virtual assistance Archives - Page 7 of 16 - Denise Riches

How to Prepare Your Business to Hire a VA

“I know I need help, but I’m not sure what I need help with.”

Does that sound familiar? If this is you, you’re not alone.

When I speak to potential clients on our consultation calls, the conversation sometimes starts this way. I pick up on this right away and start asking questions about their business, the types of tasks they do for their business, and what tasks they would prefer not to do themselves.

The thing is, you can’t possibly delegate if you don’t have a plan.

My advice is to pick a few (1-3) tasks that you could use help with RIGHT NOW. I offer a free Delegation Worksheet that my clients have found helpful – grab it here.

The next step is to find out if your virtual assistant knows how to do those tasks, and going beyond that if they’ve worked with your specific software/application for that task.

This is important because while, for example, Active Campaign is much like any other email marketing application if your virtual assistant has only ever worked with MailChimp, it’s important that you provide training in order for your VA to complete the tasks you’ll be assigned. This training can be provided by you, via a video walk-through, Youtube videos, or even the application’s own help pages.

Passwords

If you’re having your VA log into your accounts, you’ll need to share password information with them.

Some clients are nervous about this – after all, haven’t we all been advised not to share our passwords with ANYONE?

Here’s the honest truth, if you want to get the job done, but don’t want to do it yourself, there is simply no other way to get around this.

Using an application like LastPass is a great way to securely share your password information. You can choose whether your VA sees this information or not, based on the settings you choose. Plus, you can rescind your information when you and your VA part ways.

Communication

Choosing how you will communicate with your VA is important:

email
weekly calls
WhatsApp
Trello or similar project management applications

Having this setup, or at least decided on, ahead of time is super helpful.

Patience

Weren’t expecting this, were you?

Initially, there may be some snags. And by this, I mean specifically with your VA logging into your accounts for the first time. It can be a little frustrating, and maybe a bit scary when you receive emails about an unfamiliar login attempt.

While it may not be normal for you, VAs aren’t new to this. We often experience these mini-roadblocks as we try to get set up. Verification codes are the worst, because there is usually a time limit for them, and if we can’t receive them before the process times out, we have to start all over again.

From my own personal standpoint, I would love to be in a WhatsApp chat or even a Zoom call while logging into a new client’s account for the first time – this way verification codes can be received immediately and I can get on with the work 🙂

Also, this is a new partnership, and it may take a month or two to figure out what working together looks like.

In conclusion, the more organized my new clients are when we enter our work relationship, the smoother everything goes after. It’s great when my clients have put some thought into the HOWs of getting started, but if in doubt, it never hurts to ask your VA what they need from you.

I hope you’ve found this blog post helpful!

Ready to get started? Let’s talk – book a free consultation call with me.

4 Things You Should Know About Outsourcing

A new year or a new season is the perfect time to reorganize your life and determine your priorities. In this post, I’m going to talk about four aspects of outsourcing (here’s a hint, outsourcing is what my clients pay me for!).

What does ‘outsourcing’ mean?

There are a few ways to describe outsourcing:

hiring an outside source to complete a task
getting the job done but not necessarily doing it yourself
giving the task, project, or assignment to someone who may be more qualified

Sometimes, you don’t want to do the thing, or you don’t have the time. Other times, outsourcing means having someone who is more qualified do it.

What are the benefits of outsourcing?

When you think about it, we kinda outsource all the time. Fellow moms, I know, do, for sure. Having the kids take out the garbage or shovel the driveway, and asking your spouse to help you with a do-to list. It helps you to tackle the to-do list quicker, right? Here are some other benefits:

frees up time to do something else
sometimes it can be cheaper to have someone else do it
adds flexibility to your life
allows you time to focus on your flow, your genius

Essentially, outsourcing means that you regain time, time that you wouldn’t have without a little extra help.

What could you outsource?

You could outsource just about anything, these days. You can hire a housekeeper. You could take your laundry to a wash-and-fold service. When you order take-out food, you’re outsourcing the cooking. Grocery delivery counts, too.

But what about in business? Here are some great ideas:

bookkeeping
social media updates
blog/website updates
general administration
product sourcing
internet research
ghostwriting
sound/video editing
SEO
creating processes/SOPs
email marketing

By outsourcing, you can easily gain hours in your day, week, month, and year, just by outsourcing some of those tasks that either don’t interest you or just turn out to be a huge time-suck.

Guess what?

I can help!

Book a free consultation call with me to see how outsourcing to me can benefit you and your business.

3 Ways to Feel Connected During Covid

There’s no denying that Covid has hit us all hard. As we stare at the probability of another lockdown, it’s possible that you may be feeling isolated and lonely.

It’s human nature to feel connected, even (or especially) during a period when we need to practice safe social distancing. Feeling connected is good for our mental health and our mood.

Here are three ways to feel connected with others:

Pick up the phone

Simply put, having a phone conversation with friends, family or colleagues can do wonders to boost your mood and feel connected again. Be sure to check in on others frequently, your call may make their day as well as your own.

