Steps To Onboarding A Virtual Assistant
** It’s very important that you create your to do list and the to do list breakdown before move forward with the onboarding process**
Welcome Email: Once you know that you have found the perfect VA and you are ready to bring them on board you should send them a Welcome to the Team email. You may want to include….
*Thanking them for interviewing with you
*Agreement terms that should be reiterated (Pay, Duration Time, Etc)
*Any additional details you may have discussed or forgot to mention
*Include NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) if needed
*Add a little more about you. Add details that will help build your relationship with your VA
**You may also want to include your preferred method of contact and what their preferred method of contact would be. Email, Skype, Phone, Etc.**
Giving Directions: As you are preparing for your VA to come onboard it’s important to be very specific in your directions. You should already have your to do list created and the breakdown of each task. If you haven’t started the breakdown this is a good time to start working on this as it will be extremely helpful in giving your VA directions.
Having the right tools for your VA: Anytime you are adding to your team it is important to make sure that you have the right tools in place. A remote team can quickly fall apart without the right tools and systems. Depending on the task you have decided to outsource to your VA will determine what tools will be a must have and which ones you can consider at a later time. Here a few of the tools you should have if you don’t already…
*LastPass—Great way to share your passwords without having to give out your password. I love this tool as a VA simply because it allows you and your client to be more at ease when it comes to giving out passwords. Check it out if you don’t have it already.
*Doc Sharing- Google Docs is my go to for this but of course any of type of document sharing tool will come in handy.
*Social Media Scheduling- Hootsuite is a great option or you can make your VA an admin on your FB page so that they can schedule post for you.
*File Sharing- Again Google is my go to for this especially since I create a lot of sharable documents. So Google Drive is my first recommendation but right behind that would be Dropbox. Either one of these will work not to forget that there are other options out there so do your research to get the right fit for you.
Basic VA Management: Just like every new team member you bring on it takes a little bit of time for each of you to get adjusted. In order to make the transition and onboarding process pleasant for each you will need to apply some basic VA management steps in the beginning.
*Frequent follow up and corrections as needed
*Having proper tools in place
*Set a system for regular check in from them and provide them tips on improvement.
*Send them recognition emails. Everyone likes to open up a “Good Job” email. This is a great way to build a strong relationship with your VA and really give them that feeling of appreciation.
Management is needed even though you may be thinking “Are you CRAZY?” “If I had this kind of time I wouldn’t need a VA!” I completely understand where you are coming from but without this step you are going to continue to see a high turnover rate and an overall unpleasant experience of having a VA.
A VA can be an amazing asset and an invaluable investment to your business if the onboarding process is done with some type of plan. You should expect your VA to possess a certain skill level in certain areas you are needing help with but regardless of what type of skill level your VA may have they don’t have the experience of working with you yet and that can take time to work through.
Remember that your VA must have had something that made you know they were a right fit for you and your business so give them the opportunity to show you.
