Series: Client Resource – Empowering you to succeed
Part 2: 4 Tips on crucial preparation for a frustration free start
Member Blog Feature by Corne of Virtually Centred Solutions
Whether you’re a business owner, entrepreneur or CEO that on-boarded a Virtual Assistant (VA) for the first time, you’re going to want to keep a few things in mind. If you’re just starting out for the first time then chances are excellent that the fancy checklists available online for you the client, on how to source the correct VA or where to start when you’ve actually found and hired her, is not (yet!) a viable option for you. We need to be realistic about a few things, right? If you had everything under control and organized to a tee, ready for a VA to jump in and start at a 100mph – you wouldn’t need a VA in the first place!
So what I am saying is let’s start with the basics. In this second part of my 3 part blog series called Series: Client Resource – Empowering you to succeed, I will be sharing 4 realistic time and frustration saving tips for getting started for the first time.
Register a company domain email address for your VA or ensure you have one available she can use
If your VA needs to be able to contact and communicate with your clients or suppliers on your behalf this will be crucial for her to get started right away and establish her professional presence with your company or business. When you’ve registered the address, make sure to send her an introductory email with the username and password details so she can set up this mailbox before you get started. By sending I mean – to her personal email, not the one you just created! (She needs to have the password to actually see your email with the password you just sent to the wrong email address. Understand what I’m getting at?)
Send her ‘join’ invites for all the apps and software she’ll be using
This time make sure to send these join invites to her new email address at your business. As soon as she’s set up the mailbox these invites will be already available so she can start setting them up immediately. If she’s going to be handling your social media be sure to include those usernames and passwords as well. Be realistic and don’t expect to jump right in on the first day to get all those items scratched off your to-do list that’s been piling up for the last 6 months. First ensure all the permission and rights on all your software and apps are sorted out, so she can actually access the documents and menus she needs to get the job done. Remember you have a Virtual Assistant so if everything isn’t set up properly in the beginning, all you’re going to accomplish is virtually nothing in those early days.
So now is the time to get that to-do list ready
If you have been piling up random ideas of things that need urgent attention this would be your opportunity to prepare them for discussion with your VA. I would advise holding a Zoom conferencing meeting (or whatever other conferencing tools you are comfortable with) so you can actually discuss everything and she’ll have ample opportunity to ask and get to know you better as well as your expectations of the projects at hand. You may also want to have the information on hand or stored on a shared online drive (to which she also needs access by the way) in folders so you both can access the same information anytime, anywhere.
Be patient and open to compromises
It’s understandable that you’ll both have preconceived ideas, experience and skills in certain areas. Be prepared to be open and honest about your needs and expectations. You’ll have to establish a rhythm that works best for both of you to solidify this business relationship. The best advice a mentor gave me was to remember that in this business relationship both parties need each other. The business owner needs outstanding support and the virtual assistant probably needs flexibility (hence the reason for becoming a VA). What you have to do is find the middle ground! It’s a win-win for you both!
Hope you found these tips informative!
Feeling stuck and need help? Contact me I’d love to help!
Next week: Part 3 of my 3-Part series on Client resource: Empowering you to succeed
For more on Corne and how her business Virtually Centred Solutions can assist you, please do visit our members page.