Virtual Assistants FAQs

If you are starting a business and are feeling a little out of the loop on certain aspects, or if you are simply not able to attain your goals due to a lack of team support and guidance, then a virtual assistant (VA) may be the best solution. Virtual assistants are not new to the market place; however, they are often at times underutilized because of a lack of general information available about them. Whether you are new to virtual helpers or if you are just unclear on how they work, the best way to learn more is to understand what virtual assisting is and what it is used for today.

What is a virtual assistant?

A VA is a professional assistant and worker who is an expert in his or her field. This can be anything from technological advances, marketing or any number of other services. Regardless of their work tasks, their job is to assist you in your business.

Do Virtual Assistants work from home?

Virtual helpers often either work from home or they work from a central business location where there is generally a team of assistants working under supervision. In fact, virtual workers may live or operate from other areas of the country; however, this does not affect their output of work or professionalism.

What does a VA do exactly?

These assistants can perform a number of tasks and are not limited to one particular area. For instance, a VA can do almost anything from scheduling appointments, business meetings and travel arrangements, to ghostwriting articles, press releases and reports to working on data entry tasks and placing phone calls. A skilled VA can also work on graphic design for your company logo, and even update and make changes to your company website.

How often are virtual assistants available?

Virtual assistants are available pretty much round the clock. They are there whenever you need them, however, on average these helpers work from 5 to 50 hours per week or more. It all depends on your contract with the VA or team of workers and your mutual understanding of their role within your company.

How do I hire a VA?

These assistants are available through references from business associates, or you can even find VAs online. Regardless of how you find your virtual assistant, be sure to perform background checks before hiring. And even after you have hired a VA, don\’t give them access to every detail including your bank accounts, credit cards or any fiscal information. Grow your trust over time.

Virtual helpers are extremely helpful if you understand what they are all about, their roles, and how to work with them to the best of their abilities. If you have an understanding of the fundamental basics of virtual assisting, then it may be the perfect option if you are having productivity issues or simply want to start or grow your business.

How to Improve Communications With Your Virtual Assistant – 3 Steps to Success

Once you hire a virtual assistant (VA), you may find that you and your assistant are both consumed with finishing tasks; however, you may also find that tasks are not being done correctly. For instance, you may think that you are being clear in your emails, chats and / or phone calls, yet some things are simply not being done or are not being done well enough to your liking. Or you may be unsatisfied with the overall quality of output.

This situation starts to brew tension between you and your VA, and in the long run, the tension may overwhelm other aspects of your business. Before you give up and become frustrated, practicing better communications and using better forms of communication usually solves this common issue. In a nutshell, what\’s happening is that your instructions are probably being miscommunicated and misunderstood.

To help improve your VA relationship, here are three steps to better communications:

1. Communicate well and as often as necessary with your VA, but don\’t over-do it. If you only need to communicate with your VA once a week or once a month, and that\’s all that is needed to set up the project tasks and keep them in motion, so be it. Communicating should be done on an as-needed basis, and it should be done in a way that is productive. Phone calls or emails several times a day or week to \”check in\” can disrupt the work flow and add unnecessary task handling into the mix.

2. Communicate about any problem areas promptly. If you notice that you are having problems in the same area time after time then there must be a breakdown in communication somewhere. Address these issues. Instead of becoming frustrated, talk or email through the issue, step by step, and point out where errors are occurring. Have the VA sum up the corrected solution, sending you a sample once the task is on track so you can make sure the trouble spot is tackled and smoothed over once and for all.

3. Use other forms of communication. If you communicate by email or by phone only, then it may be time to incorporate other types of communication tactics. For example, using a support desk with email tickets to track project work is a great way to get and stay organized – for your VA and you. And using Skype, Gchat (via Google\’s free gmail), Facebook chat or other chat software is a great way to communicate quickly and easily. Somehow, this cyber \”talking\” to someone can often yield better results than emailing or phone calls. Therefore, don\’t be afraid to experiment with different technology out there so that you can attain a better working relationship with your VA.

A breakdown in communication can ruin your relationship with added stress and tension. If you notice that your current communication method is not yielding positive results, it may be time to reformulate the way that you communicate with your VA. Use technology like a support desk and Skye or other chat software, communicate with your VA as often as you need to, and use a step-by-step communicating strategy to discuss insufficient areas.

Advance with Affordable Business Support Services & Products, Outsourcing with Personal Virtual Assistants today at: http://www.ohiohelpgroup.com – visit the links to sign up for their free newsletter packed with tips!

Advance with Affordable Business Support Services & Products, Outsourcing with Personal Virtual Assistants today at: http://www.ohiohelpgroup.com – visit the links to sign up for their free newsletter packed with tips!

Author Bio: Advance with Affordable Business Support Services & Products, Outsourcing with Personal Virtual Assistants today at: http://www.ohiohelpgroup.com – visit the links to sign up for their free newsletter packed with tips!

Category: Business
Keywords: business associates,data entry tasks,business meetings,work from home,marketing