People associated virtual assistants with simple, secretarial tasks for many years. They were remote employees who could manage your inbox and schedule meetings on your behalf. And while these are certainly still tasks a VA can perform, the role of virtual assistants evolved in recent years. Particularly with the growing demand for specialized virtual assistant services.

What Does ‘Specialized’ Mean?

A specialized virtual assistant is a remote assistant with a skillset tailored to a particular niche. Instead of knowing a little about a lot, specialized VAs are experts in a specific subject. For example, they may specialize in digital marketing, graphic design, or bookkeeping. 

A specialized VA helps with tasks you might struggle with or don’t have time for. They also can fill gaps in your business strategy and offer solutions to help your company grow.

Types of Specialized Virtual Assistant Services

There are many areas of business that virtual assistants can specialize in, some of which are more in demand than others. Below are some of the most common specialized virtual assistant services.

Transcription

A transcription VA specializes in converting audio into text. This type of virtual assistant is a sharp listener, fast typer, and has immaculate attention to detail. They can transcribe audio notes, videos, meetings, interviews, court proceedings, podcasts, and just about anything else you need to convert into a text document.

Transcription VAs can also niche down even further. Due to the required knowledge of industry abbreviations and terminology, you’ll find specialized transcribers for the legal and medical fields. Some transcribers also specialize in real-time audio rather than recordings.

Graphic Design

High-quality designs are vital in representing your brand identity to clients or customers. It’s not something that you should overlook. But creating these designs requires strong artistic ability, advanced technical skills, and access to tools such as Procreate, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator. Programs you may not have. But a specialized graphic design virtual assistant does.

A graphic design VA can help with: 

• Logos
• Business cards
• Website graphics
• Social media posts
• Product illustrations
• Image editing
• E-book design
• Print advertising materials like flyers, brochures, and posters

Technical VA

Adapting to ever-advancing technology and troubleshooting tech problems can be one of the most stressful parts of running your business. And even if you’re comfortable with technology, maintaining a website and other online systems can still be time-consuming. This tech help is where a technical VA may come in useful.

A technical VA can assist with:

• Website maintenance and customization
• Scheduling and publishing blog content
• Social media scheduling
• Email automation and funnels
• Search Engine Optimization
• Online course and event management
• Basic graphic design
• Basic video editing

Customer Care

Customer care is one of the easiest tasks to delegate to a virtual assistant. A customer care VA can respond to queries, reviews, and complaints on your behalf. They have the critical thinking and communication skills needed to enhance customer satisfaction greatly. 

A customer care VA can help with:

• Responding to customer emails
• Answering customer calls
• Responding to customer reviews
• Managing the live chat on your website

Travel VA

Booking travel is another task that can consume a lot of your valuable time as a business owner or busy executive. You may end up rushing this job and missing out on deals or forgetting small details like booking airport transfers. Fortunately, a travel VA can do all of these things for you. A specialized travel VA has the experience, knowledge, and contacts to ensure your trip runs as smoothly as possible.

A travel VA can help with:

• Creating travel itineraries
• Booking flights and hotels
• Finding discounts and offers
• Planning excursions
• Compiling a packing list
• Dealing with last-minute changes or cancellations

Language Translation

If you run a global business or want to reach more customers around the world, a translation VA could help. A bilingual VA can act as a translator during meetings or help translate documents or transcripts.

Bookkeeper

Managing company accounts is one of the most tedious, essential parts of running a business. This accounting is why many people hire a bookkeeping VA to help with day-to-day finances. 

A bookkeeper VA can help with:

• Accounting data entry
• Invoicing
• Payroll processing
• Inventory management
• Budgeting
• Year-end bookkeeping

Benefits of Hiring a Specialized Virtual Assistant

A VA can be a huge asset to you and your business. These are some of the benefits of hiring a specialized virtual assistant.

Specialist Expertise

Specialized virtual assistants are experts in their fields. Rather than simply taking low-level tasks off of your hands, a specialized VA can balance out any weaknesses you may have and offer valuable insights to help your business.

Cost-Effective

Hiring a specialized virtual assistant can be significantly more cost-effective than hiring a full-time employee. Virtual assistants don’t require the same overhead costs as regular employees. They don’t need office space, insurance, benefits, or paid time off. You can also work with a VA on a temporary, part-time, or per project basis. You only need to pay when you need and use their services.

Reduces Stress

Having a specialized virtual assistant deal with the tasks that you don’t want to or don’t have the time for can hugely reduce the stress of running your business. You’ll be able to let your VA handle these tasks while you focus on high-priority projects and the things you enjoy doing most. Hiring a VA can also help create a better work-life balance for overwhelmed business owners.

How to Hire a Specialized Virtual Assistant

Think about what tasks you want taking off of your plate. If most of them fall into the same niche, a specialized VA could be a huge asset for you. And if you need help in many areas of your business, it’s possible to hire several specialized virtual assistants on a part-time or per project basis. LifeSquire can connect you with the perfect virtual assistant with the skills to meet your business’s needs. For more information about our virtual assistant services, contact us today.