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!

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.