Virtual assistants (VAs) have been around for a while, and although the general public tends to associate them with CEOs whose diligent VAs keep the firm afloat, in reality, virtual assistant is ideal for owners of e-commerce businesses.
VAs are ideal for owners of e-commerce businesses since e-commerce is likewise performed almost entirely virtually, with people working remotely and without physically meeting. It should be noted that the majority of e-commerce business owners eventually become overloaded with work, and a virtual assistant might be the ideal help.
If you own an online store and are asking what kind of jobs a virtual assistant (VA) can complete, the answer is that it all depends on the VA in question and the rapport you have with them. Having said that, there are several jobs that would be ideal for assigning to a virtual assistant.
Order fulfillment
Order processing is undoubtedly one of the most crucial responsibilities for e-commerce enterprises. Order input, shipping scheduling, and billing will all be part of order processing. All these duties, of course, have varied degrees, and many of them will involve basically automated actions that anyone can pick up quite quickly.
But keep in mind that order processing is a crucial component of your online store, therefore you should only delegate this task to your virtual assistant if you are certain they will do it well.
While it may seem monotonous and repetitive, order processing is something that shouldn’t be left to chance. This will likely require some training.
Managing exchanges and returns
Customers will occasionally wish to return an item they purchased or swap it for something different, despite your best efforts. In actuality, a lot of e-commerce companies who provide free delivery and simple returns will have to cope with it.
Once more, this is a repetitious, fairly trivial task that doesn’t call for a lot of experience. It does call for meticulous attention to detail, but if your virtual assistant is a Napoleonic chief of staff with renowned organizational abilities, like Berthier, then they will have no trouble managing your exchanges and returns.
Remember that there may be customers who wish to return or exchange things for which they are not legally entitled. It would be wise to set up a policy on this, which your VA will be aware of.
Client support
Nobody really anticipated that kind of customer care from an e-commerce business a few years ago. The ability to shop whenever it was convenient for them and at reduced rates satisfied the consumers. On the other hand, people want excellent customer service these days. If they are not happy with the initial customer service, 70% of customers will call a rival right away, according to an Office HQ study.
Unfortunately, even if it is really vital, doing it yourself might make your days disappear since it takes an inordinate amount of time. Furthermore, you cannot possibly provide round-the-clock customer assistance on your own if your e-commerce business ships internationally.
Although a virtual assistant will need extensive training to do such crucial work, this is the ideal assignment to assign to them. In fact, if you want to assign your VA consumer service responsibilities, check that they have prior customer service experience—preferably in the retail industry—even before you recruit them.
It is advisable to hold off on thinking about chatbots or similar technology for a few more years. This technology still has a long way to go.
Customer support provided by humans is still required.
Upkeep of websites
For an e-commerce website to function effectively enough to draw in and keep clients, it must be a well-oiled machine. The contemporary consumer is fully aware that there are many other websites from which to choose if they are dissatisfied with the way everything functions on your website.
Naturally, if you don’t know enough about IT, you’ll have to handle a lot of things yourself. If not, a professional in the field will make sure everything works properly. But there are also some tasks that a knowledgeable virtual assistant might perform.
They can handle the chore of routinely updating your website, for example, to make sure that any pricing adjustments, new features, services, and items are always current. Additionally, they will verify that there are no broken links on your website and that all of the information is still there.
They could also take care of maintaining any news or blog sections on your e-commerce website. A VA with prior expertise creating material will be needed for this, but it’s likely that you can get someone with that kind of background.
Final word
It all boils down to the difficulties you face as an owner of an e-commerce company and the kind of virtual assistant you are able to hire. You will almost certainly find that hiring a fantastic VA will completely change the way you manage your company.
and not negatively.
