Working with a virtual assistant (VA) comes with its own unique set of benefits and challenges.
However, establishing your expectations is one way to guarantee success.
To start you off, here are the key areas where you should set expectations with your VA the right way.
Roles and Responsibilities
Right off the bat, establish your VA’s scope of work.
What administrative tasks should they carry out every day?
Do you need someone to organize your emails daily? Do you need your VA to answer calls?
Perhaps, you need someone to schedule meetings or even plan business trips.
Whatever it is, let them know what you expect from them—within the appropriate boundaries and limitations.
Availability
What does your typical workday look like?
Maybe you’re a business owner who likes an early head start. Or you could be the opposite.
Examine your working style to figure out whether you need a part-time or full-time virtual assistant.
Make sure the tasks you plan to delegate won’t overwhelm a part-time VA or underutilize a full-time one.
Plus, your VA gets to adjust well into their role because they fully understand your requirements.
Communication
Effective communication is extremely critical for a virtual assistant.
After all, you’re not all working in the same location.
Remember that even skilled virtual assistants would flounder without a clear directive.
Your VA might end up waiting around unproductive if they can’t reach you for further instructions.
So, always brief them on how best to reach you.
You can also have different ones for different types of communication.
For example, direct messages should be through Skype, Slack, or Microsoft Teams.
Emails can be routed through Gmail or Microsoft Outlook while you can hold virtual conferences on Skype or Zoom.
Providing regular feedback lets your VA know how they’re doing. This way, they can also make adjustments based on your comments to improve their work.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
What metrics would you use to measure your VA’s performance?
It’s best to inform them from the beginning so they understand where they’re good at and where they need to improve.
You can refer to the S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely) acronym when setting up these goals.
Doing so helps you avoid establishing unrealistic expectations for your virtual assistant.
Make Allowances for Adjustments
Working with a virtual assistant won’t always be smooth sailing.
Thus, you should constantly review and monitor their performance to ensure that it meets your expectations.
If you discover gaps within your work process, talk to your VA about coming up with a solution that works for both of you.
On that note, if you want to hire skilled Filipino virtual assistants but don’t know where to start, you can partner with us at Remote Staff.
Remote Staff has 16 years of experience (and counting!) in staffing experience. We’ve worked with Australian business owners and are now expanding to the US.
Our pool of remote professionals goes through a stringent application process so we know we only offer the best.
Want to access top remote talent? Schedule a callback today!
Herschel Lili has years of professional writing experience. She enjoys reading anything under the sun, but in recent years, she has turned her attention to books that leave her feeling profound. At present, she looks forward to learning everything she can about remote working and sharing the knowledge through succinct write-ups.