Over recent years, the digital age has changed the business landscape, including people’s workflow. Now more than ever, working with a virtual staff has become a norm as companies across different industries adopt a more digitalized way of operating their business.
Outsourcing online staff allows companies to access the talent they may not find locally, which is especially helpful for small businesses that don’t have the same resources as large corporations. Virtual staff also offers greater flexibility without breaking the organization’s bank.
From a global standpoint, statistics indicate that about 40% of employed workers in Australia work remotely, and 77% of Americans work at home for at least some time. With only growing numbers in this population, this goes to say that the remote setup helps build work-life balance and increases productivity.Â
Several companies outsource their staff members to ensure they get specialists for a particular function, which helps drive and scale their business success—it’s where having an integrated virtual staff makes a difference.Â
Advantages of Having an Integrated Virtual Staff
Partnering with a virtual staff provides numerous benefits for your organization. If you’re uncertain about how it affects you and your operations, here are some key benefits of having an online staff.
Cost savings
Virtual staffing is incredibly cost-effective because it allows you to skip paying for office space and utilities as employees aren’t physically present. You and your team members will also be able to save on transportation costs and get more dimes (and time) in your hands as you choose the most convenient workplace.
Access to a global talent pool
Globalization has enabled companies to access a wide range of talent pools. However, many businesses still don’t take advantage of this opportunity, whether due to concerns about security or language barriers, among other things.
When done properly, virtual staff outsourcing enables your brand to scout and work with the best people appropriate for the position you’re hiring.Â
Improved productivity and efficiency
Having an online staff increases productivity and efficiency for everyone because each task is delegated appropriately to each person. Additionally, providing productivity tools will make operations easier, enabling collaboration and work optimization to help accomplish functions faster and better.
Flexibility and scalability
Hiring a virtual staff will offer immense flexibility in your day-to-day activities as they work around your schedule without hassle. If there’s an important matter you need to handle, you can allow your online staff to carry over less pressing tasks you might have on your schedule.
Outsourcing also affects your business’s scalability because you effectively improve your brand with extra pairs of hands from professionals in the field.
Diversity
With a diverse staff, you can get insights into different things that help level up your company, internally and externally. If your business is trying to understand a specific target market, there may be people within your team who are knowledgeable enough about the demographic and develop strategies to tap into these audiences.
Hiring with diversity in mind will also showcase virtual leadership because it shows that you’re open to different people who have new ideas and can manage them accordingly despite the distance.
5 Best Practices for Managing an Integrated Virtual Staff
You want everyone to work productively and efficiently; part of being a business owner is leading your team to do just that. When opting for virtual staff services, here are things you should practice to make the most of this partnership.
1. Set clear expectations and guidelines
Expectations and guidelines are at the forefront of what each employee needs to know about their work. Without it, they may be unsure of what to work on and how to achieve it. When you set clear goals and instructions, you’re directing your team toward success, avoiding any issues that might hinder the business from getting there.
2. Provide regular communication and feedback
Since your online staff isn’t physically present, you must establish a schedule for communicating with them. Once you do, you can ask for feedback on optimizing your processes. It provides a seamless day-to-day operation and discusses points about their work that could use improvement.Â
Regular checkups on your remote team members also help establish rapport between you and the employees, creating a better and healthier working relationship for all.
3. Invest in collaboration tools
Collaboration tools are necessary to ensure everyone’s doing their job, especially if you’re working with virtual staff. It presents the opportunity to work together on a single task and check the progress of specific projects. Popular collaboration tools in the market today include Trello, Slack, and Google Workspace.
4. Provide training and refreshers
Training and support are just as important when working with virtual staff because one digital mistake causes numerous issues that hurt the business in the long run.
As such, you must train your team to be accustomed to your process and trust them to handle matters themselves. Conducting refreshers is also a great way to review outdated methods and teach updated practices on the job.
5. Create teams within your staff
Creating teams fosters communication and growth with each employee. When somebody isn’t sure about their task, they can seek assistance from one of their teammates.Â
Together, they solve issues, provide new insights, or suggest new ideas about other matters, such as giving cybersecurity tips to ensure the safety of their work.
Maintain Online Partnerships with Integrated Virtual Staff
Working with virtual staff members is vastly different from working with an in-person group. With this setup, communication and employee satisfaction are harder to gauge. However, if you invest in the right tools and practice good habits, you’ll have a dependable and trustworthy team in your corner to help drive your business forward.
The future of virtual staff looks bright, and the endless opportunities it provides will surely benefit companies of different sectors in the long haul. If you’re interested in expanding and integrating a virtual team for your business, look no further than Outsource Access and our pool of online virtual assistants.
