Last week the Prime Minister announced that if you were unable to work from home, then you were now allowed to go back to work providing you take the proper precautions.
This got me thinking about how many people have been working from home who had previously not considered it and are now looking at ways to continue this long after the threat of Covid-19 has gone.
While not everyone can work virtually or from home – tradespeople for example – there are still aspects to the ‘virtual’ way of working that they can adopt in order to increase productivity, saving both time and money.
Working with a Virtual Team
Again, while not convenient for everyone this is a good way to grow your business while keeping costs down. Working with a virtual team is the perfect way to get the right people on board without the additional costs involved in recruiting and employing staff (benefits, NIC etc), not to mention the savings that come from not having to provide desk space for them.
Another benefit of working with a virtual team is that to begin with you may not require them to work full time, in fact you may only need them a couple of hours each week to begin with. While this is not an issue for the majority of freelancers, you may struggle to find someone who was willing to do this as an employee.
Virtual Meetings
One of the big things to come out of the lockdown period has to be the increase in virtual meetings using software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts – even Facebook are getting in on the act.
In addition to saving time and money on travel, another benefit to virtual meetings is the ability to record sessions for reference if required. This is useful if you wish to have your Virtual PA transcribing minutes or notes for distribution to the team.
Virtual Surveys/Inspections
With the software now available carrying out virtual surveys and inspections could save some trades around 10+ hours a week. There would still be a requirement to visit sites and properties once the initial survey had been carried out in order to get the correct details etc but think of what else you could get done in the time you have saved.
Online Training/Courses
Online courses are a fantastic source of passive income. Don’t get me wrong, they still require some work, but on the whole they once they are set up all the need is some marketing and the occasional update (depending on the course content). There are a variety of online platforms that can be used to host the courses which means they can be accessed from anywhere.
Online exercise such as Joe Wicks, Pilates and martial arts are another way to embrace the virtual way of working. While they won’t suit everyone, they are a great way of expanding your client base as they are accessible to anyone with internet access. They can be done via Facebook Live, Zoom or one of the many other platforms out there.
If you are interested in adding a Virtual PA to your team, get in touch today to find out more. Alternatively, you could book a Power Hour with me to chat through your options.