Finding Success with your Very own Virtual Secretary

While it is given that only the best virtual receptionist or assistant can contribute to the success of your business; many a times if your executives are not able to optimize these services for their benefit, success becomes a distant dream.

Even the best virtual secretary will not be able to contribute to his or her best capacity if you are not able to leverage this arrangement in the correct way. Here are some crucial points that you need to keep in mind while dealing with your online assistant-

1. Developing a Good and Effective Working Relationship

Considering the fact that your home-based assistant works from a distant location, opening doors to a transparent and straightforward communication strategy is important. It is also important that you are able to trust your virtual receptionist. Having faith in the work patterns of your assistant and how they implement the tasks you assign them is crucial to how healthy your relationship will be.

Remember that a good working rapport is directly related to how successful your company can be.

 2. Studying the Tasks that you Outsource

While hiring a virtual receptionist may give you back a lot of your time that went in organizing your schedule, it is still important that you are always aware of the responsibilities you assign to your assistant. Whether it is making your appointments, organizing your virtual folders, managing your email, your website or your accounting work, it is always good to be consistently aware of what your assistant is working on at any given point of times.

3. Managing your Assistant’s Learning Curve

While many appointments and business matters can be planned in advance, it is not practical to take this for granted. A number of matters tend to crop up last minute, and it is thus all the more important for your online assistant to come with a learning curve that allows him or her to manage these responsibilities from a distance. Organizing this may take a few weeks, but once you are able to set effective systems, control will come more easily and comfortably. 

4. How are you communicating?

One cannot overstake how important it is for an executive and his or her virtual assistant to develop a foolproof communication pattern. One of the many factors that influence productivity is how well you are connected with your assistant. Before you hire your assistant, make sure all parties involved are clear about the mode of communication that will be used. Make sure you agree on an effective solution when it comes to regular reporting and internal communications.

Ask your solution provider if they offer any standard options that are tested and tried among other clients which they cater to. Many virtual assistant solution providers offer interfaces with easy to use email and instant messaging services. You can also leverage video calling options to make sure your communication strategy is comprehensive and effective.

The better you are able to leverage the services of your online assistant, the higher will be the chance of you and your virtual team driving your business to success!

Finding the Perfect Virtual Assistant

With a number of virtual personal assistant service providers as well as individuals offering these services cropping up in the marketplace, it is important for you as an executive or a business owner to find ways to become more vigilant about investing in the correct services. 

While hiring a virtual administrative assistant for yourselves or for the top management, here are a few considerations that you must make.

1. Understanding what your Personal Needs are

It is a common misunderstanding that your virtual personal assistant is only good for helping you coordinate your schedule and your data well. If you are able to truly identify you needs, you will soon realize that hiring a virtual assistant has a wider scope than traditionally imagined. You need to have a basic outline of what kind of projects you intend to assign to your assistant. Depending on the size of your firm and your requirements you can find an assistant who is proficient in managing content for your business website, someone who is able to manage your investment portfolio from home, and even pursue some accounting activities from home. The scope is truly unlimited.

2. From where do you intend to Employ your Assistant?

The World Wide Web is obviously a very useful resource when it comes to finding competent virtual assistants or companies that offer these services. Look up business directories, message boards, job boards and social networking websites for relevant recommendations.

If you prefer to hire someone more local, get in touch with a local staffing agency or put up ads in local newspapers for relevant response from interested applicants. Also speak to business associates and friends who employ these services for recommendations of solution providers that are reliable.

3. Venture beyond the Employer – Employee Relationship

Even if you are technically hiring a virtual online assistant, it will do you and your business good to not consider him or her as an employee. Look at this arrangement as a partnership or a business relationship where the assistant is offering to you his or her services. Taking this into consideration, make sure that the virtual assistant solution provider that you interact with comes with an impressive portfolio, a professional looking site and elaborate information on their VA services.

4. Put it on Paper

Whether you are hiring an independent assistant or using the services of a VA company, make sure your negotiations and your final arrangement are all on paper. The contract that you sign with the other party must contain information regarding job responsibilities, payment terms, hours of operations and also come with relevant clauses that allow your business to protect your intellectual property.

Also, make it a point to highlight that your contract needs to be strictly confidential. Depending on your personal requirements, you can choose to hire just one VA or employ a team of assistants for your top management. By hiring the correct assistant, you will be able to save thousands of dollars, optimize your time and enhance productivity levels at your workplace.

