As a business owner, you already know how important it is to communicate effectively. Your relationship with your clients depends on it. But, as an employer, you will need to be even more transparent to get the job done.

Your business brand is probably built on quality and timeliness. Your clients depend on a high caliber of work from you as well as meeting their hectic deadlines with time to spare.

None of that is going to change when you enlist the aid of subcontractors. If you want these VAs to provide the same high level of work, they need to know exactly what you expect from them and the system you want followed.

Being transparent is not about laying your soul bare. It’s more about leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of client satisfaction. That sounds very technical doesn’t it? Here’s what it essentially means.

Stating Your Case Up Front

Let’s begin at the beginning. There are tons of virtual assistants out there, but not all are created equal. You will work better with someone who has a personality and working style similar to yours. It’s not just experience that you are interested in here.

Let any prospects know about how you like to work. Let them know from day one (or interview one) how you handle work with your client. If you provide periodic updates for big projects then any subcontracting VAs need to know that their work will have more than one deadline.

What are you going to outsource to others?

Know what skills you are looking for and ask for those particular skills from your assistants. For example, articles can be written on an variety of subjects. If one of your clients is a real estate broker, you don’t want to hire someone with experience writing only gardening articles. Just the ability to write is not enough.

You have set the bar for your clients. They receive information from you in a format that has been mutually agreed upon. To receive the same from your subcontractors, they will need instructions. Writing detailed documents seems tedious, but in the grand scheme of things, this will ensure there will be no mistakes or misunderstandings. Not to mention, it makes it easier should the initial person you hire not work out for any reason. You’ll already have the instructions ready to send to the one who takes their place.

Here’s what can happen if you don’t. First, you will receive the completed work. When you look over it, you find several things wrong. Either you send it back to your subcontractor or you fix it yourself. If the time it takes to rework the work is over what has been agreed with the client, then you have to suck it up and lose money. If it puts you over your deadline, you have to explain to your client why it is not ready. Nothing about that is going to sit right with you, or, and most importantly, your client.

Transparency is good when you want need to outsource to other professionals. The work gets done right the first time and your clients remain happy. That’s the cornerstone of a successful service business.