Chat with the neighbours

It’s so important to get fresh air, even during the winter months. While you’re outside, say hello to your neighbours. Walk around the block and say hi to people you pass. A simple, “Good morning!” can put a smile on your face.

Organize a virtual coffee

Skip the coffee shop and organize an online meeting for you and your friends/family. With so many terrific options (Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom, Facetime, Google Meet, Google Duo, etc.), you can easily set up a face-to-face call.

I recently set up a Zoom call with two of my friends for a virtual coffee date and it was so much fun to catch up.

If you’re missing family members at family dinners, arrange it so you’re having dinner at the same time while video conferencing.

Just because we need to be safely socially distanced doesn’t mean we should feel lonely or isolated. It’s so important to stay connected, especially during these hard times.

Stay safe. Chat often.

Looking for help with your admin? Book a free consultation call with me.

How to Use Google Drive

Intro

Google Drive is basically an extension of your computer’s hard drive, allowing you to securely store your files and manage them from any device. A free Gmail account grants you with 15G of space to get started, with very economical options to expand your storage space.

Backing up your files to a cloud-based storage system, such as Google Drive is just a smart idea.

Getting Started

Google allows you to open your files from any Google app just by clicking on the 3×3 series of dots in the top right-hand corner. Alternatively, you can visit drive.google.com and sign into your account.

This is your “Drive”, where you can set up file folders and create documents such as spreadsheets, Docs, Forms, and Slides. Here is where you organize it just like files on your computer’s hard drive, dragging and dropping to move files around.

Also note that you have the ability to colour code folders, making organization even easier.

File Sharing

Google Drive is the ultimate tool for virtual teams working together, because it encourages collaboration. Several people can be working on the same file at the same time, with changes being made in real-time.

To share a file or folder, right-click the file or folder you wish to share. You will see two sharing options, “Share” and “Get Shareable Link”. Click on Share and a small window will open (where you will again have the option to get a shareable link). This is where you can input the email address of the person you’d like to share the file with. Clicking on Get Shareable Link, and Google will generate a link that you can send to the person you wish to share it with.

Special note – not all file-sharing permissions are the same. You can choose to allow others to View or Edit, depending on your needs. You can also revoke someone’s access, just by clicking on Advanced, and removing the person.

Viewing Files Shared with You

If you click on “Shared with me”, you will see all the files that others have shared with you. This is handy if you’ve lost the file-sharing invitation email that you were likely sent when they shared it with you. These files will remain here until you choose to remove them. Removing files here doesn’t delete the file for the file owner, it just removes you from the people the file is shared with.

Trash

Files in Trash should be reviewed on a regular basis, especially if you’re trying to stay within your free file storage limit. Anything you delete from Google Drive will be here, and if you REALLY want to remove it for good, you’ll need to empty your Trash. Trash counts against your storage space, so this is an important step.

Extras

As someone who works virtually and doesn’t like to leave anything to chance, I strongly recommend backing up your Google Drive, and to do that, you will need to visit Google Takeout: takeout.google.com.

You can choose to back up pretty much anything in your Google account, but Drive is what’s important here. To do this, deselect everything, then select Drive. Scroll to the bottom and click Next Step. Select Export Once, choose your file type and the file size (Google will adjust if you’ve picked a size it cannot accommodate). Click Create Export. I recommend downloading this file as a zip file and uploading it to a cloud-based app OTHER than Google Drive, such as DropBox. You’ll receive an email, verifying that your archive has been requested. It takes a few minutes, maybe several, depending on how much data you’re backing up.

It’s also, in my opinion, important to know how to find the largest files taking up space in Drive. This is a great way to find sneaky files that are eating up space so you can decide on whether you need them or not.

To do this, go to your Drive, and click on the space used under Storage. Drive should automatically list from largest to smallest. If you aren’t sure if you need the file, you can right-click on it, and select Preview. You can choose to keep or delete them. Don’t forget to Empty Trash when you’re finished this step.

I hope you’ve found this article helpful!

What would you do with an extra ten hours a month (or a week)? Book a free consultation call with me and let's talk!

The Dirty Dozen – Productivity Tips

Just in case you don’t follow me on social media (you may want to start!), I offer helpful tips every Tuesday. These tips will save you time, make you more productive and definitely improve your organizational skills.

So I decided to compile a bunch into the “Dirty Dozen” – my favourite pieces of advice, all in one place. I hope you enjoy them!

1. Turn off notifications

I hate how I can get so easily distracted mid-task by a notification on Instagram or Facebook. As hard as I try to ignore it, I almost always cave and go check it out, and then it takes forever to get back on track with my task. But I found a way to solve that problem.

I went into my phone’s settings and turned off notifications for nearly all of my social apps. It made the biggest difference in my productivity!

If you’re not quite sure how to do this, you can search for your device on Google, followed by “turn off notifications”.

2. Voice mail is your bodyguard

You can easily take charge of your day by letting everyone know that you respond to calls at a certain time each day. A little blurb in your email footer can let them know of your response window.

The same goes with pausing your email inbox – which you can learn more about in this post.

