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What are your experiences with Virtual Assistants?
I've never really quite found the right service to extract the benefits of this mythical virtual assistant empire I hear so many web workers espouse.What services can you recommend and what are the best practices in managing this virtual workforce?
Best Answer
Hello Brian, your question is going to be a long discussion. But let me try to answer it in the best way that I can and in the most concise manner.
1. What services can you recommend?
Having worked as a virtual assistant for almost 2 and a half years now, the most popular services that my clients require are the following:
* backlinking and other off page SEO activities
* document creation (spreadsheet and word)
* web traffic reporting
* transcription / note taking
* email management
* customer service through email and chat
* Wordpress blog management
* data entry
*research
* personal shopping
* content writing
Basically, if you can do it over the Internet, then you can outsource it.
2. What are the best practices in managing this virtual workforce?
* Communicate clearly. Establish clear lines of real-time communication. Don't confine yourself to communicating by email. Skype is a popular service used by millions of virtual workers and their clients.
* Set clear expectations. Let your virtual assistant know what you expect from her and what she can expect from you.
* Hold a regular weekly meeting. Use this meeting to identify creeping issues and as an avenue to provide feedback.
*Provide feedback regularly. Since you can't see your VA, let her know if you find her work satisfactory or not.
* Provide training. Managing your VA is like managing any employee, training will make her better.
These are just some of the best practices that I know. But hey, you inspired me to write a post for this on my blog. If you want to check that out, here is the URL: http://www.thevirtualonlineassistant.com/
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Related Activity
The first step is understanding that you don't manage Virtual Assistants. Virtual Assistance is a business, a profession. They are not virtual employees. Here is an article that elaborates: http://www.virtualassistantnetworking.com/vavsemployee.htm