A virtual assistant can be a lifesaver. He or she can help you grow your business by tackling tasks you don’t have the time, energy, or experience for. Does it get any better?
Yes, it can! Don’t just use a virtual assistant. Maximize your virtual assistant. Make an already productive part of your business even more productive with these tips.
- Find the best tasks to delegate. Using a virtual assistant is like using a jack of all
trades. Any task you can imagine, they can handle. Choosing the best tasks to pass on, however, can make your work with a virtual assistant more efficient. The ideal task is one you and your team lack the time/energy/experience for that the virtual assistant has the competence for. Usually these fall under the realm of administrative tasks (like scheduling or addressing envelopes). But don’t underestimate the value of using a virtual assistant to handle social media, blog writing, and other aspects of digital marketing. If they bring experience in that industry, they can really help your business grow. You can use our delegator worksheet to find the best tasks to delegate to your virtual assistant.
- Ruthlessly evaluate the necessity of the task. Once you think you’ve got a task to pass on, examine it. As Timothy Ferris, author of The 4 Hour Workweek says, “never automate something that can be eliminated, and never delegate something that can be automated or streamlined.” Is this task crucial to your business or can you eliminate it? If it’s crucial, can you automate it? You don’t want to waste money on tasks that don’t need to be done, or don’t need to be done by a virtual assistant. If it’s vital and cannot be automated, then you can assign it to a virtual assistant.
- Make the process efficient before delegating it. Examine the process used for the
task. Are there any unnecessary steps you can remove? Is there any way to make the task less time consuming? Can you batch tasks to make the process more productive? The more efficient the process, the less money it will cost you for the virtual assistant to accomplish it.
- Organize relevant information into one place. Make a document with all the passwords, step-by-step instruction, and provide an example if possible. The virtual assistant won’t need to waste time searching through multiple file locations, and you won’t need to spend time explaining the details of the steps. And when you have a VA do these tasks for you. Have them write the steps and document as well. Having a little handbook of how-to do your business. Then if you ever need someone else to pick something up, there is already documentation on how it is done.
- Make sure one other person can handle the task. Someone else, either another
virtual assistant or a team member, should know how to complete the task. Remember that how-to manual you are creating? In the event the virtual assistant gets sick, you’ll be able to re-assign the task. That way your business process doesn’t get derailed since you can quickly readjust the assignment.
- Use the right tools. Communication tools, document sharing tools, and project management tools can make a huge difference in productivity and time management. Check out our post on the tools. Find something that you like and will use to help increase your productivity. There are lots of great tools out there, but the best is the one that you will consistently use.
A virtual assistant is a great asset for your business. If you’re ready to expand your team, reach out to Alpine Small Business Solutions today! We’d love to help with any aspect of business building, just give us a call or send us an email.