This happens a lot…
Someone gets upset over a situation with their virtual assistant. They get frustrated because their VA didn’t complete a task as requested. The VA didn’t follow the instructions given and this person wasn’t sure how to handle the situation.
Of course, this is rather foreign to me because I honestly can’t figure out why you wouldn’t just tell the VA.
Then I remembered what it was like early in my outsourcing journey, treading on eggshells with virtual assistants. I quickly learned that you can’t be that way and expect your business to prosper. You also can’t expect to have a good relationship with your VA if you sugar coat everything or simply ignore the problem.
When you work with virtual assistants, especially when you are just beginning to outsource or the VA is new to the work, you have to remember one thing above all else. A virtual assistant is a business owner, just like you.
Good Virtual assistants have a thick skin and take feedback and move forward with it, improving where necessary.
When mistakes are made, they don’t expect a scolding for it, but IF they are told about the error, they can fix it and do their best not to repeat it in the future.
For me personally, I think it’s a disservice to your VA NOT to tell her.
She is a professional and wants to ensure she’s done a good job. If she didn’t perform to your expectations and you don’t tell her, she’ll never know. You can’t expect her to correct a problem if she doesn’t know there is one.
Be sure that you are clear in your instructions.
9 times out 10, the problem with your virtual assistant can be traced back to a break down in communication.
Be sure that your VA knows if at any time she needs clarification, all she needs to do is ask. Be open to helping her out until she fully understands what is expected of her and what the outcome of each project should be.
I know the title of this blog post is over-the-top, but the point I’m trying to make is that communication is key with a virtual assistant (or any assistant for that matter).
So, for her sake and yours, don’t hold back for the sake of feelings, when things are not done up to par. Without proper communication, the work relationship CAN’T grow.
A VA worth it will take the feedback as constructive and will improve on it. If not, that VA probably isn’t one you want to work with in the first place.
On the flip side…
When your virtual assistant does a good job, make sure she knows it and that you appreciate the work she does. Positive feedback is always a good thing and you just might be impressed with the outcome of future projects when the VA knows how valuable she is to you.
