In today’s environment, the days of hiring an in-house office manager are slowly fading. As a society, we are working from home, our car, or even a co-working location, more than an office building. Why pay rent for office space when you can work just as effectively from your home office, after all? But without an office space, it’s more difficult to have an in-house office manager/assistant. Having someone come into your home to work is awkward and confusing.
But is an Virtual Assistant what your business needs? Most likely, you are also hearing a lot about an Online Business Manager; is that what you need instead? How do you decide?
Let’s talk a bit about the difference between the two:
A Virtual Assistant is awesome and very likely an important part of your growing business. They are your task focused person. A VA will work on completing a task by a deadline. While an Online Business Manager (OBM) will focus on the big picture, examining the Why and How questions – Setting the priority, deadlines, and procedures of the tasks.
An OBM and a VA also approaches tasks differently. The VA will focus on pleasing you, the client. They want to do the tasks the way it was requested in the most effective way. However, the OBM is listen not only to what you need done, but also the why you need to do it. They will look for ways to give you more time, profit, and productivity. They will want to move you forward to the big picture of your needs.
A VA is responsible for the task you give them to do. An OBM tends to be responsible for the organization, planning and delegation of tasks. The two parts work together, with one doing the work while the other leads the project. While both will be invested in your business, the VA will focus on one task at a time and making sure it is completed. The OBM will invest in learning the business in order to advise and lead you toward the results you desire.
Here at Office Allies, you get the best of both worlds. Each client gets both an Online Business Manager and at least one Virtual Assistant. We focus on your business and give you a true team. Each client gets the personal attention of an OBM from day one, discussing your goals, processes and how we can work to move you forward. Along side the OBM will be a team of multiple VAs who will help take care of the individual tasks.
If you are ready to learn more, we are here ready to talk!