Gain time – work smarter with a VA

Growing a business requires a gear change in mindset and there comes a tipping point when you need to act.

You realise that you don’t have to do everything yourself, but you are responsible for ensuring the business has what it needs to run efficiently and be productive.  To regain valuable time, could working with a virtual assistant (VA) be the answer?

A VA is a term that can cover a telephone answering service through to freelance executive assistants, so it’s important to identify what you need help with, and who can provide it.

You’re in the best position to use a VA when:

• You want an additional proactive member of the team or someone to do tasks on a flexible, pay-as-you-go basis.
• Your company has shared on-line systems.
• You’re ready to delegate

And when choosing a VA, you should consider:

• How professional they are. Do they have terms and conditions etc?
• Do they work during office hours or in the evenings/weekends?
• Do they work alone, or can they provide cover when they’re away?
• How experienced are they?

Consult your network for recommendations and refer to associations such as bemyva.com and societyofvirtualassistants.co.uk before taking a decision.

Once you’ve chosen a VA, the best way of getting started is to have a defined project or a To Do list to work through.  Set a timescale and provide access to appropriate information.

Once done, review between you how it went, anything that could be done differently and things to build on. I promise you’ll never look back!

NB: This article appeared in the Spring 19 edition of the Suffolk Director magazine https://www.suffolkdirector.com

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