The global move to remote working has given business owners confidence in the virtual assistant resource model and Future 50 member Bay Tree VA has a steep rise in placements for its executive assistants, not just in the UK but also the US. 
The virtual PA and executive assistant company has grown by more than 20% - such a rapid rate of expansion that it will be holding an online open evening on June 24 to recruit new executives to their team. To register to attend, click here.
“We haven’t needed to do this for a few years, as we have such a great network of people who have directed assistants to us,” says MD Jane Cattermole. “The rapid growth – and plans to introduce new services – means we are on the hunt for new talent to join our team.”
While the business was already growing before Covid, Jane admits the broader shift to remote working over the past 12 months has helped Bay Tree VA.
“People understand it more," she says. "Before, there was more of an education needed as many weren't quite sure how it worked. Today, clients are coming to us with a much clearer understanding of how we could fit with them.”
While Bay Tree VA was ahead of the curve, with systems already in place for remote working, that doesn’t mean the business hasn’t been changed by the pandemic. “We have started to think differently about it, because of what's happened,” Jane says.
“The core is still very much being executive assistants, but we're now seeing the business much more as a resource wider than our traditional offering. Businesses have gaps in their skill set that they need to bridge either short- or longer-term so we are moving into different territories, but maintaining the same level of professionalism and personal service.”
Each assistant works with a small portfolio of clients. “As an EA you get asked all sorts of things and whilst we want to do it all, we know when to bring someone in with the particular skills,” Jane explains. “So as well as finance, we have a partner arrangement with an IT company, we have a marketing associate and an HR associate. This consultancy pillar is already proving to be a benefit to our existing clients and we continue to develop it as lockdown eases and businesses begin to flourish once more. ”
For more information about Bay Tree VA’s services, click here
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