How To Hire and Train Reliable Virtual Assistants

How To Hire and Train Reliable Virtual Assistants

Virtual assistants are becoming a popular resource for business owners, but not every assistant brings the same skillset at hire. Virtual assistants are typically tasked with providing basic administrative tasks and range from home businesses to call centers. This may sound good in theory, but failing to screen and hire the right virtual assistant for your business can be a costly headache.

Now Intelligent Assistants are similar - professional virtual assistants that provide a variety of business-related tasks, from phone answering to sales. One difference is that Intelligent Assistants are prepared to dive deeper, providing a physical and virtual presence from one of our many Intelligent Office locations around the world. Another difference is that Intelligent Assistants are local, just like your customers.

So how do you know that a virtual assistant can be trusted with your business’s most urgent needs? Here are a few of our favorite tips we use to hire our own Intelligent Assistants:

1. Screen for Friendliness

Hiring a talented and professional team of virtual assistants is something to take seriously. The virtual assistant training process starts with a strict screening that involves multiple interviews with qualified candidates. Understanding the importance of phone communication for small and developing businesses, we look for candidates with strong phone and face-to-face presence. As a rule, our Intelligent Assistants are invested in delighting your customer by providing information with a helpful, personal and professional demeanor.

2. Master the Art of Multi-tasking

Once we’ve selected a candidate to join the team, they’re put through a rigorous training program. The program pairs each newcomer with an experienced Intelligent Assistant. Through job shadowing, the new Intelligent Assistant is tasked with mastering our organizational software as well as multi-tasking while answering incoming calls. This training ensures that every Intelligent Assistant is ready to handle the workload on the day they start.

3. Ensure Virtual Assistants Are Tech-Savvy

In the service industry, virtual assistant training doesn’t stop on the first day they begin answering phone calls for your business. [TC1] As technology changes and new needs arise, our assistants must adapt. That’s why we require all Intelligent Assistants to undergo further administrative training as they progress. This ongoing training gives our assistants the best tools to thrive in a quickly changing business world and the motivation to take pride in their work.

4. Intelligent Assistants Know Your Local Market

A good virtual assistant goes beyond the call center. Perhaps the biggest difference between hiring a basic virtual assistant and our Intelligent Assistants is the proximity to the business they are serving. As with any customer service role, an Intelligent Assistant will be one of the most important interactions to impact customer satisfaction. Based in your area, Intelligent Assistants are specially trained to address the local needs, news and pleasantries of your industry.

Through an intensive orientation process, Intelligent Assistants become a true extension of your team. Because we’re based in your area, business owners are free to train our assistants in person. This allows them to get to know and truly integrate with your team. At Intelligent Office our virtual assistants customize their interactions, tending to the smallest of details that can be the difference between losing a customer and closing a sale.

In addition to virtual assistant services, Intelligent Office provides office space, meeting rooms, and a virtual address if you need more business support. No matter what you need, you can be sure that Intelligent Office has properly trained and prepared its team members to help your business grow right now. Get a quote today!    

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