Blog

In this day and age more and more entrepreneurs are relying on Virtual Assistants or Virtual Teams to help with their business operations. By delegating tasks such as copywriting, bookkeeping, graphic design, website development or calls to VAs, entrepreneurs can free themselves up to fulfill more vital roles. They can strategize and spearhead business growth. Aside from their proficiencies, VAs are becoming more popular because of their lower cost compared to full-time in-house employees. So businesses can be productive while saving up on expenses. Still, Virtual Assistants aren’t silver bullets or cure alls. To get the most out of them, you’ll need to develop effective ways of managing Virtual Assistants and Virtual Teams. Fortunately, we can help you with that!  

Make On-boarding and Training Easy and Transparent

Save yourself a host of growing pains when it comes to hiring new Virtual Assistants and promote the best practices in on-boarding and training. After all, it’s one of the most important parts of the hiring process. You want them to learn how to do procedures correctly, rather than pick up bad habits or do tasks sloppily. You can only overlook these for so long until disaster strikes (and then unlearning these mistakes will take forever). So get a well-trained Virtual Assistant or Virtual Team. Integrate them smoothly with your team and work process. With this, they’ll become a well-oiled component in the greater machine, making everything easier for everyone. You can ensure this by putting in the time during VA training. Either you yourself or one of your trusted people can guide the Virtual Assistant and show them the ropes. Moreover, aside from video calls and conferences with shared screens, you can create set training materials like videos and instruction manuals. With these, your organization will have resources and references that anyone can look up – not just VAs. At the same time, communication is key in managing Virtual Assistants. So if the newbie has any questions, you or other team members should be available to provide needed guidance.  

Have Regular Meetings with Virtual Assistants and Staff

Speaking of communications, good managers make sure that everyone in the team knows what he or she has to do for the day. And your Virtual Assistants are as much part of the team as anyone else. Regular or daily meetings can help ensure the whole team is on the same page and address any questions people might have. These are when you can delegate, check for any problems and act accordingly. Potential concerns with coordination, which can be an issue with Virtual Assistants operating from different time zones, will also be mitigated. Now, the team will work cohesively and responsively and you’ll be well on your way in managing Virtual Assistants effectively.  

Delegate to Virtual Assistants According to Their Skill Sets

Tasks to assign to your Virtual Assistants should take into consideration their strengths and skill sets. Just like how outsourcing VAs will give you more time to focus on important matters that are your fortes and priorities as a business leader. When a Virtual Assistant is hired, the process should include defining their roles and scope of responsibilities. Yes, you are outsourcing menial and tedious tasks to VAs, but you shouldn’t just throw any random task at them. So understand what each VA is best suited for, and assign responsibilities accordingly. After all, if a VA is proficient with content writing but isn’t a code monkey, then it’s best to utilize them for making blogs rather than designing websites. A Virtual Assistant bookkeeper should be handling company finances, not managing social media campaigns. This seems like a fairly obvious strategy for managing Virtual Assistants. But there’s always that temptation to just throw anything and everything at your VA. Remember, they’re not superhuman and there’s only so much they can do.  

Project Management Systems Are Your Friend

Want to improve team coordination and collaboration? All while managing Virtual Assistants and potentially other remotely-working employees? Then consider project management systems such as Asana or Trello. By leveraging The Cloud, your workforce will be interconnected. So they can share files and projects, log in the tasks they’re doing, communicate with one another on the go, and more. At the same time, everyone can easily keep track of everything and measure productivity, including management. Whether you’re in the same office or halfway around the world, you can stay on top of everything while remaining hands-off.  

Takeaway

Remote staffing and outsourcing solutions have so much to offer businesses, whether you’re a startup looking to grow and expand or an established enterprise. So getting the best results with your Virtual Assistants and Virtual Teams should be a priority for entrepreneurs who want to take their organization to the next level. Like with any tool, no matter the quality of the instruments, the outcomes will depend on how it’s used and leveraged by the operator. By learning and applying the best practices, you can chart the course of your business and get the outcomes you want and deserve!