Virtual Assistant Tasks for the Biggest Industries in the World

Remote and hybrid teams are now part of the new normal in global business operations. This includes the modern practice of outsourcing tasks and hiring remote assistants or contractors. Such is true even in the biggest industries in the world.

For the global workforce, remote and hybrid opportunities have become the preferred choice. On the other hand, outsourcing to remote staff or virtual assistants has also become a highly recommended choice for entrepreneurs in various business sectors.

Why are virtual assistants rising in popularity among companies, and how do these remote professionals help in the biggest industries in the world? 

Read along and discover the different roles and tasks virtual assistants take on to impact these industries across the globe.

Information Technology

Throughout the years, outsourcing in the tech industry has been very common for customer support services and tech support teams. This has evolved to BPO companies now also providing chat and messaging support, as well as performing sales and lead generation tasks.

Similarly, virtual assistants in the IT industry perform a wide range of tasks from being part of customer relationship management programs to assisting in technical team tasks, creating marketing assets, and so much more.

Tech teams benefit from virtual assistants by having an extra pair of hands to take on administrative, marketing, and other non-core tasks, allowing professionals and business owners to focus on their core functions.

Energy

The energy sector, particularly companies focusing on renewable energy, is another fast-growing industry where virtual assistants are starting to make an impact.

The future of renewable energy provides a positive outlook for business in the solar industry. With awareness rising among consumers and other business owners, demand for clean energy sources also increases.

Virtual assistants in the solar industry allow professionals in this industry to focus on their respective expertise by covering much of the administrative work in the business.

With engineers, contractors, and project managers out in the field, tasks in the administrative and marketing aspects may end up neglected. With virtual assistants, project teams in the solar industry can remain confident that this doesn’t happen.

Virtual assistants in the energy sector also ensure customer satisfaction for their clients, and can also be tasked to multiply lead generation and selling opportunities.

Human Resource

Human resource agencies, consultants, and teams are another group in the professional services sector that outsource their tasks to virtual assistants.

Virtual assistants for human resources not only help businesses with HR functions, but they can also help agencies and consultants with operational tasks to keep the business running smoothly at all times.

With the help of virtual assistants, HR and recruitment teams not only can concentrate on their core functions but also have the option to hire virtual assistants to multiply productivity.

VAs specializing in the HR function can perform core tasks, reducing hiring costs for local talent, while boosting output and revenue for HR teams and companies.

Media & Entertainment

The wide range of services virtual assistants offer also impacts businesses and teams in media and entertainment.

First off, marketing virtual assistants can beef up marketing efforts for these teams, increasing reach, engagement, and even clients.

Virtual assistants specializing in creative work like graphic design, video production, live streaming, and podcast management are also in demand among media companies.

The great demand for content in this industry also boosts the demand for virtual assistants with the skills for writing sales and marketing copy, engaging social media content, and long-form content for press releases, blogs, and so much more.

Virtual event planning, management, and coordination are also some roles frequently outsourced to virtual assistants.

Projects that temporarily need extra helping hands in the media industry also benefit from project-based or part-time virtual assistants.

Industrials

Businesses in the industrial sector dominated this year’s list of the 100 fastest-growing companies. This signals both a boost in revenue and a sustained demand for their products and services.

Virtual assistants in the industrial sector are currently known for providing virtual concierge services, customer support, lead generation and appointment setting, and other HR services like payroll and subcontractor management.

Construction, roofing, and engineering companies also use virtual assistants to prepare permits, transcribe and organize field notes, and even reconcile statements for bookkeeping purposes.

Manufacturing companies also get help from virtual assistants for supply chain management, logistics coordination, and even remote inventory assistance.

This year’s growth for the industrial sector provides a positive outlook for businesses and professionals, but it will also come with more work that needs to be done. As such, demand for virtual assistants across this sector may increase in the coming months.

Retail & Commerce

E-commerce virtual assistants, more popularly known as Amazon or FBA virtual assistants are very popular these days.

Together with providing remote administrative support, they also work on supply chain assistance, customer service, e-commerce activation, shopping assistance, inventory management, and a whole host of other tasks.

Other popular tasks for virtual assistants in e-commerce include managing marketing campaigns, product page optimization, and order fulfillment.

If you’re aiming to grow your online selling business, chances are you’ll greatly benefit from having one Amazon virtual assistant, Shopify virtual assistant, or even just a general virtual assistant for your admin tasks.

Finance & Accounting

Financial virtual assistants are known for helping their clients with invoice processing, financial reporting, payroll, basic bookkeeping, and a plethora of other financial functions. These virtual professionals are now also being employed by companies and professionals in the financial services sector. 

Accounting firms, wealth management and investment consultants, and even insurance companies benefit from outsourcing to virtual assistants. 

General virtual assistants typically cover various administrative functions for teams and businesses in the finance sector. Specialized virtual assistants on the other hand can perform tasks that directly relate to multiplying productivity for professionals and firms in this industry.

