Best Practices For Working With A Virtual Assistant

Communication Is Crucial

You must talk with your VA, either via email or in some way so you know what is going on at all times. A lack of communication will kill the relationship.

Be Aware of Your Expenses

What are you being charged for? Most VA's charge for not only the work they do, but for reading the emails you send, the time spent on the phone with you and of course face to face meetings. If you want to avoid being shocked by your bill, be aware of the contributing factors. If you let your VA know that your max each month is X for their time, they will be more than happy to let you know when you're coming close to that mark each month.

Know What Needs To Get Done.

A VA isn't going to do work if you don't ask for it. You will need to know what you want done and when you would like it done by.

Always Have A Due Date

It doesn't matter if you just want it for down the road or for next week's super conference, you have to give a due date or the work will get buried (for both of you). By assigning a due date or reminder date for every task or project you send on to your VA will help both of you stay on top of things and will prevent anything from falling through the cracks.

Be Organized

Know what tasks are out, when they are due, and whom you assigned them to. This is especially important if you are working with multiple VA's. This tracking method will help you see problems before they get out of hand. Are projects late more often than not? Do you have to send certain prokects back for rework over and over again? This can also help you see if the work load is too heavy for one VA. When that becomes the case you will want to determine if you want to hire a second VA or hire a direct employee.

Keep It Professional

It's easy to become friends with those we work with, but you need to maintain your professionalism as well. This will make it easier when/if the time comes to part ways. No one says you can't be friendly. Just know that business is business.

 

For more information on hiring and working with Virtual Contractors, check out the Hiring Information Page.