One of the most important factors that can affect the success of the company-virtual assistant relationship is communication
. Open, honest and effective communications can only mean fulfilled expectations on the side of both the company and the virtual assistant.
Here are some of the tools that you can use to communicate with your virtual assistant for the success of your business:
Email - email is an effective communication tool that you can use to give your virtual assistant complete instructions or important information related to a project or the job. Email can be especially useful if your VA works in a different time zone. This means you can send your VA information through email which he or she can later check when he goes online. This way you don't have to wait for your VA to go online to be able to communicate.
Yahoo Messenger and other Instant Messaging Service - Do you need to ask your assistant a question but don't want to go on the phone? Simply buzz your VA through the Instant Messaging Service. With YM and other Instant Messaging Services, you don't need to pick up the phone to call your assistant, just send the message through the network so that you can also get an instant reply from your assistant.
Skype - Skype offers free PC-to-PC calls over the web. All you need in both ends is a fast internet connection and a PC that has a microphone and speakers. This can make communicating with your VA cheaper and faster. If you and your VA have Skype accounts, you can call your VA for free even if the virtual personal assistant lives halfway across the globe. You can also use the service to call landlines anywhere around the world, but you will need Skype credit for this service. Skype also includes an online instant messaging service.
Twitter - Twitter is a social micro-blogging site that allows people to post 140-character messages. You and your virtual assistant can follow each other on Twitter and use the service to update one another about project details and other information you may need from one another.
Phone - the phone is still a very effective communication tool even if there are already so many other technologically-advanced communication tools around. If talking by phone will not cost your company too much money, you can definitely use it to have a word with your Virtual assistant. This is one of the good strategies that you can use for your business.