How to Get the Most Work for Your Money from Your Virtual Assistants

The days of hiring a desk secretary for your small business needs are over. With many businesses shooting up completely online, and with many brick-and-mortar business owners unable to handle the high cost of maintaining full time staff, virtual assistants are becoming increasingly popular. If you've never had a virtual assistant or secretary but are interested in hiring a professional somewhere in the world who can be emailed and requested to complete a task as needed, you may need a few pointers on how to get the most for your money. While we won't venture into the details of how to hire the right person for the job, we will address how to maximize your investment in your virtual help. Before you get started, take the following tips to heart.

First, always have an arsenal of virtual assistants, not just one. One of the greatest benefits of being able to hire personal assistants online is that you are unlikely to have to worry about not having one available due to a sick child, family emergency, a "lazy" day, or what have you. Because virtual assistants are almost always paid by the hour and on a freelance basis, you can have as many as you like available for your business at all hours. It's best, however, to keep your total number of virtual assistants down to three or four at a time to avoid confusion and to ensure that each one is receiving enough regular work from you to prevent high turnover rates.

Secondly, hire virtual assistants from different time zones. Have at least two in your own time zone that will be available during your working hours, but also have a few who will be in the middle of their work day when you are entering your evening hours. Because running a small business is rarely a 9-5 job, and most virtual assistants do not wish to be contacted after business hours, you will benefit from having at least one who is working during your night hours.

Next, create a strict contract for each virtual assistant, carefully outlining what tasks constitute "one hour," "half hour," or "quarter hour" time slots. In other words, work with your virtual assistants to reach an agreement on what the exact charges will be for certain regular work procedures. Many professional virtual assistants will have their own contracts as well, but to get the most for your money be sure to have your own set of rules to add.

Next, also include a specified time frame in your contracts for which you will be using your virtual assistants. Whether it's one year, six months, three months, or just a few weeks, ask each virtual assistant how long they can work with you and what length of time you may put into the contract. Most will be glad to enter into a long term work arrangement, but do allow a two week "pull out" allowance for the both of you in case the working relationship does not work out.

Next, include pre-set deadlines in your contracts with your virtual assistants. In other words, work not completed by a certain time will receive a deduction in payment, and work not completed shortly after that will receive no payment. This is for your own protection. If you ask a virtual assistant to send out a few emails for you and he/she neglects to do so until two weeks later (when they are no longer needed or relevant), he/she can technically still demand payment if you have no pre-set deadlines. Create cutoff times for each and every task, and include them in the contract and in your assignment emails (allowing your virtual assistant to decline the task without repercussions if they cannot meet your demands). Also be sure to give yourself an "out" in the contract for any poor performance that can be documented.

If your virtual assistants are close to full time workers for you, be sure to give them "off" days. While they are indeed general contractors and not really your employees, they may still need a day or two a week where they can be sure that they will not receive any work from you. Work with each one to find which days of the week they would prefer to just not hear from you. They will be more refreshed the next time you need them.

Finally, don't be afraid to use virtual assistants for your personal needs in addition to your professional needs. Having an assistant who books hotels, researches electronics, purchases Christmas presents, and sends out birthday cards isn't a bad idea, and many savvy business owners are already taking advantage of the practice. Hire a "personal" virtual assistant to handle the day to day tasks that keep you from attending to your business as you would like to.

Getting the most out of your virtual assistants is merely a task of finding several hardworking professionals who are willing to enter into a working relationship with you, rather than make a quick buck off of your side projects. Create contracts carefully, treat your assistants with respect and dignity, and protect yourself by itemizing all work according to price and deadlines before assigning anything. Everyone wins when expectations are laid out ahead of time. Make that your motto as you seek out a little virtual help.