Ecommerce virtual assistants are in great demand due to some astonishing benefits they offer to the ecommerce business. From product data management to inventory management to marketing services to content writing services, they take care of all the crucial things of the ecommerce business while you can allocate your precious time to grow your business. However, you need to ensure that you end up hiring the best virtual assistant team for your business. Not all virtual assistant services are the same and you need to vet them carefully to ensure that you end up choosing the best ones for your business.
Here is a list of tips you need to consider while hiring ecommerce virtual assistants.
Document the process before you start your hunt
When it comes to working with the virtual assistants, it does not go as flawlessly as you expect. There will be few errors here and there and it will happen for sure. You just cannot hire someone and discuss things randomly on the phone and expect him to start working.
It is the reason we recommend you to first document the entire process of your expectations on the paper to ensure that you take care of every little step you need to communicate with the assistant and also it makes it easier to hire someone to this process. A list of guidelines will also help the assistants to understand your requirements, your business nature and other crucial details.
The document must consist of common scenarios and what to do when such scenarios happen. Furthermore, you can also enlist the number of tools and platforms you use throughout the process such as Facebook, Hootsuite or any others. It will help you to find the assistants who are well-versed with these tools. Such a document will lessen your burden and make the hiring process simpler and seamless.
Write the job description carefully
Your job description must have everything that you are looking for in a virtual assistant. Also, it must be catchy enough to attract people with the right skills and qualities you expect. Some of the things you need to include in the job description are:
- Apps and tools you want the virtual assistants should well-versed with
- The scale of your business
- The experience and references
- Language requirements
- A carefully drafted task list they would be performing if hired.
- Use popular keywords to receive applications from the right candidates
A perfect job description will help you to invite entries from the right candidates who are looking for challenging opportunities and also it will filter the average candidates.
Use effective platforms to hire virtual assistants
There are traditional recruitment websites and job portals which are not as effective in today’s times as some new portals available now such as Freelancer or Other than the portals, A recruitment software can offer some additional benefits such as the review system to ensure quality, an applicant time tracking feature to know the activities, resume parsing, detection of duplicate applications, and a facility to upload your documents.
All you need to do is to sign up to these portals and post a job description there and wait for genuine replies. Before you hire anyone, interview on Skype or Google Hangout to discuss the recruitment in detail.
Ask for a portfolio
Most of the freelance virtual assistants and agencies have their professional portfolios to show to prospective clients. Before you ask, they will send it to you to check out their past awards, works and milestones. Even they have posted their portfolios on their websites too. Ask for it before you hire an agency or a freelancer. Check out the portfolio and ensure that the agency or a person you hire has helped organizations with their ecommerce business. A proven track record is must to consider before hiring virtual assistants.
Managing your virtual assistants
Just hiring virtual assistants does not end the story. You have to act carefully to protect your business interests with them. Once you have hired the assistant and with the help of the documentation, set your expectations, the real game begins. You have to think about giving access rights of your key accounts, store and other things. Experts suggest businesses give limited access to the virtual assistants as per the jobs they need to perform and not complete access. It is a new relationship and it is not wise to trust the virtual assistant in the first stage of the relationship. Let them earn it through their performance. Avoid giving login credentials and other crucial account details that can jeopardize your business.
Wrapping Up
Virtual assistants can take your business to the next level and can take care of your business headaches if you hire them carefully. On the other hand, when you end up hiring incompetent virtual assistants, you will lose your time and money. stay sharp and alert and follow the tips mentioned above.
