Clear and effective communication is the cornerstone of a productive relationship with a virtual assistant. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a startup founder, or a C-level executive, how you communicate with remote team members can make or break your delegation success. Poor communication isn’t just a minor inconvenience – it’s a costly issue. A survey of 400 companies (100,000 employees each) found an average loss of $62.4 million per year due to communication problems. Virtual Communication: Challenges & Best Practices. Even smaller businesses (100 employees) reported losing $420,000 annually from miscommunication. Virtual Communication: Challenges & Best Practices. Those numbers underscore why getting communication right, especially with a virtual assistant (VA) who isn’t in the same office, is essential.
In this post, we’ll explore why clear communication is so critical for working effectively with virtual assistants, how it differs from in-house communication, and the intentional habits and systems that remote collaboration requires. We’ll also show how MySigrid (a premium remote executive assistant service) supports clear and consistent communication through its Customer Success Managers and unique processes. By the end, you’ll understand how to leverage feedback and communication to turn your VA into a “secret weapon” for productivity, scaling with remote talent, and better time management for executives. Let’s dive in!
Working with a virtual assistant can dramatically boost your productivity – if you communicate effectively. Unlike an in-person assistant who might pick up cues from your office environment, a remote executive assistant only knows what you clearly articulate. When instructions or expectations are unclear, it inevitably leads to mistakes, wasted time, or missed deadlines. Why Communication is Key to Success as a Virtual Assistant. On the flip side, clear communication sets the foundation for trust, efficiency, and success in your VA partnership.
Consider the following benefits of communicating clearly with your VA:
Remember, your virtual assistant is operating remotely without the benefit of dropping by your desk for quick questions. Communication is the “oxygen” of remote collaboration – it keeps the workflow alive and well. By investing a little time in clearly conveying what you need, you’ll reap major rewards in terms of the quality and speed of the support you receive.
Communicating with an in-house staff member is often very different from communicating with a remote virtual assistant. In a traditional office, communication tends to happen organically – you give quick instructions in person, clarify things on the fly, or notice non-verbal cues (like a confused look) that signal the need for more explanation. With a virtual assistant, you don’t have those same immediate feedback loops, so you need to be more intentional and structured in how you communicate.
Here are some key differences and challenges when communicating with remote staff versus in-house, and how to address them:
Bottom line: Communicating with a virtual assistant requires a bit more structure and intentionality than you might need with an in-house employee. That’s not a bad thing – in fact, many entrepreneurs find that implementing better communication systems for their VA makes their whole team more organized. The key is to set clear expectations, use the right tools, and maintain consistent channels of communication. As one guide for startups notes, “figure out what works best for your team in terms of communication styles, meeting cadence, and common vocabulary” – then stick to those habits. Communication Habits of Highly Successful Remote Teams - Agile IT. By being deliberate and thoughtful, you can overcome the physical distance and form a tight-knit working relationship with your remote assistant.
Hiring a virtual assistant isn’t a “set it and forget it” solution – it’s an ongoing relationship that you manage through communication and feedback. Many busy professionals make the mistake of giving a task to a VA and then staying silent if the result is “okay but not great.” In contrast, highly effective executives treat feedback as a continuous conversation, a way to train and refine your assistant over time so they become increasingly efficient and attuned to your needs. Feedback isn’t just a one-time handoff; it’s a powerful tool for long-term success and better delegation.
Here’s why a feedback loop is so important when working with virtual assistants, and how to implement it:
It’s worth noting that continuous feedback has tangible benefits for performance. Research indicates that implementing continuous feedback can lead to a 14% increase in performance on teams, Best Practices for Implementing Continuous Feedback in Remote Work Environments , and nearly 15% higher employee engagement Best Practices for Implementing Continuous Feedback in Remote Work Environments. In a remote work context, where staying aligned can be challenging, those are significant gains. By integrating periodic check-ins and open dialogue, you’re not just addressing issues as they arise; you’re actively building a culture of support and adaptability. Best Practices for Implementing Continuous Feedback in Remote Work Environments. Over time, this habit of clear and open communication turns your virtual assistant into an incredibly efficient extension of you, capable of handling more and more, which is the ultimate goal of delegating.
