Our Ultimate List: 4 New Year's Resolution To Improve Relationship With Your VA team

First of all, Happy New Year! ✨🧨🎆

Are you over the holiday season yet? We hope you get to spend it with your families, friends, and the most important people in your life.

Another year has just begun. And it's the perfect time to start fresh and kick goals! 👌

What is your New Year's Resolution for this year?

As an entrepreneur, it's safe to say that improving business relationships has always been usual on the list. Even the most successful business owners make it a priority to build and strengthen their relationships with other people, their employees, and in this digital set-up; their VAs.

With the growth of online workspaces, the option of hiring an affordable virtual assistant (VA) is becoming increasingly appealing for business owners, but it is not without its setbacks.

Communication problems, lengthy learning curves, cultural barriers, and so on are all common setbacks in working with a VA. But compared to the benefits and convenience a VA can make to your company, these setbacks are pretty much easy to resolve.

So, how do you overcome such challenges to build a stronger long-term relationship with your VA?

Here's the ultimate list of changes you can add to your new year's resolution!

#1: I will ensure that my VA has ample "lead time" to complete tasks on time

To avoid stressing over deadlines and burnout, give out ample "lead time" for your virtual assistant. It is the estimated time for your VA to finish the task you assigned.

Being aware of the lead time for a specific task you assigned will eliminate the stress of waiting too early for the task to finish. And at the same, having enough "lead time" will help your VA work out the best output for you without too many time constraints.

To have a gist of how much lead time a specific task needs, you can check out this table we made for our clients as a helpful guide. Feel free to check it out!

#2: I will double-check and present clear instructions and processes to my VA for the assigned task

As the one leading, providing precise instructions for each assignment you give to your VA ultimately falls on you. This will allow virtual assistants to execute jobs more efficiently.

Clear instructions include complete information such as;

• access to files, data, or documents needed

• step-by-step process

• desired result or expectations

You save time for yourself and your virtual assistant when you express your expectations for a specific project.

#3: To avoid delays, I will ensure that my logins and files are available

The completion of the tasks you assign to your virtual assistant depends on the completeness of the instruction and data you gave. It would be very difficult for your VA to proceed with the task without access to your data.

Do I need to give out my personal passwords to my VA?

The answer is No. There's always an option for you to protect your privacy. Some tools allow access to other people by adding them as admin users.

However, if an app you want your VA to use does not have the capability of adding an admin user for it, 8point8 recommends the use of a password-sharing app like LastPass or Dashlane.

#4: I will try to be more responsive and check task outputs as often

Communication is always the key.

Common problems in communication happen usually at the start of every new task assigned, and it's okay! It's the phase where you're getting to know each other, trying to adjust to each other’s work styles/processes, and communicating frequently to ensure that both of you are on the same page.

Eventually, your VA will get to know you and your business better and better, making the collaboration more efficient - but it cannot happen without you taking the lead.

Let your VA know if they're going a different route. Your honest feedback will always be appreciated.

Bottomline

If you want to set your VA up for success and contribute to your ongoing growth as well, then getting off on the right foot by improving your relationship with them is the way to go. It's a great way to start the year!

Don't you have a virtual assistant yet? Do you feel like you NEED to get one? Book a free call with 8point8 and learn how.