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Think of Virtual Assistants (VAs) as team members who work from a remote location, to who you outsource various tasks and services to ease your day-to-day workload. A VA will allow you to assign more time in your day to focus on the tasks that best require you or your associate’s valuable time. VAs can absolutely be a huge asset if utilised well however without effective training and support you won’t get the value out. Like most things, with VAs, you really do get out what you put in.
What can a VA do for me?
Virtual Assistants can complete almost any task that an in-person administrator could, for a fraction of the cost. With the appropriate training and guidance (which we’ll discuss below) your VA can:
- Perform data management entry
- Crosscheck buyers from open homes
- Coordinate with external contractors
- Manage accounts
- Organise maintenance
- Set calendar appointments & set reminders
- Generate reports
- Set up letters
- Organise marketing and signboards
- Set action plans
- Look after a host of Property Management tasks
The list truly goes on
How to have success with your VA
Once you’ve decided on which tasks your VA is going to complete, there are some processes that you need to follow in order to make sure that the relationship is beneficial and successful to your operations.
Put the time in, like any other employee
Some agents make the assumption that once they hire a VA they are going to be able to slot seamlessly into regular processes without putting energy into the transition. While it is beneficial to hire someone who has experience with a background in real estate, it’s not always possible, and like any other hire, the attitude and commitment level of your new teammate is far more important to their long-term success.
Our number 1 tip when hiring a new VA, is to put the time into training. Having a simple training process that utilises a screen recording tool to create tutorials will clearly teach your team member how to do each new task, without you needing to write a step-by-step guide. Having this video to reflect on will save you time in the future as the VA can rewatch the video over and over again. Better still, go through the task with them live so they can ask questions, and record it as you go. A great practice to get into is to get your team member to repeat back to you what you have asked them to do. This will ensure clarity on tasks and leave no room for error.
Remember, VAs are often from abroad and may not have the same knowledge as you and I. Keep this in mind as you go, something that may seem straightforward and commonplace to you, may not to them. I once had a VA ask if Ben was short for Benjamin. Although this is very commonplace for you and me – it wasn’t a common name in their country so they didn’t know. Never make them feel silly, you want your VA to come to you rather with questions and check when they are unsure.
Include your VA as part of your team
This is probably the most important part of creating a lasting relationship between you and your VA. Say good morning to them, include them in your Slack or Teams communications, and treat them as if they are any other regular member of your team (they are!). Often professionals who have had poor experiences have used VAs as if they were set-and-forget task wizards. If a process is not handled the way you want it to – communicate that with them. What do they need more guidance on? It may take more than one training session – they are a person, and mistakes happen!
This doesn’t mean that you’re expected to put up with mediocrity. If they aren’t performing the tasks regardless of how much time and direction you’re providing, then you may need to let them go. Don’t let this dishearten you! Keep looking until you find a VA that fits your team and works for you.
We have used virtual assistants for many roles within our business and really value our VAs as a key part of our team. Take the time, share the love and you’ll soon realise what an asset VAs are to business! Check out the rest of our blogs on the website to see how you can make the most out of your database and team, and as always, listen out for that “not yet”, as it may mean “sometime soon”.
