What can a virtual assistant do?

I often get a lot of questions on the difference between me and a virtual assistant (VA). (If you’re curious, you can find a whole breakdown of that here.) I also get a lot of questions from prospective and current clients on what 1) a VA can do and 2) what they should do. And while the “should” part is a little more relative, I wanted to discuss what they can do.

A virtual assistant (VA) is a remote contract worker who can provide various types of support for your business. VAs are vital to helping the back end of your business and I highly recommend considering adding them to your team!

Despite common misconceptions, a VA isn’t a one-to-one replacement for your time or a jack-of-all-trades. Instead, they excel in specific tasks and functions when provided with the right guidance and training. Before diving into what a VA can do, let’s clarify a few key points to consider when hiring one.

It is NOT 1:1 ratio between the hours you hire them for and the hours they take off your plate. 

If this is your mindset, you’ll likely be disappointed. Remember that, like any hire, they still need training on your business and access to you for questions before they can run independently. Initially, for the first month, they’ll be able to take 3 hours off my plate for every 5 hours of work I want them to do. This means I’ll need to be involved for 2 hours.

They will not be able to do everything you want them to do. 

If you hire a general VA, they aren’t likely to be able to do all the specialized tasks you need them to do. If they aren’t trained as an accountant, don’t get annoyed when they can’t act as your bookkeeper.

They need direction.

So often, I hear people say they hired a VA, and within a month or two, they fired them for not performing well. And while I don’t doubt a skill gap, I assume there was a lack of training first. If you hire a VA to do something, it’s your responsibility to train them and give proper direction on what you need them to do. They can’t read your mind (although eventually, if it’s a good relationship, it may feel like it!), so don’t expect them to know what you want without communicating.

You might need more than one. 

Back to point number 2. Nobody can do everything. And if they can, they probably need to do more of it well. Don’t be afraid to hire more than one person for support if they have different skills. Your business will ultimately benefit from having the right butts in the right seats.

So what should you use a VA for, then? Again, use the word “should” sparingly here. The better question is, what kind of VA do you need?

Here are a few examples of different types of VAs

• General VA
• Design VA
• Podcast VA
• Tech VA
• Bookkeeping and Finance VA

No matter what type of VA you choose to hire, the number one thing I’d suggest getting VA support for is cyclical tasks. You know, the ones that happen every week, month, or quarter that you’ve done a million times but are important. Yes, those tasks, if you train them on how to do them, are one of the best things to hand off! Some of my favorite examples are pulling statistics, cleaning up files, keeping a CRM current, sending client gifts, and writing SOPs.

Here are some other great ways to utilize a VA:

1. Email Management: Handling incoming and outgoing emails, organizing email accounts, and responding to inquiries.
2. Calendar Management: Scheduling appointments, meetings, and events and sending reminders.
3. Data Entry: Inputting, updating, and maintaining data in spreadsheets, databases, or other systems. A great example is pulling social media and email statistics.
4. File Management: Organizing, renaming, and categorizing files and documents. Helloooo, all the loose Google Drive files!
5. Research: Conducting online research on various topics, gathering information, and summarizing findings. This one is one of the best time-savers!
6. Travel Planning: Making travel arrangements, such as booking flights, hotels, and rental cars.
7. Customer Support: Responding to customers or clients via email, chat, or phone.
8. Proofreading and Editing: Reviewing and correcting written content for errors and clarity.
9. Transcription: Converting audio or video recordings into text.
10. Database Management: Organizing and updating databases and generating reports from them.

Remember, regardless of WHAT they do, it’s imperative that you give them the tools and expectations on HOW to do it.

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