you’re hiring for the right virtual assistant skills. For example: Content Strategy Package: $499 per month SEO strategy Outline creation Up to 5 long-form articles (Topics provided by you) Email Marketing Package: $500 per month Email marketing strategy Up to 2 email marketing campaigns Branded templates Analytics and reporting Factors Influencing Virtual Assistant Pricing The rate a virtual assistant charges for their services will depend on a variety of factors: experience level skill set the complexity of the services being provided the amount of time required to complete the task the geographical location of the client Virtual assistants with more experience and specialized