Once you’ve found a VA who has all the right skills and experience to support your business, there are steps you can take to make sure you have a successful working relationship. Following on from our blog post about how to work with a VA, here are our top tips for making sure your VA not only understands your needs, but you understand what they need too.
Be clear about your needs
If you want your VA to be able to complete tasks effectively, be clear about your needs. When it comes to handing over tasks, give precise instructions so they don’t waste time trying to work out what you want or how to do it. Giving too much information is better than not enough. Discuss deadlines so that you both know what you’re expecting, but be mindful of their working hours.
Set boundaries
Make sure that both of you understand your expectations and boundaries. This means getting to know the hours your VA is available to work and expected turn-around times for tasks.
Bear in mind that a VA will have other clients so they may not be able to drop everything to deal with urgent tasks, but they should be able to give you a response time. Having this discussion early on will ensure there is no confusion about your expectations and you get the support you need.
Don’t expect too much
You’ll have probably got a good idea about your VAs experience and skills before working together, so try to consider this when handing over tasks. Are you asking them to do something new?
Some VAs have a broad range of skills, but others may be more niche to certain industries so check if they can do a task before handing it over. If they can’t, they’ll let you know and you may need to outsource this to someone else or they may be happy to learn how to do it for you.
Communication is key
Communication is so important when working with a VA. A vague or badly written email can lead to confusion and crossed wires so always try to be clear and precise when talking to your VA. Remember to talk to them in a respectful and professional manner - a VA that feels appreciated will be more motivated to give you their best than one who feels disrespected.
Discuss early on your preferred way of communication - if email isn’t your thing, maybe you’d both feel more comfortable on Whatsapp or over the phone.
The Arts News
The BBC’s Platinum Party At The Palace - a special event to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee - will feature casts from The Phantom Of The Opera, Hamilton, Six, The Lion King and Joseph, as well as guest stars including Diana Ross, Elton John, Sam Ryder and Queen. The show will air live on Saturday 4 June.
A new production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will replace Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in the West End. The show will run from 18 July to January 2023.
Get in touch!
If you have any questions about how you can work with The Arts VA, you can contact us here. Did you find this advice helpful? Check out these other blogs in which we share tips to help you and your business: