Tips To Get Tasks Done Successfully By Online Virtual Assistant

When in Rome, do as the Romans do; we all know this saying and perhaps, even we try to follow the same during most of our lives.

Herd mentality has a negative connotation, but when we look at any industry, market or economy, everyone likes to follow the trends, vogue and winning competitor pathways.

This is why most businesses are switching off of from the traditional workforce to get their work done by Online Virtual Assistants. It’s a fad, this time, a positive drift.

These online assistants proffer to work from anywhere around the globe and assure to get their hands on a wide range of general tasks.

However, those who are new to associate with an online VA, they might be greatly confused on how to get their tasks done efficiently. So, this blog is all about guidelines to deal with Online Virtual Assistants. Read on….

TIP 1: Know your business

It is absolutely a necessary to understand your business requirements first and then decide whether to outsource the tasks to an Online VA or not.

The decision should be based on evaluating many factors such as the nature of the tasks, the quantity, the expertise required to complete a task, etc.

When one is analyzing the business and scope of getting an Online Virtual Assistants, be careful about:

• Task segregation. Make sure it is done correctly.  For example, what tasks goes under calendar management or what tasks go under reminder services, etc.

Basically, one should know the kind of tasks an Online VA can complete. They indulge in:

Meeting scheduling

Booking travel tickets

Performing research

Making presentations

Calendar Management

Replying to emails

Attending phone calls and much more…..

Well, Online Virtual Assistants are not specialized VAs and therefore, they may or may not have expertise in taking over tasks that require deep technical knowledge.

• The intentions behind outsourcing tasks. Well, an online or the general VAs helps drastically in saving money, time and sanity.

• Comprehending, if outsourcing is going to reduce business overhead costs and save money.

• Deciding whether to outsource to an individual or an agency in the home country or outsource to a popular destination like India or Philippines.

• Gauging the workforce culture in the country to which the outsourcing is done.

• Sharing the sensitive information to an outside individual. For instance, to complete most of the social media tasks, a VA would need login credentials.

• The nature of VA task completion. Online Virtual Assistants are those employees of an agency or freelancers providing various non-technical business services to enterprises and individuals virtually. So, if one expect a VA to grab a coffee from the nearby coffee bar, it is impossible.

• Approaching an Online VA. Don’t be a confused prospect or a disorganized candidate. Many times, such a client who is ignorant is not given what they exactly need, but an output based on VAs opinions and suggestions.

Taking suggestions is not a bad thing at all, but it shouldn’t look like the opposite party, here in this case, the VAs, knows a business better than the one who owns it.

TIP 2: Know what to ask a VA or a VA agency

If one thinks only the repetitive, mundane tasks can be outsourced to a VA, then you are absolutely wrong.

On contacting a reliable VA agency, a wide range of tasks can be outsourced.

However, as a business frontrunner, a person should have clarity on what are the primary and secondary tasks that can be outsourced.  

And as a novice person relying on a VA, one should be ready with an extensive questionnaire.

Here is a set of questions that can be asked to a VA agency point of contact:

• Can you let me know the entire list of general tasks that your agency can take over?
• These are my priority tasks, how many hours will it take to complete each of it?
• Is the charges hourly or on a project basis?
• What is the qualification of the VAs that handles my projects?
• Can I choose my own VAs based on a phone-in conversation or based on a sample project completion?
• Have your agency worked on similar projects before?
• What time zone does the VA work for?
• What are the resources used to work on my projects?
• If I am not satisfied with my VA, can I get a refund or can the VA be replaced?
• Does my VA speak English or the language I am familiar with?
• How can I track my project progress and timelines?
• Can you send me an email with all the pricing plans and if there is a discount please let me know how to avail it?
• What are the task termination policies?
• Hi, I have an in-house group dealing with my tasks; can the VA team coordinate with them and assist them? (*this is relevant to large organizations)

TIP 3: Know what can go wrong

It is often a smooth journey associating with a VA or with a VA agency. However, there are chances of glitches. So, by having a thorough awareness of what can go wrong, one can avoid scammers and unnecessary trouble.

