There are currently more than 38,000 food trucks and street vendors across the U.S., according to the latest data from IBIS World. If you ever want a visit from Guy Fieri and “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” your customers need to rave about you—and you need to be in your food truck, giving them exceptional food and service. See how a virtual assistant can do that annoying desk work for you, so you can stay out in front of your customers and do what you love to do.

The Role of a Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant (VA) is someone with a number of skills who can cover various roles in your business. There are VAs who specialize in a particular area, such as accounting or social media, but many function like a resource to whom you can go for almost any business need.

Bookkeeping

Poring over receipts at the end of the day is not something you look forward to. Hire a VA to pick up your receipts and maintain your books. Using cloud-based bookkeeping software, your assistant can update your information for you to review the next day. The VA can manage your payroll, expenses and taxes, too.

Email and Phone

While you’re working on the food truck, your virtual assistant can handle your business email and phone calls. He or she can contact you about only the most urgent items and summarize the rest for you to respond to later. As with many of the VA responsibilities, this one doesn’t require the person to be local. Many of the tasks you give virtual assistants can be given to people residing all over the country.

Research

Hire a virtual assistant to research the best places in the city to locate your food truck. The VA can uncover statistics such as business in the area, population, demographics—all the data you need to make this decision. A VA can collect the data and summarize it for you to review. Whether you have one or more trucks, knowing where to go to find your customers is key to your business and growth.

Marketing

Designing and producing marketing campaigns is another role that a virtual assistant can do for you. Let your VA create and print brochures about the fresh ingredients you use or the catering services you offer, and let him or her help promote your business.

Social Media

Your social media sites are a good way to promote your food truck and let people know where it will be. Your virtual assistance can manage the posts and create fun and interesting contests for your customers. A “Guess Where The Truck Will Be Tomorrow” contest encourages customer to post their guesses on your page. The first customer to guess correctly gets a free lunch. Your VA can handle all of the details of your social networking remotely.

Website Management

Your virtual assistant can also help maintain your website. They can update menus, post your blogs or articles and link your site with your social media traffic. Keeping your website fresh and interesting is another way to bring customers out to experience your particular cuisine.

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The Bottom Line

When you get too busy and you are no longer able to focus on the development of your menu or the day to day operations, it’s time to figure out how to free up more of your time. Hiring a virtual assistant is one way to do this.

Do you have experience in working with a virtual assistant for your food truck business? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue. Share your tips and ideas in the comment section, our food truck forum or social media. Twitter | Facebook