Where is My Virtual Assistant?

Are you a busy professional looking to hire a virtual assistant to free up hours in your day? You are a business owner wanting to clear routine tasks and focus on your business. You might wonder: where do I find my virtual assistant and how to choose the best one? Here is a useful manual for you.

Understand cultural differences

It is getting more and more popular to hire virtual assistants from different countries, and many business owners are asking themselves: why can’t my virtual assistant work remotely? Therefore, it is becoming widespread to engage a freelancer or virtual assistant agency from abroad.

Nevertheless, it is essential to understand the cultural differences while hiring a VA freelancer from another country. In order to make a successful choice, discover the variations of the assistants in different countries and their methods of work:

• When you are choosing a virtual assistant from the USA or from Europe, consider the fact that Americans and Europeans are more goal-oriented, while Asian professionals are more process-oriented and pay attention to the details and to the process itself.
• The virtual assistants from Philippines and India work better if you have the work process which is well defined.
• In case you are looking for a virtual assistant who will understand the business environment of your country, then the virtual assistant agency should suggest a nearshore VA.

Be a person with a plan

One of the most important pieces of advice for hiring a virtual assistant is to have a plan. If you are selecting between a VA freelancer and a virtual assistant agency, it is important to answer the following questions:

• Which specific tasks do you want to delegate?
• Is it a one-time or an open-ended project?
• Do you need a native English speaker, or does this not matter for your VA freelancer? Which level of English do you expect?
• Should your virtual assistant work full time or just dedicate some hours to specific projects?
• Do you have a specific and well-defined plan of work, or are you planning the working process on the go?
• How flexible is the working schedule for your virtual assistant?

Do your home research

If you want to bring in a VA freelancer or to find assistant in a virtual assistant agency it is important to do your home investigation. Remember that not all services are equal, and each virtual assistant agency may be specializing in something different. Ask yourself: what should my virtual assistant be professional at? Check the services of different virtual assistant agencies and what assistance they can provide you with.

What to check?

Ask yourself: what do I want to see in my virtual assistant? This will help to define what to check before bringing in a new colleague into your business.

But, as a rule, the following things are important:

• Professionalism and experience. Determine how long the virtual assistant has been doing this exact type of work, especially when it comes to performing the tasks you are asking them to do. Also check the VA’s professionalism, such as answering emails and phone calls, keeping promises, and being a good listener and attentive person who can get along well with customers.
• Skill set. Determine which skills are required to do the tasks you will delegate to your VA and check if the person has it all.
• Technology skills. As of today, it is impossible to work without many technologies; your VA should be excellent when it comes to technology and able to go above and beyond the call of duty and use powerful tools to achieve success.
• Problem-solving and project management. You should know how good the virtual assistant would be if you delegate many different tasks, how the VA will behave in difficult situations, and which way he/she would choose to solve the problem.
• Availability. Does a virtual assistant work full-time or part-time? Can a VA be available in the evening or on the weekend? Are you in the same or different time zones? It all should meet your expectations.
• References. Ask a VA if there are people whom you can contact to get to know more information about a virtual assistant and to get references.

Once you have learned how to choose the right virtual assistant, it is time to delegate your tasks. Start by picking the right virtual assistant agency, which will provide you with high-quality and productive co-workers. This will be an investment that will enrich your life!