The holiday season may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also be the most stressful-especially for business owners. It might seem like your never-ending to-do list standing in the way of spending time with loved ones and enjoying the holiday festivities. If your list has you feeling a little overwhelmed, it could be time to hire a virtual assistant. How a virtual assistant can help your business during the holidays may surprise you.

How a Virtual Assistant Can Help Your Business During the Holidays

One of the perks of hiring a virtual assistant is flexibility. You can hire a VA to work with you all year round or help you out during busy periods such as the holidays. A VA can help ease the stress of the holiday season by taking mundane and time-consuming tasks off your plate. They also can manage tasks, so you can take some well-deserved vacation time. There are many ways a virtual assistant can help you during the holidays.

Sending Holiday Cards 

Sending cards or e-cards is a holiday tradition in most companies. Cards are a great way to show clients or customers that you’re thankful for their business. They also let your employees know that you’re grateful for their hard work throughout the last year. But sending cards can be a time-consuming task. Fortunately, you can delegate the project to a VA. Just give them a list of people you want cards sent to and let them work their magic.

Finding Perfect Corporate Gifts

Does your business also send gifts to employees, business partners, or clients? Finding the perfect gift can also take up a surprising amount of time. But it doesn’t have to be that way. A virtual assistant can handle it for you. All you need to do is send them a budget and an idea of what you are looking for. They can do the research. Once you decide on the perfect gift, have your VA place the order and handle shipping too. 

If you receive gifts from your clients and vendors, a VA can also send out thank you notes on your behalf. 

Planning Festive Events

Throwing an office holiday party is another great way to show your employees and clients your appreciation. But planning a fantastic party may not be a priority, especially if you’re focusing on other business-related tasks. 

A VA has the organizational skills and resources to plan a festive soirée to help your team celebrate. They’ll book the venue, organize food and drinks, send out invites, and track RSVPs. Or, if you can’t get together in person, a VA can set up a virtual Zoom party. 

Creating and Sending Newsletters

The lead-up to the holidays is the time to remind your clients about sales, new products, gift ideas, or services. Make sure your virtual assistant knows about these promotions and have them create email newsletters for all of them. A VA can help with newsletter creation. They also can update mailing list contacts, edit text, and more.

Managing Email

Whether you’re taking a vacation during the holidays, or you don’t have enough time in your day, your email inbox shouldn’t add to your stress. Reading and responding to emails can be a hefty task. It is also one that you can have your virtual assistant takeover. Have them handle the replies and create an email organization system to know what they receive and send.

Keeping Your Social Media Alive

Another way a VA can help your business during the holidays is by updating your social media. You can schedule tweets or Instagram posts to go out during the busy holiday period yourself. But a VA can post live, react to current or trending events, and reply to messages. They also can ensure nothing important slips through the cracks while you take a much-needed break.

Customer Service and Order Management

Customers will likely reach out to you this season for your products or services. Just because you’re taking some time off doesn’t mean everyone else is. They may have placed an order and forgotten something or want to change the shipping address. It doesn’t matter what comes up. Your virtual assistant can help you manage orders. They can respond to customers, send tracking information, assist with any problems, and more.

Handling Payments

Chasing payments and settling balances can be a nuisance at the best of times. Get your virtual assistant to handle collections. Removing this task from your to-do list will give you more time to focus on other things and enjoy the festivities.

Your End-of-Year Checklist

A VA also can help you stay on top of your end-of-year checklist. Year-end is when companies take stock of the last 12 months and prepare for the coming year. These evaluation and planning tasks are vital for running a successful business of any size.

Year-end tasks your virtual assistant can help you with include:

• Getting Digitally Organized. Your VA can help you start the New Year fresh by taking over control of your digital organization. Whether your storage is a huge mess, or you just want to condense, delegate this time-consuming task to your VA.
• Preparing for Tax Season. Tax season will be here before you know it. Beat the last-minute stress by having your virtual assistant help you prepare. A VA can help you get your receipts organized, create spreadsheets, and take care of any paperwork you need to complete.
• Planning for the New Year. As an entrepreneur or business owner, the New Year is a time to reevaluate your strategy and set new goals. A VA can gather goal information from team members. They also can help generate ideas. Or the VA can complete other projects, so you can focus on strategy and goal development. 

Hire A Virtual Assistant for the Holiday Season

Your creativity is the limit to how a virtual assistant can help your business during the holidays. From sending cards and gifts to organizing the office holiday party, a VA can help your business run smoothly while giving you time to enjoy the holidays. 

Looking for a virtual assistant for the holidays? Let LifeSquire connect you with the right VA to help. Contact us today.