Frequently Asked Questions
Virtual assistants are independent contractors who work remotely. They are versatile staff members who take on many responsibilities including duties of an office administrator.
VAs can be tasked with a variety of duties. These usually include:
Finding the right candidate can be time-consuming and difficult. Once you contact Outsourced Manpower, you’ll find a helpful staff ready to connect you with the right VA. Before setting up an appointment with us, however, there are a few ways you can make sure you’re ready for your new employee.
When you’re trying to find the right VA for your company, you must have a clear idea of the scope of their duties in mind. Having a clearly defined role for your new hire, or a clearly defined project, means we can match you more precisely with what you need. Having a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) can assist us and your VA make sure you find someone who will fit in with your expectations.
No, they don’t. In fact, most VAs work on a part-time or per-project basis. They can work as much as you need them without you having to worry about whether you have enough work for them. Since most VAs are independent contractors, they will spend as much time as they need on your work and supplement their time with any other work they receive from other businesses.
All of our VAs already have basic administration skills. We vet them by having them work for our company for a while, which enables us to test their proficiencies in basic administrative work for businesses in technical fields.
You will need to train your new hire in any company-specific job requirements. Although we can confirm that they’re vetted for most administrative tasks and other day-to-day duties, you will need to ensure they learn your specific company culture and other responsibilities or expectations specific to your team.
Some of our VAs are international and speak multiple languages which means clear communication is key. When you decide to task your new hire, make sure you have provided clear written instructions whenever possible. This will cut down on any misunderstandings and will allow your assistant to have a point of reference as they work on their task for your company.
Getting in touch with your VA is simple. You can email them, provide them with a direct message in a platform like Slack or other project management tool, or use any other collaboration platform.
There can be some security concerns when you hire a VA—particularly an international one. That’s why it’s critical that your company uses strong passwords and encourages your VA to do the same. Whenever you receive contact from your VA, also ensure that nothing seems off about the message. Your IT department can help verify any suspicious messages and keep your info secure.
The schedule of your VA is something you will need to work out with them once you have decided to hire them. Although some of them work regular 8-5 or 9-5 shifts, you can communicate if your business needs more schedule flexibility.
Certain VAs can and do work weekends, and some even work irregular hours so that your business can offer extended phone answering services to your clients.
Our firm does observe regular holidays, however, so there will be certain days that our VAs will be unavailable, as we encourage them to take the time off and spend time with their families. These holidays include:
When a holiday falls on a weekend, Outsourced Manpower will follow the U.S federal day of observance.
Our VAs are trained in several case management software and other digital tools. While you will need to train them on specific software your company uses, our VAs are knowledgeable in Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Drive, Gmail, Filevine (please contact us for the code for a discount), Practice Panther, Asana, Tettra (Please use code VanLaw upon sign up), and Clio.
There’s no one way to delegate tasks most efficiently for your company. However, VAs are best-suited to day-to-day tasks that classify as administrative. One of the best ways to determine what a VA can complete most effectively for you is to categorize tasks based on whether or not they make direct income for your business.
If a task is essential but isn’t a money generator, it probably can be completed by a VA. This includes scheduling, intake, drip campaigns, social media management, or anything else vital to your company’s structure. If a task requires specialized knowledge or goes beyond the scope of an assistant’s training, however, consider using a different member of your staff to complete it.