13 Tips for Working Productively with Virtual Assistants

Business owners require virtual assistants that act like online secretaries more than before. Given the outbreak of COVID 19, most business models have switched to virtual platforms, which is why a virtual assistants is much needed today like never before. Assigning your non-core business activities that are repetitive and mundane to an online assistant can help save your precious time, energy, and money. As a result, you can focus more on the core of your business. You might want to consider ossito.com which is a reasonably good virtual assistants.

However, before delegating tasks to VA, you must do your homework well. Since you know your business requirements, you need to determine which activities you can’t trust and keep to yourself and which one you will assign to a VA. In addition, you should bear in mind many other things to get the best out of your virtual assistants. The more precise you will be in dealing with your VA, the more productive they will be.

So, read on to see how you can optimize your VA’s productivity and time:

1. Over Communicate

The key to reaping the rewards is to over-communicate. Leave no stone unturned to bridge the gap between you and your VA. Schedule daily virtual meetings to oversee their work and help wherever needed.

2. Utilize the appropriate tools

Proper tools can enable you to speed up the communication process and train a new VA. Efficient tools like Evernote or Dropbox for easy access to information and files. Jing or Screenr to design online video tutorials instantly, on-the-job training, and Trello or Asana for getting up to date with tasks and managing and tracking the development.

3. Be Generous

Virtual assistants are human too. They do incredible work for you if you give them kindness and respect.

4. Be patient

Have patience and give one task at a time and manage every job at the starting point. Ensure providing clear, polite instructions gracefully.

5. Provide clear instructions

Clear instructions have to be given for tasks to get the work done. Automated tools are the best operation manual that provides descriptions regarding all the tasks a Virtual assistants may require to achieve. It saves time and some mistakes, but it’s worth it.

6. Document all your processes

Maintain a shared virtual note like Evernote, which provides you and your virtual assistants a blueprint to follow that outlines your program details right from traveling schedule to meetings, and conferences. Documentation is a critical thing to do. So, don’t forget to document in the virtual note whenever you assign a repetitive task to your VA for referring in the future if required.

7. Set Realistic Deadlines

Multi-tasking is not everybody’s cup of tea, especially when they are new to the system and working remotely without knowing your business model closely. So, be realistic while setting the deadlines.

8. Appreciate the job

You must have heard or read about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: a theory of human motivation. According to this, praising others and recognizing their work fulfills the need for self-esteem and raises their confidence. Thus, appreciation will keep your VA motivated and happy, which will lead to higher productivity.

9. Delegate routine tasks

It would be best if you considered assigning routine work to your VA. Practically when you continue to do something stuff daily for your business, you lose creativity and have less time in hand to deal with business-related activities. Delegating such tasks will help you focus on other things, and at the same time, you will have to spend less time training your VA as the nature of work is repetitive.

10. Allow your VA to ask questions

Motivate your VA to ask questions and take clarity from you to understand the task better than doing it incorrectly multiple times. So, the key is open communication between you and your VA to do it correctly, which saves time, money, and energy.

11. Give clear instructions

Be very clear while giving instructions to your VA. Initially, provide few and simple instructions and assign fewer tasks. Then, assess those tasks and provide detailed feedback after the completion of the work. Also, give relevant examples to make your VA understand the job well and set the right expectations initially.

12. Choke out weekly, monthly, yearly targets

Choke out a weekly, monthly, yearly target for your VA. Set clear goals and agendas for a week, a month, two months, three months, and so on. Set priorities, what needs to be done urgently, what can be done later. Come up with a business plan phased out in stages, given your business’s expertise and knowledge. These activities will help you and your VA to achieve your goals.

13. Set up a call

It’s always better to pick up your phone and talk directly to your virtual assistants rather than documenting an exhaustive list of instructions. Instead, give a brief of your project followed by a detailed email. Again, direct calling will save your time, and your VA will better understand the task ahead.

Conclusion

Maintaining a cordial and healthy relationship with your VA is critical to achieving the desired results and getting maximum output from them. Employers who know what needs to be completed, by when, and communicate the same to their virtual executive assistants, are highly successful in keeping them productive.