If you are a one-man band or part of a larger Virtual Assistant organisation, there is a small chance that at least once in your career you will come across some challenging situations that need input from others.  We’re sharing 4 ways to keep your business on track:

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage like Dropbox is great as a way to ensure you have your files backed up.  You should have copies on your local computer but if you find that a file becomes corrupt or compromised then this is where Cloud Storage is brilliant.   Head to Dropbox.com and you can search Version history for the compromised or deleted file.  You can find the right one, restore it.  There are other Cloud Storage options out there so do make sure you know how to retrieve deleted files in case something happens.  Google Cloud for example have a step-by-step guide for backing up data for disaster recovery.

Website Hacked

Prepare yourself in case your website is hacked.  Clues like error messages saying “The Site Ahead Contains Malware” or in the Google search a flag stating “This Website May Be Hacked”.  Follow a simple checklist so you can get back online quickly:

• If you aren’t the website owner, inform them and of course your web designer
• Check the website’s security software, installed or updated relevant plugins to prevent future attacks
• Check the backups of the website
• Change the password
• Log into Google Console to see what the issues are

Follow our in-depth article for more tips – How to Fix Your Hacked Website

Negative Comments

If your business receives a negative review online or comment on social media, what do you do?

• Remain positive in our response
• Respond in a timely manner
• Acknowledge the comment, apologise and then take the conversation offline to deal with the finer details

However, you may find that sometimes that a series of negative reviews can affect your online presence.  It is therefore important to control the message that you want the public and target audience to see about your business.  This is called Online Reputation Management and can be managed through positive social media and careful monitoring of review sites.

Communication Breakdown

As Virtual Assistants, communication is key.  Make sure you have heard clients’ instructions correctly so you don’t carry out tasks incorrectly. Check with the client (in writing is best) before going ahead with any task, and check in along the way.

Virtual Assistants are the backbone to many businesses and if we share our knowledge then together we can be stronger.  What key piece of advice would you give that has kept your business on track?  Share your stories with us on Twitter @RedDeskVirtual.