Adding a virtual assistant to your team can save you hours of work, lower your costs, and get you back on track to focus on tasks that really matter – but only if you are maximizing the use of their talents effectively and managing your time working with them efficiently.
Learn how to optimize your virtual assistant’s time and their work output with our 5 tips to work successfully with a virtual assistant.
Regular communication
Effective communication is a key foundation for success when working with any remote team member. When working with a VA, it’s imperative to provide clear and concise instructions for the work that needs to be completed. Checking in with your virtual assistant and scheduling regular meetings is critical, especially in the beginning. This ensures your virtual assistant is clear on the tasks to be completed and helps build trust and confidence to form a working relationship that lasts.
Delegate tasks
Start by drafting a list of tasks you would like your assistant to help with. Generally speaking, virtual assistants are well-equipped to complete a wide variety of tasks, and many are skilled in specialized areas such as social media management, bookkeeping, day-to-day office management, sales calls, digital marketing campaigns, real estate administration, and tax return preparations.
Once your task list has been finalized, delegate these tasks accordingly and ensure that your assistant is set up with the right access and passwords to complete them remotely.
Provide reasonable deadlines
When delegating tasks, it is important to share clear expectations of deadlines. If they’re routine tasks performed on a daily basis, make sure your assistant is aware of your expectations and equipped with the right tools to complete these tasks daily. If there is a deadline or multiple deadlines, make sure you communicate these in a timely manner with your assistant – preferably at the same time you are delegating the project or task.
Of course, virtual assistants are only human, and there are limits to how much work they can produce within a limited timeframe. By giving them a reasonable timeframe to complete the work, you’re giving them the opportunity to complete high-quality work.
Use the right tools
When working with remote team members, use effective digital collaboration platforms to ensure your team is working together efficiently and effectively. Using collaboration platforms like Google Drive, Slack, Zoom, Dropbox or Trello will enable effective ongoing teamwork.
UK Virtual Assist clients also have access to Teamwork, our project management software. All of our virtual assistants are trained on using this platform to track task progress and time spent working on projects.
Keep your toolset simple to avoid confusion among team members. Make sure your virtual assistant is trained on the tools you’ll be using and is comfortable executing their tasks with these tools.
Document processes
Documenting processes might seem like a tedious task at the beginning, but it will save you a whole lot of time in the long run. It also minimizes room for error and allows for quicker training of new assistants.
The good news is, if you don’t yet have your processes documented, your VA can help by doing it as you’re training and onboarding them. You’ll have to allow them a bit more time to do this, but the investment will pay for itself many times over in the form of time savings and quality of work for your virtual assistant and other team members, both current and future.
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Working with a virtual assistant has immense benefits for you and your business. You’ll save time, save money, become more productive and shift your focus to what really matters for growing your business. Implementing these tips with your newly hired virtual assistant will ensure a seamless, successful working partnership for years to come.