Virtual assistants work in very dynamic environments, where there is a lot going on. In these situations, errors are very likely. Everyone makes mistakes; we are human, after all–.
However, your mistakes could affect the client and reflect badly on you. To avoid that situation, let’s talk about some common mistakes people make as virtual assistants and how to prevent them.
1. You missed a deadline
Estimating the time required to complete a task is an art. It is very common to accept a deadline and then we realize that there is not enough time –we might even realize it too late.
As individuals, we suffer from what psychologists call the optimism bias –that is, believing that a negative outcome in what we do is very unlikely. In other words, we need to consider that something could go wrong and plan accordingly.
For instance, you believe you can finish a task in one day if everything goes well. In that case, agree to a deadline of one and a half days.
Why? Well, in this way you can deal with anything unexpected and, if everything goes according to plan, you will deliver before the deadline. However, if something goes wrong, you will have some time to handle the situation.
2. Something slipped your mind
Due to the different activities an Eureka virtual assistant may perform, forgetting some task is very likely. There is only a battle tested way to prevent it: always write down everything you have to do.
Nevertheless, the challenge is not to register what you have to do, but doing it methodically and neatly –your notes are not useful if you cannot understand them.
There are better tools than a notebook that can help you to stay organized. A Kanban board –available on free tools like Trello or Asana– makes it harder to forget a task because it allows users to literally see what should be done, its deadline and its priority.