The Most Helpful Virtual Assistant Services your Business must Consider

The onset of the internet age has transformed the ways in which the world conducts business. With distance and time turning into a redundant consideration, businesses are able to make the most of the online world to acquire a myriad of innovative services to make business and living easier.

One of the major revolutions that hit the business world in the recent past is the virtual assistant services through which companies around the world are now able to acquire expert offerings from people residing in all corners of the world without having to spend tons of money on travel or office space.

If you are considering hiring an online assistant for your management or yourself, remember that hiring a VA is more than getting yourself a personal secretary. As a matter of fact, there are a number of areas within your business that can be managed by these assistants online.

1. Web Designing Services

There is no arguing about how important it is for your business to be visible on the online world. Since owning a website is so important, businesses with limited budgets can consider hiring a virtual web designer or administrator who will allow your business to get a completely functional website and also manage its content in the long run. Hire an online assistant who is proficient in designing and see how he or she is able to transform your business through achieving online success.

2. Graphic Designing

Hiring a virtual assistant with basic skills in graphic designing and media management is a great way to manage your sales pitches. Whether you are looking for assistance in creative PowerPoint Presentations or need someone to consistently contribute to your sales and marketing initiatives, a chance to work with a creatively inclined online assistant can do wonders for your business. You can easily get flyers, brochures, banners, business cards and all your other advertising material designed from your assistant.

3. Bookkeeping and Accounting

The internet has made data sharing so simple that it is now also possible for virtual assistants to pursue activities such as small business bookkeeping. Hire a finance, accounts or bookkeeping graduate and assign relevant tasks that simply financial compliance and taxation process for your business. Small business bookkeeping is especially a practical option since new or small ventures tend to have little work load in regards to accounting. This way you are able to hire a well qualified professional without having to spend a lot of extra money.

4. Writing Services

Effective writing is an important business quality. Hire a professional copywriter on a virtual arrangement through whom you are able to get all your newsletters, press releases, proposals and other important industrial announcements.

You may also hire a virtual assistant with experience or qualifications in writing. Effective writing skills can also help you in personal interaction and making sure all tasks assigned are not misunderstood.

There are a number of other areas in your business that can be explored by your virtual assistant. Depending on the nature of your business, your VA can also manage your travel desk, online purchases, etc.

Working Well With your Online Personal Assistant

Since the advent of the internet and the prevalence of e-commerce as an integral part of business, there has been an evident surge in virtual jobs. A growing number of executives are opting to hire virtual assistants who are capable of doing the job well through virtual interaction from comforts of their homes.

Hiring an Online Personal Assistant

While hiring a virtual assistant is a cost-effective and convenient decision, many a times, executives find it hard to optimize their services. Professionals end up constantly bombarding their assistants with emails with instructions that are consistently misunderstood, resulting in wastage of valuable resources and not to mention a stressful relationship with your personal assistant.

Before you go through the ordeal of firing your virtual assistant and looking for a new one again, reconsider your working methods and see if you make any improvements on your current arrangement.

Here are a few interesting points you can consider to make sure you are working well with your online personal assistant –

1. Establishing a Discipline with Working Hours

Just because your virtual assistant works from home, it does not mean his or her life will not be as busy as yours. Have a face to face meeting or a telephone conversation with your assistant to understand each other’s daily schedule and find a way to come on a common group with respect to defining standard working hours. This way you can set realistic expectations for your assignments and plan your daily communication a lot better. Also keep you assistant informed about the times of the day it is best to get in touch with you.

2. Identify a Method of Communication

Discuss with your assistant, what according to the two of you will be the most effective way to talk on a routine basis. Do you think your communication is easier on the phone or on email? On the phone you can make sure that there are minimal misunderstandings, while your email can be a record of all the tasks that have been assigned to your personal assistant. You may also arrive at a mutual combination of both modes of communication, depending on the nature of your work.

3. How are you Writing your Emails?

Trying to discuss everything in a single email can get confusing for you as well as your assistant. Try to limit only one agenda for every email that you send out or receive. This will make it a lot easier for you and your virtual assistant to organize your projects and enhance productivity.

4. Scheduling your Communications

Make sure that you make it a habit to organize a weekly de-briefing session over the phone to discuss certain matters, and keep a check on the status of various projects your assistant is handling at that point. With these weekly telephone talks, you can make sure you are bridging the gap that comes with sending out emails and you can also maintain a certain level of mutual understanding.

In addition to this, remember to set monthly goals for your assistant. This way you can make sure your business is on track and that you and your virtual assistant are working on the same page.