Working together
Your First Month With a Virtual Assistant: What to Expect
A good first month starts before the first task is handed over. Your assistant needs clear responsibilities, useful instructions, and a way to check decisions with you. You need to know what is happening and where the time is going.
In this guide
Start with a conversation about the actual work
Bring two or three responsibilities that keep landing back on your list. Explain what happens now, where the delays are, and what you would like to improve. Examples are helpful: a recurring scheduling problem, a follow-up that gets missed, or information that needs to be kept current.
The discovery call is a chance to discuss fit. It does not purchase a package or guarantee a particular start date. We discuss your priorities, budget, preferred working hours, and any requirements that affect the role.
Agree on the scope before sharing access
Your written proposal should make the working arrangement clear. At Lazar & Company, we confirm the assistant’s location, the agreed working window, responsibilities, fees, and permitted access before the service month begins. A signed agreement and payment come before access is granted.
- Choose the recurring tasks and put them in priority order.
- Confirm the monthly assistant hours and separate account oversight allowance.
- Agree on communication, response expectations, and who makes decisions.
- Identify the accounts, examples, and instructions needed for the first tasks.
- Confirm what is outside the scope and how additional work is approved.
Use the kickoff to make the handoff clear
Standard onboarding includes a kickoff call of up to 45 minutes and the initial handoff of up to two agreed tasks. These use the first month’s included account oversight allowance. The time spent executing your tasks uses assistant hours.
Choose tasks with a clear process and a result you can check. Walk through a completed example, explain what matters, and show how to flag an exception. Use individual accounts and limited permissions. A shared password manager can help you avoid putting credentials into ordinary messages.
There is no standard VA setup fee. Complex migrations and additional onboarding are discussed and quoted separately. If your business needs a large amount of preparation, identify that before the work starts.
Review the first completed work
The first few tasks help both sides learn the process. Check the work against the example you provided. Give specific feedback: what was correct, what needs changing, and which decisions should come back to you next time.
Update the instructions when a question reveals a missing step. That makes the next handoff easier and reduces the need to explain the same preference repeatedly. Keep a human approval step for sensitive actions and anything outside the assistant’s agreed authority.
Use weekly summaries to manage the workload
Our VA plans include weekly activity and hours summaries. Use them to see what has been completed, what is waiting for your input, and how much time remains. Raise changes in priority early, especially if a task turns out to involve more work than expected.
A monthly allowance is a time budget, not unlimited availability. If the workload grows, discuss which responsibilities come first and whether the plan should change. Extra hours and third-party costs require approval. Unused assistant hours expire at the end of the service month.
Review the fit before the next month
Look at the quality of the work, the clarity of communication, and whether the agreed responsibilities are getting consistent attention. Decide what to keep, what to simplify, and whether another task is ready to hand over.
Monthly fees are paid in advance. There is no annual commitment under our standard plans, and cancellation requires 14 days’ notice before renewal. Review your agreement for the terms that apply to your assignment. If you expect to change or end the plan, raise that before the notice deadline.
What to prepare for your discovery call
- A short list of the work you want to hand off.
- The tools you already use and the hours when you need support.
- An example of a completed task or a simple checklist.
- Your budget and any location or access requirements.
You do not need a perfect operations manual to begin the conversation. Start with a clear description of the work. The task list, responsibilities, and handoff can then be agreed together.