Whether we are discussing our personal lives or our work environment, lack of communication seems to be the number one problem many of us have.
When speaking to other VA’s I have heard that a frustrating part of doing business with their clients is their lack of understanding as to how these VA’s can help them. Running into this problem myself I honestly believe it comes down to lack of communication. We must ask the questions that will bring the answers we need to better serve our clients. Have you been clear as to what your needs of your VA are?
Knowing where you need help.
Is your Virtual Assistant aware of all that you do? Are you utilizing her expertise to the fullest? Are you communicating? Do you know what your needs are?
Knowing where you need assistance to ensure your business operates profitably and efficiently can be a challenge. I quite often recommend to my clients that they take the time to track what they do each day for a week. It may appear to be a daunting task to keep a record of what you do each day but this information can be very insightful. It possibly will surprise you as to the many things you do that are an actual waste of your time.
You could in fact better utilize your time operating your business while your VA takes care of some of the mundane duties that need to be done. She can be operating behind the scenes taking care of many things that may not have even occurred to you that a VA can do. By reviewing together the tracking sheet of your schedule and by communicating your needs to your VA she may better serve you.
Sharing information with your VA
Share your information with your Virtual Assistant and discuss everything with her. You might be amazed as to what she can take care of to create more time for you to do what you actually need to do to ensure your businesses success.
No matter what your business is, a Virtual Assistant can be of assistance. Realtors have their VA’s take care of their website, listings, fact sheets and a hundred other little things that need to be done when buying or selling homes. Insurance sales persons utilize their VA’s by having them take care of correspondence, scheduling, etc. Speakers or trainers have their VA’s organize speaking engagements, tracking registrations, responding to inquiries. Many lawyers take advantage of the skills of many Virtual Assistants with legal experience. All business sectors should utilize the social media skills of their VA to create a campaign that will enhance their online exposure. You too can benefit by having the assistance of a Virtual Assistant.
Your VA has a vested interest in you and your business.
If you find that you are not fully taking advantage of the skills of your Virtual Assistant communicate with them. Have an established routine for communicating with your VA, discussing what is happening with your business whether it is about your achievements or your challenges. Your Virtual Assistant has a vested interest in your business and wants you to succeed thus enabling her to succeed. See what a little communication can do for you? It will help your business grow and flourish. Give your VA a call regularly.
I really appreciate this article. A lot of people out there know that with the way things are today the amount of virtual assistants looking for work is constantly on the rise. The common mistake that employers make is not using all of the talents that their VA may have. Many responsibilities handed over to VA’s are that of the data entry sort, but you can also use their abilities to do things such as respond to email inquiries, track down vendors you may be in need of, and even making calls out to your current customer base to gain feedback on services received etc. Virtual Assistants are an amazing asset for any company to have for more than a handful of reasons; I know I rely on mine for some major tasks that I would not be able to get to without them!