Amazon Virtual Assistant Archives - Page 3 of 3

Amazon virtual assistants can make your life much easier. A valuable addition to your business, they can help boost performance and save your time and effort to focus on tasks that need your attention.

Infact, an Amazon virtual assistant can help reduce your operating costs upto 60%

That said - Hiring an Amazon virtual assistant will add no value until you know how to make the best out of working with them. While proper communication is the key, let's step further to understand how to build a successful business relationship with your virtual assistants.

Tips to Manage Amazon Virtual Assistants

Define the Role:

Imagine a situation when you want to hire two dedicated VAs. One for data entry and another for product listing optimization. The similarities between the jobs may lead to a communication gap between the employees.

That's why it's essential to define the role clearly upon hiring. Make it a point to delegate the specific tasks to the suitable Amazon virtual assistant based on their skills and experience. And invest some extra time to outline the tasks concisely to your VA. Assigning your employees to their zone of excellence will improve their productivity and help them learn and excel in their expertise.

Communicate:

Make communication a priority. Consistent communication with your VA is a must to find the areas that need the most attention. Make sure the mode of communication is quick and effective. You can use online communication platforms like Skype, Zoom, Slack, and Loom to consistently contact your virtual assistants.

Slack is an excellent tool for instant messaging. It is customizable, and you can create channels in slack specific to your business. For Instance, you can create separate channels for Amazon store management and product content creation and listing and direct messages distinct to your Amazon virtual assistant based on the task.

And, Loom is an easy-to-use tool that can record your computer screen, voice and face and instantly share your video with your team. Instead of hopping on a skype call or typing a brief for your virtual assistants over email, It is easy to send them a loom.

Set Targets:

Establish performance goals and break them into meaningful metrics to understand your VAs performance. It's easier for you and your virtual team to sort out these critical metrics at the beginning. Set the KPIs based on the tasks they need to accomplish.

For Instance, the metrics for customer support virtual assistant will be the number of sales and resolved customer issues addressed in a month. In contrast, for a product sourcing virtual assistant for Amazon will be the number of profitable products and the winning deals at the same time.

According to a study by psychologist Gail Matthew, when people have written goals, they were 33% more successful in achieving them.

Once you establish your KPI's, it's best to put them in writing. The document that spells out your expectations can be used to evaluate your VA's performance. Moreover, having this document in view will motivate your virtual assistants to work towards achieving them.

Track Progress:

Make a point to track their progress. Tools such as Asana and Trello are excellent task management boards that allow your team to log every step of the process. This will keep you and your VA to be on the same page with the daily, weekly and monthly expectations. And help check the progress quickly rather than constant emails and message check-ins.

But, How to monitor and manage your Amazon virtual assistant without micromanaging them?

The key is to use the right set of tools and technology to connect with your VA.

There are several online management tools that are not intrusive with your Amazon virtual assistant's everyday activities yet are compelling enough to make sure the project runs at the needed pace.

Create a Shared System:

Save yourself from the trouble of continually emailing deadlines, project lists and updates, by creating a shared system giving access to your Amazon virtual assistants. Besides, you can also plan and track the tasks using the shared network for easy access.

The simple setup and generous amount of free storage make Dropbox a suitable choice for many businesses. The free version includes 2GB of storage space. However, Google Drive offers more open space than dropbox does, starting with 5GB, and is cost-effective compared to other shared file systems.

There might be situations where you want to share credit card numbers and confidential information. And in turn, your VA can store new passwords in the same documents when they open new accounts. A password manager tool like Lastpass can help create solid account information and passwords and share them across your team securely in such situations.

Motivate:

Did you know, disengaged employees cost companies a total of $300 billion in lost productivity each year?

Employee motivation is a critical aspect of effective management, and it's even more critical when handling remote assistants. Appreciate their success, completed timelines and reward skills in review meetings. Moreover, having regular reviews will allow you to discuss any concerns. And be clear about the changes that need to be made.

Besides positive feedback, a word of kindness can keep their motivation afloat. Give your Amazon virtual assistant a review on how their results positively impacted your sales and performance. For Instance, it will be a good idea to give your Amazon virtual assistant a quick peek at how their product content or the SEO efforts have increased the site clicks and sales.

