What Can a Virtual Assistant Do for You?

Your experienced, talented virtual assistant can do much more than schedule meetings – not that scheduling meetings isn’t important, of course! Following are some ideas and actions you can take that will not only save hours in your day, but create a meaningful relationship with the person who makes your life that much easier – your Virtual Assistant! I’ve chosen some of these from an article in the Huffington Post entitled, 11 Hacks for Getting the Most out of a Virtual Assistant.

“Create Systems and Document All Tasks for Them to Follow

Virtual assistants work best when there is a repeatable, documented system that they can follow. Don’t even think about hiring one until you have a few of these systems created and instructions specifically laid out. This way, the virtual assistant can get started immediately, need very little one-on-one training with you, and can do that one task with perfection. – Joshua Dorkin, BiggerPockets”

This is a really good idea, but I wouldn’t let that keep you from moving forward. None of my clients had a system worked out until they hired us, and then we created a system to work with them dependent upon the assistance they needed. I can tell you that all of my clients would still be struggling without a Virtual Assistant if they had to wait to create that system on their own.

“Establish a Sense of Ownership

Your virtual assistant should be a lot more than just your assistant. They are someone you rely on to help you perform your best and make your business run. They need to know how important that role is. By making them feel empowered in that position, and allowing them to grow and share in any business success, they’ll not only get more done, but they’ll be more loyal as well. – Sean Ogle,Location 180, LLC”

I can’t argue with that. We are very loyal to our clients and vice versa.

“Make Them Part of The Team and Coach Them

It’s easy to think that because someone is working virtually that they’re separated from your business, but if you’re inclusive in all your communications and you are willing to invest in your relationship with your virtual assistant, you’ll see massive results. I also think that understanding how someone’s work style jives with your own is key. – Nathalie Lussier, AmbitionAlly”

Nathalie gets it!

“Brainstorm With Your VA

Making your VA feel like part of your team is key to getting the most out of their time. I brainstorm with my VA all the time and constantly ask her for suggestions. She keeps bringing me interesting suggestions for the goals I want to achieve because she feels that she is part of my team. – Ashu Dubey, 12 Labs”

This is absolutely something we always encourage our clients to do – and it works! We absolutely feel as if we are a part of our clients’ team, and giving suggestions and new ideas to our clients is invaluable – both to them and us.

“Be Clear About Priorities

VAs are often deluged with a bunch of requests in rapid succession that stack on top of previous requests. Delegators often aren’t keeping track of what they’ve delegated and when those deliverables are due. As priorities shift, proactively communicate with your VA about those changes and build re-prioritization practices. There are only so many things that can be due by the end of the week. -Charlie Gilkey, Productive Flourishing”

This is true in part. We do get deluged at times with a bunch of requests in rapid succession, and delegation is a learned skill. When requests are made, VAs are the ones who should be keeping track of the requests and their due dates and communicating them with the client. Working with a team of VAs is perfect for someone like this, because if there is more work that comes in than usual, there is always another team member ready to help. However, proactively communicating with your VA about everything, including re-prioritization practices – is key to getting things done in the order you need them done. We’re virtual; not psychic.

“Pair Them With In-Office Employees

Assign your VA tasks that they must collaborate on with team members who work physically in your office. This will not only make them feel like part of the team but will also ensure that your team’s values and in-office culture is communicated well to the VA. This kind of team work will open up the lines of communication between the assistant and your team, heightening overall VA effectiveness. – Miles Jennings, Recruiter.com”

This is a great idea and works really well. Sometimes there is only so much an in-office employee can do, and instead of adding another employee, it makes sense to add virtual assistance. Another benefit to the in-office employee is the leadership skills it teaches them while managing, or at least helping to manage, a virtual team to help them.

If you feel you are struggling with office tasks, managing your website, your online store, your calendar, your bookkeeping, your marketing – anything at all – you should speak with a virtual assistant to formulate a plan on how they can help. You should not be doing all of these tasks!

How can you grow your business if you’re working IN it instead of ON it?

Nickey Hollenbach
Personal Touch Concierge Service, LLC
info@ptconciergeservice.com
www.ptconciergeservice.com