Trust when working with a Virtual Assistant cannot be overestimated. Particularly at first, you may have some concerns about the safety of your information; the security of your data; and that your intellectual property is not being misused.  Fortunately, there are a few simple  things you can do to give yourself a little extra peace of mind.

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) & Confidentiality Agreements

A Virtual Assistant will have no problem with signing an NDA or a Confidentiality Agreement, they will probably even have their own that they use as a matter of course or have clauses relating to confidentiality included in their standard agreement. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want, and don’t be afraid to negotiate any clauses that concern you.

Data security

Before hiring a Virtual Assistant, you should be comfortable asking them about data security.  What processes and systems they have in place to ensure your data is kept safe.  Some of the things you may want to ask about, or specify are:

• How is your data disposed of?  Both printed and electronic data are worth asking about.
• Computer security measures?
• Password storage?
• How do they keep client information separate?

Passwords

• Don’t use your everyday password. If you are one of the many people who use one password, or a variation on one password on all or most of your accounts. First of all, stop doing that! It’s very bad practice and allows someone to hack your important accounts when they’ve got access to the password from one of your less important accounts. Secondly, DON’T use it with a Virtual Assistant.  Get the Virtual Assistant to select one for you, or choose something very different to what you usually use. Even better, use a password manager and give access through that.
• Don’t make a Virtual Assistant the sole holder of your passwords. You’ll probably be getting your Virtual Assistant to create accounts for you with some services, make sure you know the usernames & passwords for all the accounts too. I know it’s easier to let your Virtual Assistant handle all that, but if they stop working for you, it may mean you’ve lost access to crucial accounts. 

Trust

If you find that you have serious concerns and are really worried about the security of your information, take a look at why.

• Do you have misgivings about the Virtual Assistant you’re thinking of hiring?  If so you should discuss them with the Virtual Assistant.  If you’re not comfortable doing that, then maybe you’re looking at a Virtual Assistant who is not compatible with you.   Think about why you have misgivings and maybe you’ll need to work with someone you can have a face to face meeting with, maybe a telephone conversation is required, maybe just a discussion on systems and processes.  Whatever the issue, don’t hire a Virtual Assistant who you have misgivings about hoping things will get better.  They probably won’t.
• If your issues relate more to letting go of control over your work, take it slowly.  Let the Virtual Assistant know that you  are reluctant to hand everything over in one go, and drip feed tasks as you feel comfortable.

Just as in any relationship, a happy and successful relationship with a Virtual Assistant will only ever happen if there is plenty of trust and communication going both ways.   If the trust or communication are lacking, then you will find that none of your problems are solved and using a Virtual Assistant is causing you more grief than it’s lifting. Just by taking that little extra time to find the right fit will give you enormous peace of mind.

If you’d like some more ideas, check out my previous Working with a Virtual Assistant posts

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