The Ultimate Guide for Virtual Assistants - Effective Strategies to Boost Your Success

 

 

Writing is one of the most important competencies virtual assistants must possess. However, there is a lot more to this skill than simply typing 80 words per minute or spelling correctly.

In a traditional classroom, a teacher might give students a task and walk them through it. However, with a remote team, you can't sit next to your VA and demonstrate each process.

1. Know Your Goals

Providing clear and concise goals is the best way to help your Virtual Assistant achieve success. Whether recurring tasks like checking the company email inbox or one-time projects like reviewing a client website, your goals must be time-based, specific, measurable and achievable.

Setting SMART goals also helps your VA gain ownership of the task and its outcome, motivating them to optimize their performance. Find a way to connect their personal goals with your corporate vision so they can understand the significance of their work.

When introducing a new task, it's recommended that you walk them through the process step by step and provide detailed information and explanations. You can upload training documents on platforms such as Google Drive and Dropbox or even record a screencast using a tool like Loom to share your workflow with them.

2. Create a Workflow

For your virtual assistants to perform their best, they need clear instructions. This means delegating asynchronous and synchronous tasks effectively, setting standards for communication, and providing feedback.

For example, if an email checking task is part of their daily workflow, create a checklist in your project management tool to ensure they do it properly. This can also prevent them from making mistakes or missing out on opportunities to improve processes.

And don't forget to listen to your VA's feedback, especially when it's negative! Research shows that employees who feel respected are more productive and stay with their employer longer. This is a key component to building trust and fostering a successful relationship.

3. Create a Schedule

The first day of a VA's work is largely about building that human connection.

For this reason, it's spending the first day (or several days) meeting with them via video conference is important to build that connection and share your business vision with them.

Once you've onboard, trained and managed your VA to perform routine tasks according to your processes, it's time to create a schedule for them. You can do this by creating a project called "Repeatable Tasks" within your Project Management tool.

Add all of your repeatable tasks to the project, and set them to recur daily for your VA to see each morning when they log into their task list. For example, if you ask your VA to check the company's info@ email inbox each day, simply make sure that the task has a due date and recurrence of "daily." This will ensure that the task gets done every day.

4. Create a To-Do List

Early on in your VA's working relationship, create a "project wish list" with projects you would like to see them execute. This will give them a project to aim for and help them prioritize other tasks.

Create checklists for recurring tasks that your team members can use to complete daily, weekly, monthly, or annual activities. This will allow your VA to work more efficiently and ensure all the necessary steps are completed for each task.

Clearly define the tasks that require your oversight by adding a due date and ensuring they are listed in order of urgency and importance. This will prevent the tasks from falling through the cracks and ensure they get done on time. Schedule regular check-ins via email, text, or video conference to discuss any questions or concerns.

5. Create a Communication Plan

One of the most important aspects of building a successful working relationship with your virtual assistant is ensuring that communication lines are open. This means creating a plan that includes preferred methods of communication, scheduling regular check-ins, and providing feedback.

For instance, using project management systems to communicate deadlines and other relevant information can help keep it from getting lost in a busy inbox. Similarly, setting up instant messaging platforms like Yammer, eBuddy, or HipChat can be useful in communicating quick questions and updates so they don't get missed.

Checklists, templates and scripts are also effective tools for tasks that need to be repeated frequently. They can help your VA get up to speed quickly and ensure that work is performed consistently. Moreover, having weekly or daily calls can help your VA become less aware of the distance factor and build rapport similar to that of a co-located team member.

6. Schedule Regular Check-Ins

It's important to schedule regular check-ins with your VA. This will help them feel supported and valued. It's also an opportunity for you to provide feedback and answer any questions they may have.

It is common for remote assistants to have questions about how to complete tasks or to make adjustments to their work processes. Having clear guidelines and process documents in place can reduce confusion and enhance the success of your virtual assistants.

It's also important to have a system in place for tracking time. This will keep your VA accountable for their hours and can be beneficial in measuring performance. Many digital tools can help you track project progress, such as Google Drive, Trello, Slack, and Mavenlink. Alternatively, you can use Loom to record screencasts with your voice narrating as a more personal alternative.

7. Create a Time-Management System

Creating a time-management system is essential for maximizing daily efficiency. This includes time-blocking tasks based on due dates and leveraging productivity tools such as time-tracking software and project management platforms.

It's also important to introduce a VA to your existing "knowledge base" in stages so they don't feel overwhelmed with tasks that need to be taken on immediately. This is an opportunity to explain how each task or process has been done in the past and to help them create their own context and knowledge of it over time.

Time Doctor's distraction management feature helps keep your virtual assistant on track by displaying a pop-up whenever they access unproductive websites or apps during work hours. This prevents them from getting sidetracked and allows you to monitor their performance closely and nudge them as needed.

8. Create a Document Management System

Documents are the lifeblood of any business, but without a system for managing them, they're next to useless. Creating a comprehensive document management system is a must-have for every small business owner.

As you onboard your VA, create a process for documenting your tasks and processes. This will help your new team member understand their role in the company and how their work contributes to its success. In addition to documenting tasks, you can use video conferencing tools like Zoom to demonstrate online actions so your VA can learn through multiple senses. Then, those documents can also serve as a guide for training other new team members as the company grows. A common misconception is that once virtual assistant knows their job, they don't need support or training on an ongoing basis. This couldn't be more wrong.

9. Create a Calendar

Calendar management is more than just keeping track of appointments and meetings — it's also about maintaining a schedule that reflects an executive's priorities. This can help them scale their business more quickly, improve their productivity, and better serve clients and prospects.

VAs will enter important dates, such as project deadlines, business trips, and holidays, into a digital calendar. They'll also set reminders and sync their calendar so they can access it anytime.

If a meeting with a client or prospect has to be rescheduled, the VA will contact the person to make arrangements. They'll also use a tool such as World Time Buddy to ensure they know what time it will be in other locations worldwide when scheduling virtual meetings. This helps them avoid making mistakes due to daylight savings time.

10. Create a Meeting Schedule

Virtual assistants can check off tasks like nobody's business and can save you hours of time that would have otherwise been spent on administrative tasks.

Effectively onboarding your VA is vital to ensure you get off to a great start together. In your onboarding process, be sure to explain how you do things and give them ample opportunity to ask questions.

A meeting schedule helps maintain an ongoing communication flow and a consistent workflow. When you send out a meeting invitation, include an objective and agenda so that everyone knows the purpose of the meeting and what's expected. You can also use a tool like Loom to record a video of the meeting, which can be viewed later by all participants. This cuts down on back-and-forth emails and allows everyone to focus on the task at hand.