“When I first went out selling virtual business support, people would either look at me like I had two heads, or say “but who’s going to make my tea?” That conversation is for another time but we can safely say there has been a real shift in attitudes towards virtual business support.”
The past year has seen large-scale adaptation and changes for many industries. Now, companies are reviewing their operational strategy as they rebuild for the future. Therein lies a review of the traditional PA role as businesses turn to virtual assistants for a flexible alternative.
In a recent conversation with our founder, Sarra Bejaoui, shared how SmartPA has grown since we launched in 2008 and the journey along the way of launching our global virtual assistant business.
Let’s dive in.
When did you realise the potential for virtual assistants?
2008 seems like a lifetime ago, but it was a unique place to be. Launching a business during this time was not easy for a lot of sectors, however, the virtual assistant market was placed perfectly as businesses looked to cut costs and operate more efficiently.
During this time the tech space started to pick up pace, which paved the way for home working, outsourcing and virtual business opportunities. This also enabled CEOs, business owners and managers to become self-serving – this is where SmartPA found its footing.
As these business leaders were becoming more self-serving, the downside was that they were more distracted from their core strengths and value in the business. As a result, their time was consumed by administrative activities, rather than revenue-generating tasks.
SmartPA realised the value of being able to compliment the economic needs of businesses by offering them an exceptional and consistent business support experience, that was also cost-effective.
What we offered was an impactful and results-driven service where businesses could engage our team of virtual assistants through one point of contact. Giving our clients access to a global network of skills, knowledge, and talent.
What growth has the business experienced?
We’re currently in an exciting stage with SmartPA. Like 2008, virtual outsourcing has been thrown into the spotlight once again and businesses are realising the benefits of what impact this has on their bottom line.
SmartPA has seen consistent growth as awareness of virtual assistants grew. Now that there is a wider knowledge of virtual assistants and the benefits, we have seen more and more pick up. There have been some key moments in the business’s history along the way, but the past couple of years for us have been explosive and we’re ramping up our operations quickly.
We are proud to be an ambitious business focused on growth. Currently SmartPA is now in 15 countries, and we have just announced the expansion of our operations in South Africa.
What is SmartPA’s biggest focus when it comes to supporting clients?
With SmartPA, our people are our greatest asset. To support this, we’ve built a service based not on what we do but how we do it. We do this by placing our customers at the heart of everything we do and always going the extra mile.
One area that we always focus on is ‘walking in the client’s shoes’. This is a process where we listen to the client’s expectations of the service and design an experience around this. For example, many businesses that we support like us to be proactive with our support rather than reactive.
This allows us to suggest tasks that they may need a hand with - maybe we’ve picked something up on a call - and be proactive with our support to ensure we’re where our clients need us, when they need us.
“I had the pleasure of working with
Shakila and Sian and they were both very
professional and patient with my needs. I
felt they genuinely cared about helping me
and doing it in a high standard.”
It’s taking this approach to customer service that allows us to maintain a 98% customer retention rate.
What feature of your service have you found that clients really love?
There are a few areas of the services that make us uniquely able to support businesses small and large. One of the most distinguishing features is our talent.
Since we launched in 2008, we have been honing our craft and developing our training academy. Every one of our SmartPAs complete our 13-module training academy, giving our clients the highest standard of virtual assistant services on the market.
“Brilliant experience with this very well
Organised team. SmartPA are very action-focused
and clear, just what you need when under
time restraints and need help with admin.”
Collette from CWMedia on Trustpilot
We place our customers at the centre of everything we do. Satisfied clients around the globe and in a variety of sectors love the positive energy we bring to their business.
Where do you see the future of the virtual assistant industry and SmartPA?
As we’ve touched on, there a real shift in the business environment when it comes to personal assistants and virtual assistants. This change has been accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic as businesses look for more flexible, scalable options.
We’re confident that all businesses, from start-ups, micros, all the way to large enterprises will be using virtual assistants. Particularly, larger businesses have been using our services and we’ve personally had the privilege to have worked with global businesses such as Total Oil and Gas and Krispy Kreme.
SmartPA’s role in this industry is to raise the profile of the virtual assistant market and lead the way. We’re looking forward to supporting more businesses and helping them to drive efficiencies and generate a competitive advantage.