You hired a new virtual assistant and onboard them into your business. Your next step is to train them. Even if your virtual assistant is versed in all of the different tasks that you need them to do, they may need a primer on your business and how it runs.
If your virtual assistant needs help with skills
Sometimes people hire virtual assistants at the cheaper end in exchange for training them. This is a great way to hire a virtual assistant on a budget, but you have to be prepared to train them in the tasks that you need them to do.
For virtual assistants that need skills training, train them in one skill at a time.
A great way to train your virtual assistant is to hop on a live call with them and walk them through how to do something. Record the call so they can refer back to it or you can use the recording if you need to train a new virtual assistant on the same task.
If you’re unable to hop on a live call with them, you can take a video of your screen and talk them through how to do the task.
Some businesses even create a course inside a program like Teachable to house different resources and videos for all team members they onboard.
Teach your virtual assistant one skillset at a time so they don’t get overwhelmed or confused. Eventually, they won’t need any management at all and will be able to perform all their tasks independently.
Help your virtual assistant understand your business
Your virtual assistant might be hired to do a few specific tasks for your business but it helps them to also understand the moving parts of your business. Give them a “tour” of how your business works and the different areas that your virtual assistant will be taking part in.
For example, if your virtual assistant is answering your emails about your products, familiarize your virtual assistant with the products. Let them know frequently asked questions that your audience has had in the past. If you have new products coming out soon, let them know to expect emails about that new product.
When your virtual assistant understands how your business works, it can help your virtual assistant get an idea of how they play a role in your business.
Get on calls with your virtual assistant
If your virtual assistant is dealing with a heavy workload or is taking on a lot of tasks at once, it’s worth it to hop on a call with them once a week to do a check-in. Here, you can talk to your virtual assistant about what’s going on with the tasks and see if they’re struggling. Since you’re on a call with them already, you can walk them through any issues that they may have on the spot.
Getting on a call is also more direct than going back and forth through Slack or email. You can get more done and answer more questions during a direct call.
Ask your virtual assistant questions about the work
Sometimes your virtual assistant has a better idea of how to get a job done than you do. You might have a way of doing things that you’re used to doing, but your virtual assistant may have found a shortcut or an easier way to do it.
Ask questions about the tasks. Ask your virtual assistant if they think there’s a better way to do something or an easier way to go about the task. Sometimes during training, the virtual assistant may notice that a task can be accomplished differently, and as long as you’re getting the same result, there’s no reason the VA can’t use their own method.
Asking questions about the work also gives you an idea of whether the virtual assistant understands the job. If they give specific responses and engage with the question, you can be confident that they feel good about the tasks they’ve been given. If they avoid the questions or are giving vague, unsure responses, they may need additional help. Virtual assistants should be confident about their tasks towards the end of the training period.
Create a training system that can be used again
Hiring your first virtual assistant is a great opportunity for you to create a training program for your future team members. As your business grows, so will your team. Record and document every part of the training you needed to do and put them together in one place. You can use Google Drive or an online platform like Teachable. That way, you can shortcut through the training process with your future virtual assistants.
How do you train your virtual assistant team? Let us know in the comments below.
