You’ve hired your first virtual assistant. Good for you. You have done all of the right things. Your research, talked to them in person or via Skype, found out how they can help you and what their pricing is. You have worked out a plan of action and your both ready to get to work. Read these tips on how to use virtual assistant services the right way.
By avoiding these 4 pitfalls, you will get the most out of your decision to hire a virtual assistant.
Not Having A Clear Job Description.
This is a big one and the most common mistake. You need to know what you are hiring a virtual assistant for. If you don’t have your job tasks defined how do know how to use virtual assistant services or find a virtual assistant the correct time and their tasks? If you hired a virtual assistant for 10 hours for the month you need to know exactly what tasks in your business that you can delegate to your virtual assistant. You need to give them tasks that you were already doing and not tasks that you made up or thought up at the last minute.
Not Giving Proper Instruction.
You are the business owner and the one who will be delegating the tasks. You will need to sit down with your assistant and let them know exactly how you want and need things done. Make a list of the virtual assistant services that you want done daily, weekly, and by months end so there will be no misunderstandings on either person’s part. This way you will set the standard for open communication and lets the virtual assistant know your style of working.
No Training.
You are both new to one another. Do not make the mistake of not having a training period with your virtual administrative assistant. This is a step that many entrepreneurs make. Even though she might be an experienced professional, she still needs to know how to get started or how you want things done. Every employee is different so they need training from you on how to move forward. Please don’t skip this most important step in your process.
Micromanaging Them
I know it can be hard to let go of things especially when you are were the only one doing it but you will have to trust your virtual assistant. Nobody wants to check in every hour with you because you may not be able to see them. Ask you virtual assistant to give you progress reports of what they are doing. It could be daily or weekly reports?
Today virtual assistants use project management tools that you can have access to so you will be able to log in and see for yourself what is going on with your tasks. That way you can see what they are doing and avoid the micromanaging. You can access the tool yourself and leave emails for her and notes of changes you want made or added. It’s a great way of you both communicating back and forth with each other.
The bottom line is open communication from both parties on a frequent basis will prevent things from going wrong. As the business owner it will also help you to learn about your virtual assistants limitations and not expect her to do things that she is not skilled in doing.
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Deborah Northcutt is the CEO of http://www.FreeYouUpVA.com. I am a Speaker Support Consultant that helps aspiring speakers, coaches, and entrepreneurs find their ideal speaking opportunity so they can shine their light and grow their business with high-level support. Join my Facebook Community.