Setting expectations is always best done at the start of a working relationship. So as soon as you get your VA properly set up with access to your systems, it’s time to establish ground rules!
Set expectations for communication channels
There are so many different tools you can use to communicate remotely these days. Email, WhatsApp, Messenger, Trello, Slack, Zoom, Skype – even just a simple phone call.
Start off the right way with your VA.
- Discuss the communication channels you each use. Find one or two which work for you both. Then stick to those channels.
- Decide how you’re going to handle attachments. If a document is on a shared drive which you can both access, it doesn’t usually make sense to send a copy via email or attach a copy to a Trello board. But where do you want the link to be?
Above all, don’t make your VA add it in two places. That’s not an efficient use of her time, and remember you’re paying for that time!
Set some regular meetings
You need a regular meeting with your VA, specifically for planning and review, not for actually doing any one task or piece of work. (You may need extra meetings for certain projects or parts of the job, but those aren’t your regular meetings.)
How often you need a regular meeting depends on how much you want your VA to do for you. Daily or weekly meetings are the most common. The aim is to look at what is coming up over the next week or so and create a shared understanding. That means setting priorities and clarifying any grey areas.
I currently have a regular Monday morning meeting with my VA to do exactly this. It’s in my calendar. Sometimes there is nothing to discuss and we just touch base to say we don’t need a meeting. That’s fine too.
Set an expectation that your VA should be proactive and responsible
You’ve decided to use a VA because you’re too busy. You need someone who can look after themselves rather than needing you to look after them.
Make it part of your VA’s role to do things like:
- Set a time for a regular meeting with you. (And to follow up if the meeting doesn’t happen!)
- Calendarise regular tasks so that they actually happen
- Check dates on a project and track that it’s going to schedule
The last one is important. Many projects may require you to do something by a certain date. You may be the boss, but it’s still the VA’s job to remind you about deadlines and to make sure things happen. It’s part of what executive assistants in large corporations do.
Keeping you on track is one of those things which Australian VAs may find easier than an overseas VA. Culturally, they’re happy to ‘manage up’. So let’s add that to the list of reasons to hire a local VA.
Make it clear they’re part of your team
Your VA might not be an employee, but they’re still part of the team. They’re not just doing tasks, they’re helping you manage and grow your business. It’s a different attitude.
So for example, sometimes your VA might be interacting with customers, prospects or even suppliers. They need to look like a part of your company, not a separate provider. So
- they use an email address from your domain – with an email signature which matches your domain
- when they talk about your company they say ‘we’, not ‘they’ – and they never say anything negative!
- they don’t tell others that they’re a VA rather than an employee
- they keep confidential or sensitive information confidential
If you have other team members who’ll be working with your VA, set expectations there too. Your VA and your staff need to understand each other’s roles and responsibilities.
Your VA needs to know
- who to speak to for different parts of the business
- who has authority to make what decisions
- if certain information is confidential from staff
And of course, everyone needs to know what the goals and priorities of the business are!
Summing up, your aim is to be clear about how and when you communicate; the attitude you expect from your VA, and how they interact with others. If you can get all of those working, you’ll be off to a flying start!
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