In summary, don’t treat feedback as a one-off event or something to do only when things go wrong. Make it a regular, normal part of your management of any remote assistant. You’ll cultivate a stronger working relationship, see continuous improvement, and multiply the value you get from your virtual assistant services.
By now, we’ve established that clear communication is vital – and also that it can be challenging for busy executives to maintain. This is where MySigrid’s “human premium” approach truly shines. MySigrid is a premium executive assistant service that not only provides you with a dedicated remote assistant, but also wraps a support system around that relationship to remove friction points and keep communication flowing. Let’s look at how MySigrid supports clear and consistent communication, making it easier for business owners to maximize their remote talent.
One standout feature of MySigrid is that every client gets a dedicated Customer Success Manager (CSM) in addition to their assistant. The CSM’s role is to facilitate communication, onboarding, and ongoing alignment between you and your virtual executive assistant. Think of them as a combination of concierge and project manager for your assistant relationship. According to MySigrid, “professional and experienced CSMs will guide you through the process and be there for you from the moment you first interact with MySigrid.” MySigrid | Premium Executive & Personal Assistance. Your CSM is your point of contact who ensures that all your requirements are understood and met.
How does this help? For one, it takes a lot of the uncertainty out of getting started with a remote assistant. The CSM will lead an in-depth onboarding process where they gather your preferences, objectives, and work style. They’ll ask the questions you might not have thought to mention – whether it’s your preferred communication cadence, how you like your travel itineraries formatted, or pet peeves to avoid. This systematic preference gathering is part of MySigrid’s structured onboarding, which includes setting up “clear communication protocols” from day one. From Day One to Done: The Truth About Executive Assistant Onboarding. By proactively capturing these details, the CSM sets up your assistant to hit the ground running.
Furthermore, the Customer Success Manager oversees the work your assistant does and ensures quality standards are maintained. MySigrid’s CSMs are typically experienced executive assistants themselves who manage a small team of EAs. They “oversee the work of several VAs to ensure adherence to standard procedures” and even conduct continuous training. Sigrid Review - Sigrid Virtual Assistant Ratings and Reviews. They’re like a coach, making sure your assistant is communicating properly, following best practices, and adjusting to your feedback. The CSM also serves as a backup point of contact – if at any point you have an issue or a special request, you have a direct line to someone who will handle it. This means you never have to wonder how or when to give feedback; you can simply tell your CSM, who will ensure it’s documented and acted upon. By creating this layer of support, MySigrid removes the common friction point of clients not knowing how to manage or correct a VA. You’re essentially “hiring the sum total of their team’s expertise” and not just one person. Sigrid Review - Sigrid Virtual Assistant Ratings and Reviews, which is incredibly reassuring for first-time VA users.
Another way MySigrid ensures long-term alignment is through meticulous knowledge management. As you work with your virtual assistant, preferences and feedback accumulate, and MySigrid makes sure nothing gets lost. They use a centralized platform (the MySigrid Communication & Task Management App), which includes a feature called the Client Fact Book (CFB). This is essentially a continuously updated knowledge base of each client’s preferences, instructions, and feedback. MySigrid’s virtual assistants “record all gathered information, including unique preferences, in the Client Fact Book.” Sigrid Review - Sigrid Virtual Assistant Ratings and Reviews.
Why is this powerful? For one, it means your assistant (and the supporting team) never forgets your key preferences. Did you give feedback about how you like your email responses phrased, or the seating preference for flights? It goes into the CFB. If you mention once that you prefer reports in a certain template, that detail is captured. This eliminates the frustrating repetition that can happen with other assistants – you won’t find yourself having the same conversation about your preferences over and over. Everything is documented for reference.
Secondly, the CFB provides seamless continuity. If your dedicated assistant is sick, on vacation, or even if you eventually get paired with a new assistant, the next person can step in fully up to speed. Because all the important knowledge has been captured, “another VA can step in and deliver the same level of personalized service with meticulous attention to detail.” Sigrid Review - Sigrid Virtual Assistant Ratings and Reviews. For the client, this is huge: your service doesn’t miss a beat, and you don’t have to re-train a new person from scratch. It’s clear communication turned into lasting documentation, ensuring you always have an assistant who knows what to do.
