[GUIDE] 9 Easy Steps for Building A Virtual Assistant Team

Posted May 14, 2022

The old saying is true: two heads are better than one.

But when it comes to building a successful business, it’s not just about having a partner or two to help you out. It’s about assembling a team of people with different skill sets who can work together to help your business grow. Having a team in your corner can mean the difference between success and failure.

There are a lot of moving parts to run a business, and it can be challenging to keep track of everything yourself. This is when a team comes in. A team can help you complete tasks, keep track of deadlines, and provide different perspectives on problems.

WHAT IS A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT (VA) TEAM?

As your business grows, you may find yourself stretched thin and in need of some help. This is where a virtual assistant (VA) team can be a lifesaver.

A VA team comprises virtual assistants or individuals who offer their services remotely. Virtual assistant teams can work on various tasks, including administrative support, customer service, social media management, and even creative design.

WHY YOU SHOULD BUILD YOUR VIRTUAL ASSISTANT TEAM

A VA team provides countless benefits to your business. Here are the most important ones:

COST-EFFECTIVE

Building a virtual team is a cost-saving solution for companies that want to grow their business without bloating their labor costs. When you hire office-based employees, you will consequently need to spend more money on costs like office supplies, tools, and equipment. Hiring a VA team allows you to add team members to your business without additional overhead expenses.

IMPROVED EFFICIENCY

When scouting and hiring are done well, your virtual assistant team can improve efficiency. By having a team of assistants who are experts in various areas, you can delegate tasks and projects that would have otherwise taken up your time and slowed you down.

INCREASED CAPACITY AND PRODUCTIVITY

You will see a significant increase in your company’s capacity and productivity when you build a virtual assistant team. With the help of a VA team, businesses can take on more projects and complete them in shorter time frames. Having a team of qualified and experienced virtual assistants to work with your company means that you will have the ability to take on more clients.

SCALABLE: GROW YOUR TEAM AS YOUR BUSINESS EXPANDS

In the future, when you decide to continue expanding your business, you can always consider adding more people to your virtual assistant team. Additional tasks may also be divided among existing VA team members as long as these are within the scope and the capacity.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN VA TEAM

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither were any of the great sports teams in history. Time and patience are needed to build anything great. The same rings true for building a great VA team.

If you want to build your own VA team, follow these steps:

SET CLEAR GOALS

Begin building your virtual assistant team by setting clear objectives. What are your business goals? What do you hope to achieve with the help of a team of assistants? As a business owner, you are the best person to identify your company’s goals.

Once you have clarity on your targets, it will be easier to identify the specific roles and responsibilities that you need your virtual assistant team to fill. Being clear on your business needs will help you hire the most fitting candidates for your VA super team.

IDENTIFY SPECIFIC ROLES FOR EACH TEAM MEMBER

Assign specific roles and tasks to each team member. When you have a solid understanding of the hard and soft skills that your virtual assistant team will need, it becomes easier to find the right people for the job. There is a variety of VAs with different specializations and skill levels. It’s up to you to decide what you need for your team.

20four7VA has a global VA pool with nine general specializations:

Administrative: Admin VAs can take daily routine tasks off your plate so that you can focus on your core responsibilities.
Lead Generation: Get quality sales leads to expand your clientele and increase revenue with this type of VA.
eCommerce: An eCommerce VA can work on a variety of tasks, so you can continue to grow your online business.
Content Writing: Content writer VAs create engaging and relevant content to help boost brand awareness.
Graphic Design: Upgrade your business’ marketing materials with the help of an expert graphic designer VA.
Website Development: A web developer VA can help you create and maintain a high-performing website.
Video Creation: Engage with your target audience with quality video content made by a video creator VA.
SEO: If you need help implementing your SEO strategy, you should hire an SEO specialist VA for your team!
Social Media Management: Build a strong presence online and see your engagements go up with the help of a Social Media VA.
IT Services: Keep up with the latest technology with 20four7VA’s fully managed IT development services.
Podcast: Podcast VAs can help you amplify your reach and improve your content by taking non-core tasks off your plate.
Telehealth: Get expert VAs so you can focus on providing the best help to your clients.
Construction: You can delegate tasks to a construction VA to help you focus on operating your business.
Call Center or Voice Support: Provide uninterrupted customer support by hiring a call center VA for your business.

