The need to adapt to the digital era and stay competitive in the global market are two of the biggest pressures that almost all entrepreneurs around the world experience. On one hand, there is the need to make your business stand out in the sea of other businesses that are also trying to do the same. On the other, there is the need to continuously make yourself better to make sure that your products and services are of the best quality so you get to keep your current costumers and attract other possible customers. 

As the need to be more competitive and efficient rises for each establishment that wants to survive the increasingly demanding global market, entrepreneurs are now starting to work with virtual assistants to help them out. 

Working with virtual assistants definitely has its benefits. You get access to talented people outside of your country at a considerably more affordable rate. It also helps entrepreneurs steer clear from having to pay other mandatory charges like tax, health care insurances and/or social security fees. 

 Working with virtual assistants is generally a great idea if you’re managing a start-up company. But how do you ensure efficiency and productivity when your virtual assistant is halfway across the world? Simple, ensure proper communication.

Of course, communication is necessary if you’re working with a virtual assistant. It means you’ll have to tell your VA about their tasks and how you want them done through video calls, voice calls or emails. But talking to your VA is different from properly communicating with them. 

Remember that no matter how experienced your virtual assistant is, they’ll still need your guidance on how they should do their work and get a clear picture of how their job can help your business. 

This is why you need to be specific when talking to your VA. Tell them specifically what your goals are. Give them a clear view of the scope of their work. Establish the importance of their work and how their job can affect your company. 

One of the best ways to ensure productivity in an office setting is to be consistent. Even when they’re not, in any way, geographically near you, make sure to communicate with your VA every now and then to see how they’re doing with their task. And no, “every now and then” doesn’t mean asking for updates twice a day. It means establishing a fixed schedule for when you can communicate with your VA and extensively converse about how your project is going. 

If you’re working with someone overseas, expect that there will be a huge room for confusion. Misunderstandings can easily happen. This is why it is important to keep yourself accessible for possible inquiries from your VA. Tell them where they easily reach you for when they have questions that need immediate answer. 

Of course, proper communication isn’t the only challenge there is when working with a virtual assistant. But getting it out of the way can significantly help your working relationship with your VA become so much better. Yes, there will still be other external issues like monitoring productivity, accessibility to proper tools and finding the right VA in case your business’ demands increases. 

This is why other entrepreneurs work with firms that offer virtual assistant services instead. This way, there is more security and stability since there is a project manager that can help you communicate and monitor your VAs for you. But regardless of whether you’re working with an individual or with a firm, proper communication will always be essential and should therefore be a staple when dealing with your VA. 

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