R&D Project: The Virtual Assistant’s Pledge
“This pledge demonstrates the commitment I make as a professional Virtual Assistant to my clients and myself.”
We need your help. On the last Future of Virtual Assistance class there was a lot of discussion around the ethics and standards of how Virtual Assistants work with their clients. This intrigued us and so after the call we thought we’d lead the charge - with your help of course - to create a universal “Virtual Assistant’s Pledge”.
We’ve started the process at the Virtually Successful Blog and need your ideas and comments.
Our goal is simple - to create a standard ‘pledge’ that we can share with our clients to create a strong working foundation and peace of mind for both our clients and ourselves.
Go ahead and take a look below at the ‘work in progress draft and comment to let us know:
- What is important to you in making this kind of pledge?
- What would you want to add to the list?
- Anything you would want to ’say differently’?
All comments, edits, tweaks, ideas, yays or nays are welcome…
We look forward to engaging you in the co-creation of this pledge - we simply couldn’t do it without you! Please comment by Friday, August 21st, at which point we’ll scoop-up everything you’ve shared and create a master pledge.
Oh, and we are in the process of having our designer create a really cool new ‘I’ve take the Virtual Assistant’s Pledge’ graphic for you to post on your website and other marketing materials - we think you’ll love it, stayed tuned for details in our next issue.
We’re looking forward to having as many VAs contribute as possible - take a few minutes to comment below and be sure to invite your VA colleagues!
The Virtual Assistant Pledge
This pledge demonstrates the commitment I make as a professional Virtual Assistant. My commitment to my clients:
- I commit to accurately represent my virtual assistant skillset, including my experience level and training.
- I will maintain, store and where necessary properly dispose of any business records created during our working relationship to ensure confidentiality, security and privacy.
- I will implement a Communication Plan with all of my clients to ensure regular communication that will support the relationship.
- I will complete projects and tasks accordingly to the set deadline. If I am unable to meet the deadline, I will let my client know as soon as possible and propose alternate solutions.
- I do not discuss or share information about my clients with any other clients.
- When working with clients in the same industry, I will disclose any potential conflicts of interest and keep all information confidential.
- I commit to discussing and setting guidelines and boundaries that work best for both me and my clients to ensure we understand each others expectations.
- I will not take on tasks or projects that require skills I do not have.
- I will acknowledge my mistakes, look for solutions to fix them immediately and verbally discuss this with my client.
- If an email or situation upsets me, I will wait until my emotions have subsided before I respond. I will then request verbal communication to discuss the situation. (not sure about this one?)
- I will be professional and respectful in all my communications with my clients – including email correspondence, instant messages, phone discussions, text messages, voicemail messages etc. – and expect the same in return from my clients.
- Where possible I will do my best to complete requests with tight or immediate deadlines outside of our agreed upon turnaround times, and will let you know if I’m unable to accommodate any of these requests.
- I will consult with my VA network and other resources as appropriate to research new tools, skills and get answers where needed.
- I will provide appropriate notice and plan for backup if I will be unavailable to my clients due to vacation or illness.
- I understand that I am to bill only for time actually spent working, and will not charge for any training or preparation time outside of the agreed upon task.
We look forward to your comments below.
Tags: Virtual Assistant commitment, Virtual Assistant pledge
August 8th, 2009 at 8:00 am
I have read your Pledge and see striking similarities to the VA Core Competencies created by representatives of several industry-wide VA organizations and training programs and presented to the VA industry at the OIVAC in 2007-2008. These competencies are available at the Alliance for Virtual Businesses web site: http://allianceforvirtualbiz.com/resources/free_downloads/core_competencies_for_emerging_vas_498_514.html.
It is my opinion that we should have unified industry-accepted competencies, standards, pledges, etc., which is why the Core Competencies Committee was created and received wide acceptance. I believe your attempts to create an industry-wide pledge needs to be presented/accepted by industry organizations and VAs worldwide. Otherwise, unfortunately, it will become just another exercise in futility.
August 9th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
WOW, very innovative and inclusive. Cannot think of one thing to suggest!
August 9th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Here is a suggested addition: “I will invest time to learn new skills to assist my clients more effectively for long term success.”
Also, note sure about the above either: “If an email or situation upsets me…”
Thanks!
August 9th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Thank you for writing this pledge - I think that for the most part it’s great! I would NOT include this bullet:
“If an email or situation upsets me, I will wait until my emotions have subsided before I respond. I will then request verbal communication to discuss the situation.”
It doesn’t add anything and actually brings up negative thoughts and emotions. I think the bullet below that one states it quite nicely.
Thanks!
Tia
August 11th, 2009 at 11:54 am
This is a great start!
My question: How will this become a universal or standard pledge? Are you in contact with the organizations/associations to arrange coordination and implementation, or will this be like other pledges and Code of Ethics already in existence?
