How to Get Started with a Virtual Assistant
How do you decide what tasks to give your virtual assistant? Getting started can feel overwhelming. Let me show you where to begin.
You’ve finally hired a Virtual Assistant and it’s going to be great, but how do you get started? Some VAs will give you instructions on how to prepare for your first meeting together, but in case they don’t, I’ve got you covered!
How to Prepare
Providing Access
Decide how you’d like to communicate and make sure your VA has your email address (I can’t imagine they wouldn’t, but…). Give them your Slack, your Voxer, and possibly your cell for emergencies. Let your VA know what hours you will be available.
If you’re planning to have a long-term relationship with your VA, you should consider creating a Gmail account for them. If you both use Google Workspace, you’ll be able to share documents, calendars, and forms. Most importantly, you’ll be able to access your VA’s account, so if your VA is on vacation and you need something, the info will be accessible to you—or if you and your VA part ways, all documents and correspondence will belong to you.
Give your VA access to all the accounts and platforms they’ll need to complete tasks, like Asana, Canva, Hootsuite, Quickbooks, and your social media platforms. Be sure to set the permissions so that your VA has the ability to do things like scheduling social media posts or adding clients to your CRM.
To give your VA access to multiple accounts, it’s best to use a password manager tool like LastPass. Taking this extra safety precausion will protect your passwords, allow you to track logins, and cancel access should the need arise.
Considering Tasks
Make a list of the tasks you envision your VA performing. Then, create a spreadsheet, putting the tasks into three categories.
Tasks you hate
Tasks that must be accurate or are time-sensitive, or both
Tasks you love but aren’t skilled at doing
Some tasks might fit into more than one category, but start with tasks that only fit Category 1. Choose tasks that aren’t as affected by the small errors that come with performing a task for the first time.
Create SOPs for each of the tasks. By taking your VA through each step in writing, you’ll make it easier for them to learn—and having a document to refer back to will mean fewer moments of confusion. Plus, if there comes a time when someone else will need to do that task, you’ll be ahead of the game.
Now, this is not to say that your VA won’t need direction. During the meeting, spend some time sharing your screen to let them see how each task is done. Be available to answer questions. You may even want to make a loom video for them to refer back to.
Once your VA is up to speed, give them a task from Category 2. When they’ve mastered that, add another task. This is how you avoid overwhelming them and ensure that tasks don’t bounce back to you.
Check your VA’s work—at least the first few times they complete tasks—to make sure they understand and are completing the work acurately. Kindly let the VA know what they need to pay extra attention to. Also let them know when they’re doing a great job!
Since your VA is learning something new (not just the task, but your preferred way of completing it and documenting it), it will probably take more time from start to finish. They will be slower than you and that’s to be expected. You’re experienced and have done that task repeatedly. Please be patient and give your VA a chance to grow comfortable. In about a month, you’ll be so happy. It’s worth it, I promise!
Set up a weekly check-in time. One 15-minute call a week is sometimes all it takes to clarify priorities. Let your VA know you’re available to them, expecially in these early stages. It’s normal to have a few kinks to work out, but if you take the time to be supportive, you and your VA will grow into an efficient team.
If this all feels overwhelming, you might consider outsourcing the VA onboarding process. If you’d like to learn more about this process, contact me and we’ll talk it over.
Best wishes as you take a huge step towards the work/life balance you deserve!
What does a virtual assistant do?
It’s possible that although you may not know what a virtual assistant does, you might need one! Come read about my shift in focus from the Alexander Technique to VA work.
A lot has changed since I last posted. COVID-19. The shutdown. You may have noticed I shifted my focus here? It doesn’t make sense concentrate on the part of my life that requires touching other people when we’re all social-distancing. I will always be grateful to the Alexander Technique for improving my life and allowing me to help others and one day, I hope to teach again.
In the meantime, let me tell you about something else I love: being a virtual assistant. It combines some of my favorite activities like writing, researching, and organizing information. When I’m with my family, they get annoyed when I try to organize their stuff, but other people will pay me to organize their information! Now I bother my family less because I’m getting my jollies elsewhere and bonus--my efforts are appreciated!
People sometimes ask: What does a virtual assistant do? Well, all kinds of things! Some focus on administrative work while others prefer to specialize in skills like social media content or management, bookkeeping, or audio and video editing. If there is a task that is holding you back from growing your business, there’s probably a virtual assistant who would love to do it for you. At some point, you or someone you know has joked about “needing a secretary.” Have you considered that maybe you really do? And that it’s possible?
Where can you find a virtual assistant? They are everywhere. Believe me, if you place an ad in LinkedIn or Indeed.com for someone to work remotely, you will quickly get a response. If you want to find a virtual assistant even faster, try Upwork.com, a freelancer platform. Another interesting way to find a virtual assistant would be to ask people you know. At least one of them knows someone who freelances and can probably vet the person for you.
Think about it, you might be struggling today to keep all the plates spinning, but within a week, you could have someone supporting you. You could have an extra hour or two a day. Doesn’t that sound fantastic? How would you spend an extra couple hours a day? Reading? Spending time with your children? Napping? Growing your business?
Maybe you’ve considered hiring a virtual assistant, but you were concerned about the expense. Paying for peace of mind might be less pricey than you think. If you own a small business, money is probably tight--especially these days, but paying a virtual assistant is less expensive than hiring an employee and providing benefits. “But Stef, I would just pay hourly,” you say. Well, you still may not come out ahead. Let’s say you hired an hourly employee. It’s true that you’re not paying for vacation, or sick leave, but you’re paying for down time. When I say this, I mean no disrespect to hourly wage-earners. However, as a small business owner, you likely cannot afford this. You are paying your employee when the network goes down, on slow work days, and any other time they are at your physical business but work isn’t being done. When you pay a virtual assistant, you are only paying for the time it takes the VA to complete a specific task. You can’t get more efficient than that.
So take some time to consider what tasks you’ve been doing regularly that are draining your energy. Could you show someone else how to do them? Would you be comfortable letting another person take them on? If so, give yourself the gift of time and hire a virtual assistant. In a couple weeks, swing back here and tell me how you’re doing!