If you’re wanting to work with a Virtual Assistant as a long term concern, but aren’t sure how you would make it work, consider working using Virtual Assistants as strategic partners rather than as a strict time hire. If you think of your Virtual Assistant as a more of a strategic alliance or partnership it allows you to make best use of their background, skills and knowledge.
A Virtual Assistant who works in your business is a great sounding board to develop and implement new directions and ideas for your business. They can take the skills and knowledge gained from working with previous clients, past business experience, networking contacts as well as from running their own business to give you a viewpoint that is framed in your company’s style, while also having a somewhat independent perspective.
Your Virtual Assistant probably also has similar partnerships with other businesses that may be useful for you. I can guarantee that we’ll be able to recommend several candidates for any of the major business functions (bookkeeping, accounting, website development etc.) that you may need help with. Best things is, that as we know you and how you work, we can pick which of our contacts will best complement your business.
Of course, this is one of those things that works best over time. The better your Virtual Assistant gets to know your business, the more helpful they can be. It’s also vitally important for you to include the Virtual Assistant in discussions about the business direction, or at least to be able to communicate them clearly.
For example, if you’re looking to update your website, by including the Virtual Assistant in discussions about what you want the website to do and what it should look like, they can help:
- Draw up a comprehensive plan for your website developer
- Find a website developer who has the skills and knowledge you need to achieve your desired end result
- Liaise with the website developer, graphic designer, your SEO experts and your users to make sure every aspect is working properly and the design and implementation runs smoothly
- Test and retest to make sure that everything is working the way it’s supposed to and key performance indicators and project milestones are successfully reached before any payments are made
The more of the process they’re involved in, the more helpful they can be. A good Virtual Assistant can help out with these processes along the way, but their usefulness will be limited by your ability and willingness to communicate what you want.
So that’s another way to look at using a Virtual Assistant. Keep in mind that while your business is your passion, it’s also in our interests to see you succeed. If you can find a Virtual Assistant that you’re comfortable with and whose ideas gel with yours, you can create a valuable partnership that gives your business a new lease on life and allows it to grow from strength to strength.
