Reasons Why Working With Virtual Assistants Fail and How To Overcome Them?

Most entrepreneurs, as well as business organizations, can’t do without the use of a virtual assistants (VA) in today’s competitive age. It is affordable, and it also takes care of the monotonous activities. This allows the business proprietors to focus on what they do best.

Actually, through virtual assistants, 70% of company costs are cut. In addition, 35% of successful executives make use of a VA to take over their everyday functions. So, what goes wrong when some entrepreneurs use them and fail to make progress in their business?

In this article, we will look at those virtual assistant challenges and typical errors and their solutions to provide a good working experience with virtual assistants for entrepreneurs. So, let us start things in order.

What Are the Most Common VA Mistakes That Lead to an Unsuccessful VA Experience?

Virtual assistants are vital elements of a successful business. But sometimes, due to certain errors and challenges, the entire VA setup can fail. So when you’re planning to hire ecommerce virtual assistants, be sure to avoid the following pitfalls: 

Expectations and Communication Negligence

The very reason that is frequently reported by VA users on why they hate the experience of having a VA is lack of communication. 

The scenario is depicted below: suppose a client hires a VA from a virtual assistant agency but does not clearly state what is expected of that person. The entrepreneur may think that the virtual assistant has an understanding of what needs to be done, whereas the VA is getting lost in a maze of deadlines. 

As George Bernard Shaw rightly said, “the single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place’’. In other words, when communication fails, problems arise.

When you plan to hire a virtual assistant, for whatever reason, it’s important to clarify the expectations, what tasks they need to do, and how. 

Absence of Proper Orientation Procedures

A virtual assistant is a partner in your business. The process of integrating a virtual assistant into your business’s workforce should not be different from that of an in-house employee. 

VAs are hired, but some business owners do not put enough effort into training the VA for business, believing that it’s only a matter of time before the VAs acquire information by themselves. This is a misconception as it seldom works.

Managing your business successfully through a virtual assistant services agency requires that they comprehend your business processes, tools, and hierarchy. Even the most qualified of VAs will struggle to deliver results without a sound onboarding process.

Overcontrol Or Persecution Of The Virtual Assistant

One more common VA mistake is overcontrol. When a person starts delegating the task, it’s quite common for them to hold on to the control. 

When you enter into a contract with dedicated virtual assistant services, you should leave the task without micromanaging every aspect. Monitoring too closely can demoralize the assistant.

Let’s all remember that the purpose of hiring a virtual assistant is to save one’s time and get work done, not to increase work by spoon-feeding the assistant. The trick is to find the proper balance between trust and responsibility.

Mismatch of Skills and Responsibilities

Hiring the wrong VA for the job can be disastrous. In many scenarios, entrepreneurs place unreasonable burdens on a single VA and expect them to do it all, from general admin work to social media marketing to tech support. 

However, that is not often the case, as virtual assistants are professionals with different areas of specialization, and it is necessary to match their knowledge base to the appropriate tasks.

For instance, a general VA might be able to help with your online business’s inventory, customer service, and product listing. But the outcomes will be much better if you find an ecommerce VA with online store management skills.

Lack of Continuity for Feedback and Evaluation

Feedback is an important characteristic in every VA relationship. Some entrepreneurs do not give period feedback or performance reviews to their VA. 

On the flip side, some do not give feedback at all, leading the assistant into a vicious cycle of not knowing whether they are performing and, if yes, how well. Avoiding these common VA mistakes can help you get positive outcomes after hiring a VA. 

How To Know Whether Your VA Support Is Working?

So, what indicators will tell you that there are no problems in the interaction with your virtual assistant? The following are some signs that indicate your VA support is on the right course.

• Tasks Are Accomplished within Deadlines: Your hired virtual assistant for ecommerce store is completing the tasks within the given timelines, and hence, there’s no disruption in workflow.

• An exponential increase in the work done: You are able to concentrate on the main business activities and do not need to see the routine administrative tasks.

• Easy Information Transfer: Information moves freely, and your VA is able to figure out exactly what you want without you having to repeat yourself all the time.

