How To Review Virtual Assistant Performance

Why Formal Reviews Help

Day-to-day feedback keeps work on track. Reviews step back and look at the bigger picture: what is improving, what is stuck, and where the relationship is going. They also show your assistant that you take their development seriously, which supports retention. See recognizing and retaining remote talent.

Prepare Before You Meet

Gather:

• KPI results from your scorecard

• Examples of great work and of mistakes

• Feedback you have already given

• Your own reflections: what could you do better as a manager?

• Questions you want to ask

Ask your assistant to prepare too: a short list of accomplishments, challenges, and what they would like to learn.

A Simple Review Agenda (45 Minutes)

1. Warm-up (5 minutes): how are you doing overall?

2. What went well (10 minutes): wins and strengths.

3. What could improve (10 minutes): specific examples and how to fix them.

4. KPI review (5 minutes): trends and targets.

5. Support needed (5 minutes): tools, training, clarity.

6. Goals for next period (10 minutes): two or three concrete goals.

Rate Skills, Not People

Use a simple scale, such as needs improvement, meets expectations, exceeds expectations, and include one example for each rating.

Make It Two-Way

Ask:

• “What could I do to make your work easier?”

• “Where are my instructions unclear?”

• “What would you like to learn or take on next?”

• “Is anything about the schedule or workload a problem?”

The answers often improve your management more than any review of theirs improves them. See how to give feedback to remote employees.

Set SMART Goals

Choose goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example: “Reduce average first response time to under two hours by the end of next month.”

Follow Up

Write a short summary of what was discussed and agreed, and share it within 24 hours. Put goals in your task tool. Check progress in your regular check-ins.

Handling Performance Issues

If problems are serious or persistent, be direct and kind: describe the issue, its impact, and what needs to change by when. Offer support. If it still does not work, see what to do when your virtual assistant is not working out.

Reviews For Customer-Facing Roles

Customer-facing roles benefit from listening to calls or reviewing tickets together. Globaltize’s customer success manager and account manager pages show how performance is typically measured in relationship roles.

What This Looks Like In Practice

A law firm did its first formal review with a remote assistant after three months. They rated four skills, asked two questions about what the firm could do better, and set two goals for the next quarter. The assistant said it was the first time an employer had asked for her feedback. Her work improved, and so did the firm’s instructions.

Reviews went both ways, and that was the point.

They now do a short review every quarter.

A Quick Checklist Before You Start

Before a review, prepare:

• Examples of strong and weak work from the period

• A short list of skills to rate

• Two questions about how you can help them

• One or two goals for the next period

• A follow-up date

See virtual assistant KPIs that matter or how to set expectations.

Questions Owners Ask

How often should I review?

Quarterly for most roles. Monthly during the first three months.

What if the review is mostly negative?

Be specific, give a clear plan, and set a short follow-up. Then follow through.

Next Steps

Schedule your first review for day 30, and tell us who you need. For a sample review structure, Atlassian’s performance review resources may be a useful reference.