Naturally, you’re going to want to hire a virtual assistant who works to stay on top of the latest developments in technology, software, and small business resources. That’s where Question #10. How do you stay up-to-date on new technology, software and resources? comes in. A professional virtual assistant worth his or her fee will have an immediate and thorough response to this question. If he or she specializes in a particular industry or field the [...]

If you want to get real insight into what a virtual assistant does best, find out what they most love to work on. Asking Question #9. What kinds of projects do you most enjoy? will get you the answers you’re looking for. This question will help you uncover a prospective virtual assistant’s greatest strengths, which will also ultimately be your greatest assets. Human nature dictates that we spend more time and effort to truly excel [...]

Question #8. What are your business hours? doesn’t have a ‘right’ or a ‘wrong’ answer, per se. Many virtual assistants use their incredible time management skills to run their own business as well as their clients’ businesses while caring for a family, attending school or taking other educational courses to enhance their skills and service offerings, and more. There are also virtual assistants located the world over in various time zones. With that in mind, [...]

Question #7. How do you communicate with your clients? is actually two questions in one. You’re not only looking for information on a virtual assistant’s preferred methods of communication with their clients (email, IM, VoIP, phone, etc.) but also clues to their communication style. Answers to the first question are generally pretty easy to arrive at. Email is easily the preferred method of communication for nearly all virtual assistants because it helps create a ‘paper [...]

Question #6. Will you be handling my projects or do you contract work out? If you’re contracting with a qualified team of virtual assistants, this question may not be quite as applicable (although you may still wish to inquire if the firm sends work out to other or overseas service providers) but it’s still necessary to consider how important the answer to the question is to you. If you prefer to work closely with a [...]

Relative to Question #2 ‘What are your fees?’, it’s important to have a clear understanding of how a prospective virtual assistant handles billing and payment processing. Question #5. What are your billing and payment policies? Regarding billing: some virtual assistants bill by the minute, others in six, ten or fifteen-minute increments. Some charge an hour, minimum; others will invoice only for the exact time spent on your request. Most virtual assistants bill for phone calls [...]

Continuing our list of Questions to Ask a Prospective Virtual Assistant, this question is designed to help you determine if the virtual assistant in question is experienced with and skilled at the particular tasks you’re currently aware you need help with. Question #4. What is your level of experience (with X, Y, Z service[s])? It’s worth noting that we didn’t phrase the question as ‘How long have you been in business?’, and that’s because a [...]