• Relationship of Trust and Responsibility: You make the assignments to your VA and leave him or her to do them without supervision.

Positive Business Impact: After some time, you can notice the real impact of hiring a virtual assistant agency on the business, be it through more sales or efficient processes.

If your virtual assistant support corresponds to all or some of the signs, then you’ve done a good job and are probably going in the right direction. If all the signs still point to the fact that there are persistent issues in these areas, it is probably time to change the working strategy and adopt best practices. That brings us to the next section of this blog. 

Best Practices to Overcome Virtual Assistant Challenges

There are ways out of these virtual assistant challenges that have been proven useful in improving business management and outcomes. You can establish a proper professional relationship with your virtual assistant (VA), who will then become an asset to growing your business.

Begin with Simple Tasks

When you are hiring a VA for business for the first time, you should ensure that you do not give them a long list of tasks all at once. Begin with only one or two key ideas, and then expand the number of duties over time as the comfort level rises. It will help to build trust on both sides and also help them avoid stress.

Embrace Useful Tools and Applications

These days, technical applications come with a plethora of features to keep you connected and organized. Use task management software, time management apps, and communication services to enhance productivity. You can also use this to manage the virtual assistant services and track their productivity.

Develop a Task Management System

Construct the task distribution structure and its monitoring. It can be by using a spreadsheet, shared document, or some kind of task management software, but there has to be a system in place so that everything flows without any hitches. Sometimes, virtual assistant companies in the USA also use dedicated task management tools. During your initial consultation, ask if they offer work reports. 

Propose Periodical Reviews

Plan regular performance assessments regarding your VA. This allows both parties to provide and receive feedback. It is ideal that reviews are conducted at regular intervals to prevent issues from escalating.

Assign the Appropriate Duties to the Appropriate VA

While outsourcing your tasks to a VA, check whether he/she is capable of performing such work. As an example, a virtual assistant for ecommerce store must have sufficient knowledge in managing eCommerce platforms, customer relations, and inventory. It is unrealistic to expect a VA who has no such skills to achieve success in this area.

Work with Reputable Virtual Assistant Agencies

Hire VAs from reputed virtual assistant companies in USA. When you go for such a virtual assistant, you greatly reduce the risks of hiring the wrong personnel. In most cases, these agencies have screening procedures that guarantee that you obtain an appropriate VA for business.

Accept Positive Feedback From Your VAs

You will find that your VA will have ideas or ways to improve some of the processes and the means of communicating. An open feedback mechanism benefits everyone and helps improve business outcomes.

Conclusion

It is quite common for many entrepreneurs to thrive using the help of virtual assistants. Other entrepreneurs experience difficulties related to poor communication, lack of clarity, and unrealistic expectations. You should understand and remember these common VA mistakes. If you follow our best pratices, it will be easy to build a fairly productive relationship with your VA.

FAQs

1 How do I know if my virtual assistant is performing well?

A major sign of successful collaboration includes delivering the tasks correctly within the timeline. Other signs of success are that there was frequent feedback and no high-level mistakes were committed that threatened business continuity.

2. How much do virtual assistant services typically cost?

Different factors such as the location, special skills of the VA, and the nature of the tasks would determine the charges for their services. In the USA, hourly rates can be between 15 USD and 75 USD, whilst international VAs may charge lower amounts.

3. Is it worth hiring a VA through an agency or recruiting a freelance VA?

When working with agencies, you’re almost assured of having trained VAs. Agency clients tend to always get the most reliable services, whereas freelance VAs usually tend to be more flexible and less expensive.

4. Are VAs useful in the advancement of an ecommerce business?

Yes! Virtual assistants who work within ecommerce could do inventory management, offer customer service, and be involved in marketing activities by doing social media management or email marketing. Many business owners specifically look for ecommerce VA for their online store management.

5. At what point should I consider hiring a virtual assistant?

If you find yourself spending too much time performing the mundane activity of managing emails, calendars, assets, and documents, then it is reasonable to consider getting a VA due to their ability to handle these tedious tasks and get you more productive time in return.