Once you hire a virtual assistant (VA), you may find that you and your assistant are both consumed with finishing tasks; however, you may also find that tasks are not being done correctly. For instance, you may think that you are being clear in your emails, chats and / or phone calls, yet some things are simply not being done or are not being done well enough to your liking. Or you may be unsatisfied with the overall quality of output.

This situation starts to brew tension between you and your VA, and in the long run, the tension may overwhelm other aspects of your business. Before you give up and become frustrated, practicing better communications and using better forms of communication usually solves this common issue. In a nutshell, what’s happening is that your instructions are probably being miscommunicated and misunderstood.

To help improve your VA relationship, here are three steps to better communications:

1. Communicate well and as often as necessary with your VA, but don’t over-do it. If you only need to communicate with your VA once a week or once a month, and that’s all that is needed to set up the project tasks and keep them in motion, so be it. Communicating should be done on an as-needed basis, and it should be done in a way that is productive. Phone calls or emails several times a day or week to “check in” can disrupt the work flow and add unnecessary task handling into the mix. 

2. Communicate about any problem areas promptly. If you notice that you are having problems in the same area time after time then there must be a breakdown in communication somewhere. Address these issues. Instead of becoming frustrated, talk or email through the issue, step by step, and point out where errors are occurring. Have the VA sum up the corrected solution, sending you a sample once the task is on track so you can make sure the trouble spot is tackled and smoothed over once and for all.

3. Use other forms of communication. If you communicate by email or by phone only, then it may be time to incorporate other types of communication tactics. For example, using a support desk with email tickets to track project work is a great way to get and stay organized – for your VA and you. And using Skype, Gchat (via Google’s free gmail), Facebook chat or other chat software is a great way to communicate quickly and easily. Somehow, this cyber “talking” to someone can often yield better results than emailing or phone calls. Therefore, don’t be afraid to experiment with different technology out there so that you can attain a better working relationship with your VA.

A breakdown in communication can ruin your relationship with added stress and tension. If you notice that your current communication method is not yielding positive results, it may be time to reformulate the way that you communicate with your VA. Use technology like a support desk and Skye or other chat software, communicate with your VA as often as you need to, and use a step-by-step communicating strategy to discuss insufficient areas.

Advance with Affordable Business Support Services & Products, Outsourcing with Personal Virtual Assistants today at: http://www.ohiohelpgroup.com - visit the links to sign up for their free newsletter packed with tips!

A virtual assistant (VA) also known as a personal assistant (PA) is often more than just an assistant. This wonderful helper is not only an expert in their field of choice, but often also an entrepreneur who provides one-on-one administrative support for your business.

These assistants are referred to as virtual because they may not be readily available for face-to-face contact. In fact today, most assistants operate from their home office or from their place of business. While this may not seem appeasing to some, a VA’s limited face-to-face time assistance does not diminish results.

On the whole, while a VA is helpful, making the most of his or her assistance can be undermined if you are unsure of how to delegate tasks appropriately. So here are some tips to help.

1. Analyze your priorities. If you are unsure of what needs to be done or if your expectations are unclear, then it is hard to delegate tasks to a VA. Without prioritizing and separating your tasks, it will not only be hard to delegate to someone else, but it will be even harder to see your accomplishments and completed goals over time. Keep track of everything that is going in terms of time and what you want to accomplish. In doing this, you can see where your time is going and what tasks aren’t being completed, so that you can delegate those tasks to your VA.

2. Communicate with your VA. Now that you have a clear-cut picture of what you need to delegate, you must now communicate those tasks and any additional issues with your VA. This is important throughout all stages of working with your helper so that you can correct any ongoing productivity issues as soon as possible to keep work running in an efficient manner and up to par.

3. Use technology to make not only communicating, but task handling and delegating a fluid process. If you have more than one member of your virtual team in different locations, then it may pose a problem to satisfy training, scheduling and sharing information like files and notes. So become familiar with technology like Skype, online file sharing via Google documents, video and chat activities to actively communicate as needed, especially for exchanging important information. Once a member of your virtual team is involved in this process, this activity will make it seem like the distance between the team members is less than miles apart.

While working with a VA may be a daunting task at first, it can be easier than you think. Make yourself aware of your project’s overview. Then go over the concepts and associated tasks with your VA, using technology to communicate and share information. By doing this, delegating to your VA will become less daunting.

Advance with Affordable Business Support Services & Products, Outsourcing with Personal Virtual Assistants today at: http://www.ohiohelpgroup.com – visit the links to sign up for their free newsletter packed with tips!