How to guide hire the perfect VA

 When you hire a virtual assistant you want to be sure that you are get a quality service as well as value for money.  Many businesses are wary about using a remote assistant to answer their calls and manage their diary (virtual receptionist), or provide secretarial support (virtual PA) or to send out their invoices & provide admin back up (virtual assistant).  So how do you know what to look for?

1.      First impressions – call up the service – especially if you are using the call answering service and be a mystery shopper – that way you can road test the service before you buy!  Would you want the call operator to represent your company, i.e. could you understand what they were saying (no foreign or broad accent), were they keen to help, polite, professional and were they able to answer your questions?

 

2.      When you mystery shop request a brochure by email or post.  You will be able to see how the company presents themselves i.e. the quality and layout of their brochure, the format and style of their email or letters (punctuation, spelling mistakes, grammar etc).  Monitor how quick you receive the email or posted marketing literature.

 

3.      When setting up the service how much information does the service provider find out about you? Do they take the time to really get to know and understand your business and how you would like to be represented.  Make sure you find out how they go about setting up a customer.  Any good service provider will create a profile on each of their customers they should take the time to interview you on the telephone or face-to-face and then back that up with documentation.  With the back- up documentation you will know if they have understood your wants and needs fully.  This will help reassure you that they know and care about you and your business individually. 

 

4.      Technology – this is vital in today’s hi-tech industry.   Is the company up to date with technology, do they know how to send you email/sms messages, voicemail, pdf documents, images etc.  Do they use a centralised software system that has all your diaries, customer database, book-keeping etc together or is it all individual?  A centralised system is so much easier and can it be accessed by you, your team and your virtual assistant home or abroad? 

 

5.      How many virtual assistants will be allocated to your business?  Call centres are very impersonal and you could get as many as 70 - 100 call operators representing your business.  However if you run a big promotion or campaign and anticipate high volume calls then this type of support is crucial.  2-3 virtual assistants is the ideal if you are a small business needing that extra back-up – small groups ensure that communication is key and you will get quality as you build up a good relationship as it is far more personal.  You want your customers to think that you have taken on extra staff not that you have farmed your calls and work out to another business.

 

6.      Do they have hidden costs?  Do they charge to for use of software i.e. diary management, patch and transfer calls, customer database software, booking software etc?  Be very careful as these costs can add up.  All costs should be transparent from the day you use the service.

 

7.      Are you tied into a contract? Any good service provider will offer a monthly basis offering you flexibility.  Other less reputable providers will lock you in so it becomes difficult to leave.

 

8.      Do you have to pay a set up fee on top of the monthly fee when you open an account?

 

9.      Do they offer monthly service credit – this is a nice touch which allows you to use the other services i.e. PA services, call answering etc to see if you like it without the commitment, some service credits can be up to £10 a month!

 

10.  Testimonials are a must – ask to speak to other customers who have used the service. Be sure to have a list of questions ready and most importantly ask if they have had any problems.  This will give you a real insight into the company by speaking to real customers.  Alternatively, their website or literature should have examples of case studies and testimonials describing how they have helped their customers and the impact it may have had on their business.