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If you clicked on this blog post, you are asking the same question as most people – What exactly IS a Tech Manager?
The Answer is Quite Simple
A Tech Manager is the same as a Tech Extraordinaire, Virtual Implementer, Tech Officer, Tech Specialist, and the plethora of other “pseudonyms” Tech Virtual Assistants have adopted.
Why?
For a number of reasons but mainly because:
- They were tired of being called assistants – namely because clients were taking that TOO literally (yes – I have been asked to make a dental appointment, a hotel reservation, and to schedule a repairman to visit the house). For those of you confused by this – simply put a Tech Virtual Assistant DOES NOT equal a Personal Assistant – two completely different types of jobs,
- They have worked for too long to still be considered an “assistant” and wanted to put more weight in their title, or
- Come on – it just sounds better! It’s like a grocery bagger calling themselves a “package technician” or a cashier calling themselves a “consumer accountant” (we had a lot of time on our hands when I worked at the grocery store in my teens!)
Need More Detail Than That? Alright, you asked!
A Tech Manager is an individual who specializes in digital programs for online businesses. Their primary focus is solely on the tech for your company, not the customer service side, not the social media side, or the administrative aspect.
Consider them the “Geek Squad” for the backend of your business. They are the ones you would email when you are ready to build a funnel, create an email automation, fix something on your website, resolve an issue on your server, integrate software so that they work together, setup webinars, again anything that requires them to go into a digital marketing app/digital software and “tinker” around to make it work for your business.
Still not clear?
If you have to get on YouTube or have a “getting started” call to help you get setup and running with a program, that is where a Tech Manager comes in.
Again to be clear, a Tech Manager IS a Tech Virtual Assistant (Tech VA) – they have just drawn a clear line in the sand indicating that they do not want social media, customer service, research, or administrative work doled out to them. They do not find joy in it, it isn’t their zone of genius.
So how do you use a Tech Manager for your business?
Same way you would use a Tech Virtual Assistant. Again, the two are the same – it is just some coaching guru has made Tech Virtual Assistant mainstream (hence why going by Virtual Tech Assistant for the longest time had its keyword advantages!) but didn’t clarify the difference between a Tech Virtual Assistant and a regular Virtual Assistant (amateurs!)
What is the difference between a Tech Virtual Assistant and a regular Virtual Assistant?
I am so glad you asked! Now remember readers, Tech Manager and Tech Virtual Assistant are interchangeable but as most of you are more familiar with the term Tech Virtual Assistant, we will use it for this quick explanation.
There are MANY types of Virtual Assistants (I cover that more here). It is considered to be an umbrella term. Under that umbrella you have: Social Media VAs, General Admin VAs, Real Estate VAs, Legal VAs, Pinterest VAs (so they do not cover all of social media – just one specific platform), Book VAs (they only work with books – either editing, publishing, or advertising), the list goes on. As you can see, there can essentially be ANY type of VA, just like there can be any type of coach, any type of specialist, or any type of business.
With that being said, you wouldn’t hire your plumber to repair roof issues, your dry cleaner to fix your car engine, or your hairdresser to remodel your bathroom – same with a Tech Virtual Assistant, they are focused on area of specialty – tech (which can have subcategories – i.e. CRMs, Email Marketing, Funnels, etc but normally stem from the same place).
Yes, Tech Virtual Assistants are capable of doing all aspects of your business but they may not have as much drive, enthusiasm, or up to date knowledge (as that is not their specialty) – potentially creating a gap in quality that could be avoided if you found a specialist in that particular field (i.e. a copywriter for writing content, a graphic designer for graphics, and a social media specialist for SM marketing, content creation, and engagement).
So there you have it, a Tech Manager IS a Tech Virtual Assistant (or Virtual Tech Assistant) who simply wants to only focus on what brings them joy – the tech aspects of your business.
The beauty of hiring a Tech Manager, Admin VAs are normally more budget friendly as many of the tasks they perform can be done by you, for this reason – their hourly rates are conducive to more hours of support, allowing Tech Managers (who are normally at a higher rate due to certifications and ongoing training) support you only when necessary, bring industry focused suggestions and the latest methods into play for you and your business.
Disclaimer: I feel compelled to add this part for any Tech Industry people who happen upon this page. With an actual background in IT, I am well aware that in a standard IT department there are Tech Managers and Tech Leads (as well as Directors – so on and so forth). No, I am not saying THOSE Tech Managers are the equivalent of VAs. It is the same thing as a person who calls themselves a “coach” is not going to be on the sideline (literally not figuratively) giving plays and leading a team to victory. Within the realm of small business, entrepreneurs, and colloquialisms “blessed” upon us by the likes of Tony Robbins (please sense the sarcasm there), the terminology used within is only in connection with Virtual Assistance in general.
Thank you and carry on.
Image from Yay Images: id: 33440594 mhammad_useng
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