What If My Virtual Assistant Doesn't Work Out?

It is a terrible feeling when your partnership with a new team member or colleague isn’t working out. You’ve likely invested a good deal of time and energy developing the relationship, sharing projects and processes, teaching procedures, and explaining how your company works. 

If and when it becomes apparent that the partnership is not as productive or as effective as it should be, both parties in the relationship can experience a sense of defeat, frustration, and even sadness. Tension escalates if issues aren’t addressed. This could mean an unhappy end and lingering bad feelings.

If you’ve brought a virtual assistant onto your team and things aren’t going smoothly, you might feel even more acutely frustrated. Knowing that the work you so desperately need help with isn’t getting done can cause an exorbitant amount of stress. Communication issues, confusion, and misrepresented or misunderstood expectations can create a downward spiral for the business owner and the virtual assistant. 

Freedom Makers knows just what steps to take when things start going sideways. Because we are an experienced virtual assistant agency, we have a proven track record of making terrific matches between clients and virtual assistants. But it doesn’t always happen right away, so when client-virtual relationships get off to a rocky start, we know how to handle it.

PURSUE THE “CLICK”

At Freedom Makers, we understand that not every client-Freedom Maker relationship “clicks” right away, and sometimes, the “click” doesn’t ever happen. What we call the “click” is one of those difficult to describe feelings when the client and the virtual assistant are an excellent match, fall into a smooth and easy rhythm, and quickly develop a comfort level with one another. 

One of our core values is striving for excellence. Pursuing that “click” for both the client and the Freedom Maker is one way we embody this value.

Everyone knows a “click” when they experience it! 

A client experiences the “click” when their virtual assistant quickly begins to make their life easier. The virtual assistant seamlessly fits in with the energy and environment of their business and begins delivering work in a timely and consistent manner. As the client, you feel an extraordinary sense of relief and confidence that the work you’ve outsourced is being handled beautifully by a professional who is eager and excited for the opportunity to be a part of your team. 

The “click” is experienced by a virtual assistant when they feel like they fully understand what is expected of them and know they can contribute their whole skill set to their client. They feel empowered to deliver their work and are confident that any questions or concerns will be addressed quickly and respectfully. A virtual assistant experiences the “click” when they quickly feel like a valuable member of the team and know they are contributing to their client’s success.

A quick “click” is the goal, leading to a happy outcome for client-virtual assistant relationships. 

But some clicks don’t happen right away.

It is important to remember that not every business owner and virtual assistant will find their click instantaneously. Some partnerships take a bit more effort and finesse to start working optimally.

Following is our Freedom Maker’s guide for finding your click and establishing a great working relationship with your virtual assistant, as well as what to do (and how we can help!) if things are not working out:

IN THE BEGINNING

If things are rocky and challenging in the beginning, don’t panic! Please remember that even the happiest and longest-lasting relationships require a transition period at the very beginning. The early days with your virtual assistant is the getting-to-know-you stage. You are both discovering each other’s particular likes, interests, and style of doing things.  As our Freedom Maker Success Manager, Jenny Boyles, says, "The beginning of a client-virtual assistant relationship is like an awkward dance. You are trying to figure each other out. But eventually, you will and the dance gets easier about 4-6 weeks in."

But either way, it can be super frustrating and disorienting: you selected your Freedom Maker because their skills and experience were compatible with your needs. They seemed like a perfect fit during the interview phase and kick-off call. You had such high hopes! Now things seem rocky and uncertain, and you really need help! Your Freedom Maker isn’t responding quickly to your emails and isn’t delivering exactly what you need. What happened?

At the first sign of disconnect or difficulty, try to assume positive intentions.

Remember, during the first month, your Freedom Maker is learning your systems, getting up to speed with the new work rhythm, and figuring out how to best deliver the tasks they have been assigned. Sometimes a virtual assistant experiences technical difficulties with things like password sharing and credential management that can cause delays or issues once they’ve onboarded with you.

If this is the first virtual assistant you’ve engaged as a client, there is likely an acclimation period on your end as well. Getting used to someone new and working remotely can create awkwardness and hiccups as you express what you envision for the relationship and establish a workflow. Adjusting to a new and different style of interaction and remote communication can take some time. Learning how to utilize your virtual assistant best can also slow things down.

COMMUNICATION ISSUES

In general, communication is often cited as one of the most common problems between a client and a virtual assistant. Unfortunately, communication issues that present themselves very early in the working relationship and aren’t resolved quickly can cast the entire partnership in a bad light. What could simply be an issue due to time zone, geography, or working hour differences can seem like a significant and insurmountable obstacle. 

That’s why Freedom Makers recommends weekly meetings during the first month of the working relationship. Regular, frequent meetings early on can work to hammer out any communication conflicts and confusion. These early get-to-know-you meetings should be held via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or any other video conferencing service. Seeing each other face to face is preferable to simply emailing instructions or telephoning with updates. Non-verbal cues and facial expressions can be an aid when establishing a relationship and can help engender more positive, congenial feelings. Additionally, a person’s temperament or style can be more easily perceived when seen, which can help create a foundation of understanding as the relationship moves forward. 

Use these frequent meetings to share task lists, calendars, google drives, or whatever tools and systems you have at your disposal that will aid communication and deepen your Freedom Maker’s understanding of how your business operates. These meetings can provide a perfect opportunity for your virtual assistant to ask additional questions as they arise and hammer out any unforeseen uncertainties as the relationship gets underway.

