A lot of what we have talked about in our past entries like getting and following instructions, researching for information and resources; being resourceful and prepared can be summed up in one general characteristic-proactivity.

Proactivity is being action, results and change-oriented, anticipatory and self-initiating. If you’re proactive, you act in advance for a future situation instead of reacting to a situation when it happens. You do not need to be told what to do or be asked to do something.  Simply put, being proactive means taking control and initiating change more than merely adjusting to the situation. It aims to identify and explore opportunities to be able to avoid potential problems.

Proactive employees are considered the most valuable because they are continuously on the move to do something; to act on things rather than sit around waiting for direct orders. They go forth and look for answers in preparation for, not in answer to and they go ahead and take on tasks head on if they know what to do and how to do it rather than wait to be told to do so. They ask questions in anticipation and in preparation for the future.

How to be Proactive

1)      Predict, Plan and Prevent. Because being proactive is future-oriented, you must be able to anticipate what the future holds in terms of your work and problems that may arise and because you understand these possibilities, you work on the process, routines and practices of the present and combine these with your logic and creativity to be able to prevent future problems. These make work easier for you and your teammates.

2)      Prioritize, Participate and Perform. More than being observers, proactive people are doers. They take initiative, contribute and get involved in coming up with solutions in a timely and efficient manner. They prioritize which are important, decide and work at goals now rather than later and hold themselves accountable, believing that working on these day-to-day tasks would also minimize their workload in the process.

3)      Evaluate and automate procedures and processes. Depending on functionality, discard those that do not work, adjust what can be adjusted and think of ways on how to improve or automate processes to minimize time like using computer applications and delegating to team members tasks based on who are best fit for the requirements of the task.

4)      Learn and Commit. Continuously develop a passion and interest for anything to improve work situations or yourself through company trainings, online courses or exposure to other tasks. Use these to commit yourself to excellence and be an asset to your company/client.

Because of the nature and scope of the work of Virtual Assistants (VA), they need to be proactive as they get to better manage their times and their tasks and are better able to serve clients when they take control of things they need to do. By taking note of things that they do regularly for each of their clients, considering the difference in time zone and nature of business, they would automatically be able to do these tasks without waiting for clients to constantly remind them.  A proactive VA is prepared and as such, she rarely gets flustered nor is she always in a rush.  She takes interest in the trends that could improve her clients’ businesses and service and consequently get to also improve her service.  The proactive VA understands what needs to be done, how and at what cost,  much like the client she is assisting and these can empower her to do her tasks and make decisions based on her knowledge of the business and the project.  These makes the proactive VA more valuable to clients because the VA does not only get to work on more tasks on the specified hours but also shows the client that they care about their business. Clients also prefer proactive VAs and delegate more complex tasks because they know they can rely on them.

Businesses can also benefit from being proactive by setting goals and constantly looking out to better improve their systems, productivity, efficiency and standing in the market rather than wait for competitors to give them stiff competition by being complacent.  Proactive businesses are cost-effective because they get to solve small problems before they even become big enough to cost a lot of time and money. Proactive businesses increase good results and cultivate positive workplace environment.

Proactive Virtual Assistants are always ahead of the game because they are constantly on their toes. They go out of their way to find out where they are at the moment and where they want to end up and work on these by developing processes and procedures and disciplined habits and going beyond what is expected of them, making them valuable partners of the client and their business.

 

 Written by Kathrine E- The Help

Communication is a very important factor in all aspects of human life because human beings are naturally social beings. Communication is defined as “the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings to someone else (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communication).”

This definition encompasses the three ways of communicating which are:

1) Verbal communication is communication expressed in spoken words; orally spoken rather than written down such as during conversations with friends or colleagues or meetings in the workplace; oral class recitations or voice calls with clients

2) Written communication on the other hand is expressing oneself with the use of words through writing them on a piece of paper or through the use of the computer such as emails, blogs, memo, etc.

3) Non-verbal  communication, unlike the preceding  two, this does not make use of words.  It uses body language including gestures, facial and eye expressions and posture; communication through objects like symbols, clothing and architecture. It has also come to include the stress, voice quality and intonation of the speaker in actual speech, but not the words themselves.

No matter the kind, good communication is the key to a good relationship – between team mates and between the virtual assistant and the client. Good communication becomes even more significant in the virtual assistant’s workplace considering the hours, cultures and personalities of those involved and how they affect its dynamics.

In a regular workplace, an employee needs to communicate with the team to build camaraderie and rapport as well as for projects to be successful. The same is true in a virtual environment, it being more dependent on the ability and the willingness of people to communicate verbally and in writing as phone calls and emails are the primary means of communication in the virtual office. A little less on the use of non-verbal cues as these are primarily anchored on body language which most often than not are not seen by the client.

Advantages of Communication in the Workplace

1)      Foundations are laid and expectations managed.  It is through communication that employees are briefed and oriented into the system and instructions given and clarified for the employee to know what is expected of her and for the client to determine whether instructions were clear. Almost always, the VA spends the first few minutes of her shift talking to the client for tasks to be done for the shift as well as the specifications for each. In the course of her shift, she gets to constantly communicate with the client and team members through Skype or email for further instructions or help.

