Training Time - To Charge or not to Charge?

I’ve seen some discussions recently in the Virtual Assisting Industry over the topic of charging your clients for training time. In my opinion, the answer is sometimes yes, but sometimes, no. Simply put:

Billable training:

*Time I spend with the client training on their specific systems, policies and procedures.

*Time I spend developing these things if the client does not already have them in place.

*Time I spend learning proprietary software and systems. For example, if the client has a CRM that has been developed specifically for their company, I am not going to be able to use this for any other client. It won’t take me as long to learn it as someone with no CRM experience and that does benefit the client, however I still have to learn it.

Non-billable training:

*Learning industry standard software such as Microsoft Office products, Internet Explorer, and Vista.

*These are “tools of the trade” and the client has the right to expect that I have these basic fundamental skills. I will be able to use them for most, if not all of my clients so who should pay for that? I should. It is an investment in my business.

Those are the guidelines I use but whatever policies you set, be sure you communicate them clearly to your clients so that there are no misunderstandings. Remember, these are not going to be the same with every VA so don’t assume your client knows your policies regarding training time or anything else.

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