Remote Assistance: Myths You Likely Believe

There is misinterpretation about virtual assistants. In reality, super virtual assistants do not exist. What do we really know about them that separates them from the rest? Do they really do everything? How do they become “super”? When you say super, are you actually trying to find the perfect VA? 

Sorry to break your dream. There are no super virtual assistants. Though, being a virtual assistant does not limit you to learn skills you need. The possibilities are endless. It is never too late to learn. You always have to be sensitive about personal learning and adaptability. 

Here are some myths that I have discovered during my virtual assistant career.

1. Super Virtual Assistants do not exist. I multitask every single day yet I always ask myself. Can I do a lot of tasks in a day? The idea sounds ridiculous. They must have a great personality, go getter, extreme multitasker, a self-starter and learns a lot of skills. This is a wrong idea of what should be a virtual assistant.

2. Virtual Assistant Generalist knows everything. The truth is they don’t. Unless you train them how your company and systems work and how it goes. They should be fine because training is the key to success.

3. The one day know how VA. Based on experience, some people do place a lot of expectations on Virtual Assistants. They expect VA’s even generalist to know your program, your site, your company and its processes all in one day. It is complicated. You need to know your expectations so you will not have any problems hiring one.

4. You cannot get quality work for a low payment. Some of my friends almost fall for this kind of scheme. Someone wants to do business. Yet their income expectations are so low that nobody wants to do the project. Virtual Assistants who have years of experience do not just compromise to low payment schemes just because they want to earn money. They want to produce quality work with the right offer. Quality and super low costs do not go together. A VA who knows her worth does not accept super low offers.

5. In connection to number 2, Training and Supervising a Virtual Assistant does not need a lot of time. You can train for a week or two depending on the increment of tasks you give to your VA. If you give weekly tasks so you give her weekly training. Training can also be live, recorded, in text or even using an e-book. There are a lot of ideas on how you can start to train your VA. Once you figure your daily and weekly tasks, you need to delegate it properly.

It does matter what your expectations for your remote assistance. All it matters is to keep an open mind and do not assume about your virtual assistant’s abilities. Virtual Assistants are resourceful, self-learners and determined to make every business successful.

 IJJ

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