Maintaining all of the day-to-day responsibilities can be a difficult undertaking for small business owners that operate an online store. There is a lot to keep track of, including purchase orders, inventory tracking, and even customer enquiries.
Here is where an E-Commerce virtual assistant may help. In this article, we'll explore what virtual assistants do and how using one might improve the efficiency of your company.
So continue reading if you need some extra assistance running your online business.
Why Would You Need A Virtual Assistant?
If you want to grow your e-commerce firm, you may already be thinking about the challenges that come with adding a large workforce to your team. The time needed to plan, recruit, and onboard, and the expense of compensation, benefits, recruitment, and office space, can all mount up dramatically.
Businesses are discovering that they must be present in the virtual space in order to remain competitive as the world moves progressively more digital.
The development and management of a company's online presence can be empowered by virtual assistants. Virtual assistants can frequently offer helpful assistance at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time employee. Many businesses struggle to succeed for a variety of reasons, including faulty marketing techniques, technological issues, and legal issues.
Below is a statistic that might help entrepreneurs understand the main causes of failed businesses.
Key Statistics
- 34% of startup failures are due to a poor product-market fit.
- 22% of failed businesses didn’t implement the correct marketing strategies.
- 18% of startups fail due to team problems and other human resource-related issues.
- 6% of startup failures are due to tech-related problems, including poor cyber security and outdated solutions.
- 2% of startups fail due to legal problems, such as issues with licensing, registering an unsuitable entity structure, and failing to formulate a partnership agreement that protects the interests of each co-founder.
Sources: Business News Daily, Investopedia, Failory,
A Virtual E-commerce Day-To-Day E-Commerce Tasks
The virtual assistant industry today is much more diverse than you could have imagined. As we previously stated, VAs are becoming more and more common in the e-commerce sector. Let's continue discussing the various aspects of the overall sales process where e-commerce virtual assistants could be of great assistance to you.
Orders and Invoicing
An online business can benefit greatly from the assistance of an e-commerce virtual assistant. One of the most crucial jobs an e-commerce virtual assistant may perform is order processing.
This covers activities including receiving orders, monitoring inventories, handling payments, and shipping items. An e-commerce virtual assistant can handle these responsibilities, freeing up the business owner's time to concentrate on other areas of managing their business.
Even while order processing and invoice production are now considerably simpler thanks to current e-commerce platforms, they might still take some time. Also, a developing business will have more orders and bills to manage.
The excellent thing is that by hiring a virtual assistant for your e-commerce business, you won't ever have to drown in information and your company can operate without a problem. A skilled VA can assist with purchase input, record management, client invoice creation and sending, as well as other tasks.
An e-commerce virtual assistant on your team can keep records of unpaid invoices, make sure that payments are made on time, and get in touch with customers or clients who have unpaid invoices, all of which will make the process much simpler for you and save you up an extra time for you to focus on increasing sales.
Leads and Prospects
Companies will always need clients or customers in order to generate revenue. The first stages, however, are frequently the most difficult in getting someone to become a paying customer. Finding great leads and prospects requires a lot of time and work, and this is a process that is never finished; it is something that you are constantly doing.
But, with the assistance of a seasoned virtual assistant, you can substantially speed up this process. All you have to do is provide them a list of criteria for the kinds of prospects you're looking for, based on things like industry, job title, location, and so on, or a target audience profile.
Then, your assistant can carry out research on your behalf, find prospective leads and clients, and update your lead record as necessary.
Inventory and Stocks
You may manage your stock and inventory with the assistance of a virtual assistant. To successfully operate an E-commerce company in the modern age, inventory management is essential. To guarantee customer pleasure, you must maintain a balance between the two.
They can keep track of your production rates and notify you when supplies are running low by linking with your shopping cart. When they achieve a particular level, they can also automatically place new orders for products. Virtual assistants can also assist you in tracking your goods across many locations.
They can make sure that your inventory levels are coordinated between your physical store and your online store if you run both. No matter which channels your consumers use, you can be confident that you never run out of product this way.
Customer Services
It is much more vital in the case of an e-commerce business because customers cannot feel or touch the product before they make a purchase. This indicates that they are depending on you to inform them truthfully about the goods and respond to any queries they may have.
You can get customer service assistance from a virtual assistant in a number of ways. Using chat features, email, or even the phone, they can respond to consumer questions. They can also assist you in addressing any customer problems.
An e-Commerce virtual assistant can save you a lot of time and trouble by handling your customer service. Your virtual assistant will be accessible to clients around-the-clock to provide the best services possible.
Marketing Materials
Although sales and marketing are two distinct fields, they both play important roles in the customer buying process. Executing all the many elements in your business's marketing strategy can take a lot of time once you've thought them out.
A virtual assistant might handle a variety of activities, from copywriting to ordering supplies, arranging orders, and managing inventories. They could also review and edit brochures and catalogues, create email campaigns, and provide light graphic design for marketing materials.
You'll be able to use this time to devote yourself to developing business strategy, bringing in additional income, and expanding your business rather of spending hours on these tasks yourself.
The Bottom Line
Some aspects of e-commerce businesses must be handled by the owner, but there are many others that could benefit from the assistance of a trained third party.
For instance, even if you are an expert in commercial matters, you might not be as skilled in fields like writing or marketing.
A virtual assistant might therefore be a tremendous help to your online store. There are many ways a virtual assistant can help increase the effectiveness of your company, raise productivity, and maximize profitability, from the myriad administrative activities that pile up every day to crucial research.
Connecting With An Agency
Partnering with an agency is the greatest approach to getting a dependable e-commerce virtual assistant. This is a result of the fact that they have a group of experts who are skilled and knowledgeable in this area.
They will also be able to offer you a wide range of services, including data entry, customer service, and product research.
If you want to grow and take your business to the next level, our staff can help you in selecting the right assistant.
And if you're prepared to begin benefiting, get in touch with our staff so we can create a strategy specifically for your requirements.
