I’m just about to take on a virtual assistant. For those of you who haven’t come across the term before, a VA (virtual assistant) is someone who takes on some of the duties of a personal assistant but works remotely. They often have more than one client they look after.
I can’t wait until she starts. In preparation I’ve started putting together some information for her, she’ll be answering calls for me so I need to make sure she knows what to say and how to handle common queries.
Last week I went to vote in the Irish election and the importance of this preparation became clear.
Find out why by watching the video below:
It’s not just staff or virtual assistants you should be preparing this information for. You should also be writing it down for yourself.
You can save a whole heap of time in your working day by preparing form emails that address specific commonly asked questions. You’ll still need to edit these each time you use them but having the basics in place will mean you are communicating effectively even when you are under time pressure.
It’s also a good idea to write templates for other common tasks. For example, I’ve been teaching LinkedIn workshops for the last four weeks and one of the tasks I get delegates to complete is a connection script.
This script acts as an introduction to those we connect with on LinkedIn and when edited effectively is likely to ensure that your connection is accepted.
Your Turn
Do you have systems in place to make sure you and your staff are addressing common queries clearly? Do you have any timesaving tips or processes? I’d love to hear about them so let me know in the comment section below.
