Why Our VAs Truly Understand the Fitness Business Owner

Training simulates what to expect from clients and actual hours working for a box or F45 studio

The virtual assistant industry is a relatively new concept in the business environment, therefore, hiring VAs could potentially be a hit or a miss. Because of the lack of a physical office, it’s difficult to closely monitor VAs and contrarily, VAs need to have a high level of discipline to constantly seek improvements in their careers.

That’s why at VA Fit, we are committed to hiring the best VAs that excel in their positions and responsibilities so that our clients get the best service from hard-working, experienced VAs.

The Hiring Process: SKILL, WILL, AND FIT

VA Fit generally follows the “Will, Skill, Fit” process wherein we look at the most important qualities that meet our standards of an exceptional VA.

VA Fit initially hires candidates based on hard skills, which is half of the “skill” category. But our main focus is the candidates’ soft skills— primarily their communication abilities and dedication for customer service. In a remote environment, it’s an absolute must to be able to communicate their thoughts efficiently and effectively. This means communication between managers and VAs as well as clients and VAs.

Next, we look at the equally as important characteristic, which is “will.” After all, it’s easy to train people for technical knowledge and abilities but their willingness to learn will be the telltale measure of how well the VA will do at our company.

Then, we look at “fit,” not necessarily in the company work culture itself, but rather, the candidates’ ability to adjust to working in the remote environment. VAs have no set structures, therefore they need to be disciplined enough to be able to stay organised.

In the end, we hire candidates that are able to provide remarkable service to their clients and accomplish their tasks on time. We also expect them to work efficiently with their clients and are not reluctant to go above and beyond what they are asked to do. And of course, previous background in a fitness center or passion for fitness is a bonus.

Training Programmes

After hiring, we put our successful VA hires through a one-month training programme where they are tested for communication skills. We also teach them the membership management softwares, which they will be using often for fitness centers.

After the one month, they undergo a one-week immersion programme where they test their knowledge working with local CrossFit box or fitness studios.

The Importance of Communication

VA Fit makes it a top priority to teach our VAs communication skills: as the job lacks a physical office, it is key to be proactive on both ends and constantly asking for feedback. Without proper communication, there is no other way to know how to calibrate with our VAs so that we could move forward and improve our service further. As much as possible, we try to eliminate as much guesswork as we can.

VA Fit has team leaders that work with VAs and will regularly meet with them to bring each other up to date on their current responsibilities and any other concerns. We also have an inventive scheme wherein we send our VAs to meet their clients in person (which is typically abroad), given that they provide them with exceptional service.

Being in the remote work industry, VA Fit has to set extra measures to make sure that we get the best talent available. Though they are not physically in the same office as our clients’, they play an important role in their business and thus, they should perform the same level as that of a regular employee.