The extent to which the internet impacts our lives can be seen virtually everywhere we look. As a result of the rapid development of both technology and cell phones, there has been a massive increase in the number of career prospects available to professionals who can work from home.
The days are long gone when having a profession meant working a 9 to 5 job with no reasonable balance between work and home life. The pandemic and the incredible speed with which the world adapted to a work-from-home model testify that technology has significantly advanced the way we live.
But how did the idea of virtual employment come to exist in the first place? How was it possible for the industry of virtual assistants to become more prominent than secretarial services?
The Beginning (Before Virtual Assistants)
It was in the early 1940s when the seeds were first planted for what would become the industry of virtual assistants, which has since grown to become the most profitable and competitive employment sector in the world. Sir Isaac Pitman is credited with developing the shorthand method, which served as the foundation for the modern secretarial services sector.
His first school for secretaries only accepted male students until the invention of the typewriter, which opened the door for women to enter the field of secretarial work. From that point forward, women continued to hold office jobs, and by the 1930s, men were no longer present in this occupational sector. The evolution of technology continued, with typewriters eventually giving way to word processing systems, word processing systems giving way to telephones and fax machines, and so on.
Moving Forward –Going Virtual
By the 19th century, technological development had progressed to such an extent that it was responsible for the conception of the internet in 1994, a medium that made it feasible for business transactions to take place even when the parties involved were located thousands of miles apart. When Thomas Lenard and Anastasia Stacy Brice, an administrative assistant, first used the term "virtual assistance" in 1996, this development indicated the beginning of the virtual industry. When Stacy began working for an international client full-time as a secretary from the comfort of her own home, she became the embodiment of the new employment market. She offered various services over the internet, including travel planning, personal aid, administrative support, and so on. The term "virtual assistant" caught on so quickly that it eventually became a label for a field of work still in its prime but positioned for significant growth.
1997 was the year that saw the first steps toward the industry of virtual assistants. Christine Durst is credited with starting the industry of virtual assistants in 1995 and is the author of the book "The Second Commute." She referred to this organization as a paradigm shift in the practice of working from home and urged people worldwide to make the most of the opportunities presented by the internet. In addition, she urged working professionals to follow their sense of independence, passions, and ambitions while working from home.
Virtual Assistants are in Demand!
Over the last decade, virtual support has significantly increased the demand for virtual support. Virtual assistants come equipped with a diverse set of talents and can meet your requirements in ways that office-based administrative assistants cannot do. So the answer here is yes! They are in demand.
• Virtual Assistants can perform routine office-related activities such as managing email, maintaining books, and keeping track of schedules, in addition to performing more complex IT-related jobs such as managing networks, social media, and generating leads. Even though not all virtual assistants possess the same skills, they offer many advantages over their office-based counterparts.
• Because virtual assistants possess such a wide variety of skill sets, one is available for every business. Virtual assistants can work in businesses of all sizes, from multinational conglomerates to fledgling start-up companies. They can, in most cases, meet all of your requirements.
• The year 2017 saw a significant increase in the use of virtual help. As a result of the growing demand from businesses, the workload of virtual assistants continued to increase. On the other hand, some companies are reluctant to employ one. From their point of view, virtual assistants labor off-site, making it harder to oversee and direct what they do. The solution is to hire a skilled virtual assistant
• In many people's eyes, the advantages of employing them exceed the potential drawbacks, and the cost is significantly lower than that of an office-based employee. In the year 2020, several businesses are beginning to recognize the value of employing a virtual assistant
• It is a widely held belief that the two crucial criteria for achieving success in any given sector or industry are effective management of one's time and resources and implementing strategic plans. However, in this day and age, despite the rapid development of technical wonders, business owners and businesses are finding themselves overwhelmed and swamped with work. They have a more significant number of responsibilities, and effectively managing their time is nearly complicated for them to achieve on their own. This is one of the reasons why the use of virtual assistants is becoming increasingly common.
Virtual Assistants have gained popularity. With their numerous advantages, top companies and small to medium businesses prefer to hire them to save time and increase productivity. But, amazingly, virtual assistants have come to the rescue!
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