By Time or Task?

Hiring a virtual assistant requires some work that you must do up front to ensure a successful working relationship.  When describing the work you want done and how you want it done, it is important to determine whether you are looking for time based work or task based work. Once you have determined your structure, your virtual assistant will know what is expected of them and, ultimately, your working relationship will be stronger.

Task-based delegation

We often advise business owners to build systems with automatic triggers, so that their Freedom Maker can get to work without the business owner needing to do anything.

A favorite example is a client who needed orders processed. He could have said, I’ll forward you every order that comes in, etc. Instead, we set it up so that the Freedom Maker logged in every weekday at 10 am and 1 pm to see if any orders had come in. If orders did come in, she processed them right then and there. If there hadn’t, she was done until the next log in. The business owner did not have to do anything to trigger his Freedom Maker into work and the Freedom Maker had a relatively predictable schedule (versus processing orders as they came in).

This example is a form of task-based delegation. The Freedom Maker worked on a specific task as it came up.

The benefits of this structure include:

You do not have to worry that tasks are getting done

Your virtual assistant only works when there is work to be done

You and your virtual assistant do not have to prioritize; they only focus on specific tasks

You can be hands-off with your virtual assistant

Time-based delegation

Another example is time-based delegation. In this example, your virtual assistant may work on tasks set by you every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 - 2. They will take care of assigned tasks during the shift and answer any calls that come in. They may not work at all outside of those shifts.

The benefits of this type of set up include:

You have multiple tasks that may not be systematized

You can have your virtual assistant also answer live calls during the shift

You just want to be able to call your virtual assistant and know they will answer

You know for sure how many hours they will work each week

At Freedom Makers, we recommend systems, because it benefits all facets of your business.  But it is your business and however it succeeds is ultimately in your hands.  These two types of delegation are ways to implement your systems or ensure that your work gets completed. When hiring a virtual assistant, it is best to be clear on how you want them to work.  Is it task based or time based?