Technology

How Businesses can Optimise Time using Virtual Assistant?

By Ryan Bradman | September 1, 2022

Table of Contents

If you own a small business or are an entrepreneur, you very well know that time is precious – and you can never have enough of it! So often, the time you spend on your workday encroaches on your private and personal time, and it seems as if there is no way you can avoid this. But there is a way you can have more time to yourself – and if you’re thinking what we’re thinking, you’re on the right track.

That’s right – a virtual assistant can do more for you than you may believe, and you can gain back some precious time for family and friends. But if you’re getting one to gain the digital advantage for your business, you might as well make the most of it! It pays to have a relationship for the long term rather than the short term, and you need to have mutual respect and understanding. But how else can you optimise the time of your virtual assistant? Let’s find out.

How Businesses can Optimise Time using Virtual Assistant?

Set clear expectations from the start

Whilst most people would agree that having a VA is an excellent solution even for small business if you want to clear up your schedule, it is essential to be as realistic as possible. In other words, be clear about the tasks you want your virtual assistant to accomplish – and set expectations from the start. It pays to be straightforward with them and ensure their set of tasks and responsibilities are well defined. Try to be as clear and concise as possible regarding the tasks you want them to do – there’s nothing worse than having a supervisor who isn’t clear about the tasks – and you find out that what you have been doing all along is not correct!

What you need to know is it’s normal to have growing pains in any relationship – especially in this kind of relationship, where you communicate and working remotely. It’s a good idea to get to know them informally – perhaps you can set up quick meet-ups every few days, so you know where your VA stands. Be clear about your terms of compensation and availability, and your VA will appreciate it even more.

Ask for feedback

Whilst it’s always crucial for you to give constructive feedback, so your virtual assistant knows that they are doing their tasks correctly (or incorrectly), don’t forget to ask for their feedback. A good virtual assistant will be honest with you about their work and what’s working (or not). You can ask them for input regarding specific processes or procedures and how they think a particular project is going. Of course, when you ask for feedback, be open-minded and listen to it – who knows, you might learn a thing or two or see things a little differently.

Be aware of tasks

When you keep track of the progress of your virtual assistant, it’s the best way to ensure that the tasks are accomplished and completed promptly. Awareness of their progress is critical – but try not to think too much of the time they have spent on this or that task – instead, focus on what they deliver. Perhaps you can also use software for time-tracking so you have a better idea of what your VA is doing throughout the day and see the goals being met. It is also easier to compute billing and set a schedule.