Business Tips: 5 Steps to Master an Excellent VA Onboarding Process

Since the primary goal of outsourcing is to grab the best help that maximizes your business potential. It is vital to ensure that the VA onboarding process is effective.

 

What is a Virtual Assistant Onboarding Process 

This process is where the business owner will equip the newly hired virtual assistant with the essential things before starting to work. Also,  onboarding serves as an avenue for the VA to relate your business purpose. In this method, you will be emphasizing vital factors like:

• how your company works
• your business culture
• business goals
• expected deliverables
• tools and platforms that your company has been leveraging

On top of that, an onboarding process caters to virtual assistant’s differences. Thus, maximizing an onboarding checklist will guide the process, ensuring that each step meets the goals.

  The Purpose of a VA Onboarding Process 

1. Accommodates the new hire to the company culture
2. Enables the virtual assistant to build relationships
3. Provides the training and coaching
4. Sets up the virtual assistant in contributing to the company’s success

 

Why is the Onboarding Process Necessary

Organizations with a robustonboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%. On the other hand, businesses without a strategic onboarding process will lose confidence in their newly hired employees. Thus, resulting in the loss of these employees in the first year.

 

The VA Onboarding Process

 

 

Step#1: Introduce your Company 

You might have briefly introduced your company in the interview. Yet here, you will go deeper into your business’ vision, mission, goals, and values . Besides, this is the perfect time to acquaint your VA with your business’ “Whys” for the VA to connect with. And since the VA will significantly impact your business, a VA who comprehends and relates your Why’s influences your business success.

In introducing your company, the checklist must include:

• Company Background
• Vision and values
• Company goals 
• Company policies
• Role Objectives
• Organizational Structure 

  Step#2: Provide Access to Tools and Software 

Since there are so many tools available, embracing the right tool specifically for your business need is paramount. And to make sure that everything will run smoothly as your VA will go onboard. Establishing the VA to be ready to use the necessary tools and platforms will guarantee productivity and efficiency.

These tools will make the virtual assistant work speedily while ensuring that the VA provides value to your business.

Some of these tools that you will give access to your VA are:

• Company email
• Password sharing software
• Meeting and chat software
• Project management software
• Time tracking software 

 

Step#3: Setting Expectations

Setting expectations is an excellent way of guiding your VA to deliver the necessary outputs. Additionally, it provides a clear view of the goals, strategies, and strategic ways to achieve them.

In setting expectations, you must include the following factors on your checklist:

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and ways to measure them
• The expected deliverables in the project
• The direct person that the VA will report 
• The team that the VA will be closely working with
• The total weekly or monthly hours that the VA must render
• The schedule and platform to use during meetings

 

Above all, by also asking the virtual assistant his/her expectations towards the company. It enables you to know the VA’s expectations and notice potential needs and growth opportunities. 

  Step#4: Provide Relevant Documentation

By providing relevant documentation to your newly hired virtual assistant, it enables the VA to study independently. By doing this, it saves time when it comes to in-depth training and orientation.

However, if you are a start-up business and you lack documentation. You can ask for help from the VA. Considering the VA’s powerful documentation skills, the VA is the best help to reach. 

Be mindful of this task’s critical success factor: to ensure you provide the correct point of contact, especially when the VA needs additional context.

Keep note of the following checklist:

• Internal processes and SOPs
• Recorded pieces of previous training
• Transitioned Old tasks 
• New projects on the pipeline
• List of priority projects
• 3rd party courses

  Step#5: Prepare the VA to work

Now you have provided the essential things. You are now going to prepare the newly hired virtual assistant to work. 

Here are fundamental factors to take note of as soon the VA starts:

• Setting up daily and weekly deadlines 
• Quality control and assurance
• Updates and check-ins
• Providing consistent feedback

 

Virtual Assistant participation in your business is influential. Hence, when you value and appreciate the VA,  you’ll have a committed virtual assistant.

Successfully outsourced projects always start with an excellent onboarding process with the virtual assistant. The process is a bit difficult at first, especially if you don’t know how to do it. Or, might as well you are doing it for the first time. By following these five systematic steps, it enables your business to achieve success.

Are you ready to onboard your virtual assistant? Follow these five steps and tell us how they help you meet your onboarding goals.

And if you are still planning to embrace virtual assistants in your business. Sign up with Surge: https://surgedigital.agency/, and get access to trained and equipped virtual assistants. If you need help with anything, send me an email at grace@surgedigital.agency, and please tell us how we can help you today.