Provide Training:

Train them on every aspect of your business. An Amazon virtual assistant will have strong technical knowledge and skill sets but will need a bit of understanding of your business's particulars. If you own a brand or sell a unique product, it's better to train your Amazon virtual assistant on the product and the niche industry.

Use software like droplr.com to quickly create video walkthroughs of the tasks to handle or the software used to manage and upload data. It is also good to maintain a central repository of know-how and information related to the Amazon business to save your time on training.

Do you still think you need hands-on helping with managing an Amazon virtual assistant?

We can Help -

Vserve is a one-stop solution for all your Amazon virtual assistant needs. Manage your Amazon marketplace accounts right from setting up your store to account management and promotional activities. We have experts to get it all done while you sit back and relax. Additionally, trust Vserve virtual assistant services to deliver the needed assistance to manage your virtual assistants for Amazon with a dedicated program manager and 24*7 support.

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Selling on Amazon can be challenging!

Even if you have one of the best selling stores in the niche, your trade-off doesn’t end there. Running an Amazon business takes your constant attention and a truck load of tasks, as there’s so much you need to keep your eyes on.

But do you have the time to handle all your Amazon daily routines? Or are you missing sales and losing profits without the most needed time to interact with your customers?

If yes, it’s time to hire an Amazon virtual assistant.

But, Who is an Amazon Virtual Assistant?

The term virtual assistant is making rounds within the eCommerce industry for years now. An Amazon virtual assistant is a resource who can work remotely, yet effectively manage Amazon stores and ensure that your store is in great shape.

Depending on the skill and expertise, they can offload various time-consuming tasks in your schedule. From tedious tasks such as product listing to the critical ones, every eCommerce support task will fall under their expertise. And, you can hire them for part-time, full-time or for a particular project based on your business needs.

Are you hesitant about hiring a virtual assistant? Is trust an Issue?

In our discussions with our potential clients, we noticed many were hesitant about hiring an Amazon virtual assistant. They find it tough to trust a remote resource for their business critical tasks.

How would I know a VA can actually perform for what I’m paying them for? How do I know they wouldn’t cheat on the hours? What if they flake out halfway through a project?

If you’re someone with these questions in your mind, just like our clients.

Relax, we’ve got your answers here.

Trust need not be an issue. Virtual assistants for Amazon are trustworthy, especially when you know how to take the right precautions while hiring them. It includes carefully reviewing the complete application and rigorously verifying the candidate’s information.

To explain further, we have detailed the right steps needed to hire the virtual assistant for all your Amazon business needs.

Steps to Hire the Right VA for your Amazon Business (Tips included)

Pendown your Reasons to Hire a Virtual Assistant for Amazon:

Before stepping in, you have to think about the top task that you need assistance with and why.

For instance, if you’re delegating Amazon data entry, it might be because it’s repetitive nature might take up your time. And, if you’re planning to hire a photo editing expert. The reason might be that you or the team may not have the right skill set to do it.

Setting this up right before the actual hiring process will help determine the tasks to be assigned to virtual assistants.

Set Key Performance Indicators:

Plan on how to evaluate your virtual assistant. This step can keep communications clear between you and your virtual assistant. Clarify –

The number of hours they need to work for you
The key performance indicators that they need to achieve in a month
The list of task they would be responsible for
The communication opportunities and possible constraints, and
The format and process for monthly reports

Define the Scope of Work:

The mistake most Amazon sellers make with their virtual assistant is that they expect beyond the scope of the project. If you have chosen an Amazon VA to perform product listing, you cannot expect them to help with marketing activities, and not copywriting.

That’s when you need to set rules to bridge the gap between your expectations and the deliverables. It’s best to define every minute responsibility and spell it out to avoid any confusion.

Create your Job Posting:

No matter the site you choose to source your virtual assistant, this step is an important part of the process.

Our recommendation is to create a clear and crisp posting. The listing should have the detailed ideas of what you are looking for in an Amazon virtual assistant.

Adding on a tip, it’s best when you include a key question in the posting. Expect the candidate to answer it along with the reply mail. This will make it much easier for you to sort the candidates who have read the complete job posting.

