So you’ve decided you need some help in your business, and have chosen a VA to work with – CONGRATS! You’re well on your way to making your work life easier, with a team member!
As a VA who’s been in business for 10 years, I’ve seen a lot and can tell you that there are ways to make the best of your work relationship with your VA… I promise these will be quick and useful:
Pay your invoice in a decent timeframe
It’s frustrating to be a VA with a long list of to-dos and still have to wait for payment. If you’re consistently late in paying your invoices, trust me, you are not your VA’s favourite client. It’s stressful to wait for those payments because hey, we have bills, too!
Please pay on time, as soon as you can – it just keeps the ball rolling for your business.
Your VA cannot read your mind
Virtual assistants are really good about noticing things you may not have noticed yourself, and this skill can often improve as you work with your VA over a period of time. That being said, they aren’t mindreaders…
If you aren’t explicitly outlining specifics for your VA, chances are good you’re not going to be overly happy with the end result.
Give your VA all the pertinent information before the task starts, and allow time and room for questions.
Don’t micromanage your VA
Your virtual assistant just wants to do a good job, but they also need space to do so. Hovering over them will add anxiety and stress and likely create even more mistakes than if you just trust them to do the best job they can. Could you do a flawless job with someone hovering over you? Not likely.
If you’re not quite ready to trust a new VA immediately, ask for a check-in. Give them the task, ask if they have any questions, and ask them to check in after 30-60 minutes so you can review it. A good VA will offer this before you can ask, but if they don’t, this gives you a chance to course-correct without being over their shoulder all the time.Be as clear as possible
As mentioned before, virtual assistants aren’t mind-readers, so if you need something done a VERY specific way, it’s YOUR job to provide the direction.
There are many ways to do this, but if you’re comfortable trying Loom, it’s my favourite way to learn specific steps for a particular task. They’re easy to create (it’s a free Chrome extension) and easy to send.
Give feedback as soon as you’re able to
Feedback is sooo important in life, and this also applies to VAs. We can’t check a task off our list unless we know you’re happy with our work.
If you need changes or edits made, it’s improtant to review the VA’s work sooner rather than later, and give accurate feedback.
Also – don’t be shy with it 🙂 If something specific comes up repeatedly but you don’t tell them about it, how can your VA ever be expected to fix it? Talk to us – we want you to be happy with our work.
Give reasonable deadlines
Sending a large project to your VA and expecting perfect results within a very short time frame – it’s a recipe for disaster, for a couple of reasons:
One – you are likely NOT your VA’s only client so it’s fair to assume that they have other work on their plate ahead of yours. Tough love – sorry but it has to be said. You need to respect your VA’s time and schedule.
Two – if you put a rush on it, there are two things to consider – first – rush work may require an additional fee, and second – expect less than stellar results if you haven’t given a decent timeframe for the work.
Changing priorities without informing your VA
We want to do our best work, and it’s our job to work on things that you prioritize. Your success is our success!
But that can only happen when there is good communication, and communicating a change in deadline, scope or priority is important for everyone’s success.
This reminds me of one of my favourite quotes, “A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.” and let me just say, no truer words have ever been spoken.
I’m sure I could add more but these are a good start. Treat your virtual assistant as you would an employee – with care, consideration and team spirit – and your VA will move mountains for you. Promise!
