As you build your Virtual Assistance practice you will find that sometimes your workload as a virtual service provider can get quite heavy. One of the best ways to handle it is to outsource some of your work to other virtual assistants. But, where do you start? Let’s dig a bit deeper to get your mind wheels spinning. If we can get you out from under some of that heavy load of working all the time, life will be a whole lot easier, right? And let's be very realistic here. There are some tasks that simply fall below your skill level and that you should not be doing. If, as a virtual assistant you are charging $45 - $75 per hour for highly technical tasks and find yourself scrambling to get all of your work done by the end of the day because you spent hours doing work that really should only bill at $15 - $20 per hour, then you have wasted your time, your energy and your skill sets. It is time to look for team members and build your practice. Find team members who will gladly and competently fulfil the more mundane and lower skill level tasks, pay them the agreed-upon rate and pay your business the difference.

What Tasks to Outsource

When you work with clients, there is a strong measure of confidentiality that must be observed. Your clients trust you with their databases, logins and passwords, email correspondence, meeting schedules and legal documents. These can’t fall into the wrong hands. So, as the person who won the client and is responsible for keeping their information safe, you have a decision to make about what you will allow others to do for you.

The first important decision that you made was to hire someone else who can provide the same service that you have for your clients (more about that in a moment). Congratulations on letting go of the reins just a little bit. Now, what tasks will you entrust them with?

The jobs that you will probably be looking to outsource at first are those that don’t involve a lot of contact with confidential information. And, the jobs will be small at first so that you can get an idea of your new assistant’s work style and ethic.

Here’s a short list of tasks to help get your thoughts flowing:

  • Article submissions
  • Article writing
  • Creating reports and presentations (Power Points, Videos, etc.)
  • Creating newsletters (Aweber, Constant Contact, Infusionsoft, etc.)
  • Graphics
  • Internet research
  • Social media marketing

Article writing can be used for website content or article submissions. Clients with WordPress websites/blogs must keep their content updated with fresh, pertinent information and if you find someone who can help you whip out that content in a timely and top-quality manner, you’re in business.

Companies use reports to send to their clients and also for internal use. Creating reports involves knowledge of tools such as spreadsheets and databases as well as how to pull information together for presentations using PowerPoint. Depending on the information contained in the reports, this may be the perfect job to let go of and pass on to someone else.

Internet research is used for many things: writing manuscripts, articles, preparing reports and more. It is a unique skill to be able to entice search engines to give up their treasures. If you have someone helping you who revels in internet research and possesses the skills to find what you need quickly, you will quickly free up your time to perform the tasks that you excel at.

Even if you don’t outsource any job that involves confidential material, it is wise to get any subcontracting virtual assistant to sign a confidentiality agreement. This way, as you get more confident and need more in-depth help, you don’t have to worry about anyone selling trade secrets. On that same note, you may want to consider having all your assistants sign and Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) depending on the nature of your work. This document can help protect you should your assistant decide to leave and pursue his or her own career and become your competition.

Choosing the Right Team Member

Who you work with all depends on your personality and their level of proficiency with the task or tasks. First of all, no two people will do the same job exactly alike. Let’s get rid of that preconceived notion right now. If not, you will drive yourself crazy and nitpick over everything they do. What you are looking for is someone who knows what they are doing and can demonstrate the skills needed to get the job done correctly and on time. You need to know and trust your assistant and to be able to delight in their skill sets and creativity. If you find yourself angsting over everything that they do, you are wasting your time and theirs. Remember, you are bringing other highly skilled professionals into your team. Certainly you need to give them explicit instructions for each task, and absolutely you should check their work for a period of time, but after you are comfortable with their level of commitment to your work, you should be able to expect that the work is done properly and only have to check in once in a while as a spot test. Virtual Assistants, like everybody else can hit a wall, have problems at home and become a little inattentive. By checking their work every now and again, you can determine if there is a problem that needs to be discussed, or just offer a helping hand until they get back on track. A valuable team member is somebody you need to nurture and care about.

Outsourcing is the perfect way to get the help you need from other competent virtual assisting professionals. Start with small jobs and progress to more confidential and/or technical assignments as you see fit.

Author's Bio: 

Denise Griffitts

Virtual Assistance Industry Expert

Web Developer - Your Office On The Web

Serial Online Entrepreneur - Denise Griffitts.com

Host of "Your Partner In Success" Radio Show