Strategies For Keeping a Good Airbnb Virtual Assistant

To help you retain a good Airbnb virtual assistant, we have put together a list of 7 tips to help you build a strong working relationship and keep your virtual assistant for the long term.

1. Provide clear and realistic expectations

Identify your virtual assistant’s job duties, responsibilities, and expectations from the beginning by setting an Airbnb virtual assistant job description. Should they only do responding to guest inquiries or concerns? Will they also do promoting your Airbnb units on social media? Is basic accounting part of the job? These are the things that need to be established from the get-go.

Discuss with your assistant their work schedule and your expected targets. And lastly, make an agreement regarding communication preferences as no employee working remotely appreciates being bombarded with messages from all communication channels. 

2. Offer a positive work environment 

Even if they are working remotely, you still have to provide a positive work environment to your Airbnb administrative assistant. Aside from giving them the right tools and resources, treat them as team members – not just independent contractors. If there’s anyone else, introduce your assistant to the other people involved in your Airbnb. Don’t just foster a supportive and collaborative work culture, but also encourage a healthy work-life balance.

3. Pay your Airbnb virtual assistant on time

As an Airbnb host, it’s crucial to establish clear expectations regarding payment for your virtual assistant. Set the day in the month when they should be expecting their pay. Failure to pay on time is a common reason why employees leave their work. 

Consistent and timely payment is a motivating factor that encourages virtual assistants to stay with your Airbnb, rather than seek employment with competitors. It’s important to prioritize paying your VA on time to avoid losing them to other Airbnb hosts.

4. Give regular feedback

Offer regular feedback to your Airbnb virtual assistant, both positive and constructive, to help them stay on track and develop their skills. You can use objective performance metrics, such as booking targets and guest reviews to evaluate your remote assistant’s performance.

5. Be concerned about their growth and development

Like all employees, virtual assistants value the chance to grow and develop professionally. You can support their professional growth by shouldering the expenses of virtual assistant training programs or seminars related to short-term rentals where they can get additional skills and also certifications. You can also provide them with new responsibilities to broaden their skillset. 

6. Offer yearly salary appraisal 

Your dollar value is already a lot stronger compared to the currency of your Airbnb virtual assistant. But still, do not lowball a very good assistant. Maintain a competitive wage or salary that reflects their current experience and skills. If your assistant is really good, they already know their worth as well as the standard salary for someone working remotely from their country. Giving a merited increase in their salary can help demonstrate that you value their work and are committed to their success.

7. Communicate openly and simply

Make sure to keep the communication with your virtual assistant open and collaborative. It’s just crucial in any working relationship, especially in short-term rentals where miscommunication is the usual problem between Airbnb hosts and guests.  It is important to schedule regular check-ins and promote transparent communication to maintain alignment and address any concerns or problems promptly.