In her LinkedIn article, BELAY’s CEO, board member, co-host of the One Next Step podcast, and author Tricia Sciortino addresses a relatively new need and demand for businesses everywhere: social media.

Relatively.

Sure, social media is nothing new, per se, but for businesses who want to remain competitive, communicative and connected to their audience, prospects and targets, it’s become much more than a Tweet here and there and some icons in the footer of our websites and emails.

In fact, that doesn’t even qualify as ‘having a social media presence’ now. Because what was once satisfied with some scraps every once in a while has become a full-time job. Even a cursory Google search yields an exhaustive list of social media marketing companies, departments, careers, and even degrees and certifications.

Simply put: It’s not a hobby or a pastime anymore.

But if you’re a small-to-medium business, the thought of hiring someone to manage your social presence seems lofty at best, and decadently impossible at worst.

But consider the findings of a 2019 study on the state of small business marketing:

• The most common platform for building brand awareness was social media marketing, which consistently outranked all other mediums
• The foremost opportunity for gaining new customers is – again – social media marketing
• 73% of respondents reported they would increase spending on social media

What really stood out from the study, though?

“… while social media continues to be a challenge for many small businesses, it can also help small businesses grow their audience and push customers to their site—but only when executed well.”

“But only when executed well.”

So while SMB owners worry that they can’t afford to have someone dedicated solely to social media, they really can’t afford not to. Why?

Because when you think about how social media has – at least in part – leveled the exposure playing field, its opportunities are endless for SMBs to increase brand awareness and new customer gains, and all without paying-to-play like in the traditional advertising and marketing media days of yore.

Have you noticed that you …

1. … need help managing Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms?
2. … need help producing and scheduling content?
3. … need help responding to online inquiries, getting feedback from clients, and sharing customer success stories?

Sure, many business owners would likely answer ‘yes’ to those questions and still manage just fine. But what if a social media manager could take you from managing ‘fine’ to managing ‘great?’

5 Signs You Need Social Media Manager – STAT

A social media manager can help you manage all of your unique social media needs – which can be varied, extensive and exhaustive – and build a strong online presence to get you back to what you love most: running and growing your business.

1. You’re not social-media savvy.

To do something well – not ‘good’ not ‘OK’ but great – you have to understand it. But, admittedly, you don’t so it’s not top-of-mind.

2. You miss messages. 

Whether it’s a Facebook message about one of your products or a Twitter mention you missed from a week ago, you know it should have been addressed sooner – as in ‘within-five-minutes’ sooner to earn the new ‘very responsive to messages’ Facebook badge.

3. Social media is an afterthought. 

As with most things on your to-do list, those you don’t enjoy or understand are often relegated to the way bottom. However, it’s virtually impossible to gain traction in your social presence without proactive execution of a well-thought-out strategy.

4. You already work 40+ hours. 

We know – if you’re a business owner, 40 hours probably seems like a light week. Being an owner is time-consuming – and there just aren’t an extra 30 hours a week left to manage social media.

5. You’re not reaching your targets.

You’re just not converting enough people, gaining enough new followers, or advancing your campaigns.

You need help.

A BELAY Social Media Manager Can Help

You know those menacing red-number notifications and deafening cacophony of ‘pings,’ ‘dings’ and buzzes from your phone, tablet, and computer as prospects and customers alike all engage with your social media?

Their Social Media Manager can handle that.

Or what about when you see no new notifications and are instead met with the deafening silence on all your social media accounts?

Yup, you guessed it: Their Social Media Manager can handle that, too.

This new service line will help you take their social media presence to the next level by managing your social channels, engaging with your audience, and tackling your scheduling to help them stay ahead of your competition and make lasting connections with your community and target audience.

Pros and Cons of Hiring a VA from the US

You can find virtual assistants or VAs working from different corners of the world. And of course,  there are VAs from one of the pre-eminent developed nations – the USA. Virtual assistants specialize in a wide range of abilities. They can take care of personal tasks, small business-related work, medium business management work, or full-time dedicated services. 

There are individuals or teams of VAs who usually remotely handle different types of tasks for the brands and clients that hire them. However, it is crucial to forecast the benefits of employing a US-based VA compared to VAs with English as their non-native language. 

US-based virtual assistants offer professional assistance and the benefits of outsourcing compared to lower-cost VA options. 

