What tasks can a virtual assistant do?

A virtual assistant can take over tasks that you don’t have time for – but which day-to-day tasks can you effectively delegate to one?

What tasks can I delegate to a virtual assistant?

Virtual assistants, or VAs, are great for small businesses, but they aren’t the same as traditional assistants. VAs typically work online via email and phone, and focus on specific tasks – like setting up appointments or answering emails. They can save you hours of your time and help grow your business in ways that you never thought possible.

But, with so many VA’s on the market, how do you choose the right one for your business? Below I’ve outlined some of the different kinds of tasks that a virtual assistant can take care of, like answering emails, managing calendars and communications, finalizing proposals and posting to social media.

(Finally) gaining control over your email inbox

It’s hard to believe, but many entrepreneurs don’t have an assistant to help with their inboxes. If you’re one of them, you know how time-consuming it can be to manage your own email. A VA can take care of your email inbox so you have more time to focus on other tasks. They can handle all incoming messages and flag ones that require your attention, so you don’t miss anything important.

Managing calendars and appointments

Virtual assistants can help you manage your time better when you’re too busy to do it yourself. A VA can manage calendars, set up meetings, block time for personal events/appointments and ensure that your daily schedule is always accurate and up-to-date.

Managing your social media channels

If you’re too busy to post content regularly on social media, a VA can take care of it for you. If you’re not sure which platform is best for your business or what kind of content will get shared, ask your VA to do some research on the best times and topics for posting. It’s also a good idea to give your VA some leeway with this task — he or she may decide that some platforms are better left alone. In addition to social research, your virtual assistant can also help:

Create new social content. If you've been publishing the same content over and over again, it's time for a fresh take for your audience. A good VA can provide you with new ideas for posts to keep your followers engaged and coming back for more.
Engage with comments. Social media creates an opportunity for quick responses, but many people don't take advantage of it. A VA can be charged with responding to questions and comments in real time so you don't have to worry about being online all the time.

Organizing documents

Entrepreneurs juggle dozens of documents every day, and with so much to do on a daily basis, it is easy to lose track of the important ones. A virtual assistant can help with organizing paperwork, sorting important emails and attachments into folders (both on your computer and in your inbox) and keeping track of proposals, contracts and other key documents that you might need. They can also keep everything up to date by adding information to Google Drive or other similar services.

Looking for a step-by-step strategy to hiring and training a VA for your unique business needs? Then you’ll want to grab out free book, The Virtual Assistant Advantage.

Updating your contacts

Contact information changes over time, and a virtual assistant can keep your contacts updated with new phone numbers, addresses and emails. Some virtual assistants can also help you identify contacts to add or delete from your database. Your VA can also send follow-up emails, set appointments or schedule calls between you and your prospects.

Doing online research for you

How much more effective could you be if you had access to better information? A VA can perform time-intensive research tasks, such as:

They can also perform online research on topics like competitors and industry trends to help provide insights into how your business can grow. Using this data, you’ll be better able to adjust to market changes and learn more about your target audience.

Utilizing specialty skill sets

You might be surprised by the variety of skills you can now utilize with a virtual assistant.

Video editing: A virtual assistant with Adobe Premiere Pro or other video editing software will be able to edit videos for you. You'll be able to concentrate on producing videos while they concentrate on creating polished content that will look great online and in social media channels.
Graphic design: A virtual assistant with design skills can create graphics, layouts and even print ads that look professional and make you look good. You'll save money because you won't have to hire an outside firm, and you'll reap the added benefits of having someone who is familiar with your company style guides produce your marketing materials.
Transcription: Transcribing audio and video files -- whether it's an interview, video, a talk or an audio file from a meeting -- can be tedious work. It's also time consuming, so delegating it to a virtual assistant can help you get more done faster.

What tasks can I delegate to a virtual assistant?

More than anything else, a virtual assistant can streamline daily routines and help individuals work smarter, not harder. These assistants also enable better time management; they can send reminders and alerts, and they help to automate simple, everyday tasks. Most importantly, a virtual assistant helps prevent information overload by dealing with all of these tasks efficiently.

The bottom line is that virtual assistants are becoming increasingly common, and they can be a great investment for any business owner who needs to get things done without having to worry about finding the time to do it themselves. Virtual assistants truly can take care of all of your administrative tasks, freeing you up for the things that only you can do. Hire one and you will likely find your workload reduced tremendously, allowing you to focus on the more important tasks of running your business.

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