Should I Hire a Virtual Assistant For Customer Service?

Trained virtual assistants can do anything for customers that a domestic employee can do for them from behind a computer. There was a time where people thought virtual assistants could only do easy administrative tasks or rudimentary tasks for businesses. Those days are gone.

Virtual assistants have varied skill sets and can do most anything a domestic employee can do without sacrificing quality. However you measure your domestic employees is how you would measure your virtual assistants.

Nothing is different except that instead of scheduled meetings in your office for feedback, you are meeting over a web conference.

Why Should You Hire a Virtual Assistant For a Startup?

Hiring a virtual assistant for your start-up can be a great first move because you can find high-quality talent at a lower cost in countries like Mexico.

Using technology to work remotely is easy and efficient, so there’s no reason not to consider hiring a virtual assistant as an assistant for your business for tasks such as creating time consuming process and procedure documents, drumming up business, or helping with marketing.

Why do Businesses Hire a Virtual Assistant?

Businesses use virtual assistants because they can get high-quality work at an affordable price from workers in remote locations with lower costs of living. Managing remote teams across international borders does require discipline and attention to quality control.

For example, if you are working in an office space and you hear your employee talking on the phone and you don’t like their tone, you would go over to them and give feedback. With remote teams, you would have to use feedback forms and listen to at least one call a day to make sure you like the quality of the call and give feedback. You would also have to have a playbook or procedure for how you want people to talk on the phone.

Using remote labor can help you implement best practices in management and business, which can make your business better sooner and give you the time to focus on your other business operations.

What Would You Use a Virtual Assistant For on a Daily Basis?

Virtual assistants can do whatever you would create a job description for a domestic employee to do that can be done in front of a computer.

There should be no difference in the activities, the expectation or the outcome, at least that is our expectation at Anequim where we hire high quality virtual assistants who work your hours, regardless of their time zone.

Are Virtual Assistants Good for Business?

Virtual assistants are a net positive for any business. Historically people thought that people in other countries could only do easy tasks but over time virtual assistants have proven the power of their skills, work ethic and ability to communicate effectively across borders.

With virtual assistants you may be able to make those stair steps to success, and making a profit less steep because good wages in emerging markets are less than in the United States. Everyone wins.

You as the entrepreneur get the help you need to grow and scale your business and the virtual assistant wins because they are gaining business knowledge and getting a good wage to support themselves and their family.

What Are The Businesses That Hire a Virtual Assistants?

Virtual assistants are commonly used by businesses of all sizes, but their use became more widespread among small and medium-sized businesses after the publication of Tim Ferriss’s “The 4 Hour Work Week” in 2007.

The technology for video conferencing also improved, making it easier for businesses to communicate with remote workers and making it seem like they were in the same office.

The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated the use of virtual assistants, as many businesses were forced to adopt remote work, and it is now seen as a viable option for businesses of all sizes.

Managing remote workers is not difficult, and many businesses now realize the benefits of using virtual assistants.

How to Hire a Virtual Assistant to Help Grow My Business?

Personally, the only way our property management company that we started in 2006 could have grown as fast as it did or sold for as much as it did in 2021 was not in spite of, but because of our investment in virtual assistants/remote professionals from Mexico.

The quality of the work and our ability to grow and scale without taking on debt and get the productivity we needed to become the business we wanted to become was only possible because of virtual assistance and their hard work, dedication and the ingenuity they brought to the business.

Virtual assistance enabled us to produce quality work, expand without borrowing, and achieve the productivity we needed to reach our goals. Their dedication and creativity were essential to our success.

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First: Change your mindset with virtual assistants

Delegating tasks to employees can be daunting due to the fear that mistakes may be made, but it’s important to remember this is a small price to pay for all the extra time you get from not doing everything yourself.

Mistakes aren’t the end of the world – instead, they can provide valuable lessons through retraining and coaching, plus a review of all necessary documentation.

The cost of potential mistakes pales in comparison to what you can achieve with the amount of time freed up from delegating: you can create an entirely new line of products or services, market your business more effectively and increase your customer base.

What and How to Delegate Responsibilities

Look at your daily tasks. Think of how much you would pay someone to do the tasks that you do. Likely you will have some tasks that you consider entry-level.

This can include things like administrative tasks, project management, calendar management, bookkeeping work, creating reports, social media management, responding to comments, administrative work, writing personal emails, etc.

Note the type of tasks or which tasks take a lot of time. Once you hire a virtual assistant start delegating these time-consuming tasks.