Tasks Performed by VAs 

The most common types of work outsourced to VAs include: 

• Administrative 
• Clerical 
• Data Management 
• Social Media Marketing 
• Web Design & Web Development 
• Content Writing 
• FAQs 
• Call Answering & Customer Service 
• Legal Support 
• eCommerce Support
• Real Estate Support 
• Bookkeeping 

In-Demand Locations for VAs Around the World 

Let us check the most demanding locations around the world in ascending order that requires assistance from VAs: 

USA 

The US is one of the topmost countries that facilitated virtual assistance services in the mid-1990s. Forbes magazine statistics revealed that a large number of US civilians are self-employed. These people need to handle a hefty amount of workload regularly. Outsourcing their work to VAs is their easiest option to get high-quality and accurate output. For example, VAs can track the highest volumes of work in major US cities like New York. 

Canada 

People who live in Canada speak innumerable languages. This has boosted the need for translation services. It also heightened the requirement for corporate and commercial interaction assistance. Most US companies outsource their work to VAs from Canada to avoid delays and get the best services at lower rates. 

Australia 

Australia is a large continent with a limited population. Transport is an irksome factor here. Nevertheless, this boosts the demand for outsourcing tasks for quick and professional output. Since English is the native language of the people in Australia, they prefer to use native English VAs as well. Research and marketing-related tasks preoccupy VAs in Australia. 

Top US VA Companies 

ClearDesk

Clear Desk is a US-based virtual assistant company that provides virtual assistants to entrepreneurs and small to medium-sized businesses all over the world. their pricing packages start at 80 hours per month for $1,250 (approx. $15.60/hr). The reason that hey have a lower hourly rate than most US based VA companies, is that they outsource their services to the Philippines. They also offer VA services in English, French and Spanish!

They offer a 7-day free trial and a free consultation call is offered.

Boldly 

Boldly was founded in 2012 and has team members in North America and Europe. They have a 4.5 customer rating with a minimum hourly rate of $51. Boldly has full-time employees who work as professional VAs and offer dedicated assistance. You can get full team access with Boldly and their minimum subscription package is $1530 for 30 hours. Due to its immense success, Boldly does not offer a free trial. 

Time Etc

This is the second-best US-based virtual assistance company. Time Etc subscription difference compared to Boldly is massive. They offer 10 hours’ worth of work for $290. The company was established in 2007. What makes them special is how they keep track on their website of the number of actual hours they have saved for clients. Time Etc is a great VA services option with full team access, rollover hours, and a free trial. They also have a 4.5 rating for their services and customer support.  

Pros of Hiring a US-Based VA

Communication Flexibility 

Language barriers are eliminated if the VA speaks native US English. It is easier to understand compared to a VA from developing nations. Repetitive explanations can be driven out of the equation with US-based VAs. This helps to save time and money, collaterally. Also, you do not have to sacrifice the quality of work. 

Culturally Accurate 

US-based VAs have a better understanding of the cultural norms that can otherwise be taken for granted. Often, cultural problems can take place when you hire a VA from the global South. However,  US culture plays an integral role in the US-based business climate and market. VAs from the US are culturally better equipped to interact with customers on specific US-related occasions and events. For example, a US-based VA has better insight into the US Real Estate business than a VA from elsewhere. 

Cons of Hiring a US-Based VA

High Subscription Costs 

US-based VA companies have high subscription rates compared to VA services from Canada, Australia, the Philippines, and India. For example, the subscription rate for Boldly, a US-based VA company is more than $1500. This can be the monthly wage of many in developing countries. 

Time Zones May Not Match

Depending on your location and your VA’s location, your time zones may not match. This can be inconvenient for you. Not all US-based VAs will be flexible working odd timings to sync with your time. However, this is where VAs in Asia can go the extra mile and adjust their work schedule to suit your waking hours.  

Find Out the Right US-Based VA for You

The average cost to hire a US-based VA can vary between $25 and $75/hour. This depends on the specialty or complexity of the task at hand. Also, it is important to note that hiring an individual VA will cost less than the services of a virtual assistant company in the US. Nevertheless, a VA company can offer team access that is not possible for an individual alone. ClearDesk, Fiverr, Fancy Hands, and FreeeUp are some of the US-based virtual assistance services to help your small business grow or complete your personal work. Budget, schedule, and communication are the top factors that help to determine the right US-based VA company to meet your unique requirements.  

*Prices accurate at date of publication

Intelligent Virtual Agent vs. Interactive Voice Response: What’s the Difference and Which Is Better To Use?

Today, every contact center knows what IVR is, and many companies employ this technology successfully. However, since it became commercially available, AI has come a long way and can do much more than provide just a simple voicebox or chatbot.

Customers can become wary of lengthy calls to customer support or long menus on websites, and businesses must enhance their user experience as much as possible. As a result, many companies are dipping their toes into voice recognition self-service to keep up with demand for the first time. These businesses usually come in two types: those that still utilize IVRs and those that opt for a more sophisticated solution – virtual agents.

