Long distance relationships can work. Business owners must stay in their zone of genius and learn how to manage a virtual assistant effectively. Both parties must want and need to make it work.
Similarly, in a virtual office, a business owner and a virtual assistant must learn how to work together.
Important tasks that take a lot of time can be outsourced to a virtual assistant.
With the help of technology, there are a lot of online application tools that make the job easier. These tools make communication easier. Monitoring projects and work progress is made simple.
1. Choose the right virtual assistant.
Assess what kind of help you need at the office. Match these with the specific skills, attitude, and experiences your virtual assistant must possess.
If you need help to finding a good candidate, secure the help of an outsourcing provider.
No one is perfect. But more than skills, you may find value in an honest, trustworthy and efficient virtual assistant.
Make sure you outsource the virtual assistant with the right skills and similar work ethics as yours.
2. Define work process or flow clearly.
Work process must be properly discussed with your virtual assistant at the onset. This is a good time for a Q&A to clear gray areas.
Have a clearly defined workflow, which includes deliverables, deadlines and a reporting system ready. This will guide your virtual assistant. Tasks are accomplished according to your standards.
3. Establish multiple communication and project management tools.
Manage virtual assistant effectively by assigning specific communication tools that will enable you to be in close contact with your virtual assistant or remote team.
Create a dedicated channel for project management using Asana or Slack. You can communicate, share files or hold group chats. Use Skype or Webinar for video conferences.
Make sure that you set a regular fixed schedule on a specific time block. You can communicate with each other despite the time difference. This is when you can hold weekly staff meetings, so all are in sync.
Utilize email and Google Drive for sending or sharing reports or links to important information like billing, invoices, etc.
Communicating regularly is key in creating a routine and being in sync with your virtual assistant.
4. Be a good leader.
Working in a virtual world has its challenges. It is necessary to develop a good working relationship. Be accessible and personable. These will draw your virtual assistant to you. It humanizes a virtual working relationship.
Be open to feedback. Keep the channels of communication open. Your virtual assistant may have valuable ideas to help improve office efficiency and productivity.
If your virtual assistant is performing well and you see potential for growth, be a mentor. Your virtual assistant could take on more complex tasks that you would normally handle.
5. Motivate and inspire them.
Bringing out the best in people inspires and motivates them to do more for your business. They start to care.
Encourage collaboration to achieve better results to reach the goals you set out in the first place.
Offer a reward system to recognize skills and hard work. This a great motivator. You stand a better chance of keeping a good virtual assistant onboard.
If you need more help with outsourcing and motivating your ideal virtual assistant or remote team:
Get with Great Work Online, where outsourcing is made simple.
A team you can trust. https://greatworkonline.com/
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