There are countless benefits for those who own a business when hiring virtual assistants, and that’s why outsourcing has become a worldwide trend nowadays. It’s estimated that 300,000 positions are outsourced annually in the US and that cost reduction is overwhelmingly the most compelling reason that companies choose to relocate jobs overseas. In the IT and business sectors, cost factors into 87% of outsourcing decisions.
To successfully build a team of virtual assistants to help grow your business, we recommend you to follow these practices:
Hire several VAs and look for leaders
It is advisable to divide your project into several parts and hire at least 3 VAs to do the same type of work, in this way you can compare the effectiveness of their performance. Compare their efforts, their commitment to deadlines and their ability to communicate.
During this process you can identify the leaders. Try to answer these questions about them:
● Do they communicate effectively and follow directions correctly?
● Do they implement given feedback?
● Are they excited about the project?
● Are they aware of details and recommendations?
Hire Your VAs In The Same City Or Area
In this way, you will be giving them the opportunity to be part of a local team, hold meetings and talk about the project. They will be in the same timezone and will benefit from teamwork in person.
Undoubtedly, this action will bring many benefits for the effectiveness of the project you are delegating. In addition, you will have identified the leader and this person can personally supervise the work of the others.
Implement A Cordial, Respectful And Provide Humane Treatment to Your VAs
Many people tend to deal with their VAs in a less than humane way. Always remember that they are people, not robots. A virtual assistant is a person with a great capacity, who wants to work hard and achieve goals. We assure you that if you treat your VAs in a humane, friendly and respectful way, they will become loyal to you and your business, they’ll work better and feel more motivated.
Promotes leaders
Once you have identified who is the leader of the team, make them responsible for the performance of the whole team and make it a prominent member of the project. Detail what their extra responsibilities will be and increase their salary. It is advisable that the other VAs of your team begin to distribute their tasks through the team leader; this will help you get rid of unnecessary questions and requests.
Use a framework
It is a good idea to have a framework for how you will work with your remote team. One of the first and most important things you will have to learn is to communicate with them efficiently and to be patient. There will always be errors, but focus on improving the process effectively, respecting the adaptation times of your VAs.
Ask for Login Times
A recommended practice is that you ask your team to always connect at the same time and respect their working hours. This will bring great advantages in communication and will also make the work process more effective.
A well-managed team of virtual assistants can become your best “secret weapon” in the process of accomplishing your goals.
There is a lot to learn when it comes to properly operating a remote team. But we are confident that with these practices you will be able to build a team of virtual assistants to help grow your business saving time, money and energy.
