How to Train Your Remote Executive Assistant for Success
Training a new team member into their role always presents new opportunities and challenges. For your first remote executive assistant, this is especially true. It’s not quite like working side by side in an office environment. However, many of the basic concepts are the same and just as important.
Establish expectations and communicate them clearly
Whether you’re working side by side in cubicles or across the country from one another, good communication with co-workers is essential. So much of your success in training your new assistant comes down to whether your communication is consistent and effective.
Before you meet with your assistant, be sure you know what tasks you want done, and how you want them done. For instance, if you want your VA to research possible client gifts for an upcoming event, you need to give them as much information as possible. Share what kind of gift you’re looking for, if you have one in mind. Specify your budget and if there is a specific company you want to purchase from. Be sure they know how many ideas you want to choose from so they know when their job is complete.
If you have your processes documented, this will be really helpful for you and your VA. You will be able to share the process guide with them, and depending on the complexity of it, either run through it together or allow them to handle it from the written process itself. If you don’t have processes already documented, this would be a great task for your assistant to begin working on for you.
Once you’ve given any necessary instructions, you’ll also want to make sure there is a way to follow-up on your assistant’s progress. This could be as simple as them sharing a list of things they’ve worked on and/or completed via email each week. Or, if you’re more visual and find it helpful to stay on top of where a task is currently in process, tracking all the tasks in our Monday.com portal is available for all of our clients. Just a side note of caution - assigning tasks and seeing your VA complete them in a task management system like Monday.com doesn’t alleviate the need for additional communication.
Utilize communication tools to stay connected
In a remote working environment, there are an abundance of ways to stay connected with your executive assistant. For quick questions or chats, a text may be adequate. Those can also work for time-sensitive messages. For catching up on the week, a phone call or video chat is recommended. This allows you both to share what’s going on and get a sense of how tasks are progressing.
A video chat can be really helpful when you want to go over something on the computer. This allows one or both of you to share your screens. This facilitates quick learning of a program when you can share it together. It also allows for immediate questions or feedback when learning something new. While video isn’t essential for every check-in, it is nice to have that personal connection on a somewhat regular basis.
No matter what tools you use for communicating, the key is to establish a regular routine. Weekly check-ins allow you both to know what’s going on, what changes you need to make, and when your VA is ready for additional tasks.
Provide ongoing training & development
When you hire an executive assistant, they will come prepared to work, and will likely have knowledge of many systems. At Auxo, we also provide regular training to our team to ensure they stay up to date on overall systems, like Google software, Canva, and Monday.com. We aim to provide excellent service, without much up front training on your end.
That being said, there may be times when you want to provide additional training to your assistant. If they will be working with medical insurance, it’s a good idea to have them attend training that the company’s web portal may provide. This ensures they are up to date on all information and procedures. If they are using your CRM, providing access to video tutorials can be very helpful to get them started. If you provide a niche service and there is something specific to your industry that they may not already know, you’ll want to consider whether they may need training in that area to best serve you.
Recognize their hard work
Sometimes the way we show someone they are doing a good job is by giving them more work. While this can indeed demonstrate that you trust them with more responsibility, it’s also nice to receive recognition of some sort for a job well done.
Your VA wants to provide you with excellent service and wants to earn your trust. By sharing how they’ve helped you with a specific task or project encourages them they’re on the right track. I love it when I hear I’ve been a life saver, when a document I’ve created was just what someone was looking for, or when my work saved someone time, enabling them to work on something else. Getting that feedback and recognition will help your VA see how they’re a valuable part of your team, and they’ll want to continue performing at a high level for you.
On a similar note, if a VA is doing something incorrectly, don’t be afraid to point it out, and steer them in the right direction. However, also take note of whether you’ve properly trained them in and if you need to do a clearer job of communicating in the future.
Overall, you want to cultivate a positive working environment, with mutual respect, when you’re training in your new remote executive assistant. They won’t be able to peek around the corner into your office anytime they have a question, but be sure they do know how to reach you when something comes up. Starting off with clear and consistent communication, and maintaining that, will help both of you to build trust and a strong relationship.
If you’re still looking for a virtual assistant for your business, we’d be glad to connect with you. Reach out for a free chat today to find out who on our team could be a good fit for you.