Before You Hire A Virtual Assistant, Read This!

If you’re a small business owner or run a non-profit organization, running short on time and resources isn’t an exception, but a hard and fast rule!

In between setting appointments, preparing bids, keeping up with emails, and returning phone calls, you’re expected to provide exceptional products and services, raise much-needed funds, and manage to maintain a fraction of sanity.

You could use a little help; someone to handle the tasks that need to be done, but keep getting pushed to the bottom of the pile.

Sure, you could bring on a college intern or you could consider hiring a Virtual Assistant.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant is a person who provides administrative, technical, or creative services for a business or organization. Instead of sitting in your office, however, he or she works from a remote location, typically a home office.

They do everything from monitoring and responding to email, transcribing notes from meetings, managing calendars and booking travel arrangements, and preparing presentations to the more heavy tasks like managing your social media presence and conducting market research.

And from a cost perspective, there’s no fixed schedule, so you only pay for the hours you use.

Too Good To Be True?

Well, it’s no secret that technology has and will continue to change the way we work and connect. And unless all of your suppliers or vendors are located in-house, you’re already outsourcing a portion of your business that you manage virtually through tools like Skype or Google Hangouts, or by good old-fashioned weekly conference calls.

But to source out such personal tasks as email correspondence to a third-party is a different story. How do you know that your virtual assistant won’t abuse the access you give them to proprietary information?

That’s a valid concern and there are steps you can take to lessen the risk of having a bad experience.

But first, let’s determine if you even need a virtual assistant.

Understand Your Needs

List the tasks that you’d feel comfortable delegating. Are there enough to share or could you invest a little time over the next couple weekends and get things caught up yourself?

Also, look at your budget.  Can you afford to spend the extra money right now?  While bringing on a virtual assistant may free you up to go out and generate more business, that logic only works when you actually use that time doing just that.

Needs Assessed – Virtual Assistant Needed

Without question, you must select a reputable firm.  So, do your homework. In addition to searching online, ask your peers and colleagues who they use and what their experiences have been.  You’d be surprised to find that the use of virtual assistants isn’t as uncommon as you think.

Compile a list of your top 5-10 firms and start making phone calls.  This isn’t something you want to handle over email – at least not during the early stages of negotiations.

To get you started, Sara Angeles, with Business News Daily, compiled a list early this year of 10 virtual assistant services you could use for your business.  While oDesk and eLance didn’t make the list, they are well-known names in the industry.

In your research, keep in mind that some virtual assistants reside overseas. If you have a preference, make sure you work that into you conversations.

And lastly, when you pick your firm, remember that not all virtual assistants are created equal. Select a good fit. You don’t want to hire someone who will be difficult and combative, nor do you want an assistant with no critical thinking skills.

Make a list of what you need and want in an assistant, including personality traits, and have it at the ready during the interview process.

Important to Remember

If you decide that hiring a virtual assistant is the way to go, either for the long haul or on a per project basis, be sure to do a complete fact check. The firm should have a great reputation and be highly recommended.  Inquire about their screening process and make sure they have iron clad policies in place to protect your information.

Continue to monitor the relationship over time, making changes, when needed.