Mitul Palan Blog - Is Your Business Ready to Work With Virtual Assistants?

Though working with virtual assistants has become common now, still there are many entrepreneurs who fear appointing a virtual team for their business. The reasons are varied for different persons, but the most common is handing over access of sensitive information to a person who will be working remotely for your business. Entrusting a person whom you have never met in person can be really difficult. But does it mean you will never work with virtual assistants even when you need them the most? Certainly not! Instead, you can be cautious while working with a virtual team, so that your sensitive business data is not misused in any way. Mitul Palan, a reliable name in the BPO industry has worked for over 17 years in the market and feels that virtual assistants are necessary for any business that wants to grow. Not working with them is not the right solution, rather working with caution is.

If you plan to hire a virtual assistant soon, then implement the following ways to secure your business from any unethical activity.

Create stringent security norms  

Before you start assigning work to the virtual assistant, make sure you have set strict security guidelines related to your business data. It will be better if you explicitly express the security policies and get it signed by the concerned person. This will prevent the virtual assistant from breaching the terms stated in the policy. Apart from setting a security policy, you can also allow a restricted access to relevant files to the virtual team. In most of the cases, the virtual assistants are genuine and this is the reason they existed in the industry for so long, so you can trust them. But if you are still skeptic, then you can set passwords for the files and make it clear to the concerned person that he is allowed to use only selected files that will help him in the assigned work. You can also create a system, where you can keep an eye on the files your virtual assistant is using and at what time.

Don’t hand over all your precious credentials 

Many people commit the mistake of giving away all the login credentials to the virtual assistant. If the assigned work is such that you need to hand over the login credentials, then update your system in advance that allows a restricted scope of work to the virtual team members. This way, the major responsibility will vest on you only and you will remain content while sharing the ID and password of your system. Mitul Palan, Mumbai has seen many successful entrepreneurs creating separate login id’s for different working personnel having restricted function scope depending on the designation of the user. This is the most viable option available and you should definitely try it. By doing so, you can also keep a check whether the virtual team is working within their work scope or not. System alteration may require your time and money, but at the end, it will be worth it.

Never share your sensitive financial data with them

If you have to travel frequently for business purposes, and you want your virtual assistant to take care of your travel, hotel, and other bookings, then don’t hand him over your internet banking details. It is better you open a separate account for your virtual assistant and deposit the required amount just before the task needs to be done. Online bank transfer gets completed within seconds, so your time will not be wasted in doing so. Alternatively, you can ask your finance department to transfer the required amount to his account. This is the safest option you can opt for without compromising on the work. Financial security is very crucial and no one can take a chance with it. Virtual assistants are trusted and reliable persons to work with, yet you can follow these points to stay on a safe side and remain calm.

Take care of your Intellectual Property Rights

Whether you are into a website designing business or a jewelry business, you should always opt for taking copyright and patents for all your work being done by your virtual and non-virtual team members. This will prevent others from stealing your exclusive ideas and using it elsewhere. You can also make the virtual assistant aware of your copyright and patent policies so that there remain zero chances of infringement. Mitul Palan, co-founder of Brainworks Private Limited has seen many entrepreneurs following this step, as a virtual assistant knows various crucial details of your business and no one wants to take a chance in this regard.

Get an agreement signed by your virtual assistant    

You must have seen many employers asking for signing an agreement related to their data security. The agreement explicitly states that if the person shares the businesses internal information with any third-party then he will liable for a legal action. Mitul Palan, Mumbai also believes that being legally bound to the data security clause can reduce the chances of infringement. Be careful while choosing the virtual assistant, as every country has its own laws related to copyright and patents. Careful selection can put you on the safe side in the long run.