Hiring a Virtual Assistant: What do You Need to Consider?

06/09/2018

4 Minute read

As a business owner, you are tasked with discovering and implementing cost-effective and efficient means of improving operations. Bringing on board a remote virtual assistant is fast becoming one of these means.

The decision to hire a virtual assistant is one that could provide countless benefits for your business. While, hiring a remote virtual assistant is more accessible than ever, through reputable providers such as Deployed, there are a few things you need to consider.

What is their primary role?

While, deciding to hire a virtual assistant is a good idea, in order to get the most out of your employee, it is highly recommended you have a clear role set.

Before you engage with a provider, use your decision as a catalyst to undertake a complete review of your business’ practices. Make sure you understand what tasks are critical and what is not, and where the majority of your staffs time is being spent. If there is a large amount of time being spent on non-essential back-of-house tasks, that is a good place to start.

Once you have a clear understanding of the tasks you need a virtual assistant to manage, you are then able to start the hiring and onboarding processes. A trusted provider, such as Deployed, will be able to create a staffing strategy around your needs and provide several high-quality candidates to select from.

What will your training processes look like?

As you progress through the hiring process, it is vital you have the training processes and material in place to facilitate an easy transition into their new role.

In our experience, training can be a notorious stumbling block, however, it doesn’t have to be. While we manage all the onboarding and HR tasks, you are able to focus on providing the best platform necessary.

Because your new team member is remote, training them won’t be as easy as sitting down for half the day and talking through everything. We recommend you create a clear training manual which outlines everything from company goals and vision, expectations, passwords and bio on other staff members. Additionally, it’s always a good idea to hold a video meeting with them, to welcome them to the team and have a general introduction.

Taking the time to design quality training processes will ensure your new virtual assistant is able to transition into their new role smoothly and efficiently.

Do you have the IT infrastructure in place?

One of the reasons, hiring a virtual assistant, and outsourcing as a whole, has become more accessible is because of huge advancements in technology. In order to get the most out of your new assistant, it is critical you have the appropriate IT infrastructure and processes in place.

The major reason for this is so your local office and remote staff are still able to communicate in an efficient and effective manner, without having to waste several hours waiting for a reply.

As you are searching for an outsourcing partner, their IT infrastructure should be a top of your priority list. Make sure they have modern facilities that provide high-speed internet with platforms and software that facilitate constant connection.

While Deployed provides remote teams with modern IT facilities, you will need to ensure your local office is also set up accordingly.

Are your local team onboard?

Although the decision to hire a virtual assistant is to allow your local staff to focus on core tasks, it is wise to factor them into the decision making process. Or, at least make them aware of your intentions.

While, some staff will be open to the idea, as it could mean lightening their load, be prepared for some staff to be threatened. The way to ensure this does not happen is to keep them in the loop. Let them know, their jobs are safe and that the virtual assistant is in place to help them.

 

The decision to bring a virtual assistant on board is a smart decision for businesses who are looking to lighten the load on their local staff by tapping into a highly-qualified Filipino workforce. To be productive and profitable, you will need to have quality systems and processes in place.

If you are looking at this option, we would be more than happy to help. At Deployed, our a comprehensive end-to-end service connects Australian and New Zealand businesses with the right talent.

Contact us today to find out more.

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