Virtual assistants, whether their clients recognize it or not, run the business. They are the people who make all the top executives look good and make corporate visions a reality. To put it unkindly they do the grunt work so everyone else can shine. All too often they are under paid, over worked and taken for granted. The only time they are noticed is when they aren’t at work or the project doesn’t get done. Usually, virtual assistants love their job and really like the work. Yet there are some things that just don’t add up about the clients. Unfortunately, like everyone else, most virtual assistants services really need their jobs and can’t afford to run off their clients. So they keep many of their opinions about their clients to themselves. Only venting “occasionally” to their computers when they just have to rant about things or blow up.

What I would say as a Virtual Assistant

So here is what the top 10 things a virtual assistant would say to a client if they could:

I am not a mind reader –

Unfortunately my crystal ball is in the shop so I can’t read your mind today. Our best virtual assistant services can do many things. They can make your job easier, take on a special project at a moment’s notice, and get it all done with a smile on their face. But unfortunately, they can’t read your mind. Just because you thought you told me something doesn’t mean I got the mental memo. So if you have any special needs please write them down and send them to me. This way everyone is on the same page and there is no room for any doubts as to what was expected.

I need better Instructions –

Even though you finally wrote it done doesn’t mean you made it clear. Sometimes even when things are written down they are not necessarily clear to the reader. Too many times virtual assistant services will execute the client’s instructions to the letter only to find that this isn’t what the client “meant” for them to do. The problem comes because, to the client, the instructions are perfectly clear as to what the client was thinking. But when they are read by someone else they fall a little short of the mark. When writing instructions take the time to read what was written as you would if you had never done the process. You might find out you need to clarify some of the steps.

Stop being inconsistent –

Changing the rules in the middle of the game is very time consuming and frustrating. Please get back to me when you have it all figured out then we can get things done. I know that needs change and I can deal with that. But do they have to change every 10 minutes. There has to be a point where we have covered all the needed changes and I can finish the work.

Don’t treat me like I am an idiot because I can’t understand your instructions –

Yes I can read and yes I took the steps, step by step. But did you take the time to read them before you gave them to me? Here again just because given instructions sound perfectly clear to you, doesn’t mean someone who has never done the process will totally understand what is being said. So don’t treat me like an idiot because I am trying to understand what you have written down. Talking down to me or cussing me out doesn’t help the matter one bit. Give me the chance and the guidance to help me understand what you have written. If you take a few minutes to work it all out the job will get done quickly and correctly the first time.

Stop Taking Advantage of Me –

I am willing to do any job you need me to do. That’s what you pay me to do. But asking for the 16th redo of the work is pushing things a little too far. If you had special things you wanted why didn’t you communicate them to me in the first place? Sure people forget but not every time I get an assignment. Also asking me to have flowers sent to your girlfriend/wife on the afternoon before the big date that night isn’t all that easy to accomplish. So try to think ahead the next time.

Don’t wait till the last minute and expect miracles –

I understand you are a busy person and some of the things you need me to do will come up at the last minute, that’s just the way things are. But I do have other responsibilities and many projects take a bit longer than you think. Trust me I can’t rewrite the twenty page partnership agreement in five seconds. Heck my computer takes longer to warm up than that. So please give me time to do the job like it is supposed to be. Don’t be asking where the project is every ten minutes, or fuss when a too short deadline isn’t met.

Give me the time to do the job –

Okay you have done this particular thing for a million years and can probably do it blindfolded. But I haven’t. Sure I have done similar projects, but not this specific one and not the way you want it. So I may take just a few minutes longer to do it that it would take you to do it. Don’t set unrealistic expectations as to the length of time I will need to get the work done and then fuss at me because I can’t produce the work.

Make sure to set up a time to get together –

A virtual assistant and boss is a relationship just like any other. The two parties have to communicate. Communication builds trust and helps everyone understand what is expected. If I never hear from you I figure things are going well. Then something happens and I am caught off guard because something didn’t get done or was done incorrectly. So set up a time periodically that we can get together and go over your needs, wants and further instructions. Work will get done better and more quickly in the long run.

If you agree or not, have a look at something you really want to read, The Entrepenuers Dillemma Managing Clients On Your Day Off!