Here’s an awesome infographic from Inspire Planning that gives some great tips for working with a Virtual Assistant.
I particularly like the Tips for Working With a VA and wanted to expand on them a little:
- Don’t expect them to come to your location. I thought that was implied by the “Virtual” part of the name, but it’s amazing how often people are surprised that I don’t work in their office. If I did come to you, I’d have to be careful that I didn’t stop being compliant from a personal services income taxation perspective. Also, I’m sure you don’t want to find out down the track that you have further financial obligations such as Superannuation or leave entitlements because the ATO finds that you’re actually an employer, not someone hiring a contractor. Of course, this all depends on your specific case, and if you’re unsure how outsourcing to an independent contractor will work in your case, it’s best to get professional advice.
- Be clear in your explanations and requests. Virtual Assistants will try to provide you with exactly what you want, and you’re always going to have a better chance at achieving that if you can clearly communicate to us exactly what you want. It doesn’t mean you need to micromanage, or give us step by step instructions for everything, but if you want a document formatted in a specific style, detail the style or give us something to copy from. Don’t just say “format this” if it needs to be a specific font etc. If you like company communications to be couched in the plural (we have changed…, please let us know…) instead of the singular (I’ve changed, please let me know….)- telling us will ensure it’s done correctly, don’t just hope we notice and pick it up ourselves.
- Know your budget and be upfront about it. We like regular customers and referrals, so if you can only afford a certain amount – let us know. We’ll work within your budget and generally offer advice on what you can do to minimize costs. On the other hand, racking up a large bill that you can’t pay hurts everyone. It puts us in a bad position, puts you in an uncomfortable position and general awkwardness ensues. It’s not pleasant for anyone.
- Start with a trial project. That way you can get the feel of working with the Virtual Assistant. It helps you work on letting go of tasks and it gives you a chance to not only check out the Virtual Assistants output, but also to see if they’re is a good fit with you. Then, you can decide whether you want to develop a closer working relationship or whether you’d like to keep looking and find somebody you feel more in synch with.
