Monday 8 July 2013

Outsourcing Effectively with a Virtual Personal Assistant

The simple expression of a virtual administrative assistant can make a business owner either delighted or apathetic, depending on one’s exposure with this increasingly popular administrative help. By means of well-done research and a detailed working guideline, one can definitely make a smart choice of opting for an administrative help for a small business.

Small businesses categorically require a virtual personal assistant, if they are encompassing any of these situations:


  • The loss of a new or an old business client, because of not adhering to project deadlines.
  • Business development work has taken a back seat, devoid of an updated prospective database.
  • Receipt of new profitable projects for business stalled, owing to routine business work.
  • Staying busy working on the weekends and on night shifts to keep up with routine administrative job.
  • Engagement in work schedules, which can be delegated and in its place, more creative and important tasks can be handled.

  • Once you ascertain the need of a virtual assistant, let’s simplify the arduous task of outsourcing with these steps: 

    Setting the Model

  • Firstly, decide on the work and tasks, which you would delegate to a virtual personal assistant.
  • List down the potential places to acquire a virtual assistant for your small business.
  • Start the search process from your own network of people, for recommended agencies or assistants through mailers or telecom.
  • Meticulously screen the recommended list and add your own online searched virtual assistant list, to suit your business requirements.
  • Start interacting with the assistants, review their websites, and conduct telephonic interviews to decide on the right agency or candidate.
  • Set up the communication model to manage your online project.
  • Decide as to how and when you expect to be notified. This is necessary, and makes it easier for you and everyone on your team to know what’s happening at any given time.


  • The Project delegation


  • Start with a small trial project as a way to test the communication and workflow channels with the virtual assistant.
  • Create a business overview document and share the same with him/her.
  • Create process documents and checklists for your virtual assistant and ask to update the work and tasks on the same document.
  • The more your virtual assistant comprehends your business model, stakeholders, and your business vision, it is easier for that person to facilitate and achieve your business goals.
  • Set away some time in a day or in a week specifically, for reviewing the outsourced work.


  • It’s your own business after all, and to facilitate virtual administrative assistant to give his/her best for you, collaborate and spend time in training the individual rather than being simply a task master. It’s well worth the effort, as work will be done more efficiently and you will have additional time and energy to assign to the growth of your business!

    No comments:

    Post a Comment