The role of Virtual Assistants in the Ai world: efficiency, expertise, empathy...
At Alchemy Virtual Assistance we believe that two things can be true at once when it comes to utilising Ai.
Ai IS transforming the way we all work
Ai is NOT replacing skilled human support.
To help suppress the noise and concern that Ai is replacing the need for external support in your business, we delved deep into the working styles of our incredible Virtual Assistant Franchise Partners to see how even simple tools such as Chat GPT are supporting our work, rather than taking us away from it.
Ai isn’t the enemy...
“I use ChatGPT mainly to refine and polish my work rather than create it from scratch. I really like the level of personalisation you can get, even on the free version, and being able to set up projects properly. It speeds things up massively, especially for research-heavy tasks like booking travel or drafting social content.” Lynsey Pirie, our franchise partner in Edinburgh discussed. Many ChatGPT users would echo the same sentiments that the speed is a big game changer for time to be effectively spent.
London based Magda Bilska-Pereda uses it slightly differently to give you the starting point. “I use ChatGPT as a starting point for research, drafting, and even translating into other languages. It’s actually very good for translation. I use it to generate ideas and then I expand on them myself.”
Similarly, Gemma McMillian also said it’s a great supportive tool. “It helps me structure complex emails, organise information, draft outlines and sense-check ideas before I present them to clients. It allows me to work faster and more strategically.”
“My most used tool is ChatGPT, especially the voice chat feature. I love being able to talk to it like I would a colleague and add more detail naturally.”
“I also use Fyxer Ai for recording meetings, capturing actions, prioritising emails and drafting responses. It’s brilliant for high-volume inboxes.”
“Within ClickUp we’re using Ai agents to summarise client-submitted health and safety information and create reports for engineers. It improves compliance, clarity and safety.”
“Ai is being integrated into so many tools now — and when it’s used well, it saves huge amounts of time. Even at home, using systems like Cookidoo with the Thermomix saves me time and gives me more space for client work and family life.”
At Alchemy Virtual Assistance, we work strategically, efficiently and intelligently. Clients are entitled and encouraged to have preferences when it comes to Ai. Some clients even have a firm stance against Ai that is respected, honoured and upheld. But like all delegation, success requires an element of belief and trust that the task in hand will get done in the best possible way, however that may look.
Emotion and empathy cannot be digitised...
The overwhelming majority of responses from our team when it comes to Ai is that it just CANNOT replace a human. As smart, complex, detailed as it would like to be, it just cannot compete with the connection that a conversation, discussion or emotion can convey.
“AI doesn’t feel emotion or understand the background behind decisions. When I’m booking travel for board members, I’m making judgement calls based on personal preferences, relationships and experience.” Lynsey said.
“AI can’t think contextually about a specific business. It doesn’t understand nuanced personalities, it can’t read between the lines of a voice note, it can’t anticipate risks, and it certainly can’t hold boundaries on behalf of a business owner.” Gemma echoed.
A human you can trust to understand your humour, your sarcasm, the worry, the happiness or the meaning behind a word is what makes delegating so much easier. A human will act on instinct and emotion, not just the words presented. Ai won’t remember the thought you had last week, how you like your notes collated or your favourite way to travel. The human voice is imperative to the development of any project.
“It’s a useful productivity tool, but it doesn’t understand humans the way another human does. There are so many subtleties in language that Ai simply can’t grasp, which is why you can often tell when something hasn’t been properly reviewed.” Heather Walker, Franchise Partner in York, commented.
Ai is supporting efficiency and supports the need to slim down lengthy processes which we completely support, however we believe it’s a different story when you delve into creativity. Ai gathers what you want to hear by taking data from an enormous supply of sources and turning it into an ‘almost’ popular impression. The outcome isn’t always representative of your business. Having the eye to curate the results can be just as cost and time effective too.
Clients are continuing to choose Alchemy Virtual Assistance because we’re a name, face and human you can trust.
In a world where screen time is (embarrassingly) high, days are busy and data is hard to verify, having a team to support you through the noise of Ai is why it’s still an incredibly smart business choice. We’re sure even Ai would say so too!
What is the most meaningful next step for you?
Not sure if you're 'ready' for a Virtual Assistant? Why not take our Virtual Assistant ‘readiness’ evaluation and benefit from a no cost or obligation tailored insights report.
For support or advice about how to best leverage the support of an Alchemy Virtual Assistant, feel free to connect with our wonderful UK based Franchise Partners.
Check out our latest Alchemy VA Client Case Study to discover the real impact of partnering with us.
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