If communication has not improved after the first month, and you still are experiencing issues with your Freedom Maker, we recommend bringing your concerns to your Freedom Maker as soon as possible. 

WHEN NEGATIVITY FESTERS, PRODUCTIVITY SUFFERS

The longer you hold off expressing your concerns and dissatisfaction with your Freedom Maker after the initial month, the more difficult the conversation will be. If your virtual assistant is unaware that you are unhappy with their work, they should be given the opportunity to address your issues in a timely manner. Invite your Freedom Maker to a video meeting with you.

As a client, you are most likely frustrated. However, remaining professional and communicating your concerns without emotion or accusation will always yield a better result. 

First, discuss any areas of success. Talk with each other about what is working, and let your Freedom Maker know if they have been helpful. Then, mention areas where your Freedom Maker can improve and suggest specific corrections to their work. Going over a deliverable or something your virtual assistant has produced for you over a video conference will allow your virtual assistant to see precisely what is and isn’t working. They will get a clear picture of what you prefer, and you can express your needs directly.

Be straightforward with your Freedom Maker, so there is no confusion about the reason for the meeting. Let them know that this is an opportunity for redirection. Hopefully, by this point in your relationship, you’ve thought clearly about how best to utilize your virtual assistant and have some more specific ideas about the type of help you need and the work you would like them to do. This conference is an excellent opportunity to reset expectations and try again for a successful relationship.

WHAT IF THINGS DON’T GET BETTER?

If things don’t improve after an initial, deliberate, and thoughtful attempt to directly address concerns with your virtual assistant, please contact Freedom Makers. The sooner you let us know what is going on, the sooner we can troubleshoot with your Freedom Maker and get you the help you need.

This is the benefit of working with a reputable virtual assistant agency.

Freedom Makers is always standing by to monitor and oversee any difficult situation or issue between a client and virtual assistant. Our job is to serve as a helpful middleman between the business and the virtual assistant, hammering out problems and working to ensure that both sides of the relationship feel respected and satisfied. 

At Freedom Makers, dedicated Success Managers safeguard the rapport and relationship between the virtual assistant and the client, and the client and the virtual assistant agency. 

Specifically, we have a Client Success Manager (CSM), Sharmin Romero, and a Freedom Maker Success Manager (FSM), Jenny Boyles. If a client brings their concerns to Sharmin, she can best determine the next course of action and help ensure satisfactory performance from the Freedom Maker they have engaged. On the other side, our virtual assistants are encouraged to bring their issues and concerns to Jenny so that she can help advise or advocate on their behalf. 

Allowing the internal team at Freedom Makers to step in and attempt to work through problems is critical at this juncture. Both Success Managers endeavor to get a full and complete picture of the situation. With an unemotional assessment of the situation and from the standpoint of years of experience mediating similar issues, both the CSM and the FSM work to make sure that the situation is clearly understood and that everyone’s concerns are heard. They will streamline communication, smooth friction points if possible, and suggest solutions, remedies, and ways forward.

MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER OR PART WAYS

Sometimes, simply having our Success Managers step in will fix the issues between the client and their Freedom Maker. We have many examples of client-virtual assistant relationships that started rocky but evolved into thriving, successful partnerships after intervention and a little counseling.

However, sometimes in the course of mediation, it will be determined that the client and virtual assistant are simply not a good match for one another. Despite best intentions, if the client and virtual assistant are too far apart in style, the relationship just can’t work. If all efforts have been exhausted, and everyone agrees that collaboration is not possible, it is time to end the relationship and bring on a different virtual assistant to help with your needs.

Again, this is where a reputable virtual assistant agency like Freedom Makers saves you both time and money.

MOVING ON TO SOMEONE NEW

Please remember, it is okay to change Freedom Makers! We maintain a pool of vetted independent professionals with a wide variety of work experience, temperament, and styles. Our roster is deep, and our screening process is designed to find a virtual assistant who best suits the client’s needs. 

We know that as a small business owner, you operate with a tight budget and with limited time. While it might feel challenging to sever ties with your current Freedom Maker, we understand that you need to do what is best for your business… and we want your business to be successful! 

 We also understand that even though your selected virtual assistant might have had all the experience and expertise required, sometimes the soft skills or style differences can mean the difference between a relationship that thrives and one that fails to launch.

Once you decide you would like to replace your Freedom Maker, Sharmin immediately begins the internal hiring process again. With “lessons learned” and a clearer understanding of your style and needs, we search our roster for a different virtual assistant that will be a better match for you. 

At Freedom Makers, we give the client the choice of doing a complete re-start which involves issuing an updated opportunity to our community, screening up to 4 new candidates, having a new kick-off call, etc. Or we will do an internal, deep-dive search and hand-pick a virtual assistant based on your needs and our increased understanding of your style and wants.

We will move quickly to keep disruption to your business to a minimum. We appreciate your trust in us, and we take enormous pride in our hand-picked, talented Freedom Makers. We have seen firsthand how matching the right virtual assistant with the right job can be a game-changer for our small businesses clients and our military spouses. 

Even though finding the right virtual assistant might require some trial and error, we are confident our roster contains the right virtual assistant for you. By employing these best practices, having a little patience, and letting us help when things go sideways, we know you will soon be on your way to a happy relationship with a Freedom Maker. A “click” is within reach!

[Please feel free to download and print our desk-top guide and use it as a reference as you move through your relationship with your virtual assistant!]