Here is a list of Do’s and Don’ts:

• Do not hire VAs for the wrong reasons. Just because a competitor business is outsourcing tasks to a VA, doesn’t mean another entrepreneur should follow the same.

• Do not think that the business success depends totally on a VAs performance. A project completion and output depends on how well a person is able to communicate and associate with his or her VA.

• Do not fire to hire. Do not fire an in-house employee to hire a VA. Sometimes, a collaborative work will lead to better outputs.

• Do not fall for scams. Search the internet and you will see a sea of virtual assistant firms, agencies and individual contributors.

Research thoroughly and find a genuine service provider. Have an eye for red flags ahead.

If someone is pushing to sign a contract; it’s a red flag.

If an agency doesn’t have a portfolio; see it as a big red flag.

If a VA forces you to pay first without even showing the patience to understand the requirements, see it again as a red flag.

Don’t fall for sweet talks, check the reviews. Look if the VA could bring added advantages.

• Do not be unrealistic. Expecting a VA to do all the tasks within a stipulated time is fine.  But don’t expect the VA to help you save time and money from the day 1 he or she take up a task.

Understanding projects takes time. Progress is what matters and consistency too.

• Don’t be unscrupulous. May be in the 3^rd world countries charges are low, but doesn’t mean the task output will be of less quality. Be generous to appreciate the efforts. More the coordination between the client and a VA; the task output will be flawless.

• Don’t micromanage the VAs.  The main intention of outsourcing tasks is to get away from managing employees and finding extra time to do more money generating tasks. If an online VA is getting micromanaged, the intention is lost.

• Don’t forget to set targets and create a system to communicate smoothly. Whether it is through emails, calls or even other modern platforms; make sure to communicate regularly. 

• Don’t think all VAs work 24/7.VAs working for an agency will be assigned with time slots and if one is to hire an independent VA, have clarity on how he or she works and the time period too.

• Don’t believe in super VAs. A VA will have only specific skill set and the person cannot complete the tasks outside his or her domain knowledge and expertise.
• Don’t forget to review the tasks on a periodical basis and check if the tasks are flowing in the right direction.

 TIP 4: Know the benefits of hiring online VAs from an agency

• It is absolutely a business’s choice when it comes to hiring a VA. According to Wikipedia, there are approximately around 25,000 VAs worldwide.

Many of them offer their services viaa VA agency. While others choose to have the job posting on platforms like Upwork, Flexjobs Corporation, Belay, Worldwide101 and other popular online forums.

• If a business wants to outsource bulk of tasks, it is always advisable to choose a VA agency.

For instance, in an agency like Ossisto, one can find a wide range of services. From business support, bookkeeping, digital marketing to even business consulting, over the other general services that an online VAs would offer- an agency will have all kind of VAs under one umbrella. Here, one gets a chance to run an entire business with the help of the virtual workers and save on overall costs.

• At an agency, there will always be a back-up VA.

• An agency VA would have worked for similar projects and would have ideas and strategies in place to complete a task faster and efficiently.

• VAs working for an agency will be a group of hand-picked talent and one get a chance to associate with the Crème De La Crème.

• As VA agency deal with multiple clients, they can easily give discounts and rebates on an already reasonable final charge.

The Windup

It is an undeniable fact that most employees worked remotely in 2020 due to the Corona crisis. The situation can recur in the near future and it is always better to switch to the future of the workforce – Online or the general Virtual Assistants.

A post modern group of happy professionals, working from their comfort zones for clients that need their work done speedily and at pocket-friendly prices.

Novices should start somewhere and there is no time perfect than now.

Start by outsourcing simple tasks to an agency of great reputation.

Well, if you don’t find any, don’t think twice, contact Ossisto.

Know more>>> Essential 10 Tools That will Help Every Virtual Assistant Business

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