Top mistake when selecting team members for admin outsourcing

You’ve tried hiring outsourced admin support for your business, however, so far you’ve felt disappointed that people haven’t met your expectations… Your to-do list keeps growing, mounting pressure each day for you to find the right person. If this is the case, you could be making a common mistake when selecting your business support.

Ask yourself this: Do you expect one person to be able to handle all your business admin, marketing, finance, sales, and business development tasks? All while supporting your business growth and keeping you in line?

Although this would be the dream scenario, unfortunately finding someone with this varied range of skills who can perform all tasks to an excellent standard is like finding a unicorn. You’re looking for a combination that doesn’t exist.

But what it does show is that you understand the wide variety of tasks it takes to see business progression and smash your goals. So in this blog post, we’re highlighting what you should be doing instead to find the best business support possible. 

Why you often need to outsource multiple team members 

Instead of feeling frustrated when you realise the person you’ve hired isn’t a magical mythical creature and they can’t manage every single business task perfectly, realise that perhaps you’re expecting too much from one person… and what you really need is a team.

The saying ‘Strength in numbers’ couldn’t be more accurate for forming your ideal outsourced business support. If your wishlist involves a wide range of essential business tasks, you might need specialists in those roles…

For example, it’s highly unlikely you will find a bookkeeping whizz who can also write effective copy, post engaging social media content, and manage your diary seamlessly. Instead, you’d want a virtual assistant (VA) skilled in admin, finance, and bookkeeping, plus someone else who has marketing knowledge or even a copywriter. 

Depending on which areas you need help with, you could be looking for an:

·   Outsourced admin team 

When you think about everything that’s involved in running a business, most of the daily tasks fall under business admin. This is where VAs shine, as they love to help you get organised and take away any low-level, repetitive tasks from you such as managing your inbox.

·   Outsourced finance team

Stay on top of your finances with an outsourced finance team that can handle everything from bookkeeping, invoicing, filing receipts, and any other financial planning you need. You can work with a virtual assistant who is proficient in finance admin or choose to outsource to an accountant. 

·   Outsourced marketing team

A marketing team working for you externally can be a great way to build your brand awareness and stay consistent with marketing. This could include elements such as updating your website, uploading content, creating social media content, supporting you with an event or conference, and sending regular email marketing. 

·   Outsourced project manager

You could need support for a specific project, such as migrating your systems or developing new infrastructure. Outsourcing your project management allows you to focus on your day-to-day business activities while a professional keeps all the moving parts running smoothly. 

·   Outsourced customer support team

A VA can elevate your customer experience, acting as your outsourced customer support team. They are your front line in ensuring customer satisfaction, responding to initial enquiries, scheduling customer meetings or dealing with any complaints or issues that arise. Virtual assistants can also conduct customer satisfaction surveys, manage customer retention programs, handle returns or exchanges, and provide technical support when required.

·   Outsourced sales team 

You can outsource your entire sales pipelines from the initial contact to closing deals. When outsourcing sales, you can choose a specific sales team to act on your behalf, or work alongside a skilled VA to deliver this for you. Either way, they get to know your business, your unique selling points, and your customers well enough to qualify and convert high-quality leads without your input.

The best starting point is to compile a huge list of everything you need to get off your plate or by taking our free quiz: What level of business support do you need?

Manage the process with a business support specialist and client-VA matchmaker

You might be thinking the reason you wanted help from one person to begin with was to reduce your workload, so managing an outsourced team is not something you had in mind. Well, the good news is, you don’t have to do this yourself. You can work alongside a business support specialist like Holly, founder of Virtually Priceless. 

At the beginning of any new relationship with a client looking for virtual assistance, Holly acts as a client-VA matchmaker. This means working out your priorities, budget, and skills required, and matching them with the perfect-fit people to build your team. With a matchmaker like Holly, you don’t have to do any of the hard work finding the right people for your business needs or personality type: it’s all taken care of. 

Virtual support to fit your business goals

When you need an outsourced team, Virtually Priceless provides you with as many virtual team members as you need, focusing on your priorities. 

When you speak to us, we figure out the best support route, asking: 

• Do you want or need to achieve everything on your list straight away, or can we work through them gradually over the next few months?
• Do you want someone who will complete the tasks you throw at them, or do you want to build a partnership with someone who can do the strategic thinking for you?

It might be that you have a varied list of requirements that can, in fact, be managed by one executive assistant. However, what’s more likely is that you will need a few outsourced team members to give your business the boost it’s been waiting for – and you the headspace you crave.

Get the most out of your outsourced team

You want to ensure you’re getting the best from each outsourced team member. Piling on tasks that aren’t in line with people’s skillset not only slows them down, but it means you’re less likely to get the high standard of work you’re looking for. 

For example, when you hire a project manager for big-picture actions, it would be a poor choice to see them bogged down with general admin that doesn’t move the needle. Instead, delegate those admin tasks to a VA so the project manager can get on with what you’ve hired them for. 

By setting clear expectations and goals from the beginning, we can assign you with the best support and plan of action. If you want to execute your list quickly, you might need a dedicated project manager to manage a team of specialists and virtual assistants for an initial fixed period of time. But if you want to gradually tackle your to-do list, we can create a support plan to suit.

Hire the best outsourced team for your business

If you’d like to choose your own outsourced admin team, first read our detailed step-by-step guide on finding and hiring a good VA to see what to look out for. But if you want someone to manage the process for you, our virtual assistant matchmaking service is perfect for you.

It’s all about figuring out the best fit and preferred style of working so you get the right help in your business… and remember, you can’t expect a unicorn! Get in touch to find the best team to reach your business goals using our client-VA matchmaking service.