Hiring a virtual assistant to work for your company can take a load off of your shoulders. It will free up your time, add value to your business and of course, save money. However, this doesn’t mean that everything is going to go smooth 24/7 – there are some complications that may arise when you work with a virtual assistant, regardless of how smart or professional they may be.
Below, we are going to tell you the common challenges in working with virtual assistants so that you can gain an understanding of how to overcome those challenges …
Starting Out
Starting out has to be one of the most difficult tasks for a virtual assistant. When you first start out as a VA, you’re going to have to take time to learn about the company, and get to know what your “boss” expects from you. If you’re lucky, you’ll be working with someone that paints a clear picture for you and can tell you exactly what they need.
Communication
Speaking in painting a big picture for you, communication is another difficult task. For some virtual assistants, the most difficult task they have is communicating with the one that hired them. In fact, communication is sitting at the top of the most common challenges when working with virtual assistants. Regardless of the size of the business, communication is a big thing – it is something that needs to be carried out consistently and efficiently in order to succeed.
There needs to be time set to the side for your virtual assistant to speak with you and talk about your goals. Communication will affect the performance of every person that is involved. For example, let’s say you have a new project that you assign to your virtual assistant – you put files together, forward it to your assistant and tell them about the new project to work on.
You fail to give specific instructions to your virtual assistant. This includes how you expect the final output to look, and the deadline. For a virtual assistant, is important that they ask any questions that may have about the project before they start.
Along with needing to be specific with the details you communicate, you also need to be consistent with your communication. Simply speaking with your virtual assistant and letting them know that they’re doing a good job on their work can go a long way for motivating them.
Language Barrier
If the VA serves international clients, the language barrier may be hard to deal with. If the VA and the client aren’t familiar with the same language, it can make it hard to communicate about the cost of a project and the services.
Common Challenges:
- Diminished Productivity
- Difficulty with Delegation
- Lack of Empathy
- Hidden Incompetence
- Inability to Ask Questions
- Feeling of Solitude
Conclusion
Virtual assistants seem to have it easy, but like everyone else, they’re humans as well and there are going to be some challenges that they are faced with on a routine basis. However, this doesn’t mean they’re going to be stuck in a rut their entire career as they can overcome these obstacles.