Working with a VA
“Location! Location! Location!” is the mantra in real estate. In the world of virtual support it’s “Communication! Communication! Communication!”
Sounds basic, right? Unfortunately, it is not. It’s okay, and perhaps even advisable, to brainstorm with your VA about a task or process. However, in the end you need to know — and be able to communicate — what you want the final product to be and when you want it completed. The better you communicate in the beginning of the working relationship, the greater the possibility for long term success.
Consider these questions:
What is the turnaround time you need for completing this task? If you need it in two business days, make sure the VA knows this and agrees that the task can be completed by then. Also, the VA needs to know if this assignment take priority over any other tasks in progress?
How do you want your document to look? You want your proposal to have a professional appearance, but what does that mean to you? What type and size font? Narrow margins or wide? Page numbers in the header or footer?
How do you want your PowerPoint presentation to look? Do you have a specific template you like or do you want the VA to develop one for you? Dark or light background? Graphics or special effects?
How close together do you want your appointments? If your VA will be managing your calendar, this is critical information. Do you want a break between phone calls? How much travel time is needed to get to a face-to-face meeting?
How much time do you want allocated to a specific task? If you ask your VA to do some internet research, how long should he/she spend on the task before giving you an update? An hour? Two? Ten?
Do you need/want to know how much time is spent on a specific task? You might want to bill one of your clients for the time the VA spends on a certain task. Or, if the VA is assigned several different tasks, i.e. scheduling appointments, proofreading documents, uploading newsletters, etc., you might want to know how much time is spent in each category. How will the VA report this information to you?
These are just a few topics of discussion from my experience in the virtual administrative support arena. The list of items and details that need to be communicated is endless. Suffice it to say, most VA’s do not come equipped with mindreading capabilities.
Rest assured, however, that eventually your VA will come to “know” what you want without you having to spell out each individual detail. That knowledge base is built over time. Good communication on your part will go a long way toward preventing the frustration associated with unfulfilled expectations
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Good luck!