We do a lot of virtual diary management for our clients and if you’re looking for a free online calendar we absolutely love Google calendar.  But making diary management work effectively between a virtual PA and a client isn’t as simple as choosing an online calendar and getting on with it.  In order for it to work successfully there are a few things you should consider if you’re thinking of having a virtual assistant manage your diary.

1. Make your virtual PA aware of any standard structure you have in your week.  So, for example, do you like to finish early on Fridays?  Do you try to keep one day a week free of any appointments in order to catch up on other aspects of your business? 

2. Let your virtual PA know about your time management style.  Some people are happy to have 5 meetings packed into one day with a minimum amount of time in between, whereas some would find this kind of pressured schedule a bit stressful.  Some may prefer to have no more than 2 meetings a day.  It’s up to you, but make your preferences clear to your virtual PA from the start and you should avoid any future problems. 

3. Make sure you actually use the online calendar.  It sounds obvious but if you are just converting to an online calendar from another system, then you may find initially that it takes a little time to get into the habit of using a new system.  But it’s essential that both you and your virtual PA are looking at the same version of your calendar.  If not there are endless possibilities for doublebookings and errors.

4. If you like diary entries ordered in a particular way or to contain particular details then let your virtual PA know.  By default we always put in the contact name for the meeting, the location address, any relevant directions and notes that we may have about the meeting.  But everyone is different so if there’s something specific you like to see in your calendar just tell your virtual PA. 

5. Don’t be afraid to delegate.  Handing over your diary to be managed by someone else does require a certain degree of trust.  There’s no point in giving your virtual assistant one meeting to book and telling her specifically what day and time she can book it in.  If you’re going into that degree of detail then you might as well just call up and book the meeting yourself.  You need to have the confidence in your virtual assistant to be able to say “I want meetings set up with these 10 people over the next couple of months, book them in” and to let her (or him) get on with it.  That’s really saving you time because you’ve delegated with confidence. 

The real key to effective diary management is to have clear, specific guidelines about how you like your day managed at the start of the working relationship.  Like all types of virtual working, much of its success depends on good communication between client and virtual assistant.