I recently saw this blog from the fabulous VA Coach Amanda Johnson.
The blog is about the questions that VAs should know the answers to, as they are questions that potential clients often ask.
So what better to give you the answers BEFORE you have even asked for them, so that when we have our Discovery Call, we can spend the time talking about the things that you are struggling to get done and how we can help!? Good idea eh!?
So, here are the 16 questions from Amanda’s blog, and I hope that you find the answers useful!
16 frequently asked questions
- How long have you been in business?
- I started my business in October 2015, having spent over 10 years in Executive PA positions in the public and private sector. Read more.
- What do you specialise in?
- We mainly work with growing businesses. Most of our clients are established Limited companies that have got to the point where they are starting to think about outsourcing. They may already have an accountant and website company, and are taking the next step to get help with getting things done. We work with clients who are serious about making a change in their business and moving forwards, and are willing to invest in quality support to achieve this.
- What hours do you work and do you work weekends?
- I work full time, Monday to Friday, allowing for me to drop off and pick up my daughter from nursery. I try not to work evenings or weekends if possible, as my work/family balance is very important to me and it’s essential that we all take time to switch off and focus on family.
- Does location matter – i.e. where are you based?
- I am based in Exeter, United Kingdom but location doesn’t matter – we have clients locally but also in Sweden and the USA.
- How do you charge for work? Is it per project or in slots of time?
- We work on a retainer basis, where a set number of hours are booked per month. We can also work on a Project Basis depending on the project.
- What is the turnaround for work and how do I pass work to you?
- For retainer clients, we are reserving time in our diaries just for you! It’s likely that if there are big chunks of work to be done, we’ll use the time we have set aside for these tasks, but for ad-hoc tasks we generally respond within a few hours. It’s important when you pass over work that you make it clear if there is a deadline for the turnaround. We’re happy for you to pass work over in any way that works best for you. That could be by email (preferred) or via a task management system. We will always discuss with you what works best for you.
- What do I need to sign and is there a minimum length of service?
- All clients will be asked to sign a Client Agreement. For retainers we ask for one month’s notice. A sample of our agreement can be found here.
- Is our work covered by a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement?
- Yes, this is all detailed in the Client Agreement. We’re also happy to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement if you require this.
- What programs do you use and how much experience do you have in them?
- Tonnes! More are being added all the time. Some we have been using longer than others, but we’re pretty quick at getting the hang of new ones. Here are some of the ones we use frequently.
- Are you personally doing the work or is it being sub-contracted out?
- This varies. When we have our Discovery Call, I will be working out which of the team has skills which best match what you are looking for, and also which of the team might be the best personailty fit for you. This might mean you work with me, or it may be one of the team.
- How often do we stay in touch and what is your preferred communication method?
- For most of our clients, we have a weekly catch up call – this is means that we can quickly and easily close off any outstanding work or queries instead and also means that we can talk about what you have been up to, and how we might be able to help – very often we come away from these calls with a mountain of work that we have identified we can help you with! The calls can be done by phone, Skype, Teams, Hangouts, Zoom or any other preferred method.
- How quickly do you respond to emails and phone calls?
- We always aim to reply the same day, very often it is within a few hours. If there is something urgent that you need done, PLEASE call and do not rely on emails!
- What happens to your client work when you’re ill or on holiday?
- As we are a team, cover will be put in place for you, to ensure that the support you receive continues.
- Do you invoice upfront or once the work is completed?
- Retainers are charged at the start of each month and any additional hours are then charged in arrears with the following month’s payment. For Projects, the fee is charged up front.
- What payment methods do you accept?
- Most of our clients pay by BACS (this is our preferred method of payment), but we do also accept payment via PayPal and Stripe (we mainly use these for overseas clients).
- Do you have client testimonials and can I contact any of your clients direct?
I hope that you have found here the answers to some of the questions that you have regards to working with a VA.
For details on how we can help you to find the space to grow your business, call us on 07814 218142 or email joanne@joannemanville.co.uk or why not download our free guide, 30 ways to use a VA
You can also book a Discovery Call here.