The Top 10 Reasons to Consider Hiring a Virtual PA

The Top 10 Reasons to Consider Hiring a Virtual PA

Virtual PA

We all hate having to do our business ‘housekeeping’ chores; whether it’s organising your filing, sorting out your business cards, typing up letters or just simply getting your tax return done… the list is endless. So how can a virtual PA help you become more effective, more efficiently? 

 

Top Ten Reasons to use a Designated Virtual PA 

 

  1. Got a big presentation to do? Let the professionals take charge!

With minimal supervision, we can turn around a document in Word, Excel, PowerPoint or even Canva and turn it from a jumble of numbers and words into a coherent work of art, fit for any boardroom. As businesses move from kitchen table to a more corporate environment, it’s more important than ever before to keep teams engaged. No death by PowerPoint over here thank you!

2. Flummoxed by figures, or simply no time to file that tax return?

Why not get us to take a look at the books and help you get back on track, whilst you concentrate on making the big bucks.

3. Give us an inch and we’ll go the extra mile 

We are never happier than when we have a new project to get our teeth into; whether it’s investigating new business opportunities, or following up existing leads, we like to help you make a difference. We know that some of the most important business research can fall to the bottom of the list. Let us cover this area for you and stay on top of what your competitors are doing whilst you focus on the day to day running of your business.

 

4. Lost for words?

As a team of experienced professionals, we are well-versed in the art of creating compelling copy and putting together savvy sales pitches.

Writing copy is time-consuming, we need to be more aware and sensitive than ever to our customers, clients and colleagues work/personal situations.

5. We do it, so you don’t have to! 

Don’t have time to enter all those potentially lucrative prospects into your system? All we need is a list and we can upload, annotate and amend to your heart’s content.

6. All dressed up and nowhere to go?

Networking can be a time-consuming activity, but just one well-connected contact can pay dividends. We can help advise on which groups are suitable and research any hidden costs or lucrative opportunities that you hadn’t considered.

7. Let us organise your life, leaving you free to concentrate on what makes your business tick.

We can coordinate meetings, arrange travel, type up minutes, compile documents, respond to email on your behalf and even contact previous clients for their feedback on your product or service.

Our PA’s are in touch with highly experienced travel professionals who can ensure both business and pleasure trips are fully managed.

8. Raise your game and we’ll up your ante! 

We can search for, and post, relevant, interesting, compelling content onto your social network profile pages, with the click of a mouse and the tap of the keyboard. We can also help you optimise your pages, reach out to your contacts and keep your pages fresh and relevant – leaving you free to go and do the networking you were born to do!

9. Take the chaos out of conferences

Use us to project manage your corporate events. We get to grips with the gritty details, ensuring no glass is left unfilled. Whether you need client hospitality, private banquets, or large scale exhibitions organised, we are there to calmly communicate and coordinate with your clients and suppliers.

10. Ever get that sinking feeling?

The superpowers of a good PA are often overlooked; whether it be the ability to efficiently manage calls, whilst juggling emails and monitoring a jam-packed diary, or tracking down lost and forgotten receipts. Being able to depend upon a reliable set of hands, eyes and ears can be the difference between staying on top, or getting mired in an administrative nightmare. Never is that more apparent when you are in desperate need and don’t know where to turn. Enter, Designated! We are often able to put you in touch with fellow super-powered assistants, potentially looking for a step up, down or change in direction. We can also vet CVs, write up job adverts or simply field responses until you have time to start interviewing.

 

So, if you are looking for your next PA or just know you need help but can’t justify the cost of hiring someone on a full-time basis, perhaps going ‘virtual’ is the best way forward – after all, you’ve only got time to lose. Get in touch and chat to us about how we can help.

 

To chat though how we can help, contact our Head Of Client Services Sophie Brown on sophie@designatedpa.com or call us on 020 7952 1460.

 

Guide to Working Smarter not Harder

Guide to Working Smarter not Harder

Guide to WORKING SMARTER NOT HARDER….

Ever found yourself with a million things to do and no idea where to start?  Or perhaps you just keep putting off that big black deadline that’s hovering over you? Either way, getting your work space and you task list organised is a sure fire way to help get your head space back on track.  Our guide to helping you towards working smarter not harder will help.

