Think back to when you first hired your virtual assistant – you likely started out successfully communicating with each other, right? In the beginning, or the “honeymoon period”, communication with the new virtual assistant (“VA”) was great. But now things aren’t going so well. And now you are wondering, “Where did things go wrong?”
The most successful client and VA relationships are based on the concept that the VA is partnering with you, the client, to increase and grow your business. The focus is on working together as a team for the best possible outcomes for both of you. The savvy client asks their VA for their input and respects their expertise in the areas where they excel. And often times, a seasoned VA will be able to help their client spot potential missteps coming down the pike based on their experience with other clients.
10 Ways to Successfully Communicate with Your VA:
- Ensure communications are clear regarding expectations, duties, tasks and deadlines the VA will be handling for you.
- Do your best to respond promptly to emails from the VA and answer all their questions, or indicate a time you can respond back to the VA on a particular item.
- Be sure to read the VA’s entire email and email back as appropriate, asking for clarification when needed.
- Consolidate questions and responses into as few emails as possible.
- Consult with your VA regarding which programs will work best with the systems that you already have in place before purchasing new programs.
- Respect the VA’s work hours and their preferred communication channels.
- Schedule regular planning sessions and updates on projects to make sure you and your VA are on the same page regarding next steps and priorities.
- Keep your VA apprised of your schedule for communication purposes: when you will and won’t be available, will be on vacation, or if you are going to be out of the office for extended periods of time.
- Communicate upcoming projects and service needs well in advance, checking with your VA for their availability prior to scheduling a time-intensive project.
- Keep in mind that your VA has a preferred communication style and will need clear instructions in order to perform your tasks efficiently.
When you, the client, and the VA have an honest and courteous communication system in place, it benefits your business and the continued positive relationship with your VA.
Are you and your VA experiencing any of these communications issues:
- Are you experiencing difficulties communicating with your VA?
- Where did it all go wrong?
- Are you wondering why the communication with your VA isn’t working?
Over the last few years, I have witnessed and experienced some patterns in communication that lead to frustration for both the client and the VA. These patterns often lead to the both clients and virtual assistants not succeeding.
10 Unsuccessful Ways to Communicate with Your VA:
- Responding to VA communications containing urgent questions or demanding info about your projects days later or ignoring the communications altogether.
- Missing your scheduled planning sessions and check-ins with your VA.
- Giving conflicting, vague or incomplete instructions, logins, or other information, making it difficult for your VA to complete tasks assigned.
- Purchasing a program or system, without consulting with the VA prior to purchase, assuming that the VA is familiar with a program and that it will work with programs you already have in place.
- Not giving your VA prior notice for large projects coming up and/or setting unrealistic project due dates.
- Using bullying, demeaning or shaming verbiage when communicating with your VA.
- Requesting multiple tasks be completed in a communication to multiple people and not communicating clearly which person is expected to handle each task.
- Assigning your VA a task, then jumping in and trying to perform the task yourself, undoing hours of VA work or breaking complex systems.
- When communicating edits that need to be made: not including the location of the item to be edited or clearly giving the VA information on what needs to be changed.
- Sending several emails in rapid succession instead of bundling several questions or tasks into a single communication, causing communication chaos and time-consuming tracking down of information spread through several emails.
Keep in mind that the key to harmony in any relationship is clear communication. Like any other relationship, each person plays an important part in making the relationship positive and productive.
“A conversation not grounded in honesty is not real communication.” ~Ismail Royer
Where can communication with your virtual assistant improve?
When you hire a professional virtual assistant and successfully communicate in a positive, clear manner, the partnership will be a win/win for both of you.
For information on communication styles check out my blog post, “What Is Your Communication Style?”
Copyright© 2017 Reduce the Chaos Denver, Colorado. All Rights Reserved. (916)534-2048
