So, you’ve hired your first VA – brilliant! Now, how to get started? If you’re used to doing things by yourself or have never worked with a team member virtually before (although, let’s face it, we’re all working virtually these days), knowing where to begin can seem a bit daunting.
Which is where we can help! We exist to make your life easier, so here’s a little cheat sheet to grease those Day 1 wheels!
Be prepared
It’s likely that you’ve brought a VA on board to help you get organised, but it will help make things a bit easier by having some essentials to hand – passwords to the appropriate email accounts and anything that’s Need to Know from the word go. That could be anything from explaining fully what the business does to having a rough org chart of people your VA might encounter.
Be clear
You’ll most likely have discussed this already but your first day with a VA is the ideal time to talk about preferred communication methods on both sides. For instance, maybe you prefer WhatsApp voice notes as opposed to emails. Maybe your VA prefers instant messages to be used during working hours only. We want everyone to be happy, so it’s great to discuss these things straight away.
Agree first ‘tasks’ and deadlines
If you have been doing things yourself, the idea of having someone to help you can be a bit overwhelming! If you have a rough idea of the first few things you want your VA to crack, go through the tasks and agree when you’d like them completed. I’ve found a traffic light system can be really useful – Red = Urgent tasks, Amber = Important, Green = Ongoing/When you have a moment.
Agree check in times to suit you.
In tandem with point #2, this is one of the most important aspects of working with a VA, in my opinion. Depending on how many hours you have booked with your assistant, you may wish to check in daily, weekly, or anything in between, at a mutually convenient time. When your VA is working for you, they will be dedicated solely to your tasks, but may have other clients they work for throughout the day who they are equally dedicated to, so do make sure that any call times are arranged at times that work for everyone.
Communicate!
Our priority at VA Agency is making sure that our clients are satisfied, and the key to this is clear communication! For the first few days with your VA, when you’re getting to know each other, open communication is so important to make sure you’re happy with the service we’re providing. Don’t be backwards in coming forward if you have certain preferences for a certain font, a particular email sign-off – tell us!
Sound good? If you think a Virtual Assistant might be the key to taking your business to the next level, but aren’t sure where to start, book a Discovery Call today. We can’t wait to start making your life easier!
Until next time!
Stay productive.