So, Let’s Recap…
Hopefully, you read our prior post on what a virtual assistant (VA) can do and what you should do before hiring one. In this installment, we will discuss what superpowers skills you should be looking for and how to onboard a VA successfully.
Class is in session. Read on to learn more.
What Skills to Look for in a Virtual Assistant?
When looking for a virtual assistant, you should consider the following:
Their ability to follow instructions and work independently.
Do you have to micromanage? Or can you give an assignment, with parameters, and let them do what they do best?
Their ability to work with the tools and technologies that you use.
If they only have worked in a Microsoft workplace, but your company operates on a Google Workspace platform – are they quick learners? What platforms should they know?
Their ability to maintain confidentiality, handle sensitive information, adhere to data privacy and security practices.
Do they have good security measures, like two-factor authentication, to ensure your information isn’t compromised? Are they willing to sign a contracts that require non-disclosure or confidentiality.
Their clear and respectful communication style
Are you able to communicate effectively and do you have similar communication styles?
Their ability to be proactive and think critically
Do they wait for you to assign tasks or do they think ahead and come to meetings with a list of items that need to be reviewed?
Their rate and overall cost and payment structure.
Do they make you buy hours for the month or bill you at the end of the month? Do you pay monthly or bi-weekly? Do they accept direct deposit, CashApp, PayPal, or something similar?
Their skill set and experience in the areas you need help with.
There are plenty of VAs in the market, but it can be difficult to find a good one that also meshes well with you and your team. You should be good to go if you do the pre-work mentioned in the prior blog!
Their availability and flexibility to work with your schedule.
Does time zone matter to you? Do you really need them available 8 am – 5 pm?
Their communication skills and ability to understand your needs.
Are they familiar with your industry, lingo, and jargon? Are they comfortable communicating via text, WhatsApp, or other channels?
Their reliability and trustworthiness.
Can you trust them with your firstborn? Well, maybe it’s not that serious, but think, “do I trust this person to represent my company, my brand, and even myself when I’m not around?”
Done taking notes yet? It’s time to actually onboard your VA!
Ok, so you found your VA. Congrats! Let’s set them (& you!) up for success!
Onboarding a virtual assistant involves introducing them to your business, providing them with the necessary tools and resources to perform their duties effectively, and establishing expectations and guidelines for their work. Here are some steps you can take to onboard a virtual assistant successfully:
- Define their role and responsibilities: Before onboarding a virtual assistant, it’s essential to clearly define their role and responsibilities, including the tasks they will be responsible for, the tools and resources they will use, and any guidelines they should follow.
- Establish communication protocols: It’s important to establish clear communication protocols with your virtual assistant, including the channels they should use to communicate with you, your preferred response times, and any specific procedures they should follow.
- Provide access to necessary tools and resources: To perform their duties effectively, your virtual assistant will need access to various tools and resources, such as project management software, communication tools, and shared documents. Make sure to provide them with the necessary access and training to use these tools effectively.
- Set expectations and goals: Establish clear expectations and goals for your virtual assistant, such as performance metrics or project deadlines. This will help them understand what is expected of them and provide a clear framework for their work. Provide ongoing support and feedback: Once your virtual assistant is onboarded, it’s important to provide ongoing support and feedback to help them grow and improve. Schedule regular check-ins to discuss their progress and provide feedback on their performance.
Your VA should look like this after a successful onboarding – confident!
If all of this sounds good but you just “ain’t got time for that,” – here’s a shortcut for you
You’re busy, and I get it! The shortcut is that we can do all of this for you!
To get started, book a free 15-min discovery call. In this meeting, we craft a preliminary job description and then submit a proposal to you for your review. Before you sign the proposal, you will meet your VA.
Baby Bird Design clients have the option to either purchase hours in bulk or be billed for hours every two weeks or at the end of the month based on the tasks that have been completed in that month.
Some of the tasks our VAs can handle include:
Marketing: Website updates, social media management, newsletters, video editing
Graphic Design: Flyers, Powerpoints, social media graphics, reports
Administrative: Scheduling, proposal writing, workflow automation, research, booking travel, organizing documents online
Our VAs skill set also includes experience with:
- Both Microsoft and Google Workspaces (Outlook and Gmail)
- Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Publisher)
- Slack, Asana, Trello, Notion
- Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom, Premiere)
- Website builders: Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, WordPress, Webflow, Shopify
- Other tools (WildApricot, Salesforce, Canva, among others)
Our VA squad is pretty amazing.
Remember, to get started, schedule your 15-min. call and we look forward to working with you!
Feel free to drop a comment to let us know what you would like to see next.