2)      Conflicts are avoided and collaboration developed. Discussing issues and problems that may arise in the course of doing the job avoids future conflicts. With proper communication, chaos and confusion are avoided because ideas are exchanged, feelings clarified and a relationship cultivated, making way for a collaborative environment and for trust and respect to be developed. In a virtual workplace, dealing with different kinds of clients, good communication certainly helps with managing this diversity.

3)      Morale and productivity are boosted. With communication, team mates get to support one another in every way possible and necessary, leaving no room for misunderstanding, thereby increasing productivity and confidence in dealing with clients and undertaking tasks; reducing delay and wastage. In addition, constant communication among team mates builds a friendly environment conducive to efficiency and productivity; contributing to a happy, satisfied workforce with high employee morale which in effect makes the client happy because happy employees do not only put in the hours but turn in excellent quality work.

Consequently, the lack of communication in the workplace could lead to waste of time and energy due to miscommunications and a lack of trust. Team members who do not communicate do not get feedback to enable them to correct their ways with proper guidance or resources for work.

Research shows that an organization with competent employees and strong support can still fail without the most important element of success which is communication. Without it, business goals cannot be established, much less achieved and become efficient.

 

Communication is the key to building relationships and relationships are important for any business. No organization-virtual or otherwise can exist without communication because it supports all aspects of the work environment. Without a good relationship with our clients, they will take their business elsewhere. Without a harmonious relationship with the team, there will be chaos. Communicating with these important people in our workplace makes work and life in general easier to manage.

 

In this day and age, communication can be limitless due to numerous avenues, and it is now that it should be truly explored as a means to build those important relationships. Start with your team, today.

 

 Written by Kathrine E.- The Help

Time and again, it has been said that nothing is constant in this world but change. And with the advent of technology, this has become increasingly true to date. To say that technology in the last two decades has grown is an understatement and at its current rate likened to the speed of light, it is showing no indication that it is anywhere near done. Because of this fact, it can safely be said that no one was born a techie – defined as a person who is an expert in or enthusiastic about technology since technology in itself is dynamic. However, this ever evolving element of our lives has given us no choice but to adapt and move towards being techies as it has had a profound effect on all aspects of life including how we interact with our world. Now, almost everything is mobile and paperless from bank transactions, education and learning, shopping, communication, business and processes and not adapting to these changes may cause us to be stuck in a way of doing things that technology could have improved in terms of efficiency and productivity if we only let it.

In the realm of virtual assistance, which is primarily technology-based, dependent on a computer and an Internet connection, technology is a way of life in itself. But as partners to small to medium scale businesses, being technology savvy takes on a whole new level.

As VAs, we get to handle most of the back-end operations of our clients’ businesses as well as manage a lot of personal matters in terms of organizing calendars and financials and with such a wide and varied work scope, technology sure does come in handy whether you are an experienced VA; a seasoned veteran in a previous field or a first time employee – virtual or otherwise.

The younger generation are admittedly more technology-savvy perhaps because they were exposed to it more than the earlier generations but they do not have a monopoly of tech-savvyness as the older generations have slowly but surely followed suit because of the need to stay connected and develop individual capacities.

Laine, part of 2013’s graduating class, joined The Help almost a year ago for her first real job and she acknowledges that her interest in anything online and the urge to explore everything she finds in it has indeed helped her in adjusting to VA life. She adds that because she loves to explore online applications and software, she got used to it and discovered tricks in using these applications which allowed her to fast-track her immersion into the world of virtual assistance because she did not have to be trained in the basics and instead jumped to being trained on more complicated features of applications and the specifics of tools VAs use; making training and eventually, tasks time efficient.

Yoli, on the other hand, a veteran in the field of writing and the corporate world definitely enjoys being tech-savvy because it allows her to understand the language of the web which according to her, is very helpful in case of glitches which most often than not, also have their answers on the Internet. Secondly, she uses technology to communicate with friends and writing colleagues around the world and allows brainstorming easily and economically through web-based applications. It is also a big factor for a writer like her because she gets to use writer-friendly applications that can help avoid distractions and  puts notes and documents in one place hence, increases productivity.

Most of the tasks handled by virtual assistants involve managing the client and their business’ websites, social media content, mobile applications, newsletters, smart phones, quick response links as well as shared infrastructure and cloud documents and softwares including blogs, webinars and video calls and tutorials. All of these are technology-enabled and would need a savvy VA to handle and master with flying colors. Plus the fact that at times, VAs also serve as the alter ego of their clients and as such, they have to be well-versed in the different technologies available in the market that will make clients’ businesses grow and prosper.  Also being able to give clients their personal opinion of the software or application in terms of functionality is a big plus for a VA.