Read on for our free, stress-busting survival guide…

1. Make Lists

Yes, you’ve heard it before, but it works!  It’s simple, the smartest way to unload your over-worked brain is to get it all out on paper (or for those that prefer something a little more high tech, a Smartphone, tablet, or whatever you’re most comfortable with).  Put down everything – every, little, thing.

There are a loads of apps that can help too!

  • Paperless
  • Wunderlist
  • Todoist
  • Trello
  • Toodledo

2. Now prioritise

Put a number, an asterisk, re-sort or highlight.  Get that list working for you.  Concentrate on the big stuff – the things you know are going to take the longest time.  Put them near the top, somewhere you can’t ignore them.  The sense of achievement when you manage to cross those bad boys off will be immense.  And then you can reward yourself with a few ‘little’ tasks to help break up the intensity.

3. Watch the clock

Your list is ready, your priorities are set, and it’s time to get down to business!  Set yourself a realistic deadline for each item.  Start by breaking things down by hours, half hours, quarter hours or even ten minute slots.  Make an appointment to meet friends, go out for lunch or get a haircut, and then organise your tasks around it, accordingly – it’s amazing what you can achieve when you have a ‘reward’ in sight.

4. BITE size, not supersize.

If you have a seemingly insurmountable task ahead of you, break it down into smaller chunks.  As you start to simplify the job into separate elements, you will be able to concentrate on getting it done, piece by piece.

5. DON’T procrastinate – delegate! 

Use reminders to flag up deadlines, set up rules on your email so that you can see when important emails need to be responded to.  Set your phone to vibrate and let voicemail take a message.  This way you can turn your full attention to the job in hand, without any distractions.

6. CALL in the professionals?

If you are still struggling to stay on top, and feel like you are slowly sinking under a pile of admin, then perhaps what you need is a bit of professional help – of the administrative kind!

Do you need someone to cast an objective eye over your accounts, or a willing soul to get help you get through your filing?  Maybe all you need is for someone to manage your travel and diary arrangements, whilst you concentrate on writing that report.

Whatever it may be, help is at hand.  Designated is a one-stop-shop created with you specifically in mind.  We are here to enable you to hand off tasks and concentrate on your core business.

With us by your side, you will find you are able to focus on productivity, deliver greater results and generally be free to be the high-flying executive you are meant to be.  Alternatively, you might find that you have a few less grey hairs and a lot less to worry about.

7. Get working smarter not harder

Speak to us about how we can help bring time saving and cost effective professional support into your business.  With Designated – where you’re in safe hands.  Call 0207 952 1460 or email us info@designatedgroup.com.

Designated’s top tips when choosing an accountant

Designated’s top tips when choosing an accountant

Accountant

10 things to look for when choosing an accountant.

 It is important to take your time when choosing an accountant. Now that so many businesses and people are working remotely, location isn’t so much of an issue – meaning you can look to hire the best talent to suit you and your business, wherever they are located.

Designated has been able to recruit a team of dedicated accountants that will best suit our clients, here are some of the qualities that we looked for:

Highly Organised

Accountants have a very busy role, with several deadlines throughout the month or quarter, they need to be aware of what is coming up when and who needs to be informed within the organisation. Any data or information must be collected in good time to avoid any last-minute scrambles.

Excellent Time Management

Going hand in hand with being highly organised, one of the top qualities needed by your accountant is excellent time management skills. With so many tasks that will quickly pile up if they are not seen to, your accountant must be able to assess how much time is needed to complete each task. For a senior accountant, there may also be elements of team management and meetings with the company’s leadership that can take up a lot of their valuable time.

Highly Experienced (within your sector) 

Being able to offer a wide range of skills can only come with many years of experience. Your new accountant should be able to offer a selection of testimonials and references backing up their work. Your accountant’s knowledge and experience need to extend to your particular area of business. While ideally, a prospective accountant may have dealt with many different types of industries it is recommendable that they have worked with yours so that they can hit the ground running.

Attention to detail 

Your accountant should be analytical, paying close attention to detail with the ability to spot errors quickly and efficiently. Your accountant should have the skills to be able to review and identify inconsistencies in large amounts of data or information. Attention to detail is necessary to ensure consistency and accuracy in financial reporting. This information can be used to help make crucial business decisions so it must be correct.