Additionally, the MySigrid task management app itself is designed to streamline communication. It gives a structured overview of all tasks you’ve delegated, tracks progress, and even monitors turnaround times MySigrid | Premium Executive & Personal Assistance. Instead of scattered emails and messages, you have a dashboard where both you and the assistant can see the status of requests. This transparency removes friction in communication – you never wonder “Has that task been done?” because you can see it, and you can easily add comments or adjustments on a task card. It’s a bit like having Trello/Asana combined with a messaging tool, tailored specifically for the executive-assistant workflow. By using such a platform, MySigrid ensures that communication is organized and centralized rather than ad hoc. As they describe it, “the MySigrid Assistant Task Management app enables smooth communication with your dedicated Executive Assistant, providing a well-organized overview of all the tasks you’ve delegated.” MySigrid | Virtual Executive Assistant, MySigrid | Virtual Executive Assistant. When communication flows through a consistent system, nothing falls through the cracks.
MySigrid’s communication-focused approach doesn’t stop at onboarding; it’s built for the long game. Their Quality Management Team provides another layer, enforcing quality control and making sure “no task gets lost during delegation” and that client preferences are meticulously managed MySigrid | Premium Executive & Personal Assistance. In practice, this means there are eyes on your account to catch any potential miscommunication or decline in service quality before it becomes a problem. If you forget to give feedback, they might proactively ask for it. If your needs evolve, they’ll adapt the documentation and possibly suggest a plan upgrade or a different approach, rather than letting misalignment grow. The idea is to ensure a successful journey with MySigrid from start to finish MySigrid | Premium Executive & Personal Assistance.
Friction points that typically hinder remote working relationships are addressed head-on by this model. For example:
In essence, MySigrid creates a communication ecosystem around the client-VA relationship: a dedicated CSM to guide and keep things aligned, a knowledge base to retain every important detail, a team to support the assistant, and tools to streamline daily interactions. This approach eliminates many of the pain points that often cause business owners to underutilize their virtual assistants. Instead of worrying about miscommunications or having to constantly follow up, you can trust the system and focus on higher-level work.
For entrepreneurs and executives, this kind of support is invaluable. It means you’re not just hiring a virtual assistant in isolation; you’re gaining a partner in making remote delegation work. MySigrid’s focus on clear communication and feedback ensures that over time, your assistant only gets better and more in sync with your needs, which is exactly what you want when outsourcing administrative support and executive tasks.
Clear communication isn’t a “nice to have” when working with a virtual assistant – it’s absolutely essential for success. By setting crystal-clear expectations, maintaining regular check-ins, and fostering an open feedback culture, you empower your virtual or executive assistant to deliver their best work. Entrepreneurs and executives who master this will find that a VA can be a game-changing asset, helping them delegate tasks effectively, save hours each week, and focus on strategic priorities. On the other hand, neglecting communication can lead to misunderstandings, underutilization of your assistant, and wasted opportunities to scale.
The good news is that you don’t have to figure it all out alone. Services like MySigrid specialize in making remote support truly work for busy leaders by removing the typical friction points. They provide the human support (through Customer Success Managers and a trained team) and the systems (like knowledge bases and task apps) to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. It’s a “human premium” approach – combining top-notch people with smart processes – that can give you the best of both worlds: the efficiency of outsourcing and the personalization of an in-house team member. As a result, working with a MySigrid virtual assistant vs. a full-time employee doesn’t feel like a compromise; it feels like an advantage.
If you’re ready to reclaim your time and boost your productivity through clear communication and strategic delegation, take action now. Check out MySigrid to learn more about how a world-class remote executive assistant can fit into your organization. You can also connect with Paul Østergaard, the founder of MySigrid, on LinkedIn for insights on leadership and remote team management. When you’re prepared to experience the difference a well-supported virtual assistant can make, don’t hesitate to book a consultation now. In a short, no-obligation call, the MySigrid team will assess your needs and show you how better communication and remote support can help you scale with remote talent faster and more smoothly.
Make clear communication your superpower – with the right partner and habits in place, you’ll be amazed at how effectively a virtual assistant can transform your work life. Here’s to delegating more, achieving more, and stressing less! 🚀
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