5 Common Challenges in Working with Distant Assistants
5 Common Challenges in Working with Distant Assistants
Having a distant assistant has a number of benefits to your business and personal life. It frees you time, allows you to save money, and add value to your business. But, it does not necessarily mean everything will go smoothly all the time. Just like any other type of work environment, the distant workplace has its own challenges as well. Here are the 5 common challenges in working with distant assistants. Learn what they are and understand how you can overcome!
1. Communication
Communication continues to rank among the most common challenges in working with distant assistants. Researches show that communication influences work performance. The way a team communicates and how often they communicate are among the factors to consider.
The thing is…
Regardless of how big or small your business is, communication is a basic dynamic. It is to be carried out efficiently and consistently if you want to succeed.
“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” -Steve Jobs
With a distant assistant to help you out, your business is not a one-man team. There exists a need to collaborate or work together towards specific goals. And, it comes with the knowledge that how they carry it out has a significant effect on the output.
Just as what various researches indicate, communication affects the performance of each person involved. Take for example when you assign a new project to your distant assistant. You put pertinent files in a folder, forward it to your DA, and simply tell him it’s a new project to work on.
If you do not give specific instructions, such as deadline and how the final output should look like, it is unlikely that you get the result you wanted him to achieve. On the DA’s end, it’s important that he relays his questions about it to ensure he gives you the right results.
Apart from being specific with what you communicate, there also stands a need to be consistent in your communication. How often do you communicate with your DA ? Simply letting him know what you think about his work results can motivate him to do even better.
A side note:
There is this interesting blog about crafting remarkable client experiences. Brand Architect Jared Angaza shares that a brand is the experience you create. It is an experience that you must carry out also within your workplace if you want to succeed.
In other words, what you do internally and how you do it affects the total experience that you give your clients. That is your brand. You can schedule a strategy session with Jared.
2. Productivity
How do you know if your distant assistant is not slacking off? Nowadays, a number of management tools exist to help you in working with distant assistants.
It’s natural to want to make sure your DA is working what is expected of him. You don’t want to miss out on projects or opportunities. And, you also don’t want to pay for the time he probably just wasted away.
But did you know that, according to Eurofound and the International Labor Office, remote workers are more productive than traditional employees? That makes it favorable for businesses to outsource jobs.
One disadvantage, however, is they tend to work intensely. The hours the have for work tend to overlap the time they have for their personal lives.
This gives the idea that distant assistants are responsible and reliable enough to work. You can trust them enough to fulfill the business functions you hired them for.
For productivity concerns, you can use effective tools online to manage your DA and check from time to time how they are doing. Or, you can schedule a time every week when you can meet and discuss the projects and your DA’s performance.
3. Time Difference
Working with a distant assistant from the other side of the globe can be pretty challenging. Depending on the task you have for the DA, you can schedule the DA to work on the same hours that you are working.
The challenge typically comes in adjusting one’s body clock to a different time zone. It could negatively affect performance if one is not flexible to change.
What you can do is…
Even before you hire the distant assistant, you can agree on your work schedule. That should be sufficient to prepare for adjustment, and helps determine whether the DA can carry out his tasks accordingly.
4. Company Culture
How are things going in your workplace? Your company’s culture is your company’s personality. It shows in the way you treat your distant assistant as well as in your DA’s response to that treatment.
Company culture is practically important to develop. Along with it comes your company’s vision, values and goals. Consider for example when you walk in an office where the boss just keeps on berating his workers all day long.
If you were in those workers’ shoes, would you want to work for long?
The thing is…
Vistant assistants enjoy working in an environment where they have good relationships with their fellow workers and clients. Your company’s culture helps them determine whether they fit with your company’s vision, values, and goals.
It is also important to you as business owner, because it helps you determine the gray areas to work on or which distant assistant needs some motivation. In both cases, clarifying on the culture you have empowers you to have happier and more productive DAs.
What you can do is be clear on your company culture, and communicate that to the people working under your company.
5. Competitiveness
With the growing popularity of remote work, many individuals aspire to become distant assistants. They show great potential in the application process, so you hire them to fill in the vacant position you have available.
Unfortunately, having a distant assistant on board is not like a “plug and play” game. Sometimes it’s easy to think that a DA can immediately do the work and provide what you want. In reality, it requires ample training and supervision before a distant assistant can become very comfortable with your business.
