Take Back Most of Your Workday: Simple Steps to Outsource Your Emails

by | Nov 3, 2017 | Entrepreneur, Virtual Assistant

outsource_emails

Take Back Most of Your Workday: Simple Steps to Outsource Your Emails

Who wouldn’t like to free up some of their workdays?

As a business owner or entrepreneur, you’re probably putting in more than 40 hours a week – sometimes it may even feel like 40 hours a day! In this blog post, we’ll show you how you can take back some of that time with email outsourcing.

Simple steps to take back your workday!

Email management has come a long way. Do you remember when people could only get to their emails by logging into a PC? Probably not. We can’t either.

These days we receive a deluge of email notifications on our mobile phones, ranging from client queries to our own personal pursuits.

If your email inbox is getting too much for you, here’s a solution.

  • Get a Virtual Assistant to handle your emails. Firstly, you need to acknowledge that you need help, and then get the help that you need. Hire a VA by contacting us. Once you’ve hired your VA, decide what your goal is. Do you want her to handle your entire mailbox or just organise your emails into folders?
  • Configure your email settings. Depending on your goals, you must configure your email settings to allow the appropriate amount of access. You can give your VA direct access to your emails via an app like LastPass (LastPass.com) which secures password sharing. If you’re not comfortable with her seeing all your emails, you can set up rules in settings to forward only certain emails to your VA. Not sure how? We can help you.
  • Decide whether you want your VA to reply as you, or to reply as an assistant. We recommend that she replies as an assistant. She can do this by forwarding emails to her own email address. You can also use a rule to send emails automatically from your mailbox to hers.
  • Specify which emails she should reply to and which to escalate. There are certain emails like complaints and emails from fussy clients that you may want to reply to yourself. You can discuss with your VA and set clear rules on which emails she should reply to and which she should forward to you.
  • Have a filing system. It’s always easier when emails are filed in folders. Create a filing system with your VA so that you both know where to find certain emails without hassle.
  • Create draft email templates. By creating draft email templates for each type of email you usually receive, you can have peace of mind knowing that she’s sending professional emails at all times.
  • Set up updates. We recommend that you set up a way to receive daily updates of your emails. This can be via a summary email, Skype meeting, voicemail or a text. Your VA can use the opportunity to fill you in on the emails you’ve received for the day and if there are any action items or issues.
  • Invest your time. Lastly, invest some time in helping your VA get it right. Working together always takes some getting used to so don’t feel frustrated if there are glitches along the way.