*** Note: This is a guest post from Pink Callers, an administrative support solution that assigns remote office staff to field service businesses working on FieldPulse***Hiring a Virtual Assistant (VA) is very similar to hiring a traditional employee. Even though they work remotely, a VA is someone that becomes part of your team and learns your business. They step in and help you present a professional image when answering calls and emails on your behalf.A VA won’t just “kick the can down the road!” They want to be a problem solver the minute that phone rings, the minute they open that email or receive that lead. Here are four main points that every business owner should consider when hiring a Virtual Assistant:
1. Finding the right person is key
A VA will be involved in your business in a very personal way and you will need to know if their personality and mindset will mesh with you. Ask a lot of questions, interview them, and don’t be afraid to ask for references.
2. Invest the time
Take the time to understand how and where you need the most help. We hear it all of the time… “I need so much help,” but when asked, “What do you need the most help with?” the most common answer is, “I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking you to help.”Few people take the time to learn and understand what their “pain point” really is and neglect to see their role in it. If you take the time to write out every single thing that you do in your business, you can quickly start to identify the roles that you can start to off-load to a virtual assistant.
3. Create a system
Many people reach out to a virtual assistant in desperation, so the hiring and start up process happens and proceeds quickly. This puts a lot of pressure on the business owner to get everything that is “in his/her head” onto paper for someone else to not just learn, but understand as well. You need to be able to understand how you do what you do and be able to systematically teach and pass that knowledge along to a virtual assistant.
4. Build the team
We can all agree that hiring a team is not the same as building a team, right?Of course, we recognize that not everyone will fit the need and fill the role. But when you invest the time to find the right person, invest the time in understanding where you need help, and invest the time in creating a system, you have moved from just hiring to actually building the team. A virtual assistant will be someone that, although you may not physically see at all, it will be someone that is a part of the team. It is a big step for you as a business owner to trust someone you don’t “see” everyday. Be assured that they are giving you their best effort, measurable with great tools like FieldPulse. Working daily on tasks, leads and customers will be a great place to start.
About the Author
Michelle L. Myers is the founder and CEO of Pink Callers, an administrative support solution that assigns remote office staff to field service businesses working on FieldPulse. Pink Callers can accept incoming calls, emails, and chats to your business, input all information into FieldPulse, and schedule both sales appointments and accepted crew work. Pink Callers can also accept payments, make outgoing followup calls, or send emails for your business.