One good thing about it is it helps the distant assistant prepare for any changes. When the DA is familiar with the business, he may find it easy to adapt and even improve on his skills.
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About Jaime Jay
Meet Jaime Jay – a man who wears many hats, and wears them all admirably. He's a master connector, an entrepreneur extraordinaire, and a published author who knows how to get things done.
Before he found his way to the business world, Jaime served his country as a brave paratrooper in the U.S. Army. But that's just the beginning of his many accomplishments.
He's the founder of the renowned Bottleneck Distant Assistant Services firm, and his book "Quit Repeating Yourself" has become a must-read for entrepreneurs everywhere.
When he's not busy building his empire, you can find him on his beloved Harley Davidson, cruising through the countryside and taking in the invigorating effects of Uitwaaien – a Dutch practice that involves facing the wind to boost health and relieve stress.
He enjoys spending his free time outside building stuff with his wife, Nikita the dog and their two kittens (for now at least) Tommy and Tater.
He is ‘over-the-moon’ happily married to his wonderful wife Sara, his amazing daughter, Jessica, who is serving our country as a United States Army soldier. Jaime and Sara are the proud grand parents of two beautiful little girls.
Victoria Dorsano2023-09-17Bottleneck has been such an amazing support for my business! They have a seamless process to ensure you find the right fit for your DDA. I am so thankful I started working with them! I'm now able to accomplish so much more in my business with a personal DDA and editing team on my side. Thank you!!
Rockwell Felder2023-03-15I cannot thank the team at Bottleneck enough for their incredible support of our business. Their team has played a vital role in helping us staff our customer support and ensuring our customers were satisfied with our services. Their Distant Assistants were extremely helpful in answering inquiries promptly, handling complaints, and providing solutions to our customers' needs. Their professionalism, attention to detail, and communication skills are exceptional. Working with Bottleneck has been a fantastic experience, and I highly recommend their services to anyone needing a reliable and efficient virtual assistant, especially for customer support.
Karen Ravano2022-09-24I am grateful and blessed to be part of this team. It’s such a wonderful experience because i gain more experience and help me enhance my basic skills. This will be my stepping stone to my career as a newbie in this kind of industry. It would help to reach my goals.
Jeany Mercadal2022-09-16Bottleneck Distant Assistants can lessen the burden of company owners. We provide excellent services depending on our client needs. We are not scam, clients surely get more than what they pay for. Being part of this team helped me hone my skills and become excellent in all my works.
Jeff Peñaflor2022-09-14I started last March 24, 2021 as a Dedicated Distant Assistant and it was an awesome experience. In this new journey, as Security Administrator of Bottleneck Distant Assistants, I have been supported by the team, A LOT !!!! All help that I need, the whole team is there to support me. I know that there are a lot of room for improvements with my skills and what I know, but because of BNDA, I became equipped with all the weapons I need to conquer the daily challenges especially with my tasks. With BNDA, they will not just help you to aim high, but soar the skies!
Tinoe D2022-09-09I don't remember the last time I loved what I was doing until Bottleneck came into the picture. I love working for bottleneck, they are professional. The management makes the workplace fun and they're very flexible. I definetly recommend that you make that important switch and be part of something big today by joining BNDA.
Michael Goodcliffe2022-09-09Jaime and his team are incredible at what they do! Joining them has been one of the best decisions in my life! I whole heartedly recommend them to anyone who are looking to scale and improve their business. Their highly 'Dedicated Distant Assistants' are well trained. They are top notch!
GM Simon2022-09-08Working with Bottleneck is not just having one or two assistants working alongside you. You have the support of the whole team behind them as well.
Ma. Edeliza Silot2022-09-07Aside from the knowledge gained, the trainers are highly commendable.
Sara Knox2022-09-07What an awesome business! Finally, a way to hire the RIGHT person for my administrative tasks and they are remote! No office space to consider, W2's, 1099's or payroll. Jaime and his team of remote workers are top-notch! I hired my first assistant in May. I recently suffered a motorcycle accident and it left me unable to work for 2 weeks. But my assistant stepped right in to guide our CEO on all matters financial. It’s so nice to have that stress eliminated from my life!
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Quit Repeating Yourself provides guidance for entrepreneurs, business leaders, and managers to help prevent unknown challenges from ruining their business.
