Hundreds Now Growing Their Business with a Virtual Assistant (Despite Less Time)

Ticking off the boxes of understanding. Clear expectations for a successful collaboration.

Looking to hire a virtual assistant to help grow your business or manage your workload? 

With more professionals working remotely than ever before, virtual assistants have become an invaluable asset for solopreneurs, small business owners, and remote teams. But what can you really expect when bringing a virtual assistant on board?

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore realistic expectations when partnering with a virtual assistant so you can set yourself up for success. Read on to learn key virtual assistant dos and don’ts, best practices for communication and feedback, and top tips for building a productive working relationship.

Defining Realistic Expectations for Virtual Assistants

First things first – avoid unrealistic expectations that most virtual assistants won’t be able to meet right off the bat. Keep in mind that while virtual assistants can become trusted, autonomous partners over time, managing your expectations upfront is crucial.

Here are the key dos and don’ts:

DOs:

• Expect your VA to take time to adjust to your needs, systems, and style of working. Thorough onboarding and training are essential.

• Anticipate questions, especially in the beginning. Virtual assistants will need clarity to do their best work for you.

• Provide detailed instructions for requested tasks and projects to set your VA up for success.

DON'Ts:

• Expect a virtual assistant to read your mind and intuit what you need without guidance. Clear communication is key.

• Assume your VA will be available 24/7. Establish regular working hours and availability.

• Rely on your VA to be an expert in everything right away. Focus on leveraging their existing strengths.

• When you’re clear and realistic about what you expect from the get-go, it sets you both up for a productive working relationship.

Fostering Open Communication and Feedback

Communication is one of the most vital components of a successful partnership with a virtual assistant. With the distance inherent in remote work, making communication a priority ensures alignment. This means being readily available for questions, providing context, giving constructive feedback, and keeping your VA updated on any changes.

Here are some best practices for communication with your virtual assistant:

1. Establish preferred channels and cadences early. Videoconferencing, messaging apps, email, and phone calls are all options.

2. Solicit feedback and give feedback frequently. Don’t wait for something to go wrong before you check in.

3. Provide context to help your VA understand priorities and goals for tasks and projects.

4. Respond to questions and information requests in a timely manner to keep work moving.

5. Avoid lack of communication and letting frustrations build up. Address issues promptly and professionally.

6. Update your VA on any changes in work needs, priorities, systems, or processes ASAP.

Setting clear communication expectations and providing ongoing feedback helps prevent roadblocks down the line.

Investing Time for a Productive Partnership

Working with a virtual assistant requires an investment of time upfront to establish an effective foundation. But this investment sets the stage for major dividends when you build a productive partnership.

Be prepared to spend time on:

• Thorough onboarding: Review expectations, workflows, tools, resources, guidelines, contacts, etc.

• Initial training: Virtual assistants need to learn your specific preferences and processes for tasks.

• Ongoing training: Continuously training your VA helps them stay updated as things evolve.

• Regular check-ins: Don’t just wait for deliverables. Proactively communicate about what’s going well and what needs improvement.

• Clarifying needs: Make sure to provide ample information and context so your VA can meet expectations.

While it does require effort to adequately onboard and guide a virtual assistant, this upfront investment pays off exponentially. Taking the time to set your virtual assistant up for success leads to greater autonomy and productivity over time.

Top Tips for Productive Virtual Assistant Partnerships

Ready to start working with a virtual assistant? Here are our top tips:

1. Look for specialized skills that match your needs so your VA can add the most value right away. A generalist may take more training.

2. Use a virtual assistant service that vets candidates thoroughly. This provides quality assurance.

3. Start with a part-time trial period to assess if the partnership is a good fit before increasing hours.

4. Create an ongoing task list to delegate from as projects arise.

5. Identify opportunities to take tasks off your plate that utilize your VA’s strengths.

6. Maintain open communication channels and provide context and instructions.

7. Provide timely constructive feedback to improve your VA’s work quality.

8. Demonstrate patience and remember your VA is an investment that takes time to maximize.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, productive partnerships with virtual assistants come down to setting clear expectations, maintaining excellent communication, investing time upfront, and valuing the relationship.

When you take a solutions-focused approach, provide training and feedback, and give your VA the tools to excel, it leads to a win-win scenario. Your virtual assistant can become an invaluable right-hand partner. And you get to focus on high-impact tasks while lowering stress and workload.

If you’re ready to explore partnering with a virtual assistant, contact Elevation Global Solutions today! 

Our team of expertly trained virtual assistants can help optimize your productivity and business growth. Let’s discuss how delegating tasks that drain your time can transform your ability to focus on what matters most.