To know more about 20four7VA’s global talent pool and how a VA team can help your business, get in touch with our Business Growth Specialists today!

LIST DOWN VA SOFT SKILLS OR QUALITIES

Soft skills are just as important as hard skills. These skills aren’t always easy to teach in a short period, so it’s better to look for virtual assistants with the qualities and the right type of attitude you need for your VA super team. Here are the top soft skills to look for in a VA team member:

Excellent communication skills
Collaborative / team player
Self-starter or the ability to work with minor supervision
Flexibility
Passion for the work
Integrity
Coachable

Not everyone will be great on their first try. What’s important is each VA team member is committed to communicating and working together towards a common goal.

SCOUT AND HIRE THE RIGHT VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS

You can post work opportunities on online job portals so interested candidates can easily reach you. After you receive applications, you can work on shortlisting applicants that you believe should move on to the next stage of the process: candidate interviews.

Spend time reviewing and interviewing applicants before finally hiring virtual assistants for your VA team. The scouting process may take some time, but doing this will effectively help you get the right team members that will help you meet your business aspirations.

ONBOARDING VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS

Now that you’ve hired the key talent for your VA team, it’s time to start strong with an amazing onboarding experience. This is important in setting the tone of how you want your team to work. Aside from familiarizing them with details about your business and their role in it, onboarding is also an opportunity to introduce a winning team culture. The team will be able to move forward when they are all on the same page.

A successful onboarding should have the following:

A pre-boarding activity where you send forms that need to be filled up as well as advanced readings
Short virtual welcome with the client and teammates
Introduction of the company, including the company profile, mission and vision, and product portfolio
Overview of the company’s organization
A task list that outlines the specific duties of each VA
Guidelines for company culture and communication
Training on how to use the company’s software and tools
The first small task is to measure the retention of information and address initial concerns

There’s no doubt that effective onboarding is a great way to start a new VAs working journey with a client. 20four7VA can help you with recruitment and onboarding and equipping your new VA team with the right information. If you want more information on the VA recruitment and onboarding process, claim your FREE consultation with our Business Growth Experts.

ESTABLISH TEAM GOALS AND KPIS

Make sure that you establish team goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) so everyone is aware of what is expected of them. This will help the team collaborate more efficiently and avoid confusion about each member’s roles and responsibilities. These established KPIs will also be used as a reference when doing performance reviews.

ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION

Fostering a positive team culture is essential for the success of your virtual assistant team. Encourage collaboration by assigning tasks that require input from different team members. This will help develop a sense of camaraderie and teamwork among your VAs.

Even when working remotely, you can manage assignments and maintain cohesiveness by using a project management tool. This way, you’re sure that each team member is up to date with the team’s tasks and overall shared goals. Aside from encouraging collaboration, the project management tool helps ensure that your team is organized and productive.

MAINTAIN OPEN COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

Make sure to establish an open line of communication between VA team members and management, so everyone is aligned. Maintaining open communication channels is a sign of management support.

We’ve listed down some best practices for open communication and ensuring an efficient working environment:

Make sure every team member has access to communication tools (video conferencing platforms or internal applications)
Embrace tools for asynchronous communication
Use file organization tools like Google Drive or Dropbox to ensure that important documents are accessible to all members.
Respect different time zones and cultural practices
Schedule team huddles or check-ins (more on this later)
Practice crafting simple but clear and detailed emails to avoid back and forth communication

REGULAR CHECK-IN SESSIONS

It may seem difficult to manage a distributed workforce, but regular check-in sessions can help ensure alignment. Work on creating a good working relationship among the team through regular check-in sessions. You can alternate between having one-on-one sessions or a team huddle, depending on the topics discussed.

