It is important that you welcome your new virtual online assistant to the team, set their expectations correctly and give them everything they need to deliver what you ask of them.
The first thing that you need to do after you have selected the person to fill your position, is to give them a clear idea of the culture of your company. Initially you will send them documentation which they can look through at their leisure and which will outline what is expected of them and in turn what they can expect of you. In your welcome call to them, you will mention the personal characteristics which you consider important, such as honesty and integrity. That means the virtual office assistant will be expected to do what they say they are going to do. Ask them if they have any questions about that.
You will then explain that while they are working on your time, they must put the interests of your business first. If they have something they need to do for their family, for instance, they will be expected to clock off and attend to whatever they need to. Explain that mistakes are welcomed, the more the merrier. As long as they are not repeating the same mistakes, no one is going to mind an honest mistake as they are learning.
Big problems start out as small problems. Encourage your virtual online assistant to let you know when something is a small problem so that it can be nipped in the bud. Something can usually be done to set things at rights before it has got out of hand.
In the welcome call, you as the employee will explain that you need to have a Start of Day (SOD) call with them every day so that both you and they can have a clear understanding of what they will work on during that day. You will explain what else is included in the call and give examples of the type of call they can expect.
At the end of each day you will expect an End of Day (EOD) email. In this, the assistant will bullet point everything that has been accomplished during that day, and list any questions they have about your online business. This regular contact should eliminate any misunderstandings and make the flow of work much smoother.
Their supervisor, usually someone who works in the office with you will then be introduced to them. This is the person who they will be checking in on a regular basis with.
To help them feel they have become part of the team, they will be added to the website where all the team members have their photos and a short bio. They will be asked to submit a little bio which can be added to this list. This not only helps the staff, but has the double benefit of increasing the confidence of potential clients that there is a real business there with a real team.
Follow these simple steps to introduce your new virtual online assistant to your team, and they will soon be a fully contributing team member who will be helping your business to grow.
Hiring a new staff is a sign that your business grows. Do you want to get access to the induction checklist that we use for our new virtual assistants? Get a copy of the DVD of The Outsourcing Profit Machine.
