In the final part of our series of blogs looking at the journey from searching for a VA to working with one, we share our top tips to help you get the best admin support for your business…
Communication
This is key to a successful relationship with your VA. Make sure to have regular catch ups so that you are both comfortable talking to each other and sharing ideas.
There’s a range of tools you can use to make communicating easy, including Whatsapp, voice notes, phone calls or emails. Let your VA know what you prefer and work out a system that you’re both happy with.
For sharing to-do lists, you can use Asana or To-doist so you can both keep track of what needs doing and when. Email software like Front and Spark allow you to share and comment on emails and assign them to your VA.
Feedback
This is so, so important! At The Arts VA, all our clients are different and like things done a certain way so we always welcome feedback. If you don’t like the way your VA did something, it’s really helpful to tell them - equally it’s very productive to give positive feedback when it’s due, this helps your VA know what you do like.
For example, if your VA is drafting emails for you and you like the way they wrote something, tell them so they can make a note to do it again. If something doesn’t sound right, let them know too and they will know to avoid it next time.
Software
A large part of a VA’s work requires accessing their client’s accounts. With so many different passwords and logins, having all this information in one place where your VA can access it will ensure things run smoothly.
There are online tools for safely sharing information such as LastPass, 1Password or Dashlane. You can also share folders in Dropbox or Google Drive so you can work on docs together.
Teamwork
Make sure you’re both on the same page when it comes to what you need for your business. Check what hours your VA works - you need to know when you can call and when you can expect a response from them. They also need to know your hours - it helps if you’re both able to respond quickly so it’s good to have an understanding of both of your availability.
Also, think about how long you expect a task to take, how much notice your VA expects for longer tasks and how much notice you can give. Discussing your expectations helps your VA understand what you need so you can work together efficiently – and as a team.
The Arts News
Check out the full casting for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child! The show is preparing for its West End return on 14th October. Tickets are available now.
Autumn is almost here and there’s lots to look forward to at the Barbican. The 2021 autumn season has been unveiled with a whole host of new shows to feast your eyes on.
We’d Love to Hear From You!
If you have any questions or would like to know more about how you could work with The Arts VA, you can contact Charlie here.
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