Honest and trustworthy 

Your accountant needs to have a strong sense of ethics. Integrity is a valued characteristic within an accountant, they must know right from wrong and always display integrity in their accounting and bookkeeping work. You need to be able to trust your accountant, you also need to know that if something goes wrong and if they make an error, they will be confident and honest enough to discuss this with you so that the mistake can be rectified.

Flexible

Your accountant may be analytical and structured but it is also important that they have a sense of flexibility in their work. Not everything is going to go to plan and they’re not going to always be able to gather the information that they need from a business owner or senior leader when they need it. Another reason why time management is important for this role. A high level of agility is also necessary for quick response to regulatory changes in the industry only then can they provide quality service to the business.

Up to date with the latest technology

If you’re searching for an accountant, you need to know and understand the latest technology that your prospective accountant can use. Designated is a Xero bronze partner and our finance team are all zero certified advisors trained by Xero to deliver you the best financial support. Xero is the perfect finance solution for most businesses providing a fully integrated suite of services, for example, Xero integrates with your bank account to enable easy reconciliations. 

 Up to date with ongoing training and certifications

If you’re searching for an accountant you must ensure they have maintained the proper certifications and are continuing their training and development within the industry. Thanks to the digital age, things are changing all the time, though it may not affect their workload right away, over time technology trends will continue to transform the accountancy industry.

Communication Skills 

Your accountant needs to possess excellent communication skills. They must be able to inform senior leadership of updates and changes in clear and easy to understand language. Accountants can impact critical business decision making, so they must be heard and understood. They may also need to collaborate with employees in different departments, with perhaps little financial experience, so explaining things in a way that will be understood. This leads us nicely onto our next point.

Collaboration

A good accountant can recognise their place within an organisation, make the most of networking and getting to know their colleagues. Accountants are team players and provide support to different departments in the organisation – that’s why they should be able to efficiently communicate the knowledge of their expertise to clients and decision-makers.

At Designated, we believe that a good accountant is needed throughout the year and not just at year-end to prepare your annual accounts and self-assessment. Your dedicated Designated accountant will do this and so much more.

  • Bookkeeping
  • Monthly management reports
  • Payroll
  • Accountancy
  • Strategic financial support

If you would like to know more about working with Designated’s accountancy team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Michelle for a friendly chat: michelle.elliott@designatedgroup.com

September edition of Designated Digest

September edition of Designated Digest

Stay Connected July

Welcome to September’s edition of Designated Digest. With Summer coming to an end it has been great to enjoy some amazing weather before the final quarter of the year begins.

This month we are looking at the importance of understanding your customer journey and how it is essential for ensuring your business thrives.

We have also delved into the world of strategic business reviews, looking at how to build on your strengths, get all your team onboard and pinpoint weaknesses so you can adjust all aspects of your company to reach your business goals.

Finally, we have looked to distinguish the difference between accounting and bookkeeping to make it easier for you to decide what elements your business needs.

Best wishes,

The Designated Team

July edition of Designated Digest

July edition of Designated Digest

Stay Connected July

Hello! and welcome to our July edition!

In this months edition of Designated Digest, the sun is shining and everyone’s getting ready for the first Summer of restriction free travel, more importantly business seems to be booming for many of you, which is great to see!

This month we are looking at Neurodiverstiy and what that means in terms of the workplace. Embracing neurodiversity and understanding the needs of your employees can ensure all your staff can excel and work more effectively.

We also hear from one of our senior marketing managers on the skills to look for when hiring a marketing manager and they are more varied than you would usually think.

Finally we would like to introduce you to our management team here at Designated.

Best Wishes, 

Designated Team 

March edition of Designated Digest

March edition of Designated Digest

March Designated Digest

Hello! and welcome to our March edition!

In this month’s newsletter we kick off with diversity and inclusion and recruitment, looking at resources tools and techniques. Now more than ever, HR professionals need to demonstrate the ability to develop D&I strategies to attract, recruit and retain a diverse workforce.

We also take advice from our friends at Xero, on how to manage small business cash flow. Xero’s small business trends report shows that 60% of small business owners are worried about their household finances running low.

Then finally we look at the top social media trends for 2022, there may be some surprises in there!

A quick admin note – our newsletter is now going to be moving to a quarterly issue, ensuring we bring you the most valuable content and resources to your inbox.

Best Wishes, 

Designated Team