5 Tips for Working with a New Virtual Assistant

1) Tips for Onboarding Your New VA
The first step after hiring a virtual assistant is the onboarding process. If done properly, it will set you and your VA up for having a great working relationship. In order to map our your process, there are some specific questions that you should ask yourself:

• What logins do they need to have to access the systems you use?
• What standard operating procedures (SOPs) or training do they need?
• What files should they have access to such as logos, branding colours, etc
• Do they need to familiarize themselves with your niche, clients, products and services? If so, then make sure the information is organized and easy to understand.

Bonus tip: Don’t forget to make your new VA feel like a welcome member of your team. Your enthusiasm for having them on board will transfer to the quality of the work they produce for you.

2) Define Your Expectations
Hopefully, you’ve already discussed your expectations with your virtual assistant before hiring them to ensure they have the needed skills. However, it’s a good idea to go over them again so that you’re VA is clear on what you need. It’s highly recommended that you have your tasks laid out and assigned to your team members using an online project management software like Asana, Basecamp or ClickUp.

3) Communication & Feedback
As you begin to work with your new VA it’s important to keep the lines of communication open so that you can provide feedback and help your virtual assistant acclimatize to your business and processes. Doing so will help them grow and improve the quality and timely delivery of their work. Your VA will most likely appreciate the feedback so long as it’s respectful and helpful. You might want to communicate through email, slack or zoom. Whichever works best for the two of you.

4) Free Up Your Valuable Time

While you’ll have to put to extra time in during the onboarding process with your virtual assistant, once they are up and running, you should have more time in your schedule to focus on revenue generating activities. And, isn’t that what it’s all about? The best part about hiring a VA is that you get more time back for your most important tasks or to simply, relax a little more or spend time with family or friends.

5) Figuring Out New Processes
With more time in your schedule, you may also find that you start finding ways of doing things more efficiently. For example, if you find that your virtual assistant is getting bogged down with managing your email inbox due to increased volume, you might want to create some pre-written email responses to help him or her answer the emails in a more timely manner.