Asking for Feedback from Your Virtual Assistant
When you’re in a partnership with a virtual assistant, there will be moments when you need clarity. You might be working on a project together, and you might be unsure if you’re delegating all the necessary information to your VA. That’s the best time to ask them for feedback!
In the work environment, we’re always going to need clarity, direction, and accountability in order to grow. We must know our strengths to continue growing further as professionals.
In this blog, we will talk about when to ask for feedback, how to ask for feedback, and the next steps after receiving feedback from your virtual assistant.
When to Ask for Feedback
No matter which side you’re on in the partnership, asking for feedback is a gift and a positive force for change. It is a gift of sight, of knowing where to go when you’re stuck.
While an excellent virtual assistant would be proactive in making sure your administration or marketing is thriving, as the business owner, there are things you can do too. After all, a client-to-VA relationship is all about collaboration.
Here are some key times when you should ask for feedback:
- After your kick-off call: Perhaps you have delegated some tasks to your VA, but you’re wondering if you gave them enough prompts for social media and blog posts. Maybe you gave them access to your email for inbox management, but you’re unsure if you gave your virtual assistant enough instructions for organizing, deleting, and archiving specific emails. This is a great time to ask for feedback! Remember, your VA represents your brand and it’s best to be ahead of the game, so there aren’t any surprises.
- Halfway through a project: While your virtual assistant will make sure things are going in the right direction, there might be a part of the project that isn’t clear on your end. Maybe you need a better pitch for your proposal or a better title for your workshop. At this point, you can ask your VA for their feedback. Ultimately, you are the driver of your business, and your virtual assistant is an outsourced asset to ensure your strategies and goals are implemented.
When your VA sends projects for approval: While your main objective is to approve the design or the finished product, this could also be a time to ask your virtual assistant if you can do anything better for the next project. Perhaps it took longer than expected to get this project done. You have given them all the information you could think of, but maybe there are faster ways to implement the task. Maybe instead of the VA picking out the photos, you could take charge since you’re looking for a specific tone for the design. - When your VA sends you a time report: If your virtual assistant is done with a project, they will typically send you a time report, receipt, or paid invoice with the final product attached. This is a great time to ask your VA if they would be interested in working with you for another month or for another project. You could also ask your virtual assistant if they had any issues throughout the project. Finally, this is the perfect opportunity to ask your VA if they have any questions for you.
How to Ask for Feedback
We’ve mentioned the scenarios that could prompt you to ask for feedback from your virtual assistant. Now, here are some great ways to ask for feedback:
- What do you think is currently working and not working overall?
- Did I send you enough information for the task? Let me know what you need!
- I don’t know which workflow is best for my project management. What is your experience/what do you think about [xyz] software?
- Do we need to switch gears on this marketing task? Do you think it is worth it for my brand?
- I use email and Trello for communication. Does this work for you?
- I think I need to re-word this [xyz] to better suit my target audience. What do you think of this title, or can you come up with something similar?
- Since this project took a little longer than expected, is there something I can do better to make things go faster? Should I write/assign [xyz] to you, and then you can implement it?
- How do you feel about working together on another project next month?
- Do you have any questions for me?
- Can you tell me more about [xyz]?
As you can see, you can use open-ended questions, yes/no questions, or follow-up questions to get feedback from your virtual assistant. This not only opens up a healthy dialogue for your partnership, but it can also lead to efficient problem-solving for the long term!
What Are the Next Steps?
When you ask for feedback, you’re taking the first step to being vulnerable, keeping an open mind, and having a growth mindset for your work environment. This is such a positive move for your VA partnership!
When you ask your virtual assistant for feedback, how do you respond appropriately? Here are the next steps you can take to move forward with your VA in a positive way:
- Listen to the feedback to understand what your virtual assistant is communicating. Remember that your VA could be coming from a different perspective, delivering their expertise, or they may have some proactive advice that could help both of you succeed.
- Thank your virtual assistant for the feedback, and show that you appreciate the information they gave you.
- If you’ve communicated via email, ask your VA to get on a phone call or Zoom meeting to follow up, if necessary. Take note that email communications lack social cues, so try to keep an open mind with the tone of the email to avoid misunderstandings.
- If you’ve already communicated through a phone call or Zoom meeting, review your notes from the call or the Zoom recording and reflect on how you can improve the partnership.
- Send a follow-up email or a Loom video to your VA to show what you’ve learned and what actions you can take for the next set of projects
We hope these steps have been helpful in asking for feedback from your virtual assistant. Requesting feedback is a gift of knowing and proceeding accordingly, so your partnership with your VA can thrive.
Not every work relationship is perfect, and the mindsets and work styles may not always line up. However, if you feel you can grow with your VA, then creating a culture of feedback with them is worth it! After all, feedback is a gift to the virtual assistant, too.
At Trusty Oak, our core values are centered around feedback, collaboration, growth, and open communication. If you are ready to work with a virtual assistant, contact us today!
In January 2019, Lauren began working with Trusty Oak as a virtual assistant. She loves helping her clients build their social media brands, and she also assists with project management, email marketing, and blogging. Lauren also worked as the Trusty Oak Social Media Manager from March 2020 to March 2021.
In her spare time, Lauren writes her own music, plays her flute for her partner’s studio sessions as well as for other independent musicians and producers, and she performs at venues in New York City.