{"id":102888,"date":"2022-05-16T20:15:32","date_gmt":"2022-05-16T20:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/?p=102888"},"modified":"2024-10-22T07:51:19","modified_gmt":"2024-10-22T07:51:19","slug":"communicating-effectively-with-your-virtual-assistant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/digital-communication\/communicating-effectively-with-your-virtual-assistant\/","title":{"rendered":"Communicating effectively with your virtual assistant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019ve hired a Virtual Assistant. Congratulations!  Now you can finally outsource your tasks and spend more time doing what you do best. So, what\u2019s the next step? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A successful working relationship \u2014 like any relationship \u2014 starts with a conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a plan for clear and effective communication saves you from misunderstandings, missed deadlines, and missed opportunities. Ultimately, it makes work more enjoyable and puts you on a faster path to growing your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what does great communication look like when you’re working with a remote team and you can’t walk into the office to ask a question or have a casual hallway conversation? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After working with hundreds of Hired Agents and Virtual Assistants, we’ve found a few ways to keep the conversations flowing so team members work better together and the world feels just a little bit smaller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"15-minute<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Have a routine<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Set a regular time and place each week to check in with your VA. What works best for you \u2014 email, messaging, text, phone, or video conferencing? Let your VA know the best way to reach you and find out what works best for them. Knowing where and when you’ll talk helps you avoid missed messages and deadlines. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Short on time? Even a 15-minute chat can give you enough time to focus on the most important tasks and answer questions that come up during the week. Have a simple agenda to keep your meeting on track. Then, follow up with a short summary and action points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t have time to create your summary and action points? A VA can do that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Assigning<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Set clear expectations <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Exceptional leaders are fearless in setting expectations in clear language. – Alan Willett, author<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your weekly check-in will help you set and manage expectations for any tasks on the to-do list.  Make this time even more efficient by keeping action points clear, simple and organized. For best results, assign each task to a specific team member and include a start and end date.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you work with a tawk.to VA, you’ll receive an End of Day Report. This daily summary keeps you informed about the key tasks your VA has completed.  Simply fill out a Task Performance Indicators Form telling us what you want to measure, and we\u2019ll keep you up-to-date on the work your VA has completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about the End of Day Report in this article: The End of Day Report: introducing a new tool for improving remote team management<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have a more complex task on the to-do list? How about making a quick 2-minute video to show your VA what you\u2019re aiming for? Or meet in real time using our Video + Voice + Screensharing feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Keep the lines of communication open <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.\u201d – Dalai Lama<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take time to listen. Actively listening to your VA can help you know when to clarify an assignment, offer extra support, or address a sticking point. Be fully present. Avoid distractions.  And ask questions as needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember to listen for the positive. Look for and celebrate wins. Recognizing a task well done, an extra effort made, or a work anniversary lets your VA know they are valued and appreciated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Using<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Over-communicate<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After working with hundreds of VAs, our HR team has found that frequent messaging is key to keeping work aligned, knowing where to offer support, and ensuring all deliverables are up to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aldie Pile\u00f1a, tawk.to\u2019s head VA liaison, believes over-communicating is the key to a fruitful remote working relationship. \u201cIn the office, you can easily drop by your colleague’s office to ask a question like, \u2018Hey, have you sent that email we’re supposed to send?\u2019 or \u2018Have you printed out that flier we need to distribute to the office?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messaging allows VAs to reach out and work together as a team, whether they\u2019re located in the next office or on the other side of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Business<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Share your mission<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our mission at tawk.to is equal access to opportunity.<\/strong> We make it easy for businesses to communicate and transact with their customers. No matter where they are or how they pay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s yours?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you make your organization\u2019s reason for being<\/a> a vital part of the onboarding experience, you build a remote team that works together for a greater good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspire and motivate your team by sharing your mission and purpose. Provide access to your brand guidelines, style guides and mission statements.  Each VA is representing your brand and business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need additional VA support? We make it easy to find your perfect match. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn how in The tawk.to complete guide to hiring a Virtual Assistant<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Congratulations \u2014 you\u2019ve hired a Virtual Assistant! Now, what\u2019s the next step? Great working relationships begin with great conversations. Discover some of our best communication strategies for getting the most out of working with your VA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":102907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[178],"tags":[],"webinar_types":[],"class_list":["post-102888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digital-communication"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102888"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128990,"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102888\/revisions\/128990"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102888"},{"taxonomy":"webinar_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tawk.to\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/webinar_types?post=102888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}