As more business owners become aware of the world of Virtual Assistants and realise the potential for getting a wide range of things to be done, there is also the potential for getting confused about who a VA is and what they should be doing for a client.

Many clients often realise at the last minute things that need to be done, or try to do something themselves and, in a panic, realising they can’t, contact a virtual assistant for (urgent) help.  They might even have a regular VA who is already supporting them and expect everything to be dropped in order to save the day (for the client) for their urgent matter.

It is important for clients to understand and realise that VAs are not employees, but indeed, business operators, just like them. And that also then means they usually have more than one client and they’re not sitting around, waiting for your work to come in.

So, if you know you have a project coming up, or an important date for something, it’s always worth while letting your VA know in advance so they can put aside a block of time for you.

I have had, over the years, many clients contact me to find a new VA because their existing (or previous) one didn’t meet their timeframes.  But sometimes I later find out it’s because things were often left to the last minute.

Help your VA to help you in the best possible timeframe by letting them know in advance what is coming up and what the potential for time requirement might be – as much as is possible to predict.  I have regular meetings via phone or email with some of my clients for exactly this purpose – to see what’s coming up in the week so I have an idea for the work potential. I also know then, that if something needed to be completed by the end of the week but I still haven’t seen it, and it’s now Wednesday, I can send an email to the client reminding them they had something they needed to get to me.

So, if you’re a client using VAs to support your business, give them the opportunity to help you in your business as much as possible and outline your timeframe for things. Don’t spring it on them at the last minute.