How to help your assistant provide stellar support

Taking the step to get support for your online business is a big one, and it can definitely be long overdue for many business owners. Once you have an assistant, whether they’re virtual or in-person, it can be such a relief that it can be tempting to hand the work over and call it a day. But, establishing systems for key tasks can help your assistant provide even better support.

Let’s talk about a few of my favorite systems that I always establish as early in the relationship as possible.

The calendar: One common task that many business owners need support for is their calendar. It’s one of those things that seems so simple but can be a huge time suck for a busy business owner. That makes it one of the first tasks that you’ll decide to outsource. Establishing some basic ground rules for your assistant will make the process much simpler. Think about your availability and the types of calls you take. Are there times you want to reserve for certain calls? Are there times you want to reserve for business development? These are just a few questions to start thinking about as you develop your calendar system.

Here at She’s Got Systems, we have a calendar page with all the basics for scheduling Kelly’s calls. I know exactly when she’s available for getting acquainted calls, client calls, and media calls. I also know her preferences for when to schedule and more importantly, when to not schedule. Plus, if I’m wondering whether I can add another call to a certain day that already has calls, I have info for that too. This drastically reduces the number of questions I have to ask which makes the process that much faster.

Getting Acquainted Calls: This is another process that is great to get support with since it can be time consuming and often leads directly into scheduling. However, without the right tools in place it can be more challenging for your assistant to determine who is a best fit for your services. Consider establishing a basic checklist of what to look for in the case of a good fit and a bad fit. If you have a questionnaire you require before scheduling a GAC, this makes establishing this criteria a bit easier.

By providing clear guidelines for your assistant to follow, you make the selection process simpler and more effective without requiring your direct interaction every time. This will again limit the questions you encounter during the day which will allow you to focus on your own tasks. Plus, you’re more likely to have getting acquainted calls with strong leads for your services on a regular basis.

Client Onboarding: Once you have the getting acquainted call and sign up those leads for your services, you’ll want to be sure you get them set up right from the get go. Depending on what you offer, you’ll have a variety of tasks that need to happen before you get started. More than likely though, you’ll need to get some basic intake information and a contract signed. It’s possible to have this process mostly automated but to ensure you get started in a timely fashion, it’s important to keep an eye on the moving parts. Creating an onboarding system makes it possible for your assistant to be the primary person following up on the required parts.

For instance, one of my clients starts with three things: a contract, an intake form, and a welcome call. Once a client signs on and pays, I activate a campaign that sends them the intake form (and reminders if necessary) plus the scheduling link. I also send their contract with a templated welcome email. I then get reminders after 2-3 business days if the contract or any of the pieces are still missing. By the time my part of the onboarding process is done, my client has a signed contract and all the basic information she needs for the welcome call which is already scheduled for her. So all she has to do is review the information and take the welcome call.

Systems eliminate a ton of questions that your assistant will have as they proceed with their work. This will help them be more effective which will also save you time and money!

Action Step: Take some time this week to look at what your assistant currently does. Are there any systems you could implement to streamline those processes? If you already have them in place, take a second look to make sure they still apply to how you’re doing things now.