August 11th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Thanks for your comments everyone - great to get your feedback and thoughts.
We aren’t actually looking for this to compete with existing associations or other groups, as there is certainly some great stuff out there already. Rather, we are looking at it as being a simple way to share with clients by saying ‘ive taken the pledge - here is my commitment to you’… they can then visit the site, read the pledge and understand what you stand for and how you work with your clients.
Our goal is to keep it simple, and give you guys a tool that can help foster strong relationships with new and existing clients.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Hello! Great list!
I agree that the “If an email or situation upsets me” line should be left out. It is a huge negative. Keep things positive!
Will VA’s be permitted to copy/paste the list to their own websites as well?
I feel the ’skills’ comment should say “Where appropriate, I will invest time to learn new skills to assist my clients more effectively for long term success.” For example, I am not a bookeeper and don’t claim to be, and I would therefore not invest time to learn accounting skills as it really isn’t my forte!
August 17th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Looks interesting but I have a few edits to suggest — writing is “my thing” and I can’t keep from critiquing everything I read.
*In the 2nd bullet, I suggest rewording it to say “…in a manner that protects” rather than “to ensure.”
*in the 4th bullet, I believe it should be “according to” not “accordingly to”
*in the 5th bullet, I suggest making this say “…about my clients.” Period. Not just with other clients, but with anybody!
*I agree with those who have suggested deleting the item about not responding emotionally to upsetting situations. Best to leave that out, and as Tia said, the next point covers it.
*I also think you should delete the bullet that’s 4th from the bottom, that begins, “Where possible I will do my best to complete…” The 4th bullet point pretty much says the same thing and it doesn’t seem necessary to rephrase it.
Just my 2 cents.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
I think the concept is great and I wonder if you have or plan to take it to the VA Core Competencies Committee so that it does have greater impact/value. And if you haven’t, why not? I understand you’re not competing; however, it certainly could benefit many others across the various VA organizations. I think it would have more value if it comes from a recognized alliance of organizations–more “teeth” if you will.
I do see the value in having something like this and I might even utilize it myself but suggest you research the VA Core Competencies as Sharon said. Additionally, I would definitely want something grammatically correct to reflect my professionalism. Fourth bulleted item, I think should be “according” not “accordingly”. (Probably just a typo!)
I would omit the one about email upsetting me….but include #3 above from Jen about on-going learning and improvement.
In the item about tight or immediate deadlines, I would somehow include verbiage that made it clear this should be kept to a minimum, or infrequent emergency-type requests. Unfortunately, to some clients, everything has a tight or immediate deadline!
Lastly, I would omit “I understand that I am to bill…” and simply state that “I will bill…” Who are we understanding from? We don’t have someone else dictating to us any given procedure so we “understand.”
Don’t take this personally! I tend to get a little picky and you did ask for comments! Thanks for putting this together.
August 17th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
thanks ladies! and no worries - we certainly don’t take anything personally so bring it on.
and edits are welcome, we freely admit that we aren’t always gramatically correct and appreciate that input indeed!
August 17th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
We have a standars of presence for our VAs that does include a lot of this. Ours includes:
*I believe continuing education is critical to the continued support and growth of our clients and our company*
I’d change the last bullet to *I will bill only for time…* instead of I understand
Our confidentiality line is:
*I will hold all client records, interactions, and non-public industry information at the highest level of confidentiality.
August 17th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I agree with the other ladies. Especially about the grammar and leaving out the bullet re: upsetting email. My first thought when I read it was “someone has had some form of negative interaction via email with a client”. We don’t want to give any indication or send up red flags that a VA would reply negatively to a client in the first place. After all we are in the “Good Customer Service” business.
August 17th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I have identified a couple of issues with this pledge. This is going to be a long post:
- Readability first - sentences refer to “my client”, “my clients”, “you” and “our”. I would suggest that each sentence be written in one person - either to one client or to all clients. Does that make sense?
- I would combine the 8th bullet point with the 1st, as I see it as an extension of the skillset issue. But a more important sticking point with this bullet is that some VAs tell a client they have a certain skill they don’t because they intend to sub-contract that task to someone who does. The VAs then split the revenue. As long as the customer gets the product he/she is looking for, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing.
- I would add a requirement for daily back-up of client records and perhaps even some assurances of off-site storage in case of emergency.
- What is a Communication Plan? I’ve never heard of this before. Does anyone have a template?
- How about changing “set deadline” in bullet 4 to “negotiated deadline”. We’ve all had a client come to us with unrealistic deadlines. And bullet 12 seems to be an extension of bullet 4.
- Again, bullets 5 and 6 seem to be extensions of each other.
- The 7th bullet point should read “my clients and me”. But, this is another bullet that we cannot necessarily fulfill. There may be times when a client wants something that I either cannot or will not do because I feel it’s unethical, dangerous, or just bad business. This could be interpreted as “I will do whatever my client tells me to do” and that’s not necessarily the case.