Being tech savvy has these succeeding advantages:

1)      Being a techie can simplify daily life as you get to use technology to be more productive, efficient and accurate. In case of unfamiliar tasks, a regular employee can search for resources on the Internet or ask more experienced employees. The techie also searches for resources but upon learning of an application that she can use for the task, does not stop there and instead, digs deeper and discovers the full functionality of the application to the task on hand and for future tasks. We are then given the means to get work done faster through technology and producing more means more money or income.

2)      Being technology-savvy opens doors we have not imagined possible and allows mobility and flexibility. Decades ago, we may never have imagined being able to work through our phones or being able to exchange messages in real time but these and many more are present realities. We now get through tasks both online and through mobile phones making management of tasks, appointment, dates a lot easier than they were before, even away from our desks. Client calls can be done in the comfort of our home offices and we can even see the other party across hundreds of miles through video calls and conferencing. These were deemed impossible before but are now a reality, providing a window of what the future has in store for us.

3)      By embracing technology, you make yourself more valuable. Because efficiency and productivity are such big terms in this world and age, being familiar with anything and everything that can make you more efficient and productive in the eyes of clients, makes you more valuable. The battlefield of business has shifted to the virtual world as the global market has become accessible with its reach a whole range wider through technology. The employee who is tech-savvy is an added asset because they do not only understand technology but is able to use it and base informed decisions on it; therefore, making way for the successful completion of projects.

With virtual assistants easily able to access necessary information and make quick reactions to their various needs, clients can better manage their businesses and focus more on inspiring and captivating their target markets and managing global decentralized networks and leverage the competitive arena of their respective businesses.

The many possibilities opened by technology can be daunting for a non-techie, much more to a non-techie VA but the good thing about technology is it is right there at your fingertips. You just have to have an open mind and the willingness to give it a shot by simply knowing how to maximise your resources and the results could spell the difference. Besides, with each passing day and month, the non-techie VA will notice her skills exponentially multiplying and in a virtual world such as hers, this has come to be expected so she really has no choice but to learn as fast as she can. After all, technology is a reality and it is here to stay. There is no escaping it. Technology and the wealth of knowledge it unfolds is literally a click away, bringing a world of endless possibilities closer and giving us a tool to manoeuvre the virtual world to become valuable virtual assistants.

Tech savvyness is just the first in a list to get into this industry but to be a successful virtual assistant, you need to combine it with communication – oral, written and non-verbal cues; proactivity – to clients, to superiors and to team members and compassion and empathy for your team and the business of your clients – all these we will explore in succeeding articles and together, let us discover the world of virtual assistance.

 

 Written by: Kathrine E.- The Help

 

The importance of time has been underlined by the abundance of quotes seeking to emphasize its value like time is money which is especially true in the context of business. The more time you give into it, the more possibility of making money. It may not always convert to these, but the possibility is there. The same is true in the world of virtual assistance as time for clients is agreed upon and billed.

Many might think that time management should not be an issue in the world of virtual assistance because most VAs work at home as long as they have a computer and a high-speed Internet. However, this takes a complicated twist once the intricacies of VA work is considered – the multiple tasks for multiple clients from varied locations and time zones in one nine-hour shift can translate into stress of extreme levels for the VA. It is then in this context that time management becomes the key to working around these multiples.

Without time management skills, a VA can get swamped and overwhelmed, prompting overtime work which could lead to burn out if done all the time despite the higher take-home pay. Clients on the other hand might not appreciate having to pay extra and may deem you inefficient in such a case as clients in general would want to maximize the VA’s shift by giving tasks that they think is enough to occupy the allotted time.

Here are two reasons why time management is extremely important:

1)  Time management leads to success. Efficiency and productivity have become the measurement of performance and to be efficient and productive, you must be able to do more, and turn in top quality work outputs. With proper time management, you develop the discipline to prioritize and plan according to what is urgent and focus on these tasks, without losing momentum thereby increasing work quality.

2) Time management reduces stress. Because time management gives you a clear idea of the day, week, even the month ahead,  it reduces the feeling of being rushed; of having a lot to do and not much time to do them. With the luxury of time, the requirements of the job as well as any eventuality can be addressed without the urge to be frustrated. With reduced stress, you get the chance to learn more, hone skills, gain more experience and stand out and be more of an asset than you already are.

By  managing time properly, a virtual assistant can become more successful without the stress. It allows you to work smarter but not necessarily less harder. And these advantages of time management do not just stop there. They multiply and affect not only your work but the other aspects of your life as you get to devout more time for family, friends and enjoyment.

The client in return gets an efficient VA who manages the admin side of his business seamlessly, comes up with high-quality work outputs and becomes someone he can depend on. He does not only get his money’s worth but also gets to enjoy other aspect of his life with reduced stress, courtesy of his  good time manager virtual assistant.

In a world of multiples – tasks, cultures, time zones, stress – all we can ever do is manage our resources — including time. And with the many tools that we can use out there, it is now more than ever that we can manage our times most. We as virtual assistants must take advantage of that chance. Time they say is life. Live it. Work smart and give yourself the chance to breathe and manage stress better. Once you do, multiple will merely be a number – one you can easily manage like the rest of your tasks. After all, a VA is also a talented juggler.

Written by Kathrine E. – The Help