How often should I "check in" with my VA?

After working with anyone for some time, whether that's your Virtalent Virtual Assistant or a member of staff, it's likely you'll both have settled into a comfortable working pattern.

This is really positive, however, it's important that you also both take a moment to review how the relationship is going from time to time too.

Could they be adding even more value to your day? Has something changed?

Revisit Your Initial 'Brief'

Your VA will be able to go back to the original 'brief', created by our Client Engagement Manager following your initial consultation call with Virtalent. They will also revisit any notes they have subsequently made from your first few calls together.

It's a good time to review if you are delegating all of the tasks you originally spoke to Virtalent about. If not, why have you decided not to delegate something? Could there be an opportunity to do so now?

Likewise, now that you’ve established a good working relationship with your VA and you feel comfortable delegating tasks, consider where else they could add value. Are they skilled in a certain area that you didn’t realise at first or have you started working on a new project where you think their experience could be relevant? Your VA will always be happy to get involved in other projects and collaborate on new ideas.

At Virtalent, our goal as a team is not only to take care of the day-to-day tasks and projects you need support with, but ultimately we also want to help you grow your businesses and realise your ambitions. What more can we do to support you on your journey?

Remember, we have a multi-skilled team available - if your current VA doesn't have the right skill set for a particular set of responsibilities, it's likely a colleague of theirs can be added to your account who will. From social media to customer service, we have it covered!

You can see more ideas of tasks we can help with here.

Keep Your Goals In Mind

Think back to when you started together. Why did you hire a Virtual Assistant, in the first place? Whether this was to save time or access new skills, it can be useful to review whether you feel you have achieved your original goal(s).

• Have you achieved what you set out to do?
• What has changed for you since working with your VA, both personally and professionally?
• What are your short-term and long-term goals now?
• Do you have a different focus now or does this remain the same?
• How will your VA help you to hit those goals?

Keep On Communicating

When you are so busy running and growing a business, it's easy to let day after day pass by without 'checking in' with each other. Gradually you could become distant and lose the rapport you've built together at the start of your relationship.

It's a good idea to ensure you set aside time with your VA to ensure they have everything they need from you (and you have everything you need from them!), to discuss the progress of any ongoing tasks/projects and plan the weeks ahead.

It only needs to be a 10 minute 'hello' on the phone, here and there!