Many companies and entrepreneurs employ a virtual assistant (VA) to be as productive as possible.
A virtual assistant can handle most of your repetitive administrative tasks, freeing more time for planning and executing your business goals.
The key to improving your VA’s performance is to work alongside and provide them with the means to accomplish their work.
Here are some tips to help you in maximising your virtual assistant’s productivity.
Establish Clear and Reasonable Expectations
A crucial part of the onboarding process for a VA or any role is setting clear expectations. Doing so helps them understand their responsibilities, deliverables, and the quality of work you expect from them.
When setting expectations for your VA, ensure they’re realistic and achievable.
For example, if they’re in charge of market research, don’t expect them to become experts immediately. It’ll take time for them to understand the trends that apply to your target market and audience.
Utilize Project Management Tools
Thanks to modern technology, distance is no longer an issue in monitoring and maximising your virtual assistant’s productivity.
Apps like Trello, Asana, and Monday.com enable you to assign tasks, set deadlines, and monitor your VA’s real-time progress. These virtual assistant productivity tools promote transparency and ensure your VA uses their time efficiently.
In Remote Staff’s case, we’ve collaborated with Teramind to provide clients with a reliable time-tracking system with a built-in screen capture function. It even breaks down how much time your VA spends doing non-work-related tasks vs. work-related ones.
Check-in Regularly
Lasting relationships start with great communication.
Although you can monitor your VA’s progress via your chosen project management software, it still helps to connect periodically to see how things are doing.
This enables you to provide feedback on their work and address any issues they may be experiencing.
Learn to Prioritize the Tasks You Assign to Your VA
Another way to maximise your virtual assistant’s productivity is by determining the importance and urgency of your tasks using the Eisenhower matrix.
This tool divides your tasks into four quadrants:
- Quadrant 1: The “Do” quadrant, these are tasks that are both important and urgent.
- Quadrant 2: The “Schedule” quadrant for tasks that are important but not currently urgent. These are often accomplished after you’ve finished all your quadrant 1 tasks.
- Quadrant 3: The “Delegate” quadrant, for urgent tasks that are not as vital to your long-term business goals. These are the tasks you should assign to your VA.
- Quadrant 4: The “Delete” quadrant, finally, these are tasks that are neither important nor urgent and thus only get in the way of achieving your goals.
Using this matrix helps you prioritize more effectively and keeps you aligned with your business goals.
Promote a Healthy Work-Life Balance
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
A common mistake of some business leaders is associating productivity with constant work. However, doing so leads to increased stress and decreased productivity.
Instead, set reasonable workloads for your VA and avoid contacting them outside work hours.
Promoting a healthy work-life balance with your VA isn’t only ethical, it also helps improve their job satisfaction and long-term productivity.
Maximizing Your Virtual Assistant’s Productivity Made Easier
Like all relationships, working with your virtual assistant is a two-way street. You must also equip your VA with everything they need to continue providing quality service to you.
If you’re struggling with this, just follow the tips above and you can start maximising your virtual assistant’s productivity.
Still looking for the perfect virtual assistant for your needs? Click here to see our full list of candidates.
Aside from general VAs, we also have applicants for admin assistants and accountants, which is ideal if you want to outsource your accounting needs this tax season. Good luck!
John Carlo Pagsolingan is a carefree yet hardworking writer with aspirations of becoming a teacher in the future. He believes that remote working isn’t just a substitute; but is a legitimate alternative to face-to-face work. Learn more as he writes about the advantages of remote work and tips for aspiring remote workers.
