Enterprise Nation

With a big conference coming up for Virtual Assistants (VA)s we thought it would be a good time to hear from Tina Hilton who wrote a post for the Home Office Warrior blog on how you should best hire, and work with a VA. Follow Tina’s tips and both parties will reap the rewards.

As a virtual assistant, I pay particular attention to comments, both good and bad, concerning people who have worked with a VA.  Here are six tips for making the VA relationship work well, right from the word go.

1. Do your homework. Don’t hire the first virtual assistant that answers your tweet, comments on your blog post or comes up in a search engine, unless that VA  truly is a fit for you.  Virtual Assistance is like anything else, there is no such thing as a one size fits all virtual assistant.  A VA that is perfect for your friend or colleague might not be for you.
2. Know what you want to delegate. Virtual assistants provide a myriad of services that can help free your valuable time, help you save money and increase profits, but if you don’t know where your needs lie, you can’t expect them to know either. That’s not to say that as your relationship with your virtual assistant grows that they won’t be able to spot ways you can improve your business, however if you have no clue how they can help you, neither will they.
3. Communicate clearly. It is your responsibility as a client to be clear and precise about what you need done. When giving directions, be specific, even if it seems like a no-brainer to you.
4. Realize that things may start out a little bumpy. This is the learning curve. You’re learning how to work with a VA and they are learning about working with you.  They may not be overly familiar with your industry, so industry terminology and practices might need to be learned. If it’s a little rough at first, don’t immediately presume it’s not going to work. If after a month or so it’s not getting easier, then you might want to consider looking for a VA that fits better.
5. Respect your virtual assistant as a business professional. Always remember that they too are a business owner and treat them with the same respect that you would other professionals you work with.
6. Remember that your virtual assistant is not an employee. You can’t dictate how, when and on what they work!

• Tina Hilton, Clerical Advantage
• Original post at Home Office Warrior