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Virtual Assistance
In recent years, more and more businesses have become increasingly inclined to set up their brand image in the digital world in order to promote their products and to reach out to their customers online. And with the advance of new and developed technologies, this has become a much easier thing to accomplish. Of course, along with this progress, arises the need to hire another person or two in order for you to be able to focus on the more pressing matters in the business.
This person can be referred to as a virtual assistant or a VA. Recently, the VA industry has experienced a boom in developing countries. It’s no surprise though since virtual assistants can make a huge difference in helping you reduce costs and get more time for relaxation, while getting rid of those repetitive tasks that may hinder you from building your empire. This could be especially true for those entrepreneurs who are just starting their business. And as a sole owner with limited resources, avoiding unnecessary stress should be one of your top priorities if you want to be effective and successful in this competitive industry.
If this isn’t enough in convincing you to get a VA, we don’t know what will. But in all seriousness though, hiring a VA can have so many advantages and one of these is you can be sure you can get someone in every area you can think of. Email management, social media, data entry, SEO writing, and many others. However, with such a wide range of tasks, it can be quite messy and confusing. Hence, a supervisor who can manage the team is essential.
Leading a team made up of several people is definitely no easy job, made much worse if that team is made up of multiple, offshore virtual assistants. Despite the intimidating thought of being a single supervisor managing these remote VAs, it does have its benefits. Not only will your company have no need to worry about increased electricity or internet charges, but processes would be made faster as there are no office politics to delay your VAs.
Whether offshore or onshore, the question remains: How do you oversee a virtual assistant team and make sure all of the members are doing their individual jobs and working together efficiently as a group? Certainly, no team is perfect but there are tips you can employ to help you avoid serious mishaps and help you start and stay on the right track.
Think of a strategy for communication
In any team and workplace, communication is probably one of the most important aspects to consider therefore it’s important you emphasize on how you can do this. Without proper communication, members won’t be able to share information on how the team is progressing, resulting to a messy and disorganized group.
Leaders should come up with a strategy for communication and this includes the platform the team is going to use and how often the members would have to be doing this. Meetings can be scheduled once a week where everyone can discuss issues and concerns, and a group chatbox can even be made so everyone can be on the loop despite an absence or when there’s a need.
Assign leadership tasks
Even though you might feel you have everything under control right now, it’s to be expected that your team will continue to expand in the future and if you try to do everything by your lonesome, you would quickly overwhelm yourself. To avoid this, make sure you’re ready to assign someone you trust to be your right-hand person whenever you get busy with other stuff or have to be away for a while. You’d find this reduces stress on your part, as well as on your team.
Track each member’s performance
It is essential to track your team’s performance to enhance efficiency.
Pexels.com photo by rawpixel.com
In order to continue developing one’s business, it’s important leaders are able to check in on his employees and know how they’re doing. Statistics and other data that looks at employee behavior, discipline, and commitment can be examples of facets to look at to see if the team is productive. To measure these, you can observe their punctuality in submitting work and adhering to deadlines, attendance in showing up for scheduled shifts, and ability to be consistent in their tasks.
Always leave room for training
As your business continues to grow and more virtual assistants might be hired, it’s always important to make sure your members are getting the training they need, whether for improvement or for new and difficult tasks. It doesn’t necessarily have to be hands-on; training videos and other similar tools might prove to be more useful and less stressful. Keep in mind training also does not have to only involve skills but also behavior. Make sure you know how your members feel emotionally and which of them is fully committed to the job.
Look for a good project management platform
Get rid of extra stress and hardships of managing a full team of virtual assistants by taking advantage of the countless project management applications you can easily get online. They’re mostly user-friendly and most importantly, have relatively cheaper monthly subscription fees compared to expensive up-front investments.
These software products can have everything in one place; from bringing together and managing work assignments of every virtual assistant to management tasks such as task scheduling, tracking, and internal team communication and sharing. It’s definitely a good idea to avoid confusion and provide smoother processes.
Create balance within your team
This tip depends on how small or big your team is going to be. If you’re just starting and looking to hire only one or two virtual assistants, it’s definitely a good idea to look for candidates who have a wide range of expertise and are knowledgeable in every aspect of being a VA. On the other hand, a large team would need more diversity wherein each member has different skills and strengths related to each area they are assigned to. In fact, this is the time when you can make use of the benefits of having VAs with specific abilities.
Be open to new ideas and make way for creativity
If you’re going to hire amazing people with knowledge on various fields, it wouldn’t hurt to encourage new ideas and let your members share their opinions and feedback. It could actually be healthier and can instill trust within your team, which is important in the long run. In order to get your team and business working to the highest potential, you need to harness your members’ strengths and add them to your own to make your venture successful.
In conclusion, hiring a team of virtual assistants can be the one thing your business needs in order for you to achieve freedom and grab that opportunity to grow and develop even more. And with the rise of new technology you can use as tools and a developed digital world, the possibilities and opportunities are definitely endless.
So, regardless of the several pitfalls and hitches you might encounter during the first stages in starting your VA team and the challenges you would face every now and then, try to look at how others did it and follow the above-mentioned tips. By creating an environment where your members feel appreciated and really part of a team, you can really make a difference in building an unstoppable force.
