QPA Checklists / SOP and Policies

QPA Policies/SOPs/checklist

COMMUNICATION POLICY

Welcome to QPA Virtual Assistants, where communication is the cornerstone of our success. In our dynamic and collaborative work environment, effective communication is not merely a tool but a fundamental value that fosters transparency, innovation, and strong interpersonal relationships. This communication policy serves as a guiding framework to ensure that our employees, contractors, and franchisees engage in open, respectful, and efficient communication. By embracing clear guidelines and best practices outlined herein, we aim to cultivate a workplace culture that values effective communication as an integral component of our shared commitment to excellence. As we embark on this journey together, let this policy be a testament to our dedication to open dialogue, information-sharing, and the collective success of QPA Virtual Assistants.

Response Time Targets

Emails:

Email responses are an important part of maintaining excellent communication. Expectations vary slightly depending on your role within the team:

Full-Time Team Members:

All emails received during working hours should be responded to by 5pm the same day. This applies Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.

Freelancers:

For freelancers, response expectations depend on your working schedule:

On in-office days, emails should be responded to on the same day by 5pm.
Emails received outside of your in-office days should be responded to by the next working in-office day.

Friday Exception

Emails received from 2pm on Fridays and over the weekend can be responded to on Monday, unless marked as urgent.

Urgent or time-sensitive emails should always be prioritised and responded to as soon as possible, regardless of the general time frame.

Phone Calls: Answering phone calls promptly is crucial for good customer service.

It is not always possible to answer the phone immediately as you may be preoccupied.

Calls should be answered immediately.

Missed calls should be returned within 2 hours of the missed call.

Calls coming in after 5pm can be returned the following day, first thing in the morning.

WhatsApp / Team Messaging Platforms (e.g., Slack, ClickUp chat, etc.)

Full-Time Team Members

Messages must be acknowledged or responded to within a maximum of 3 hours during working hours.

Freelancers

On in-office days, respond within 3 hours during working hours.
On non-working days, respond by the next working in-office day, unless previously agreed otherwise for urgent matters.

Urgent messages should always be prioritised regardless of the general response time windows.

Communication Escalation Procedure

1. Level 1:Direct Communication:

Attempt to address the issues directly with the client. Find out why they are not happy and is there something specific they would like to improve the situation?

Encourage open and honest communication with the client to resolve misunderstandings and conflicts at the source.

2. Level 2: Virtual Manager Involvement:

Inform your virtual manager of the issue so they are aware.

If the issue persists and does not seem to be resolved with the client being satisfied, immediately escalate the matter to the virtual manager.

Provide details of the communication problem and any attempted resolutions.

Virtual managers should facilitate resolution and provide guidance if necessary.

3. Level 3: Head virtual assistant:

If the issue remains unresolved, escalate to the head virtual assistant, Bernadette.

Include a summary of the issue, actions taken, and reasons for escalation.

Department heads/team leads should mediate, offer solutions, and ensure communication improvement.

We are going to implement the following response time targets to establish a prompt and robust response time for our clients. They have asked for communication. That does not always mean the task will be done immediately but at least they will remain informed.

Emergency communication Action Plan

In the event that the client has an urgent issue and is unable to contact your virtual assistant you can email / call Nardine who will take note of the urgent matter and escalate it to any available members of the team who can offer support.

Email: admin@qpas.co.uk

Contact number: 0333 345 5486

HOLIDAY POLICY

All leave must be pre-authorised by the Company. Taking leave without authorisation will be considered a gross misconduct offence. Taking leave despite a declined request will be considered a gross misconduct offence. Gross misconduct offences may result in dismissal without notice. Further rules on booking leave from work are given below.

Booking leave

The management needs to be informed 2 weeks before the leave starts and how long the person concerned will be gone for.

Contractors must give notice of their request to take leave. Applications should be sent to the admin assistant via email including dates and duration.

The following notice periods apply to contractors when requesting leave

Period of leave requested / Period of notice required

2 weeks prior to leave.

The admin assistant will notify the employee in writing to confirm whether their request has been granted.

If one person from a particular team is on leave, no one from the same team is allowed to request leave during that period of time.

Contractors should not make any firm travel or accommodation arrangements etc until they have received written confirmation that their request for leave has been granted. There may be circumstances where the Company cannot grant the request, such as operational/staffing requirements. The Company is not liable for any loss incurred by a contractor, such as lost deposits etc, if they incur costs and make commitments prior to receiving confirmation.

There may be more requests than usual for leave that coincide with school holidays/half terms,due to the number of contractors with children of school age.The company will make every effort to accept as many of these requests as possible,but has to have regard to its operations and ensuring there is sufficient cover for all work to be undertaken,considerations which sometimes need to take priority over granting all these types of requests.

Sickness and Holiday

Everyone has the right to holiday when they feel unwell,it is also very important to provide a medical re[port as proof which will be attached to the employees file

Public holidays

The UK and Ghana public holidays are respected by QPA but due to the needs of the business,it may be necessary for a contractor to work on a public holiday.Where this happens,contractors will be entitled to take a day’s leave at another time in the leave year to be agreed with the line manager in accordance with business needs.