These huddles can be short but can make sure that all virtual assistants are aligned and aware of the team’s progress. Additionally, these sessions can be used to update everyone on the company’s latest news and updates and give each team member a chance to voice out any concerns. Here are examples of what you can discuss during a team huddle:

Quick icebreaker
Company and team updates or announcements
Celebrate wins and recognize great performance
Congratulate members on their milestones
Address pressing work concerns
Make time for short individual work updates
Recap main points of the meeting and goals for the week or month

REVIEW THE PERFORMANCE OF EACH TEAM MEMBER

Building a VA super team is not something you can complete in one day. You have to ensure continuous improvement, which can be done by providing constructive feedback and recognizing great performance. Conduct regular performance reviews to incentivize hard work and excellent output.

A VA super team is not built overnight—it takes time, patience, and constant effort. But by following these tips, you’re on your way to putting together a high-performing team that will help take your business to new heights!

To help you on your quest in building a VA team, you can partner with a remote staffing agency that has a proven track record in the VA business and understands your need for a talented VA team.

WHY BUILD YOUR VIRTUAL ASSISTANT TEAM WITH 20FOUR7VA?

COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS

20four7VA provides cost-effective solutions for businesses looking to work with a virtual assistant team. Clients can enjoy up to 80% savings on labor costs. If you’re a business owner looking for cost-effective solutions, 20four7VA is the best choice. Clients don’t have to pay any upfront fees. Instead, they will only pay when the selected virtual assistants have started working with them.

DEDICATED CUSTOMER SUPPORT

With 20four7VA, you do not have to worry about waiting too long for feedback or resolutions. Each client will be assigned an account manager responsible for providing timely client support.

ESTABLISHED REMOTE STAFFING AGENCY

20four7VA has been in the VA business for almost a decade, and it prides itself on being a trusted virtual staffing company with excellent ratings from both clients (4.9 out of 5) and virtual assistants (4.29 out of 5). The company is continuously working on providing the best service for clients and VAs alike.

20four7VA is also recognized by distinguished organizations, including the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a non-profit organization “focused on advancing marketplace trust.” Last year, 20four7VA was one of the BBB’s prestigious Torch Awards for Ethics finalists. More recently, 20four7VA received a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) certification from the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), proving the company’s dedication to embracing diversity and inclusivity in the workplace.

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT RECRUITMENT AND SCREENING

One of the many advantages of hiring a VA team is that you have the flexibility to get the best talent regardless of their location. With 20four7VA’s global talent pool of VAs spanning 58 countries, there’s no shortage of quality virtual assistants.

20four7VA can easily help you with the recruitment process. You can select from an existing talent pool, or if you have very specific business needs, the client services team can help get the right applicants for the role. You can book a free consultation to get started with building your new team of VAs.

DIVERSE AND GLOBAL CLIENT PORTFOLIO

Currently, 20four7VA has clients in 14 countries across six continents. Aside from a global presence, the company is also proud to be the partner of choice of up to 2900+ clients with businesses in various industries, including:

eCommerce
Telehealth
Consumer goods
Finance
Digital marketing
Pet care
Media
Real estate
And many more!

Visit our website to learn how 20four7VA can help your business. You can read client reviews here.

HR ASSISTANCE

Aside from the recruitment and screening process, 20four7VA can assist clients with the following:

Performance monitoring
Time tracking
Payroll
In-house training

Basically, 20four7VA clients can enjoy a full team’s worth of service for the price of one!

IT HELPDESK

Technical help is accessible for 20four7VA clients and VAs. You’re sure to receive expert assistance from the IT Helpdesk for any hardware or software-related concerns.

Creating a new team is not an easy task, but you’ll find that it’s worth it when you see the results coming in. To help you build the team that will take your business to the next level, work with a remote staffing agency with verifiable credentials, significant experience, a global talent pool, and a deep understanding of building a VA super team.

For more information, schedule a free 20four7VA consultation today! Our Business Growth Experts will provide more insight on how to build your own winning VA team.