Working as a virtual assistant is not always sweet and flows like how you want it to be. Sometimes it gets bitter, but it is 100% normal. We've listed down the common client issues that Chabad Concierge VAs run into.
Unresponsive Clients
Dealing with an unresponsive client is a problem every VA faces at some point or another. There may be times a client won't respond as quickly as usual for many reasons — busy on several projects, out of town, attending events, a family emergency, holidays, etc. Sometimes you feel like everything seems to be going well then with no explanation, they just stop responding. Rest assured they are not ghosting you.
Clients could become unresponsive for a long period of time. You may want to stop working on the tasks and wait for a response if you are waiting for the client's feedback before proceeding. In some cases, you may also reach out to Chabad Concierge support to contact the client on your behalf.
Few tips to avoid unresponsive client
- Establish a clear communication plan from the start
- Understand your clients’ schedules
- Ask for filler tasks upfront
Here are some things you can do when your client has been unresponsive
- Schedule a follow-up
- Create a list of updates about the tasks you've been doing
- Work on other tasks/filler tasks
- Learn a new skill/task
No Task At All
At some point, your client will stop giving you tasks. It’s inevitable - people gets busy sometimes. There’s a good chance your client lives in meetings for most of the week, leaving them with only a small window to check messages, review the tasks you've completed, and to give you new tasks.
While you may feel unproductive not doing any tasks, there are actually some ways to avoid this.
- Get a sense of what your clients’ weeks typically look like so you'll know when he becomes busy. Making a “tell us about your week" question part of your usual conversations with clients is a quick, easy way to understand the client's schedule.
- Proactively ask your clients things like “Is there any task I can work on as a filler task in case you go on a busy mode?" It creates a backup plan right away, making the client think that you are there to really help them with the tasks and not just slacking off.
- Make a list of tasks you can suggest to your client when you feel like you are running out of tasks to do. Proactively suggest the tasks to your client and set those as your filler tasks.
Here are some tasks you can suggest to your client:
- Merging and duplicate checking
- Address verification and validation
- Email address verification
- Phone number standardization
- Fill missing information
- Cleaning up spam submissions
- Adding genders to contacts
- Change from billing address to home
Incomplete Instructions
Proper communication of instructions is essential to effectively complete a task. When a client is too busy and can not focus enough to give the full detailed information required to complete a certain task, the VA becomes unsure about how to proceed and struggle to complete a task. This also results to poor quality of work and delayed completion of tasks.
Let’s look at some common effects of vague instructions
- Wasted time leading to lowered productivity
- Missed deadlines
- High incidence of poorly finished tasks requiring corrective work
- Frustrated or stressed VA
- Too many revisions
We all have times in our lives when we don’t thoroughly understand what someone else is trying to tell us.
How do you ask for clarification the right way? Asking for clarification shows that you care enough to make sure you thoroughly understand the task and that you really want to help the client get the task completed on or before the deadline.
Here are a few steps to when you need further explanation:
- Admit you need clarification. Don’t be vague to your client, simply state that you don’t understand. If there’s a specific thing that’s unclear to you, name it and don't make the client flail around trying to figure out what you understand and what you don’t..
- Ask clarifying questions. This shows that you really want to understand and finish the task on time. You may ask the client questions like "If I understand you correctly, you want to ____________", "I’m not sure when you’d like me to start working on this task, should I begin _______", "Is this what you want me to to do ________",
- Summarize the instructions given to you if the conversation has been a lengthy or complex one. This can be helpful to your client to know if you clearly understand the task and this can also determine which part of the instruction you understand and which you don't.
- Ask for specific examples so you'd better understand what the client wants you to do. If it is still unclear to you, ask for a loom video for the instructions. Clients may willingly provide video instruction sometimes when they have the luxury of time. You may also want to create a sample and show it to your client then ask if it's what he wanted you to do.
The Bottom Line
These situations can be avoided by communicating with your clients clearly and effectively. The better you understand your clients, the easier it becomes.
Need Help?
Should you need help communicating with your client, please reach out to Chabad Concierge support or book a call here.