How to Deal with a Distant Assistant Who Doesn’t Show Up

Commitment. You already gave the deadline; you already provided the instructions but all of a sudden, your DA disappears to who knows where. As a result, your business suffers along with you. Here’s how to deal with a distant assistant who doesn’t show up. Know the reasons, evaluate your situation, and learn tips to keep you moving.

Why Hire a Distant Assistant?

Remember when you first considered to hire a DA? What prompted you to decide on having a virtual help? Business owners often think about hiring a DA to free their time. They often have zillions of things to do in running their businesses. For that reason, they agree that having a virtual assistant will be very helpful.

“I sometimes spend four hours a day getting organized. This type of work is important, but it’s a time sink that’s costing me the opportunity to scale my business, an opportunity that I believe could mean big growth for me.” -Ritika Puri

Distant assistants can definitely come in handy when you need to focus on more important functions in your business. But, they can also be disappointing when you find them missing in action.

Business owners initially expect DAs to be responsible and able to do their tasks. However, it’s more likely a hopeful supposition that things will go as desired. DAs also have their own concerns to deal with. You may find them working well in the first few weeks, but eventually lagging behind.

Main Fields of Expectations

As the saying goes, “It’s easy to fall in love but difficult to commit.” The same applies in business. Distant assistants take time to look for opportunities to earn online, and easily fall in love when the opportunity comes. You marvel at their enthusiasm during interviews, and are encouraged when you see them interested to work on the task. You marvel so much perhaps that you fail to see the possibility that they’d disappear.

A variety of reasons arise from a variety of expectations. Among them are the following:

1. Your Time, My Time

DAs are often thought of as those who can help free up time. As a result, you can easily rely on them to get things done almost always without your help. You trust them enough to complete tasks that you find difficult to fulfill. Anyway, you’re paying them to give time on those you can’t.

Yet what led you to rely on them? What steps have you taken to ensure they accomplish the goals you have?

“I have been using a virtual executive assistant now for over a year. It’s one of the best business decisions  I have ever made…My assistant has enabled me to focus on what I do best and less of what I either don’t do well or don’t enjoy.” -Michael Hyatt

It’s always a good thing when you have someone complete a task for you very well. To guarantee your success, however, you should also find time to plan and be there when your help is needed. Like all other types of relationship, your business isn’t all about you. It’s a relationship that requires the cooperation of all individuals involved.

Action Plan (Business Owners):

Learn to see the situation from different perspectives. Many fail to realize that commitment from both parties is important to succeed in relationships. When you thought about hiring a DA, did you think about hiring someone who can work WITH you?

Before deciding to hire, come up with a good strategy on how you will delegate tasks. Think about your workflow. Consider setting up an organized system of processes to streamline your results. Also, be there when it’s necessary. If you can’t commit to give time, you are most likely preparing to go downhill.

Action Plan (Distant Assistants):

Work does not revolve around your own concerns. Learn to see things from the business owner’s perspective. The fact that you’re getting paid to complete somebody else’s tasks does not necessarily mean that you should avoid asking help when you need it.

Before taking a task, think about what you can do and how you can perform it well. If it’s something that you can’t fulfill, you have the option to be honest about it. If you go ahead performing tasks that you’re not capable of, you put the business at risk. It’s not placing a doubt on yourself, but rather a way to find the best solution for that specific project.

When you take a task, remind yourself of the goals that ought to be accomplished. Perform at your best, and commit to have the time to complete it. You have come a long way to leave.

2. Your Tasks, Not Mine

Delegation is a good way to getting things done. It’s like having more hands, more brains, and higher expectations that you’ll get more done. Well, don’t raise the bar too high.

“We have hired five different DAs over the years and learned a lot in the experience. I was quickly persuaded by Tim Ferriss’s 4-Hour Workweek that a DA was the silver bullet we needed, so we hired our first DA in 2010. It was a disaster that taught us these key lessons.” -Julia Tunstall

Not everything that appears convenient is easy to fulfill. Delegation is not an exemption. It’s more than just telling your virtual assistant to do this and do that. It requires enough commitment that you will be there to provide the job.

Action Plan (Business Owners):

Julia learned the significance of processes to scale her business. Like her, you can create and document your workflows to help your virtual assistant perform better. Think about how you want each task done, and set a deadline for your DA. Commit to providing tasks that they can perform at a regular basis to enable them to manage their time wisely.

Some, like Julia, prefer to delegate on a flexible hourly contract. Others provide their DAs opportunities to work for 40 hours a week. Whatever works well for you, what’s important is that you set an organized way of delegating the tasks at hand. And, let your virtual assistants know about it. An unstable situation is often unattractive.

Action Plan (Distant Assistants):

What got you interested in the job? Do you perhaps see it as a career that you can work on full time? Working online has enjoyable perks, such as independence and flexibility. But, some who get hired find it often not the case. The reasons are the misconceptions they had about being a DA.

Learn to be mindful of the responsibilities you’ll take as a distant assistant. Be clear on how much time you can spend on a project. And, have the confidence to carry on the tasks delegated to you.

It may take time for you to be familiar with the terms and standards set by the company, but avoid isolating your self from them. They are there to provide you with the tasks you need. On your end, commit to follow their guidelines. But, learn to care for your self as well. This means assessing your performance to do better. Your results represent you, and you’ll get more chances to excel when they see a job well done. It’s a win-win situation in any case.

3. Sure Talent

How do you perceive virtual assistants? Many of them come with colorful backgrounds. Their experiences and skills give them higher chances to get hired. Regardless of how well they perform, however, some of them tend to underestimate their value and potential.

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” -Zig Ziglar

When you hire a DA, it may take time for them to unleash their full capacity to do well. For this, many advise business owners to train their virtual assistants first before giving them the meaty parts of the business. They have talent that may just need to be exercised.

Action Plan (Business Owners):

You may find yourself in a situation where you see your virtual assistants lagging behind despite the quality of work they provide. Try to talk to them, and find out why they’re acting that way. It’s better to deal with the situation earlier than bearing with it in the long run. You might be surprised one day that they’re gone.

Be open to listen to their concerns, and commit to helping them achieve their full potential. The fact that you hired them means that you saw something in them and that you trusted that they can fulfill the task. Make time to train them. Hone them to becoming the best virtual assistant you believe they can become.

Action Plan (Distant Assistants):

What makes you think that you’re the right person for the job? Your talents. Your ability to succeed no matter what. You may find yourself in a situation where you don’t feel like measuring up to the task. Do not undervalue yourself.

More than anyone else, you know how well you can perform. Business owners have the time to do the things they want, because someone took the time to complete important functions for them.

Have the right attitude to carry on the goals and deadlines. Remind yourself of the good principles you have at work. Know your purpose, and commit to work on it in the best possible way. Why let your company down?

When Things Fail

Everyone can come up with their own set of reasons for failing at certain points in business. Sometimes it could be because you weren’t ready to delegate. It could also be because you didn’t plan your strategy carefully. Or, it’s because you failed to carry on your commitment. You have your reasons.

This is why it’s important to evaluate your readiness to hire a distant assistant or to take on a task. A wrong move will always be a wrong move. To where it will lead you is up to you.

Commitment—a task to be accomplished by both distant assistant and business owner. Commit to have time, commit to delegate and carry out a task, and commit to achieving holistic success for the company.

Tell us what you think! Feel free to comment with any ideas or suggestions about How to Deal with a Distant Assistant Who Doesn’t Show Up. We love hearing from you!