Hiring Virtual Assistant Services: Making Relationship Work

Large corporations, as early as late 80s, had2. Language and Cultural Difference
started setting up offices or partnered up withYour assigned Virtual Assistant most likely speaks
local back office service providers in South andand writes English well but the differences
Far East Asia to take advantage of cheaperbetween South Asian English and wherever you
talent pool. These companies had the financialare located do exist. Add cultural difference to
muscle to open offices, train employees, andthat and it becomes all the more important that
adapt management techniques to fit the localyou clearly state the task/project, explain any
environment. This option was not viable forunderlying assumptions, and leave some time
Small-to-Mid size Enterprises (SMEs) for financialmargin for your VA to ask questions.
and economy of scale reasons. All this hasTask/Project Management and Reporting
changed with evolution in Virtual AssistantWhen you assign a task/project make sure you
Services concept and the advancement inarticulate the problem statement clearly. If there
broadband internet access and remoteare any underlying assumptions make your
connectivity tools. Virtual Assistant Servicesassistant aware of those. The effort (hours)
Providers now not only provide basic services butallowed for the task/project and the project
also web/desktop application development,delivery due date must be clearly communicated.
business analysis, online marketing, andMost Virtual Assistant Services Providers should
bookkeeping support to new a few.have a basic project management tool that could
So how do we differentiate this new crop ofbe accessed via their website. It should, at the
Virtual Assistant Services Providers fromvery least, convey the status of your task
standard outsourcing firms? In my view,project (%age complete) and authorized vs.
today’s successful Virtual Assistantconsumed hours. Some providers will include other
Services Providers operate in a make-to-orderinformation as well, such as your plan related
environment with flexibility to accommodate theinformation, and payment status to name a few.
needs of a SME. Their flexibility and lower costBottom line, you must provide complete task
structure actually makes them attractive to anyproject information and your provider should have
size business. The question then becomes how doa mechanism to update you on the status
you find a quality Virtual Assistant Serviceswithout you having to ask for it.
Provider and how should you engage the providerOrganizational Issues in employing Virtual Assistant
in a mutually beneficial relationship. While there isServices
no silver bullet, the following seven points willAny outsourcing of tasks/projects will be met
improve your probability of finding and sustaining awith resistance unless those affected are involved
good match.and not threatened by it. Organizational dynamics
Characteristics of Good Virtual Assistant Servicesmust be carefully considered before any Virtual
ProvidersAssistant relationships are considered. There are
First define what your needs are. Take somenumerous cases where the company
time to make a list of tasks using 80/20 rule;management was excited about the possibilities
20% of the tasks that take 80% of your time.but the employees were not on board, and as a
How many of those tasks are repeatable; forresult the collaborative benefits were not fully
example, regular content updating on yourrealized. Virtual Assistant Services Providers when
website or ad postings on a daily or weekly basisemployed to facilitate growth by increasing
is a repeatable task. Once you have your list, thencapacity, improving capability, and enhancing
search online for providers that provide thosecollaboration result in successful relationships; as
services. Pick three to five Virtual Assistantopposed to, when seen as an exercise in work
Services Providers that have a solid website withforce reduction.
testimonials section and provide a range ofWhen employees understand and believe that
services. Google these providers to find out whatresources freed up by Virtual Assistant
good/bad information you can find. Read theircollaboration can be redeployed for revenue
testimonials, ask for references preferably fromgeneration activities hence improving the health of
one of the clients in the testimonial list, and askthe company, the arrangement becomes a
for work samples. Generally, you can expectwin-win situation.
responsive service if your requirements are atAvoid Hasty Conclusions
least 20hrs/week.If your Virtual Assistant misinterpreted the task
Expect Learning Curveand went in the wrong direction, that
A common mistake made is not accounting fordoesn’t mean that you have conclusive
learning curve. No matter how experienced aevidence that this type of relationship
Virtual Assistant Services Provider is and howdoesn’t work. This is actually part of
much a client has utilized a Virtual Assistant in thelearning for both you and the associate. Make
past, it always takes some time to understandsure you find out what caused the confusion and
requirements and implement solutions. Clients thatwhat needs to be done by you and the associate
factor in the learning curve have the highestto make sure that it doesn’t happen
success rate. If you are going to test a Virtualagain. If your Virtual Assistant continuously
Assistant Services Provider’sunderperforms, then talk to your provider and
productivity against a specific benchmark thenmost likely they will assign you another associate.
you must help the provider to perform at it best.Understand the difference between a good
In few extreme cases we came across, theprovider and the underperforming associate. Good
client’s focus was on proving thatVirtual Assistant Services Provider is what you
Virtual Assistance arrangements do not createshould be interested in. Virtual Assistants will come
value and as a result, the relationship was moreand go.
adversarial to begin with than a potentialWhile we all would love our assistant to hit the
partnership. While virtual assistance many notground running, the reality is all relationships take
work in all situations, the value it creates is welltime to develop and Virtual Assistance is no
documented and beyond doubt. Ifdifferent.
you’ve your doubts about productivity,Sustaining and Growing the Relationship
discuss those with your provider so an accurateThis is as important as finding a good Virtual
assessment can be made.Assistant Services Provider. Open communication
Initial Settling Periodin a closed feedback loop will ensure consistent
Once you have selected your Virtual Assistantperformance. Mistakes will happen and lessons
Services Provider, the focus must be on building amust be learned. However, the key is how your
process that suits your requirements and createsprovider reacts to rectify the situation. Openly
value. You must understand the variables involved.communicate your concerns and suggest ways to
The most common variables are:help the situation. This will signal to your Service
1. Time Zone DifferenceProvider that you are a partner and you want to
By understanding the time zone difference, youhelp in straightening things out.
can actually make it work to your advantage. IfThe term virtual in “Virtual
your Virtual Assistant Services Provider is locatedAssistant†is somewhat misleading; these
in South Asia and you are located on theare real people working in a real office with all the
American East Coast then most likely yourissues of any business. Sometimes clients expect
provider is 10 to 11 hours ahead of you. If youthe assistant to be available at the drop of a hat
are located in Sydney, Australia then you areand that is not a realistic expectation. If you have
most likely 4 to 5 hours ahead of your Southsubscribed to a 10hr/week plan then taper your
Asian Service Provider. The main idea is that youexpectations accordingly. Part-time support means
find out what working hours overlap so you canyour assigned Virtual Assistant is supporting
communicate with your Virtual Assistant andmultiple clients, if you need dedicate support then
clarify any issues.subscribing to a full-time plan is required.