Perhaps you’ve never worked with a virtual assistant (or VA) before, or, perhaps you’re burnt out from trying to work with one. A VA can be a tremendous asset to your business, but unless you and your VA establish certain criteria, things might get a bit sticky. To avoid unnecessary stress and to build a more open and constructive work relationship with your VA, try using these 3 simple tips:
Communicate
Communication is an obvious aspect of working with a VA, but I’d like to put some emphasis on the importance of it here. When you’re first considering hiring a VA, or if you’ve reached a point with your current VA where you need to reevaluate your relationship, the first thing you need to do is get a feel for how the two of you communicate with each other. To determine this, you should ask the following questions:
Do they ask for confirmation when they are unsure of something?
How well do you understand each other’s written and spoken messages?
How quickly do you respond to each other’s messages?
Recognize that great communication depends on both of you!
Have Patience
Your VA may be an organized and skilled individual, but he or she is not a robot. Mistakes will be made, items, will be forgotten, tasks will be delayed from time to time. If your VA is someone you have confidence in, then have patience when they make a mistake, and handle whatever situation pops up as peacefully as possible while you and your VA review what happened and create a game plan to prevent future mishaps. Maybe they are overwhelmed by the workload, or maybe they didn’t fully understand your instructions. Have a discussion on what they could have done differently. It’s also a good idea to take a moment to consider whether the mistake was on your part, rather than theirs.
Use Task Management Tools
Task management tools like Basecamp, Asana, Evernote, or even Google Docs spreadsheets are great for:
Communicating about tasks in one place
Organizing tasks in one place
Following up with your VA’s progress without having to sift through old emails
You can eliminate a lot of the stress associated with getting tasks done by using a simple management system.
Establishing clear, consistent communication, remembering to be patient and realistic, and using task management tools are key to having a productive and stress-free relationship with your VA. More importantly, they allow you to put more energy into your business while you leave the finer details to your capable VA!
Haven’t found a VA to suit your needs yet? Contact us now and we’ll help you take care of that right away!