Healthcare

Professionals and companies in the healthcare industry also comprise a large portion of the global clientele for virtual assistants.

Private practice and professional services in the health and wellness field usually require licensed specialists to focus on providing the best care for their clients. As such, other aspects of the business tend to take away some time that can be spent with more clients.

Healthcare virtual assistants give professionals, especially in private practice, more time with patients while worrying less about the administrative and marketing side of their business.

Virtual assistants in this field are typically in charge of schedule management and appointment setting, but others also conduct bookkeeping, invoicing, and marketing activities.

HIPAA-compliant virtual assistants and agencies are also able to provide a wider range of services given their expertise and training in handling PHI.

At Virtudesk, healthcare virtual assistants sign individual Business Associate Agreements (BAA) with their clients to ensure compliance and security of PHI. 

As a client, you may grant your VA access to EMR by giving them unique usernames and passwords with limited access to your systems. Alternatively, you can have them access the EMR they need to use remote desktop software.

Real Estate

Brokerages, teams, and individual agents are increasingly relying on virtual assistants to meet their sustained demand for support. By employing a virtual assistant, not only can a single agent gain more time to focus on showings and client meetings, but entire teams can also benefit from this arrangement.

Transaction coordination and sales prospecting are common tasks delegated to VAs in the real estate industry. Recently, social media marketing and content creation have also gained more popularity as agents aim to maximize the potential of social media to reach a wider demographic.

During this year’s Leverage Summit, several experts in the field of real estate generously shared exactly how they use their virtual assistants. You can watch the full replay of the summit here to learn more about how real estate virtual assistants can help you, particularly in today's challenging real estate market.

Marketing

Virtual Assistants specializing in different aspects of marketing continue to be in demand for most businesses. Marketing agencies themselves have started to outsource some of their work to these specialized virtual assistants.

Content creation virtual assistants can contribute to companies providing creative services. Digital marketing all-rounders are also able to assist agencies focusing on PPC, SEO, or SEM campaigns.

General virtual assistants also provide a huge help to companies in this field by taking care of administrative tasks, managing schedules, or even performing bookkeeping and HR tasks.

For marketing agencies, outsourcing to virtual assistants provides a practical approach to filling in gaps, especially when projects or campaigns turn into hectic schedules.

Startups

Virtual assistants are a great leverage for any budding entrepreneur or solo business owner. Two of the biggest benefits of Virtual Assistants in startups are their practicality and productivity.

It’s not easy expanding a new business and hiring new staff when the work grows, but it can be done more easily by outsourcing tasks to Virtual Assistants. Comparing the annual cost of hiring a virtual assistant versus employing local talent easily shows how much more affordable the former is.

Drag-and-drop website builders allow virtual assistants who specialize in design to be dedicated website managers for startups. This also works for brick-and-mortar businesses looking into opening an e-commerce portal to serve a wider range of clients.

With the right management tools and a great system in place, any startup owner can increase their chances of succeeding even with just one virtual assistant by their side.

Revolutionizing Business Operations with Virtual Assistants

With trillions of dollars in annual revenue, all you need is a small percentage of the market share to get your piece of the pie. Running a business is one challenge made easier nowadays by virtual assistants.

Even in the biggest industries in the world, outsourcing to Virtual Assistants is a practical choice for doubling productivity, streamlining operations, and growing revenue without doubling your employment expenses. Having even just one of these remote professionals on your team can make a huge impact on your profits, and even your personal well-being.

You can find out more about how business owners feel after hiring a virtual assistant from client testimonials on the Virtudesk YouTube channel.

If you’re interested in getting one, fill out this form so one of our consultants can get in touch with you.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What industries use virtual assistants?

Some of the industries that have been benefiting greatly from the help of virtual assistants in the past years include real estate, e-commerce, startups, and healthcare. More industries have also started outsourcing to virtual assistants in recent years.

What are the trends in the virtual assistant industry in 2024?

More and more business owners have been hiring virtual assistants in the past years. Pandemic restrictions have normalized remote work for everyone, effectively introducing virtual assistants to more industries.

What type of business needs a virtual assistant?

Startups, SMEs, and professional service firms can all benefit from hiring a virtual assistant to help them with their day-to-day tasks. Most virtual assistants are ready to help with administrative tasks, and eager to learn about their client's specific needs.

What are the niches for virtual assistants?

Some of the most popular specific areas of expertise or services that virtual assistants offer their clients include schedule management, social media management, cold calling, community management, graphic design, copywriting, and customer service.

What is the #1 job of a great virtual assistant?

The most common function delegated to virtual assistants is administrative work, requiring most great virtual assistants to have the crucial ability to manage their clients' schedules efficiently. They help clients stay organized with deadlines and important events by scheduling appointments and managing other commitments appropriately.

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