Tips for Using Virtual Assistants to Outsource Your Tasks

Many people in all types of industries outsource tasks to virtual assistants throughout the month. With virtual assistants, you do not have the headaches that arise with employees like needing insurance, to pay taxes, vacation time, sick days and more. You only pay for the time you use their services, no more.

To help you make the most of your virtual experience, here are some tips:

1) When you communicate, keep info short, to the point and well presented with bullets and / or other types of check lists. No one wants a book to read every time there's an email. And the more a person has to sift through and sort out, the more time is spent not working on your tasks.

2) Confirm tasks so you make sure they're understood, asking for confirmations of instructions and deadlines.

3) Have a secure common area like a forum or Help Desk area for posting private info you both need, like instructions, deadlines, project comments, etc.

4) Establish chats with a couple free accounts like Yahoo Messenger and Skype. Then touch base monthly or so here to go over your goals, etc. as needed.

5) Set up a couple different emails, too, so you have more than one way to communicate, especially when a server is down. Free Gmail and Yahoo accounts are great for this.

6) Check in once the project work has started, but don't hound. Allow your assistant time to work. Hounding tends to cramp creativity.

7) Be organized in your approach and act in a professional manner. For example, do not send multiple emails to your assistant with assorted files all mixed up, asking the helpers to sort everything out, etc. when it's not even included in the paid work. No one wants to work for free .Instead, either pay for the organization as an introductory task, then move on to the next stage, or organize everything on your end first.

8) Don't be afraid to ask your virtual assistant about their abilities and about taking on new tasks, adjusting pay as needed. No need to get in a rut or find new people for new tasks. In fact, on the whole, virtual assistants are learning new skills all the time to keep up with changes in technology (like learning the latest word processing software) plus they are always sharpening their skills. So if you need a PowerPoint presentation, for example, just ask. Can't hurt to see if it can be done.

8) When correcting your help, be kind at first, offering praise, and gentle with negative feedback. Emails are not always easy to understand, so make sure there were no communications' issues up front, clarifying your expectations.

9) Bookmark popular outsource company sites like Moving Ahead Communications so that you can always have plenty of help available for your projects. Then see what their specials are from time to time, and their new programs.

10) Since virtual assistants are online and are more familiar with web marketing than offline marketers, most often, see how they can help you promote your sites. For example, if you have a pet site, see how your assistant can make text links for categories in your shopping cart using HTML plus your keywords like for dog car seat covers and dog travel accessories using social networking and other sites to get more clicks, views and sales.

Popular sites include Hub Pages, Squidoo, MySpace, and other top web portals. With the time you have available due to outsourcing, plan your expansion and hire even more work done as your business grows.