Congratulations on selecting your Virtual Executive Assistant (VEA)! Below we have outlined steps to help you jumpstart your new relationship and increase your productivity.

At Worxbee we truly value our VEA’s and their high executive-level skills they provide our clients. But more than that we value the win-win relationship that is formed between the two. Often times companies spend plenty of time and money on on-boarding and training new employees. When companies hire a virtual assistant or contractor, the team member is usually expected to jump right in, and is left with little to go on. This usually leads to an outcome of unclear understanding of company goals, projects, expectations, and processes. To avoid these risk factors influencing poor work performance, we have composed a list of steps to get your VEA up to speed.

• Please make sure you have time to speak with your VEA the first day of service and give them access to any systems they will need to start work. A short list of these items my include access to:
  • A company branded email account
  • Your calendar(s)
  • Access to a cloud based filing systems and Bookkeeping systems
• Compose a short list of people your VEA should get to know. This list may include:
  • Family Member
  • Important Clients
  • People to Avoid
• Know where you would like to get started. We recommend starting with recurring tasks so your VEA can learn more about your specific work style. Make sure you anticipate a learning curve and be open to giving feedback on what you would like done differently. This will help you and your VEA build a better relationship.
• Set up a status time. We encourage all of our clients to have consistent statuses with their VEAs. This is great time to run through all of the items you have been thinking about but maybe haven’t communicated. It also gives your VEA a chance to learn more about your thought process when you are making decisions.
• Maintain a visual element. We have had great success with the VEA and clients conducting weekly video chats.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Communication is the base of your relationship and it always needs to be consistent.
• Always Set a Timeline: this is helpful so that the VEA knows what is a priority. Being clear about timeline expectations ensures that they know what they need to accomplish daily and even over the course of the next few months. This will ensure that they know your priorities.
• Tell them your pain points and goals. What keeps you up at night? Maybe they have idea to help put new processes in place, to reach your goals efficiently.
• Always, always, always give them access to your accounts as an administrator, NOT an owner.
• Let your EA know if you are willing to pay to go over your time for special projects.
• Giving and receiving feedback is key to establishing a relationship with your VEA. We want you to be 100% comfortable sharing feedback with your VEA. A best practice for delivering feedback is focusing on the fix and making it a two-way conversation.
• Ask your VEA if there is an area where they think they can help you beyond the items you have mentioned. It may take a couple of weeks for the VEA to learn more about your day to day and start making recommendations, but it is great to set the stage that you are open to recommendations if you are.

The relationship formed between you and your VEA is what contributes most to overall success!

For more idea’s on how your VEA can support your administrative needs visit our blog.