IVA vs IVR: The Differences

Although these two technologies are similar in purpose and can complete similar tasks delegated to them, it is crucial to distinguish IVA (Intelligent Virtual Agent) from IVR (Interactive Voice Response) and know each system’s limitations.

What Is IVR?

An IVR conversion system — such as the one featured in Phonexa’s all-encompassing call distribution platform, Call Logic — is a type of interactive telephone system that is often used in call centers to route calls to the proper agent and, in some instances, to allow callers to execute self-service transactions. The key advantage of an IVR is that it enables businesses to optimize the customer experience and obtain vital information from the answers provided by individuals who call.

Nowadays, most IVR systems are far from conversational, depending instead on menu browsing via touch-tone user inputs. IVR system costs vary based on which services you use and the technology’s quality. As a rule, IVRs are less expensive than AI-based voice assistants.

What Is an IVA?

An IVA is a digital assistant that mimics the actions of a human agent. It delivers some of the services traditionally given by a contact center representative through human-to-human conversation with users via voice or text channels.

IVA is not a simple voicebot, however. Unlike IVR, IVA can handle more complicated issues and conduct extremely comprehensive exchanges without transferring callers to a live person. Even if the IVA system cannot address all client issues completely, it may nevertheless capture critical information and generate a thorough support ticket, which assists team members in expediting the customer care solution process.

The functionality of IVA products may vary depending on where you purchase your software. However, the essential functionality remains unchanged. Virtual agents employ AI, speech recognition, and interfaces with backend systems.

What Can an IVA Do?

Unlike IVR systems that can only redirect customer calls to contact center agents, virtual assistants can not only resolve queries but also enhance the user experience and all that is possible without any human involvement. But if you decide to opt for this technology, you would probably like to know just what IVA is capable of. So here are just a few things virtual assistance can help you with:

• Automate tasks and support live agents: IVA’s primary purpose is to save time for your clients and agents. At the same time, a virtual agent reduces the workload of human agents and enables them to automate simple tasks and free up time for more important calls.
• Recognize both speech and text: Modern IVAs can understand and recognize human voices in different languages and respond to your clients’ queries using text-to-speech technology.
• Ability to make callbacks: IVA systems can allow customers to ask for a callback instead of waiting in line during the call. The virtual assistant then redirects the call to the appropriate human agent.
• Biometrics: Similar to IVR, virtual assistants can be used to verify the caller’s identity based on their voice biometrics from previous calls. In addition, voice biometrics can also act as a security measure.
• Sentiment analysis: Some virtual assistants can automatically identify if customers are frustrated and route the call to an agent.

Some of the high-tech IVA systems can sound almost indistinguishable from human agents in regard to simple queries. In addition, modern AI suites allow for a deep level of customization, which allows for designing your virtual assistant capable of doing virtually anything a human agent can.

Pros And Cons of IVA

IVA is one of the most effective tools available today for businesses to empower and improve self-service operations for their clients. Self-service is gradually gaining popularity, as technologically aware clients choose to address service demands on their own before contacting human agents.

If you were hiring a human agent, you would need to consider what languages they know and what type of system they need to work with. IVA agent is similar in terms of these specific skills. You pay them just like any human agent. However, IVA allows you to save money by only training one virtual agent instead of a whole department. It is important to point out that a virtual agent also needs to be prepared with that in mind. However, it takes less time, and AI can start working right off the bat, unlike regular agents.

Virtual agents learn from what they do, conversations, and experiences with clients. Furthermore, depending on their level of expertise, they can learn how to convey the information to live agents, saving your clients time in the long run.

Conclusion

Organizations realize the true potential of AI by going one step further with predictive capabilities to do tasks even faster. After covering what IVR and IVA can offer, let’s take a brief look at your options to determine which solution will work best for your business:

• IVR systems are great for smaller businesses and are cheap, but they can lack certain functionality
• IVRs take less time to install and don’t require maintenance often
• IVA solutions offer better flexibility to companies with a more extensive client base but are more expensive
• IVA is a complex solution that requires maintenance more often than traditional IVR systems

Consumers expect companies to have a self-service solution on their websites. So there is little doubt why the use of IVAs increased by 46% in 2020. This trend won’t stop anytime soon, and the IVA systems are becoming more accessible to small businesses and even startups. As a result, we can expect a significant surge in the popularity of virtual agents and IVA systems.

Author: Stanislav Bilenkyi is a content writer at Phonexa. He is passionate about technology and AI which he has covered for over 7 years.