The Virtual Assistants industry is booming, meaning the pool of skilled individuals ready to work with you is second to none, but what good is an extremely talented VA if you don’t really know how to work alongside them? If used correctly, a VA can enable you to elevate your business by allowing you to devote your attention to growing the organisation and hitting those key short and long-term goals.

We’ve put together a list of three ways that you and your business can get the best results out of a Virtual Assistant:

Defined Area of Support

 In the early stages, set up an introduction meeting where you clearly communicate what areas of the business need support and how your Virtual Assistant can assist you in improving results. Once a VA understands what their role is, be sure to take time to train them in by taking them through the platforms you use, giving them an overview of any clients the business might have and any other new areas that are needed. One of the main reasons for hiring a VA is to save yourself time and, although this might seem like another time-consuming task, in the long run having your VA properly trained in from the beginning makes sure they can slot seamlessly into their new role. 

Plan of Action 

To really get the best out of a VA, a detailed to-do list in order of priority is essential to ensure their time is used efficiently. Ensure that you are providing your VA with clear messaging of their tasks ahead of them logging on and, if needed, provide them with a description of how to do any new or difficult jobs. Lay out that to-do list for your VA in a work calendar or organisation platform in advance to save you both time and allow your VA to kickstart their day. There are some brilliant platforms available such as Trello, Asana and Jira. When your VA becomes more comfortable in the role, give them the reigns and allow them to start inputting their weekly tasks into the online planner – saving you even more time!

Give Feedback 

 Not everyone loves giving feedback but don’t look at it as now being the ‘bad guy’, instead realise how this can actually assist you in reaching those key business goals. Giving constructive feedback allows your VA to learn from any errors and recognise any areas in need of improvement. Many forget that giving positive feedback is just as important to build confidence and morale. Giving feedback opens up dialogue between you and your VA and, in turn, allows you to ask for your Virtual Assistant’s feedback on how they are finding the role, the current work processes and if they have any suggestions of what might improve their performance.

Contact us today to learn more about how to successfully work with a Virtual Assistant.