Holiday Pay

During annual leave,contractors will receive their normal pay.Untaken leave cannot be carried forward into the next year and will be lost. If this has to be done, the line manager has sole discretion to permit or decline this.

EXPENSE POLICY

1.PURPOSE

This policy sets out the rules for incurring, claiming and reimbursing business expenses at QPA. It exists to ensure that company funds are spent responsibly and that all claims are assessed and processed consistently across the organisation.

2. SCOPE

This policy applies to all employees, contractors and temporary staff who incur expenses on behalf of QPA or QPA clients. It covers all expenditure regardless of value, payment method or business area.

3. GENERAL PRINCIPLES

All expenditure must meet the following standards:

Reasonable — proportionate to the business need and to the value delivered.
Necessary — incurred only where no reasonable alternative exists.
Business-related — directly connected to QPA or QPA client activity.

Employees are expected to exercise the same care with company funds as they would with their own.

4. PRE-APPROVAL

All expenses must be approved in advance by the VAM, or by the employee's line manager where a VAM is not applicable. Approval must be obtained before the expense is incurred.

Expenses incurred without prior approval may be declined for reimbursement at management's discretion.

5.SUBMISSION VIA TOGGL

All expense claims must be uploaded and submitted through Toggl. Each claim must include:

An itemised receipt for every expense claimed.
A clear statement of the business purpose of the expense.
The date on which the expense was incurred.

Claims submitted outside of Toggl, or submitted without the required documentation, will not be processed.

6. TRAVEL

6.1 Internal Travel (Local to your Jurisdiction)

Standard London travel, including regular commuting, is not ordinarily reimbursable. Employees are expected to use the most cost-effective transport option available.

Travel time and travel costs incurred from home for client-related travel are covered under this policy.

6.2 EXTERNAL TRAVEL

For business travel outside London, employees must use bus or rail services wherever practicable. Ride-hailing services, including taxis and providers such as Uber, must not be used unless:

No reasonable bus or rail option is available; or
An exception has been approved in advance under Section 9.

7. OTHER EXPENSES

All costs incurred on behalf of QPA or a QPA client must be approved before any purchase or commitment is made. No expenditure may be committed without prior authorisation, except where an alternative approval arrangement has been formally agreed in advance with the client.

This requirement supports proper cost control, transparency, and alignment with both client and organisational expectations.

8. NON-REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES

The following are not reimbursable under any circumstances:

Standard local commuting and travel (see Section 6.1).
Ride-hailing services, except where an exception has been approved in advance.
Fines of any kind, including parking and traffic penalties.
Personal entertainment unrelated to business activity.

9. EXCEPTIONS

Any exception to this policy, including the use of ride-hailing services or travel falling outside the standard rules, must be approved in advance by the VAM or line manager.

Exceptions sought after the expense has been incurred will not be honoured.

10. REIMBURSEMENT

Approved expenses submitted via Toggl with complete supporting documentation will be reimbursed by bank transfer.

11. COMPLIANCE AND AUDIT

Finance reserves the right to audit any expense claim. Employees found to have submitted claims that bypass pre-approval, fail to use Toggl, or breach the travel rules set out above may have those claims declined and may be subject to further review.

12. POLICY REVIEW

This policy is reviewed periodically to reflect changes in business needs or organisational structure. Questions regarding its application should be directed to QPA Finance.

PASSWORD POLICY

At QPA Virtual Assistants, we recognise that by providing us access to your accounts (e.g., social media, hosting platforms, content management systems), you are entrusting us with sensitive information. This policy explains how we securely handle, store, and use client credentials to protect your data and limit risks.

COLLECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CREDENTIALS

To maintain the highest level of data security, all QPA team members must adhere to the following process for handling passwords and login information:

Personal Password Record Sheet

Each team member is required to create and maintain their own secure Google Sheet to store client and internal credentials.
- This sheet must be kept private and not shared with anyone, including colleagues.
- Access to the sheet should be restricted to the individual team member only.
- The sheet must be stored securely under the individual’s QPA Google Workspace account.
Receiving Credentials

When passwords or login details are provided (by a client, colleague, or through onboarding forms), they should be recorded only in your personal password sheet.
- Do not store or share passwords through WhatsApp, email, or any other unsecured communication channel.
- Do not duplicate, download, or export your password sheet.
Delegated Access (Preferred Method)

Wherever possible, team members should request delegated access to client or shared accounts using their official QPA email address (e.g., via “Add Delegate” or “User Access” permissions).
- This ensures secure access without the need to exchange passwords directly.
- If delegated access cannot be granted due to system limitations, passwords may be accepted and stored securely following this policy.
Updating and Maintenance
- Team members are responsible for ensuring that all stored credentials are accurate and up to date.
- When clients update their login information, you must update your record immediately.
Client Offboarding
- When a client relationship ends, all credentials associated with that client must be deleted immediately from your personal sheet.

CONFIDENTIALITY

All VAs are bound by Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).
Credentials and related client information are never shared outside the scope of the project.