I had an unfortunate incident with a client last week, which basically came down to a lack of communication on his part – despite me asking for feedback, it wasn’t forthcoming. Now, I have said in the past that the secret of working with a virtual assistant, and I assume many B2B collaborations, is great communication; however, communication is a two-way process. So here are a few pointers, from a VA perspective, on communication.
1. Time is money
If you communicate poorly with someone who is undertaking work on your behalf, they will undoubtedly take longer to complete it to your satisfaction. But their time is usually your money, so the better you communicate at the start, the less you’ll have to pay at the end.
2. Be specific
The lesson I learned from this client was not to ask ‘Is this what you had in mind?’ but to be more specific – ‘What do you think of this part? Do you want to change anything? Is the font/style/layout OK?’
This works both ways. Virtual assistants are good at what they do, but I’ve yet to meet one who is a fully fledged psychic. So if, as a client, you have something particular you want then say so. Otherwise see point 1.
3. Keep communicating
Situations can change, priorities can change, different information becomes available and suddenly it makes sense to do things differently. That’s fine, it happens. But when it happens, make sure you keep everyone informed of the new plan.
4. Put pen to paper
Putting what you want in writing is always best, as long as you ensure that it is unambiguous. If you have a phone conversation with a client or supplier, it’s always a good idea to follow up very soon afterwards with an email setting out what you’ve just verbally agreed. That way you’ve got a written reminder of the conversation and you’re also covered if the other person doesn’t recall the conversation at a much later date.
So, as BT used to say ‘It’s good to talk.’
