8 Tips for Making It Work with Your New Virtual Assistant
In an effort to help you set expectations and take the steps to create a solid foundation for your client/assistant relationship, we’ve compiled 8 tips for working with a Virtual Assistant. If you are working with a new assistant or if you are looking for ways to better the existing relationship you have with your assistant, then this article is for you!
We’ve taken our founder’s combined experience of over a decade working both as Virtual Assistants themselves and as clients, working with other Virtual Assistants to create this list of realistic expectations and easy steps to take.
#1: QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
I think it’s safe to say, this lands on all the lists of tips for just about everything, but let’s explain a bit more in detail what we mean in the context of working with a Virtual Assistant.
One big benefit of working with a VA is that you don’t have to be ready to take on someone full or even part-time. Some people tend to shy away from getting support because they think they can’t afford it…because they don’t have a large budget for a FT or PT assistant.
We get it! It’s the setup we’re used to in offices or even on our own remote team but when working with a Virtual Assistant/freelancer, you don’t always need the amount of time YOU think you need to begin with. Something that might take you an hour will only take the assistant 30 minutes.
In addition to that, even if you don’t have the budget for what you estimate needing…
For example, let’s say you estimate needing 20hrs of support each month, your budget is $300/month…and you are looking at two assistants:
One has been kind of flakey in their communication, doesn’t seem excited to work with you, or for whatever reason doesn’t feel like a fit BUT they are within your budget at $15/hr.
Meanwhile, the second assistant is super easy to communicate with, you already feel they are trustworthy, and overall, it seems like a good fit. The problem is, they are $30/hr. That’s double your budget.
Sure, you could go with the assistant that fits within your budget and make it work. Maybe it does! In our experience two things could happen:
1. The assistant may eventually raise their rate to meet their performance anyway.
2. (and more likely in this scenario) The assistant doesn’t work out and you spend a month or two onboarding and an additional month of realizing they aren’t a fit before you part ways, and then you’re back to square one, but short $900.
The solution is simple. And no, we’re not telling you to up your budget when you can’t! Just cut the hours of support for now. Make it work with the assistant that is the best fit. THIS is what will go far and create the support you need in your life to grow your business. Work with the $30/hr assistant at only 10hrs/month until you can afford to up your hours. Delegate things slowly instead of all at once. You’ve been doing it all up until now, it will feel like a dream even to have just a fraction of it taken off your plate!
#2: DEFINE EXPECTATIONS
Think of any time you’ve hired someone or applied for a specific position. Most likely, you created a job description and laid out expectations for the role. This starts to look a little different for small businesses, especially when it comes to a Virtual Assistant. You don’t always know what you’re going to delegate right off the bat. That’s totally okay! The expectations we’re talking about are more about how you expect your relationship to look. Think through the following examples:
How will you communicate - Slack, text, Asana, Email, etc?
Even if you aren’t sure, have this conversation with your assistant (and most assistants will initiate this conversation so just be sure to know what you want). You want to make sure if they respond to a task you send over, that you are looking in the right place for their response. We have so many assistants who struggle with getting their clients to commit to a dedicated channel for communication, so it’s important to settle on where day-to-day communication should take place, as well as where tasks will be handed off!
How often do you expect them to be on video calls?
This is important to consider when hiring a Virtual Assistant because freelancers freelance for a reason. They don’t want to be tied down to their computer or on calls all day. Now, some assistants don’t mind all-day meetings every day but you should disclose this so they can be upfront about the support they can and can’t provide for you.
Do you have working hours you’d like them available for?
Now, this really only applies if you are working with an assistant for 20-40hrs a week. You can’t really expect a VA to be online between 9 am-5 pm every day if you have only retained 10hrs of their time a month. But if you are working with them in a larger capacity, make sure they know if you would like them online and responsive during certain times. Some freelancers like to take care of urgent tasks in the morning and then work on non-time-sensitive items after hours. And again, most freelancers are still available all throughout the day but they just might not be ready to jump on a quick call at all times.
#3: SYNC WITH YOUR ASSISTANT REGULARLY
You will not grow in your relationship with your assistant unless you are syncing regularly. Let me repeat that: You will not grow in your relationship with your assistant unless you are syncing regularly.
If they are providing PT or FT support, this sync might be every day (even if just in slack, text, voice msgs, etc) but we recommend a weekly check-in. This can even be just 15 minutes blocked off for a brain dump. Sometimes, the tasks you need to delegate don’t come up until you sync with your assistant and have a moment to think through what’s going on and what you can hand off. Don’t skip this!
#4: SHARE YOUR CALENDAR AND EMAIL ACCOUNT
This might seem obvious but we think it’s important to note because there are always some clients who think they don’t need their VA in their inbox. Our reasoning behind this is that even if a VA isn’t actively doing something in your inbox (i.e. email management, setting up drafts, etc) it’s still super helpful for them to keep an eye on what is going on. This helps give them the foresight to be proactive in their support! If they notice an email come through that they know they can help you with, they can bring it up for you instead of waiting for you to notice the email and send them a message with the request. It just allows them to keep one step ahead!
It’s also important to give them full access to your calendar. This will help your assistant from running into any issues while doing any last-minute scheduling/rescheduling and keeps you from having to keep updating their access level.
#5: GET PERSONAL
You may be hiring a Virtual Assistant for your business to-do’s but keep in mind that the more you have off of your plate in general, the better! When was the last time you had a physical? Or had a date night? Having an assistant helps you be intentional about making these personal things happen and can be a life-changer. Don’t be afraid to hand off personal stuff! You can even hand off having someone pay your bills, order your groceries, and meal plan, manage your family schedule, research gift ideas, research vacations, travel options and so, so much more!
#6: SHARE YOUR PREFERENCES
Along with your expectations, share all of your preferences! Again, a good assistant should be asking you these in their onboarding process but you can do your part in making sure you have these top of mind for them. Make sure to think through things like:
Scheduling - Do you have a naming convention for your calendar?
Inbox - What do you want to be done with your emails?
Communication - Do you want to be kept (cc’d) on email threads when your assistant takes over scheduling/coordinating?
What are your travel preferences - Airline, flight seats, hotel or Airbnb, points or cash?
Do you have any pet peeves?
#7: TREAT YOUR VIRTUAL ASSISTANT LIKE A PARTNER
The more your VA operates as a partner (and not an employee), the faster you will grow together. Be open with them about what’s going on in your life so they can intuitively support you. Respect their time when you have scheduled syncs, if you need to miss them, tell them ahead of time so they know they are valued…they will get it if you are too busy that day :)
#8: GIVE CONSISTENT FEEDBACK
Last but not least, make sure to give continuous feedback. If your assistant does something you don’t like, tell them. If they do something that makes your life easier, tell them!
We gave you 8 tips and it may seem like a lot but really, it’s simple. Be intentional about building your relationship with your assistant and they will take ownership of their role in your business/personal life in a life-changing way. They have the power to help you in more than just handling the admin tasks but you have to give it to them!
If you need more help managing an assistant, let’s chat. We can explore how our team might be able to help: https://calendly.com/laptopandlittles/need-an-assistant