If email is your bugbear, there are quite a few ways a VA can help you keep it under control. Whether you allow them full access to your email account so they can respond on your behalf, or you create one or more separate email accounts and filter emails to them as required, you will find that a large portion of your emails are able to be handled by someone else.
Accessing your email account:
A VA can sort your emails,
- flagging those that need a response from you,
- responding to any that have a fairly standard response
- flagging, or unsubscribing from newsletters and other promotional emails
- setting up rules to sort emails automatically
- creating draft responses for you to approve and send at a later time
A VA can set up rules, categories and flags for your emails based on a pre-set criteria, and depending on your platform, can also set up autotext shortcuts for frequently used sentences and paragraphs and make templates for frequently used emails. This not only helps save you time when sending emails, it ensures that your emails have a consistency of tone, look and wording.
Via a separate email account
Alternatively, you can set up separate accounts for your VA to use and filter emails from your account to them, as well as publicising the new addresses where applicable (i.e.: if you want your VA handling accounts queries, create an accounts email address and put it on your invoices, website and even include the accounts address in your email signature) Then the VA can take control of emails sent to that account, BCCing you on any emails sent if you prefer. This is by far the preferable way of dealing with things such as accounts, general enquiries, product queries and support and any other areas where the same questions are regularly asked. As well as responding to frequent questions, your VA can help develop and maintain a FAQ for your website, and any questions that require a more detailed response can be forwarded on to you or a specialist for response.
Sharing your email load with a VA can not only make it easier to keep your inbox under control, your VA can help you to provide your clients with a consistent and professional experience.
