As a business owner, you have a lot on your plate. You must ensure that everything from marketing and sales to operations and customer service is running smoothly. One of the most important things you can do as an entrepreneur is to ensure that your employees are performing at their best – including virtual assistants (VAs). If you’re not careful, poor performance could lead to missed deadlines and opportunities for growth. To help ensure top-notch performance from every member of your team (including those who work virtually), here’s what I recommend:

As a business owner, it’s your job to ensure that your employees perform at the highest level 

If they aren’t, you need to find out why and do something about it. To ensure that your virtual assistants are doing their jobs correctly, you need some sort of system in place by which you can track their performance and give the ones who aren’t doing well enough a chance to improve before letting them go. 

Start by setting expectations and goals for each week, month, quarter, and year 

As the virtual assistant, you’ll need to set expectations for yourself and your client. This can be as simple as a checklist of tasks to complete each week or month. 

For example: “This week, I will take care of the paperwork and forward it to them.” You can also set goals that are long-term by marking goals in quarters or years. For example: “By December 31st, 2021, we will have achieved our sales revenue goal of $1 million.” 

Make sure both parties understand what success looks like and how they’ll know when they’ve achieved it. It’s essential not only to define success but also to create a plan together. Hence, your team knows exactly what needs to be done and when. 

Don’t forget to celebrate every achievement along the way! 

Get real-time activity reports 

You should be able to see what your virtual assistant is doing at any time. This is important for both you and your VA. You need to know when they are working and when they are not so that you can manage their workload and make sure that it’s manageable for them. 

The only way to do this is by getting real-time activity reports from your virtual assistant software company. 

During one-on-one meetings, be direct but fair 

One-on-one meetings are a great way to review your virtual assistant’s performance. During these sessions, you should:

• Be direct but fair. Tell the VA what you want them to improve on and why it’s crucial for them to do so, then give them a chance to explain what they are doing and why — without being defensive!
• Be specific and clear about what you want them to do in the future. Don’t ask for “more results, please!” Instead, say something like, “I need more in-depth reports from sources A through Z by this date (and here’s how we define “in-depth”). Also, let me know if there are any other ways I can help speed up this process so we can meet our goals sooner.”
• Ask open questions like: How do we improve communication? What is one thing that would make this process easier for both of us? What can I do differently or better as a manager, so our partnership works well?

Reward hard work 

As a business owner, you want to find ways to reward your virtual assistants when they do good work. Recognize their achievements and thank them for them. This is an integral part of the rewarding process because it will help your virtual assistant feel appreciated and motivated to continue working hard. You can use monetary or non-monetary rewards as appropriate. The important thing is that you recognize their hard work and achievement somehow, so they know how much you appreciate it!

When hiring a new VA, get them involved in the company culture right away

One of the best ways to do this is by having them join team meetings on video chat as soon as possible. This will help you get to know your new employees and determine if they will fit your company’s culture well. It also allows them to meet everyone on the team and feel like part of it right away. 

Here are some other ways you can get your new virtual assistant involved in company culture:

• Have them attend company conferences or events (if any).
• Encourage employees who have been working with VAs for a while now, especially those who have worked with several different VAs over time, to share what makes each VA unique and how they differ depending on their needs within their specific roles at work each day. This will help give others at HQ an idea about what type of personality might suit them best given their own personal preferences when it comes down to making decisions regarding which candidate might make sense best overall, considering all factors at play here, including salary expectations vs. how many hours per week needed, etc… Make sure everyone knows where they stand!

Recognize the signs of poor performance – before it’s too late 

As a business owner, you should know the signs that your VA is struggling. The most common reasons for poor performance include:

• Lack of training
• Lack of motivation
• Lack of communication skills
• Lack of support from their superior (you) and/or coworkers
• Unclear expectations from both parties

Don’t wait until it’s too late to address the problem

If you notice something is off, don’t ignore it. This can create a snowball effect leading to more significant problems later. Make sure you’re clear on the issue and ask your virtual assistant to help identify solutions by putting together a list of possible solutions and ranking them in order of importance. Remember, this isn’t personal; it’s business!

Don’t let your emotions get in the way.

It’s easy to get upset when things aren’t going as planned, but don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment or prevent you from finding a solution because they are often based on assumptions rather than facts. Instead, take a step back and try not to judge anyone involved until enough evidence is available for both sides of an argument before making judgments about who was right or wrong (or just shaking hands).

Don’t be afraid to ask for help if necessary—but only after seeking advice from someone else first!

Final words

As a business owner, it’s your job to ensure that your employees perform at the highest level. But how do you know if they are performing well?

GoVirtuals is fully aware of the significance of tracking your VA’s performance. That is why we use Hubstaff as our time-tracking tool. Aside from that, there is nothing better than talking with them through weekly or monthly check-ins. It allows our virtual assistants to express their opinions and raise questions with the HR team. 

This article has given you tips on tracking your virtual assistant’s performance and ensuring that they’re doing everything possible for success in your company.

Get in touch with us for a free consultation if you require the assistance of a VA in building and growing your business.