How to Delegate Responsibilities: Know which tasks drain your energy

If you’re considering what to delegate to a virtual assistant, it’s important to start by looking inward and identifying the tasks that regularly drain your energy or that you find particularly challenging.

These are likely the first tasks you should consider delegating, as they can quickly become time-consuming and that can often lead to feeling overwhelmed.

Once you have a list of these tasks, it’s then the time to start writing up playbooks and procedures – either with the help of a virtual assistant or before they start – so they know exactly how each task needs to be completed.

What new tasks should you be doing but you are not doing?

Think of the tasks that would really move your business forward. Some of these will be very high-dollar work that only you can do and some of it is just executing more client add-ons that a remote professional could take on, for example, more customer check-ins, or customer support. 

Add the items that you have to do to your new job description as now that you won’t be doing the tasks you are delegating you will have time to move your business forward with tasks that are the best use of your time, and the other items are added to your virtual assistant’s job description.

What tasks would shore up your weaknesses?

It’s important to consider any tasks that can help you shore up any professional weaknesses that you may have, such as disorganization, email management and invoicing on time.

To make addressing these issues easier and more efficient, create specific tasks and add them to your virtual assistant’s job description. This ensures that your virtual assistant is able to take responsibility for these areas of your business and free up your own time.

Getting high-quality results with virtual assistants

Now you want to think about how you will manage success with these tasks. What does winning look like for all of these tasks?

How will you measure success with these tasks and can you make these tasks into a cadence for daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly so nothing gets forgotten and when your virtual assistant sits at their desk in the morning they know exactly what they need to do right away without effort from you?

Finding the right person

Think about the skillset, mindset, and experience someone needs to be really good at these tasks. Also, think of someone you would want to work closely with – what kind of qualities do they need to have? 

You want this to be a person you enjoy working with because life is short you might as well love your job. Think about what questions you would need to ask in an interview to get a good culture fit.

If you take some time to go through this exercise and really think strategically about what you are looking for a virtual assistant to do, how you will measure success and what the expectations will be you have a much higher likelihood of the role working out and the role being successful.

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Asynchronously Virtual Assistants Hours

Our recent guest on the Bootstrappers Podcast Liam Martin, a remote work advocate, supports the idea of asynchronous work. This means that workers can choose to work at any hour and from any time zone, with as few meetings as possible.

Martin believes in using technology to its fullest potential, like making videos for colleagues instead of having video calls and making sure written communication and documentation is thorough, reducing the need for meetings or calls.

Martin is the author of Running Remote and the founder of Time Doctor, a time management software as a service (SaaS).

Synchronously Virtual Assistants Hours?

As a business owner, I run my remote teams with a strong focus on teamwork. We have daily huddles where small teams connect live in the morning and work during the same hours. Video calls are frequently used to answer questions and Zoom meetings typically work for our needs.

Despite never meeting in person, I feel like I have known my team extremely well due to our online interactions.

This type of work is only possible when everyone is working during the same hours.

Should I Just Hire a Part-time Virtual Assistant?

When hiring a virtual assistant, I avoid part-time workers because it leads to unhappy clients. I’ve tried it in the past and it caused problems for everyone involved. The virtual assistants typically were unhappy because they lacked communication, training and felt like they were wasting their time.

The clients were unhappy due to low work quality and high turnover. This was not because the assistants were not talented, but because when someone is juggling multiple jobs, they don’t see the work as a career and therefore don’t put in extra effort or propose new ideas.

The lack of loyalty and focus on a paycheck instead of a career also meant that clients had to constantly train new employees, leading to more unhappiness.

Full-time Virtual Assistants Who Work Your hours is the best option

After trying the part-time virtual assistant program and finding it unsatisfactory, we decided to only hire full-time remote professionals for our clients.

We helped them design job descriptions that went beyond their expectations and included administrative tasks that would help their business grow or things they wanted to do but never had time for. This was a success for everyone involved.

It provided stable jobs for people in emerging markets like Mexico, allowed for skill development and learning new things, and created a more loyal workforce for our clients, solving their labor issues with minimal headaches.

For the Happiest VA Give Them Their Holidays off

One way to increase employee loyalty is to give them their country’s holidays off.

Recognizing different holidays within the company can be a productivity hack. For instance, the 4th of July is a great example. During busy work days, there are tasks like database cleanups that are often overlooked. However, if you have a motivated workforce willing to work during holidays, they can tackle these projects that never get done on regular days.

For example, if your contractors’ insurance and workman’s comp information isn’t updated in your system, have your remote professional review it on the 4th of July. If there were past customers who were not offboarded correctly and now your data is not clean, consider using Labor Day to clean it up.

