So, you know you want to start outsourcing, and you may have already found a Virtual Assistant. You’ve agreed on the rates, working hours and scope of work, but now what? Where do you start? If you’re new to outsourcing or working with your own Virtual Assistant (VA), you might not have your own onboarding process. Well, you do now! Because we have a free downloadable VA Onboarding Guide, designed to walk you through every step of the way when it comes to onboarding your Virtual Assistant.

In this guide, we’ll assume that you’ve already selected your Virtual Assistant and you know exactly who it is that you will be working with. If you’re not already at this stage, then you might want to consider reading our guide on how to choose the right VA for you.

What is onboarding?

Onboarding your Virtual Assistant is a process that involves several steps to ensure that your new VA is properly trained, integrated into your workflow, and has everything they need to start working with you.

Why do I need to onboard my VA?

When onboarding your VA, it’s important to get organised. By having your onboarding process, SOPs and systems in place, you will set up the working relationship for success and get the most out of outsourcing. By investing in an assistant the right way, you’ll be able to see the value of your investment better. Get those ducks in a row, it’ll make the onboarding process go a lot more smoothly.

But never fear! If you don’t have all of these things in place, you can still get started with outsourcing. You can download our free VA Onboarding Guide to help, and when it comes to getting your business processes and systems in place, the right Virtual Assistant can actually help you with setting these up too. During the hiring process, make sure you mention that you don’t have any formalised SOPs or systems in place, and we’ll make sure that we match you with a VA who has experience in helping businesses get these necessary things set up.

Define your needs

Let’s begin by ensuring that you have established what your outsourcing needs are, and if you have already selected your Virtual Assistant, assessing whether they have everything you’re looking for in an assistant. For example, what skills and qualifications should the assistant have in order to carry out the work required? Are there any specific industry or technical skills they will need For now, we’ll assume that you’ve already selected a VA with the experience to meet these needs, but if you haven’t yet, you can get more support on this by visiting our guide, How to Choose The Right VA For You.

Establish your preferences

Communication is key, especially when working remotely, so establishing your communication preferences is an important part of the onboarding process. You should establish clear methods of communication and set expectations for response times and availability. Both of you should mutually agree on how and when you will communicate, as well as agree on response times. For example, you might prefer to communicate via email, WhatsApp, or a project management tool, with a response time of 24 hours or less.

By establishing your communication preferences, you will be giving your working relationship the best possible start and you will know exactly when to expect responses and acknowledgements from your VA, without having to chase them.

Provide training

Once you have established your communication preferences, you should provide training on your specific workflows, tools, and processes. This will help your VA to gain a sound understanding of what is expected of them and what your processes are so that they can work more efficiently. If you don’t already have your business systems and processes documented, your VA can help you to do this, so be sure to discuss this with them.

Provide access

Your VA will need access to any systems and tools you use in your business that they will require to carry out work for you. Make sure that you share any login information with them securely, by using a secure password sharing tool, for example. It is wise to make a note of everything you have given them access to, so that if it ever comes to offboarding them in the future, you can quickly check which access will need revoking.

Start with some simple tasks

When onboarding your VA, it can be a good idea to start with some simple tasks to help them get acclimated to your workflow. This will also allow you to assess their skills, delivery of work and determine if any additional training is necessary.

Monitor progress

As your new assistant begins to handle more fundamental and complex tasks, it’s important to monitor their progress and provide feedback. Please don’t refrain from providing feedback. It is incredibly important to communicate your thoughts so that your VA understands whether or not you are satisfied with their quality of work, and if any adjustments should be made. We mentioned earlier that communication is key, especially when it comes to remote working, and communicating feedback is just as important. This will help ensure that your VA is meeting your expectations, continuing to improve and develop, and is supporting you in the best possible way.

Download your free VA Onboarding Guide

Now that you have an overview of what onboarding a Virtual Assistant entails, and why is it important, download your free copy of our VA Onboarding Guide, which features an onboarding checklist you can follow to make sure that you onboard your VA efficiently.