3. Perform a weekly review of your schedule

Each Friday, block out 15 minutes and review your schedule for the following week. This is an excellent time to jot down your to-do list, write down ideas for blog or newsletter topics, and anything else that you know you have going on. If you keep this list near your workstation, you’ll never forget an important task.

Compare this list to your planner, editing if necessary.

4. Schedule an hour each month to review and plan your marketing

For me, this is usually a Saturday or Sunday morning, with a coffee in hand. It doesn’t matter when this takes place, but if you don’t schedule it (and add a reminder to your device!), it’s easy to let this important task slip.

This is a great time to look for interesting articles to share in your social media, and review your social media analytics. I touch on Twitter analytics in a previous blog post, which you can read here, and I have plans to write a post about Facebook analytics very soon.

5. Batch similar tasks

Did you know that switching from task to task and back again is extremely difficult for your brain to keep up with? It’s much more productive to do similar tasks all at once, and actually saves you time. If you’re in what is called “flow”, especially if you really enjoy the task, you’ll complete the task in no time.

As an example, I create social media images for several clients, and top up their post scheduler. Rather than switch back and forth and do all the work for one client before switching to the next, I do all similar tasks at once. It’s amazing how much faster it gets completed. You can do this with anything, cooking, baking, housework… try it!

6. Use ONE calendar system

Have you ever been out doing errands and spot a friend, get talking and then try to make arrangements for a future get-together? But you can’t check your availability because you either don’t have your planner with you, or you have the “wrong one” on hand?

It doesn’t matter if you prefer paper over digital or vice versa – truly, it doesn’t. What matters is that you pick whatever planner/calendar you find works best for your needs and stick with it for everything.

7. Regularly cull and organize your digital files

If you don’t need it, get rid of it. If you’re not sure if you’ll need it again, back it up. Whatever the case, ensuring you are naming your files with easy-to-understand filenames is going to make this maintenance task a breeze.

8. Use a reminder system

Whether it’s Google Home, Alexa or your cell phone, use your device’s reminder system for things that pop up on the fly.

“Alexa, remind me at 4 pm to return the books to the library.”

“Hey Siri, remind me at 10 am to take the chicken out of the freezer.”

Whatever you need reminding about, using these systems will ensure that you don’t forget anything – even the little things.

9. Backup, backup, backup

I cannot stress the importance of backing up your files enough. After my external hard drive failed us years ago (didn’t even know it could DO that!) and losing baby pictures of our youngest son, I was sold on not having just one, but TWO backup methods for photos and files.

Google Photos provides free storage for photos, which doesn’t count against your Google Drive space limit. You can read more about this in my blog post.

10. Save your favourite social media hashtags

If you use Instagram or Twitter, you should know that hashtags matter. They help to organize your content online. Once you’ve checked each hashtag you want to use (to make sure it’s not affiliated with anything unpleasant!), type it into your device’s Notes app.

Whenever you want to post new content, your hashtags will be easy to access right from your device. Just copy and paste into your post.

11. Use the Pomodoro Method

Set a timer for 25 minutes and focus on one task. Take a ten-minute break, and then reset the timer. After three 25-minute intervals, take a 30 minute break – go for a walk, drink some water, play with your pet.

Using a timer forces your mind to focus on that task, and that task alone.

12. Stay hydrated

Water is best – but tea will do! A good rule of thumb is to drink half your weight in ounces every single day, depending on how physically active you are. Sound like too much math? This handy calculator can help.

And there you have it – The Dirty Dozen of my favourite productivity tips! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post, and if you have, please share.

Increase your productivity even more by hiring a virtual assistant, like me! Book a free consultation call with me and let’s talk.

Working From Home

If you work from home, you know that you need to get into a routine and the sooner, the better.

It’s easy to get distracted by housework or meal-planning, but putting a routine into place, limiting distractions and having a place to work are all important if you want to make the most of your work day.

Here are some tips that can help:

You need a designated workspace

No, your home dining room table doesn’t cut it. There are many ways you can do this, whether it’s carving out room in your basement for a desk or converting a spare closet into a mini-home-office. It makes a difference when you have everything you need at your fingertips!

Stay hydrated

It’s not as ridiculous as it sounds. Just because you’re stationary and not exerting a lot of physical energy doesn’t mean you can skimp on water!

Drinking fluids can help keep your mind sharp and your digestive system running smoothly.

Take breaks to stretch

Speaking of staying stationary, it’s important to stand up and stretch now and then. In fact, you can do so while on your way to grab a coffee, tea or water!

In fact, if the weather is nice, it’s a great idea to go for a quick walk around the block. You’ll return home feeling invigorated and focused.

Encourage noise-free working hours

Just as boundaries are important overall, ensure that anyone else who may be home during your workday respects your need to concentrate by keeping noise to a minimum.

It may be helpful to usher everyone who is home to the other side of the house. Lord knows how easily the X-Box can disrupt your concentration!

Enjoy some music

If music is your thing, create a work playlist or tune into your favourite local radio station. Listening to upbeat tunes encourages a good mood and makes your day pleasant overall!

Outsourcing tasks can also help with your work-from-home productivity. Book a free consultation call with me and let’s talk.