Having a good relationship with your virtual assistant can be a huge source of relief. Tasks that you no longer want to take care of yourself can be handed off with confidence that they will get done the way you want them done. Here are a few tips to make your relationship with your Virtual Assistant a lasting one:
Give Crystal Clear Directions
Vague descriptions such as “Clear my schedule” or “Book an appointment with X” can be easily misunderstood. Instead, ensure you provide crystal clear directions, including what your criteria are for a job well done. For example, for booking appointments, you might tell your assistant:
“Please book me an appointment between 9 a.m. and 5p.m. with Mr. Jones. I prefer meeting in a restaurant rather than in my office. Let him choose what type of cuisine as I like all kinds. If he doesn’t have a recommendation, just choose a high- rated place from Yelp. Once it is booked, please email me the date and time, and also send a text reminder to me the day before.”
Clear directions make it easy for Virtual Assistants to follow and leave little to chance.
Create Process Documents for Repetitive Tasks
For repetitive tasks such as checking email, arranging appointments, booking travel and so on, create process documents that outline how you want the process accomplished. For example, with booking travel, the process document might say:
1 – Please book all my travel on my MasterCard ending in 5479.
2 – Please send the receipt to receipts@mydomain.com.
3 – Please check Expedia, Orbitz and Kayak for the best fare before booking the ticket.
4 – Please also check two days before and after the date I specified for the best fare unless I specify that the flight has to be on a certain date.
5 – Please email me telling me when the flight is booked and add it to my Google Calendar. Please also send me a reminder two days before my trip.
Once you have your process document set up, you can just send your Virtual Assistant a message like “Please book me a flight to New York around September 12 in the morning, returning two dates later in the evening” and know that it will be taken care of exactly the way you want it.
Tell Them When They’re Doing Things Right
Make sure you tell your Virtual Assistant when they’re doing things right. So many bosses make the mistake of only correcting their employees, which gives them the impression that they are not doing their job right.
Creating the sense that they are a great assistant will make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. Someone who is made to feel that they are doing a great job and are valued is much more likely to do a great job. Showing appreciation for a job well done can go a long way.
Managing your Virtual Assistants well is the key to having a long-lasting relationship. Remove potential points of conflict by making all your assignments crystal clear. Lay out process documents for repetitive tasks. Make sure you let your assistants know when they are performing their jobs well.
