Key Considerations When Hiring a Virtual Assistant
Click. The first thing that most self-employed individuals look for is the VA’s personality: did the VA and the entrepreneur “click”? If you want someone who is warm, eager, and detail-oriented, and who can provide excellent customer service and follow-up, then your VA should be self-assured but not arrogant, articulate, a good listener, and easy to talk to.
Project Management. It also helps if the VA has experience with project management. You’ll be assigning her a large number of projects over time, and you’ll need to know that she can manage all of them, and comprehend priorities and deadlines, while also handling the needs of her other clients.
Professionalism. Does the VA promptly return her voicemails and emails? Is she a professional when it comes to answering the phone? Does she put you on hold to take another call? Does she keep her word when she says she’ll send you something? Is she respectful towards you? If she treats you well throughout your first talks, she’ll probably serve your customers well as well.
Set of abilities. You may delegate a plethora of chores to your virtual assistant. It helps if you have a list of duties you want your VA to complete, and make sure you go through that list with a possible VA during the interview process to see if she can complete all of them. Is she equipped with the talents you require to complete the task?
If she treats you well throughout your first talks, she’ll probably serve your customers well as well.
Skill to use technology. From QuickBooks to websites to Microsoft Word, the majority of self-employed people rely on technology to help them operate their businesses. Using technology in your office can help it run more smoothly and save time and money. With this in mind, your new VA must be technically proficient. Inquire about the software packages he is familiar with and how well he understands them. Check to see if your new VA utilizes the same software as you do so that you can share files.
Ask the VA whether he knows how to manage a website if you have one (and ask how many websites he currently maintains). Whether your website includes technology, such as an online shopping cart, check with the VA to see if he knows how to keep it up to date. Finally, identify who is responsible for paying for new software that your VA requires to be compatible with your systems.
Image. Take a look at the website of the VA. Is every word spelled correctly? Is the grammar correct? Does it have a nice and consistent appearance? A VA who doesn’t pay attention to her website is unlikely to pay attention to your work.
Availability. Is the VA a full-time or part-time employee? Is he available in the evenings and on weekends (if you work those hours)? In what time zone does the VA operate? While I have nothing against part-time VA, every busy business needed someone who works during the regular working hours.
Experience. It’s crucial to find out how long the VA has been performing this type of service. While knowing how long she’s been a VA or administrative assistant is useful, learning how long she’s done the tasks you want her to accomplish is more crucial. She could have done them for years for a prior employer. There will always be a learning curve when a VA learns your specific business, but you shouldn’t be paying for her to learn new skills unless they are specifically tailored to you and your company.
References. Can the VA provide you with a list of people who can tell you about dealing with him?
How Much Should You Pay For a VA?
VAs charge in a variety of ways. Some bill by the hour, while others operate on a monthly retainer (a certain number of guaranteed hours per month). Some bill on a sliding scale, with a lower hourly rate for routine administrative tasks and a higher hourly rate for high-end capabilities such as website maintenance or database management.
Consider hiring many VAs with different skill sets. Hire one to handle your bookkeeping and another to handle the implementation of your marketing initiatives, for example.
Conclusion
Giving time and attention it deserves to find the ideal VA for you is critical. Whether you engage one VA to do all of your chores or several VAs with different skill sets, get everything in writing: how much you’ll pay, how many hours a week or month the VA will work, how often you’ll be charged, confidentiality agreement, and so on.
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