Best Practices for Working with a Virtual Assistant
Getting Started
I think success with any employee, and especially a fully virtual professional (VP) is having really clear communication. Most of our talent and connections are with VP’s from different countries, meaning English will be their second language. Although we do have English proficiency tests, have multiple conversations with our pool of candidates, there still will be certain things, aspects, tasks, and slang that will take extra time to communicate.
Similarly, cultural differences might show up in different ways. Be prepared and understand what some of those differences might be. Of course, everyone is different, and there are unique individuals in every country, but understanding the norms, especially when it comes to communication will go a long way in a successful working relationship with your VP. This is a great article, and short video on some of those differences, take a look.
In light of communicating, setting clear and realistic expectations for your VP will be a great way to start off on the right track. Tasks that you have done 100’s of times, and feel like second nature, won’t feel that way to your team. Slow things down, over explain, and write down the detailed instructions for each task/project.
Something we always suggest is having clear process documents for recurring and common tasks. These don’t have to be fancy flow charts, although those are pretty sweet, a word document outlining the steps in a clear and concise way is a solid start. My personal favorite is coupling the written instructions with a short Loom/screen share video.
Start Small
Once you have a handful of statement documents or Loom videos, start small. If a VP will be working with you for 20hrs/week, don’t assign 20hrs worth of work. Allow time for reading, logging in, learning, reviewing, tracking and understanding your business. Start with smaller projects, checklist items, and add/build from there.
Also, just ask! Keep a constant feedback loop. At the end of each week ask “How did things go this week? How is the workload? What projects or tasks were the easiest, what took the most time?” Be curious, open and show that there are NO dumb questions.
Staying organized
I should probably get a Type A person to write this paragraph... but even as a strong type B, I understand the importance of staying organized. My favorite way of doing this is Asana. They’re not a sponsor, just a useful and free tool for task and project management. There are a dozen other tools out there like that, so if you already use one, great! Whatever you use, have a way to track progress, set dates/timelines, have reminders and be able to assign specific tasks.
Working together
There is no perfect answer to how to work best with a VP. I can say over communicating, having at least one standing check-in meeting, clear process documents, and setting clear expectations will go a long way.
Here is how my team operates… take it or leave it.
Monday, 30 min check-in meeting.
How was the weekend? What does this week look like? Any big updates, any roadblocks?
We’ll review Asana together on the call and see if we are all set for the week.
Like any relationship, good communication takes time. Be willing to get to know your VP as a person first, and the work stuff will work itself out.
Tue - Wed, on Slack (chat software, free!).
Regular chats and conversations are held during the week over Slack.
It’s easy to hop on a call, do a voice recording, or 3 min screen share if specific questions come up.
At the very least my team lets me know they are online and what they are planning to do for that day/shift.
Thursday, recap meeting/email.
I would say the meeting is optional (30 mins), but the email should be mandatory.
What happened this week, what did you work on and roughly how long did things take? This can be a great gauge of progress, and efficiency.
Any new updates on longer projects, how can I help?
Friday…who works Fridays?
In all seriousness, I try my best to not work on Fridays, and US time Friday gets into Friday and Saturday for my Filipino team. We worked up to it, but now everyone has Fridays off.
Other tools
There are so many tools out there for working with a remote team, it can get overwhelming. The best advice I can give is start with what you’re already using. If it’s Google Docs and Gmail, sweet. Start there and add slowly as needed, again ask your VP, what type of tools they are comfortable using, would like to see more of, or want to try out?
I’ll jot a list down of things to at least take a look at/be aware of. Depending on your business, size, and team some of these might be great, some you won’t need at all. As you look at these, remember you have free access to LastPass (password sharing software) as a VirtuHeroes client, we track VP hours via Slack, and handle all payments, so no need to worry about those right now.
And by a list, I mean check out these links for ideas. 23 Virtual Assistant Softwares Tools/Software & 44 VA Software Tool.
We’re always here for you, if you need anything at all, just reach out!
- Taylor Gilbertson