Source the Right Candidate based on your Requirement and Budget:

Once you are clear with VA’s responsibilities, it’s time to step into the real process. Find the right candidate as per your business and under your budget. You can connect with hundreds of virtual assistants for Amazon FBA through sourcing websites, independent consultants and Amazon virtual assistant service providers.

Take your Time to Interview the Virtual Assistant:

No matter how many attempts it takes before hiring the right candidate, make sure to evaluate his/her skills thoroughly. To know more about your Amazon VA, you can start a Skype call for a face-to-face interview.

Here is the list of questions you could ask an Amazon virtual assistant in an interview.

How long have you been working as a virtual assistant?
What are your skills and expertise?
Do you have any relevant certificates or diplomas?
Is there any experience you with my kind of product?
Do you agree to have regular feedback calls?
How do you deal with confidential company data?
What are the skills that make you stand out?
What are your working hours?
Are there times you would like to have time off, such as holidays?
Do you agree with my payment model?
What tools do you use?
What tools and software do you have experience with?
Do you consent to using a monitoring software?
Are there former clients who can tell me something about the way you work?
Do you have other clients?
Is there an area where you would like to improve?
What is important to you about your employer?
How much do you charge per hour or month?
Are there things you charge extra for?
Are you ready to sign a contract and NDA?

Give A Test Run:

Assigning a specific test task to complete will be good practice before hiring the VA. It can help you filter out the fittest and at the same time understand their delivering capacity and timeline. The test can also give the candidate a better idea about the service & quality you expect.

Adding on another tip – Don’t expect the virtual assistant to bring out a revolutionary result in the test run. There is always time to train them based on your business needs when they’re on board.

Not sure what to look for in the candidate?

Do you have concerns about the cost?

Some entrepreneurs fear that hiring a virtual assistant might add an unnecessary cost to their business. They might even gamble on getting the work done with the existing staff numbers, or hire a full-time employee.

But, the truth is, today’s virtual assistants are professional, independent contractors, and their services usually come with cost-cutting benefits, and not at unnecessary cost.

Hiring a virtual assistant can help save as much as 78% on operating costs annually

Moreover, the cost of hiring an Amazon virtual assistant varies depending on your need, the expertise of the VA and the location. You can expect to pay an Amazon VA starting $6/ hour to handle the admin, fulfillment and customer service task.

And around $15 and above for someone with a specialized skill set for photo editing, market research, and marketing support.

Do you still think it’s not the right time and you can do it all by yourself?

For Amazon sellers who are unsure of when it is the right time to hire an Amazon virtual assistant. We would say that there is no such thing as a right time or a level form which you need to hire one.

For every individual seller the time at which you need external assistance might differ. That’s why, instead of waiting for the right time, you can ask yourself a set of questions to help decide if you are ready to hire your first Virtual Assistant for Amazon.

Do you think you are tired handling all the tasks involved in your business?
Are there important tasks that are slowly being neglected?
Do you think you’re spending every waking hour on tedious tasks such as product listing and account management?
Are you frustrated that you are not spending a valuable amount of time on new opportunities and brand promotion?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then it’s time you need a virtual assistant by your side for support. And Now let’s help you find the right virtual assistant for your Amazon business.

As one of the best Amazon Virtual Assistant providers, we understand the challenges for our clients while hiring virtual assistants. That’s why, to help you in the process, we have channelized the steps and included tips to make it easier.

But, where can you find the right Amazon virtual assistant?

Fiverr and Upwork are freelance websites that can help connect with freelancers from around the world. While Upwork can help connect easily with offshore virtual assistants. You can also find resources for long-term commitment and full-time assistance in this platform.

Alternatively, you can opt for hiring your first VAs from virtual assistant companies that offer virtual assistant services for Amazon.

Do you want to skip this step? And still want to build a team to boost your business?

We can help –

Vserve is one of the leading eCommerce back-end service providers in the US. In the past ten years we have emerged as a company that delivers time and cost-effective virtual assistant solutions to clients across the globe. Our team of Amazon virtual assistants are expert problem solvers. Our VAs can dive in to provide expert strategies that can boost your productivity and sales.

All you have to do is sit back and relax while we bring in the best skills to your table.

Do comment below for further details or if would like to add your point to this blog.

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Category: Amazon Virtual Assistant

7 Tips to Manage Amazon Virtual Assistants and Boost Productivity