Frequently Asked Questions

Get all the answers to your questions about virtual assistants!

What is a Virtual Assistant?

A Virtual Assistant (VA) provides professional administrative, technical or creative assistance to clients remotely.

What are the benefits of using a Virtual Assistant?

We are independent contractors, often self-employed, which means clients are not responsible to pay for any employee-related fees; holiday pay, insurance, sick pay, pension schemes, office space, and equipment.

If you need a VA for 10 hours, we work 10 hours = 100% productive rate.

How do I find a Virtual Assistant?

Ask people who have used VAs before or still currently have a VA. Word of mouth is the best recommendation and a huge percentage of Lady PA business comes via this route; something we are extremely proud of!

If someone's VA is not available, I guarantee, they will know someone else who is available. LinkedIn is also a great research tool.

How do I know if a Virtual Assistant is right for me?

If you feel overwhelmed/disorganised, or feel you could be more productive/have more free time with some support, then it's worth getting in touch for a free discovery call.

Things to check:

Is the VA experienced in the area you are seeking to get support? For example, if you're in need of social media assistance but the VA you have found is a Tech VA, it probably won't work. Therefore, it's wise when searching for a VA online to use keywords that are you looking for; Tech, Social Media, Inbox, Calendar, Creative, Project Management etc.
Go through the VA's strengths and skill sets. Do you believe they will truly understand your goals, and your ideas?
Likewise, do you think you could work well with the VA on a personal level? You might have to initially "go with your gut" if you think you will get along with this person or not. Yes, it's about getting the work done well, but also VAs have to work very closely with you, so you do have to get along to make the partnership work.
Is there a trial or a probation period? This works for both parties. Understand that it takes some time to understand characters, how someone likes to work, know their style, and so forth... so be patient in finding a good rhythm. However, sometimes the chemistry just doesn't work and that's OK! It's about finding the right fit and there will be another VA who is better suited to you and your requirements.

How do I get started with a Virtual Assistant?

Once you have decided to go with the right person, reach out to say you would like to get started and make it clear as to WHEN you would like to start.

At Lady PA, when a potential client would like to go ahead, I follow these 5 steps* for clarity:

I send you a "Virtual Assistant and Data Processing Agreement" via DocuSign for you to Review & Sign
I ask you to complete a "New Client" form, for our records
You will receive the first invoice from Xero for payment
You will get access to your personal Lady PA Client Hub page, where information about our relationship is kept
We will book in our 1st Kick Off VA Meeting as required and START.

* This process can take either 1 day or a week, depending on the client's availability.

What tasks can I delegate to a Virtual Assistant?

There are hundreds of examples of the support we can offer to help you with your business and/or personal lives. You can find a list of examples here.

You can also download our "100 tasks you can outsource to a VA" document to give you more ideas.

How do we work together?

Communication at Lady PA is very flexible. There are multiple ways for VAs and Executives to communicate, it's all down to preference and making it clear what you prefer.

Have a think about how you want to communicate with your VA...

Do you prefer phone calls to WhatsApp or the other way around
Do you prefer just email & don't like being on zoom/calls?

At Lady PA, as a general rule, we respond to communications within 2 days of receiving a task. This is due to each VA supporting more that one client, depending on hours required. However, we know each client is different, so it does vary on timeframes and we do plan around a client's expectations.

We treat each client like a VIP and aim to please, so if there is a last-minute request, please ring or WhatsApp us immediately to see if we are available to complete it. At Lady PA at least, if your designated VA can't help immediately, we may have another VA who can.

How do I get the most out of my Virtual Assistant?

Be clear on what your intention is, and what your vision is for any given task.

As a general rule, the more you tell us, the more accurately and usefully we can help you.

Your VA should be asking questions but don't assume we might know something. It takes time to build a great working relationship, like any employee, freelancer, and contractor. But I guarantee you, once you have that solid relationship you will not let go of the value we can bring into your lives :)

Think we can help you? Let's start a working relationship.