Ugh.
I came across a blog post recently where the writer was not happy with his offshored Virtual Assistant. He complained that while on the surface, everything always seemed to be rosy and peachy keen, closer inspection of the Virtual Assistant’s work would reveal problems and errors.
He loved that the VA always replied with politeness and an overwhelming positive attitude. She would rephrase his requests in a way that made it seem like she understood what was wanted and never failed to send an enthusiastic confirmation email once a task was completed.
But once he’d have a look, he’d find that the work wasn’t completed at all to what he had asked for and he’d have to spend all kinds of time and energy
To be sure, the issues here are almost certainly multi-fold. He might himself have a problem communicating his needs effectively. And whenever you offshore, I don’t care how well the English seems to come off, there just are always going to be cultural gaps that prevent clear communication from happening.
But what stood out most in his description of this Virtual Assistant was that he had a dutiful, obedient lapdog–not a collaborative partner.
I have to say to business owners… of course you want someone who is positive and energetic. But don’t let servile, deferencial fawning fool you into thinking you have a partner and critical thinker. There’s a difference between an obsequious lapdog and someone who truly has the administrative chops, expertise and experience to work with you to get things done. Someone who is more concerned about stroking your ego is not going to provide you with the truly collaborative partnership that is going to be effective.
Thanks for commenting. Yeah, the virtual assistant term is really completely idiotic to...