- I would drop the word “verbally” from the 8th bullet point. Sometimes these things are better addressed in writing than over the phone.
- The 9th bullet point seems to me to be an extension of the first one.
- I definitely would remove the 10th bullet point.
- I really like the 11th bullet point, although I don’t know that it’s necessary to list all the different types of communications we may have with our clients.
- The 12th bullet point seems to me to be an extension of bullet 4.
- The 13th bullet point could be taken as a contradiction of the 1st bullet point. And bullet 15 seems to me to be an extension of bullet 13. Besides all that, I’m not sure that it adds anything to this pledge. And I’ve had clients pay for me to learn a new skill – I’m certainly not going to turn down that kind of opportunity to improve my skillset if it’s on offer.
- I don’t know how many of us have back-ups when we are on vacation or ill. I try instead to negotiate with my clients to take vacation during their slow times or while they’re on vacation, too.
Finally, I like the idea of a VA pledge, but are we reinventing the wheel? Both the IVAA and CVAC websites include a Code of Ethics, which to me would be a lot more meaningful to my clients than a pledge.
Anyway, that’s my input. Thank you for providing this opportunity to comment.
Best regards,
Phyllis Harber-Murphy CAP
More Than 9 2 5 Virtual Assistance
http://www.morethan925.com
August 17th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I too agree with much of the feed back stated above
August 17th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Hi all:
I think it is important to add that as Virtual Assistants, we will not chat online in public forums, social media sites about any conflicts related to our clients or other VA’s. Mention something about not gossiping or slandering anyone (client, vendor, other VA;s), and add, “to believe the best in each other, and to look for the good in each situation/person” etc.
I trust you will get the right wording down!
August 17th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
First off I think this is a wonderful idea and as I group I feel that this could assist us in appearing more as a professional business group vs. some typists with limited skills
The comments I would suggest would be:
•I will not take on tasks or projects that require skills I do not have.
(Modify to skills that my business does not have)
•If an email or situation upsets me, I will wait until my emotions have subsided before I respond. I will then request verbal communication to discuss the situation. (not sure about this one?)
(I would remove - as I feel this is common sence and we all as business people should do this and having it as part of a pledge almost appears immature)
Again I think this is wonderful. Thanks for allowing me to comment
August 17th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
I agree with Phyllis’s suggestions and others that have replied. Not much to say after the previous posters. I do however look forward to see what Virtually Successful has to offer the VA industry.
August 18th, 2009 at 12:32 am
I agree with much that has been said before. Bullets 8, 9 and 10 all have a negative connection in my opinion. I would leave 10 out completly (”If an email or situation upsets me, I will wait until my emotions have subsided before I respond. I will then request verbal communication to discuss the situation. (not sure about this one?)”). I think “I will act and communicate professionally in all I do” should cover that. I would rewrite “I will not take on tasks or projects that require skills I do not have.” to “I will represent my skills and experience appropriately and only accept tasks or projects that require skills I have.” Keep the pledge positiv. The same with “I will acknowledge my mistakes, look for solutions to fix them immediately and verbally discuss this with my client.” It implies that mistakes are common. If I work professionally, I will make sure the client has no issues and solve his/her problems. I would remove the bullet.
Great idea and work. I am looking forward to the end result.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:57 am
I am very impressed by all of these postings and I especially like the way Phyllis Harber-Murphy expressed her feedback. I think the option of being able to upload a graphic with a link to this final piece onto our websites is a great idea. You guys are amazing!
August 18th, 2009 at 11:16 am
I will commit to accurately represent my client and make s/he work shine for s/he superiors or other businesses to marvel with my virtual assistant skillset, including my experience level and training.
August 20th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Good work, well done.
Ditto most of the previous comments.
Would add that for the UK, Code of Ethics as opposed to Pledge is a more appropriate term.
How will this align to all the other pledges/code of ethics - e.g. USA/Canada/Australia etc?
Other than that, would be proud to sign up to this - presumably, will be able to include on web pages etc.
All the best
Cay Moore-Amaadzie
ACE-AS Business Solutions
August 21st, 2009 at 10:20 am
Great work ladies and great feedback! This is headed in the right direction! One thing to add: ‘I will promote and/or represent the VA industry with the utmost professionalism.’
August 22nd, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Hi everyone,
I like this pledge but I am a little hesitate about this one:
I understand that I am to bill only for time actually spent working, and will not charge for any training or preparation time outside of the agreed upon task.
My reason: some clients want you to learn a new skill and if it requires time and money spent when you feel the skill will not benefit you only the client then why not charge for it.
For example: a receptionist works for an accounting firm and they want her to learn Quickbooks to help during tax season. They would pay for your classes. eh?
Well just a thought.
Thanks,
Tania Lopez
Tech Savvy VA