By utilizing holidays with a motivated workforce, you can complete important projects and have your business running smoothly.

The Recipe for the Most Successful Virtual Remote Teams

To have a motivated and productive remote team, keep their working hours consistent and have regular virtual meetings like in an office. Hire in a location where the working hours are suitable, and ensure they are full-time employees to avoid distractions.

Include tasks that will move your business forward in the job description, not just the required ones. Utilize the different holidays in various countries to your advantage by using them for tasks like database clean-up that can’t be done during regular work hours. This can be a powerful tool for your business.

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Onboarding Remote Employees: Set Expectations

Setting clear expectations in a virtual onboarding program is important for remote workers to understand company policies, procedures, role, and responsibilities.

Give new employees the resources they need to get started in their role, such as start dates and an employee handbook. Doing so will help them hit the ground running, setting a professional and productive tone from the start.

Make sure to be clear and upfront with expectations from the start:

• Explain company purpose: Let the new hire know what the company does and what its goals are.
• Define job responsibilities: Tell the new hire what they will be doing and what is expected of them.
• Review work schedule: Let the new hire know when they will be working and how much time off they can take.
• Evaluate job performance: Explain how the new hire will be evaluated and what they need to do to be successful.
• Talk about growth opportunities: Let the new hire know about chances for advancement within the company.
• Encourage questions: Give the new hire a chance to ask questions and clarify anything they’re unsure about.

By setting clear expectations, you can help foster a positive and inclusive work environment where everyone is clear on their role and responsibilities. Where long term growth and development are encouraged.

This in turn can lead to a more motivated, engaged and productive remote workforce.

Discuss Your Communication Methods and Styles

When onboarding new hires remotely, it’s important to communicate your preferred methods of communication. Whether it be through email, phone calls, video calls or text messages. Include when it is best to use each method.

Make sure to lay out the expectations of when and how employees will be expected to check-in. This can include set times such as before or after shifts, once a day, or only in cases of problems. Doing so ensures everyone is on the same page and knows what is expected of them.

Emphasize the importance of maintaining a professional tone and demeanor, regardless of the communication platform being used.

Share your personal communication style with your new hires, so they have a better understanding of your approach. For example, you might be maternal, funny, or straightforward in your communication.

Finally, it’s crucial to treat your new hires with respect and dignity, recognizing them as both individuals and colleagues. This sets a positive tone for the work environment and helps foster a productive and harmonious work environment and builds relationships.

Onboarding Remote Employees: Goal-Based Training

A goal-based training program is essential for the success of new hires in any organization. It starts with a clear understanding of the company’s structure and goals.

Providing an overview of the company’s structure and using an organizational chart to illustrate the roles and responsibilities of each team member can help the new hire understand the bigger picture and their place in it. Communication of the company’s overall direction and how the new hire’s performance will impact the company’s trajectory is also important. This helps the new hire understand their role and the impact they can make on the organization.

The goal-based training program should be designed to help the new hire achieve their objectives and become a productive member of the team. It should be based on real-life scenarios and problem-solving exercises that encourage the new hire to take ownership of their responsibilities.

For example, sharing specific examples of both successful and unsuccessful experiences can help new hires learn from real-life scenarios. When discussing a problem, it is important to avoid emotional language and instead provide a clear and factual description of the situation. Encouraging the new hire to come up with solutions and offering support when needed will help them integrate into the company culture more smoothly.

The goal-based training approach will set the new hires up for success and help them integrate into the company culture more smoothly. By establishing clear goals and expectations, the new hire will have a clear understanding of what they need to do to be successful in their role. This type of training helps to reduce frustration and confusion, and it encourages the new hire to take an active role in their own development.

By adopting a goal-based approach, companies can increase the chances of success for their new hires and help them become valuable contributors to the team.

Gwenn’s Short Take

Starting a new job can be a confusing and unsettling experience, especially on the first day. It’s essential for employers to create a positive and supportive atmosphere for new hires from the moment they start. This helps employees feel valued and confident in their decision to join the company.

Provide new hires with access to the necessary tools and resources they need to get started in their role. Doing so will help them hit the ground running, setting a professional and productive tone from the start. This includes setting up their email addresses and making sure they are operational on the first day.

By taking the time to set high expectations and lead by example, you demonstrate your commitment to creating a positive and productive work environment. This sets the tone for a successful onboarding experience and helps new hires feel confident and empowered in their new role.

By taking these steps, you can help ensure that new hires feel comfortable and supported as they begin their journey with your company.

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