Hire a Virtual Project Manager for your Agency 

You need help. Your business is pulling you in many directions. You have competing priorities and there just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. On one hand, this is a good thing because it means your business is growing. On the other hand, it’s probably overwhelming since there’s so much to do.  

It can be overwhelming to think of where to get that help, especially because you’re probably hesitant to pass along parts of your business to be managed by someone else. That means you need to find someone who you trust and who has the expertise to jump right in and start helping. Rest assured, there’s an easy way to bring in professionals who can take some of this load off for you – virtual project managers. Many businesses are turning to virtual project managers to help scale their business and increase their profits, with the global market of outsourced services hit $92.5 billion in 2019 according to Statista. 

What exactly is a virtual project manager?

A virtual project manager is someone who comes on to lead different projects and initiatives across your company virtually in order to achieve your business goals.  

You may have heard of a virtual assistant before and are wondering if they are the same thing –  the key difference between a virtual project manager and a virtual assistant is that a virtual project manager is responsible for the management of people, as well as the the ownership, and ultimate success, of projects. This means they are even more ingrained in the business through leading teams, communicating with clients, and managing a campaign from start to finish. 

Many companies are moving to virtual project managers instead of paying the higher cost of employing new people at their company all the time – a cost that sits around $4000 per employee according to a Glassdoor study. A virtual project manager can come in to help with a single project if that’s all your company needs, or they can handle multiple long-term projects. It’s a more cost-effective solution to have someone who can be as flexible as your business needs. 

How much does it cost to hire a virtual project manager for a digital agency?

A virtual project manager is generally anywhere from $10 to $40 per hour. In addition to a lower per hour rate, there are additional cost savings since it takes you less time and resources to go through the hiring process. There are many virtual project management agencies that already have vetted candidates ready to join your team, so you don’t have to waste your time creating job postings, doing phone screenings, interviews, pay negotiation, and more. 

How can I find a virtual project manager?

You can find a freelancer to fill this gap for you, but that requires you to go through the interview process. You could go by word-of-mouth recommendations, but if other people are using the same freelancer you’ll probably come across availability issues. One of the most reliable ways to find a virtual project manager is by going through a vetted virtual project manager agency that can supply you with trained virtual project managers. 

This is generally the easiest path to take for a few reasons. First, the agency will train their virtual project managers so you won’t have to spend as much time teaching them yourself. This will save you both time and money since the virtual project manager will be able to be productive more quickly. Second, if the project manager you work with ends up not being a good fit, the company will be able to quickly supply you with another one. While this is unlikely since they are all trained and vetted by the agency, it’s still a secure backup in case things happen. Finally, if you need additional virtual project managers as your business grows, you can hire more through the company and have confidence that they will all perform at the same level. 

What kind of tasks can I give my virtual project manager?

Virtual project managers are trained in many different areas, so there’s a variety of things you can pass along to them. Think of all the things that take up your time during the day and get in the way of allowing you to focus on other important parts of your business. This is where a virtual project manager comes in. 

Pass along leadership responsibilities to your virtual project manager.

Managing both teams and projects take up a significant amount of time. They need a lot of oversight to ensure everything is being executed correctly. Letting a virtual project manager lead a team through an initiative will take that responsibility off of you so you can focus on other important tasks. For example, your virtual project manager can follow up with team members to ensure their action items are being completed, which gives you more time to strategize with your leadership team or the client. The virtual project manager will be a liaison between the team and leadership to give you status updates as needed. 

Hand over projects with tight deadlines. 

One of the key components of projects is timing, and project managers are notorious for being excellent time managers. This means that you can rely on them to stick to and meet the deadlines you set for projects. Not only that, but they can also help you set up deadlines if you’re not sure how long something will take. They’ll bring their training and expertise to ensure your projects or campaigns are executed at the highest level and on time. 

Let your virtual project manager manage stakeholder communication. 

Is everyone constantly coming to you with questions? You’re not alone. According to Upwork, email communication remains among the top virtual services needed. Your virtual project manager can be a good go-between for you and can manage communications with everyone you work with. Let them be the first line of defense for those tedious questions. Your virtual project manager will be so engrained in the project, they’ll likely know the answer to most of the questions. If they can’t answer a question, you can be sure they’ll escalate the issue appropriately since they’ll always be working with your best interest in mind.

Have them review and improve your projects. 

Virtual project managers come to you with experience managing different types of projects. This means that they automatically come with the expertise of knowing what works well and where you can improve. If you embrace them into your business, they’ll likely have suggestions for how to make your business even better. Virtual project managers don’t just settle for what you already have – they work to improve it. 

Delegate organizational tasks 

In a growing business, it can be difficult to keep track of all the moving pieces. Your virtual project manager can help you track everyone’s work and be a reliable person to go to when you have questions. They’ll know the status of projects at all times and communicate with you regularly to provide updates so you’re always in the loop about what’s going on in your business. They can also take on the tedious tasks of making sure you’re keeping your timeline, budget, and promises to your clients and customers.  

How will a virtual project manager benefit my business? 

Passing along these tasks to virtual project managers aren’t just great perks. At the end of the day, every decision you make should be to benefit your business. Hiring virtual help can can decrease companies’ costs by 78% according to Outsource Access. A virtual project manager supports you, but they also help you achieve the bottom line: higher profits.  

Virtual project managers save you time, and time is money 

Consider all the items that a virtual project manager can take off your plate. They can work with your clients, leading meetings and taking their questions. They can set up meetings to proactively address any items for your campaign and delegate these tasks to other employees. They can oversee your campaigns, and create new documents, outlines, and templates tailored to your business that will continue to create value long after the project. 

All of this will free up a lot of your time, allowing you to focus on more strategic initiatives. Whether that’s planning the future of your business or meeting with potential clients to bring on new business, you will be able to better utilize your time. Time is money, and your virtual project manager will help you make the most of yours. 

Outsourced talent brings you cost savings. 

Many virtual project managers are based overseas, and this is beneficial for a few reasons. First, the cost of labor is often lower in places like India or the Philippines where a lot of virtual project managers are based (Outsourced Workers). You’ll have significant savings using someone overseas instead of spending the time and resources to hire a full time employee to come to your office. This also means that someone is potentially available to work at all hours because of time zone differences. Your business will be making money for you in your sleep with a virtual project manager.  

Lastly, outsourcing talent allows you to have more flexibility with the people you bring on. With a regular employee, you are committed to paying them for an unlimited period of time no matter how your business is functioning. With a virtual project manager, you can have them come on for a single project or many projects. This saves you money by only having someone there to help when your business needs it. 

Virtual project managers execute projects to a higher standard. 

When you hire a virtual project manager through a virtual project management agency, the agency is committed to providing you with support that meets both your standards and theirs. After all, 6 out of 10 virtual assistants have college degrees (Outsource Workers). They will only provide you with the best of the best, since any of the virtual project managers they have will have already gone through their vetting process. On the off chance that the virtual project manager isn’t a good fit, the company will have someone ready to replace them if needed. You will not have to go through the entire process of finding someone new – the agency will take care of that for you. 

When you use vetted professionals the chances of success are likely going to be much higher. When you have people who know what they’re doing helping run your business, your projects will be better executed. If the campaign you launch goes really well, your client will have a better experience with your company. Business is built on returning clients and recommendations. A well-executed project will make sure your clients keep coming back to your business, making you more money and bringing you more success.