How do you know your VA is working?

Hi Scott,

It's hard to know what people are doing when they're not physically present with you.
It all comes down to communication. You need to be explicit in your expectations of your VA and set out regular reporting intervals. Then develop more loyalty and trust by allowing them to complete more complex tasks, take their own initiative more frequently and make some decisions.

This all takes time, but your fastest way to creating trust and loyalty is showing your VA your appreciation for their efforts and skills. Letting someone know that they've done a good job or have excellent skills in a certain area boosts their confidence and lets them know they're appreciated - it really does go a long way.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Sissy

I find using a company that provides a manager as part of the package helps. I also find asking them directly (at random times) if they feel over or underworked gives them a sense that you care and that they can be honest. Giving rewards for completing tasks early also help...such as giving them the rest of the day off for completing a rush item (i.e. - completing something that should take 6-8 hrs in 3-4 hrs).

In our company, our clients directly communicate with his staff once the project started. All our staffs are supervised by a Shift Managers and you will be given direct access to them at all times. We also require our staff to send a daily output report including the breakdown of hours he did in a particular tasks.

I like Outsource to Freelancers, IT Companies, Programmers, Web Designers from India, Russia, USA, and more - oDesk . It's a great way to make sure they're working and staying on track.

I use weekly spreadsheets where they give me times and project.

Another good way is to install some project management software where they have to login when they start and then comment on what they did when logging out.

Quentin

Yup agree with Adam, Hire on Odesk and use their services - choose to pay your VA by the hour and you can basically see your VA Screenshots.

How about paying as per-project basis? Will that solve the problem?

oDesk is really good for that kind of thing.

But when it comes down to it - I care more about how much they got accomplished than how many hours they've actually worked.

It depends on what I'm hiring them for and if it's for a certain project or if they are exclusively working for me. I have 2 sales people right now and they are 100% commissioned, so if they don't produce they don't get paid (though I do pay during their training phase).

The gentleman who said that it's about communication is absolutely correct. I've tried outsourcing in the past with mixed results. Since I've done all the interviewing, hiring, and training (will outsource that some day too) it's been a much smoother process for me. Expectations are discussed upfront and communicating nearly everyday is critical. Some communications are simple such as "Rod, I wrote 4 articles today, 500 plus words in length today, converted them into 4 videos and submitted them to List D of video directories" (we segment our submissions and spread them out so it appears more natural to the SEs).

I'm also a huge believer in quality control. Every single thing that our VAs do has a built-in process that requires them to be randomly checked for quality. For example, if they completed a specific task that was assigned to them then we might audit some of their work. If we find a mistake / issue / whatever then we try and determine if it's a training issue or just simple human error (hey, stuff happens).

I never bring on a VA to the team until we have a clear idea on what we need and then create a specific task list with the expected completion times and a built-in process to ensure quality. The VAs are never told when they will be QC'ed, they are simply advised that it's part of the process.

Communication, clear expectations, and quality checks are essential.

RoD

I follow John Jonas' advice. My guys send me a daily email of what they did, and I ask them to break down approximately how long things take (so I know what's a good use of time and what is not).

Good question ... but honestly don't count hours. Measure effectiveness.

sometimes, it is really difficult to estimate the hours for the work. that's why project based, not time based, is our choice.

david

That's why website such as odesk.com exists.

Guaranteed work, guaranteed payment.

Visit their website for more info.