Want to know what it’s like a day in the life of a Virtual Assistant? Read more here
Virtual Assistants are essential to the well-being of any organisation. Their role is important because they ensure that resources are made available, timelines are adhered to, objectives are reached, clients are kept informed and expenses are within budget.
The ideal characteristics of an effective virtual assistant include:
Good communication skills
You have to be able to answer questions from your client or his clients quickly and efficiently, making use of correct and up to date information. Staying up to date with the going ons of your client is an essential part of a VA’s day to day tasks. Also not forgetting your client’s clients. Being able to liase with them and able to answer all their questions is essential for the prosperity of any company.
Positive attitude
No matter if your dog chewed your favourite slipper or your cup of coffee this morning was cold, you got to have a positive attitude not only when communicating to others but also whilst doing your activities and try to make it fun for yourself to do so. Also having a positive attitude when communicating with your client helps to make for a better and easier working environment.
Tech-savvy
A good virtual assistant must be able to use spreadsheets, timesheets, Skype chats, emails, Microsoft Word & Excel or any other similar piece of software available to help track their work.
Being tech-savvy allows the virtual assistant to be able to cope, understand and utilze any tech related operations that their client may decide to implement. Constantly being able to update your knowledge is of unestimated value for any Virtual Assistant.
Motivational skills
It is important to stay motivated yourself and also to be able to motivate your client and their employees. Staying motivated is essential for keeping everyone’s spirits up and makes for a more enjoyable working environment with less unforeseen problems sticking their heads up. Not every body can be motivated every day and by working as a team with your client can help everybody to motivate each other over time. Some days you motivate them and other days they will be able to motivate you.
“A stitch in time saves nine! Proactivity is key in project management.” – Christelle, traffic and production manager
There you have it – the skills set required to be a successful virtual assistant. In essence, if you are considering virtual assistant as a career choice, you need to be self-motivated, flexible and able to maintain a sense of humour in the face of daily challenges. You have to be able to work as a team and close with your client to make a close working bond causing you to know ahead of time what your client is thinking and in turn, your client will be able to know ahead of time what you are thinking. Doing all this on a daily basis is all in a day’s work for a virtual assistant.
