Running a business comes with an endless list of responsibilities, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed as tasks pile up. While every task might seem urgent, not all of them contribute directly to your company’s growth.
That’s where hiring a virtual assistant (VA) can be a game changer for your business.
By delegating administrative, operational, or even creative tasks to a skilled VA, you free up valuable time to focus on the activities that truly drive your success.
Beyond just time-saving, hiring a VA helps reduce the costs associated with traditional employees. You can skip the overhead expenses of office space, benefits, and full-time salaries while gaining access to a global talent pool ready to support your business needs.
Most importantly, having a reliable VA ensures that your business never misses a beat.
A couple of examples of websites where high-quality VAs can be hired are.
While it may seem that the most in-demand skills for your VA revolve around handling basic administrative tasks and following standard office procedures, the reality is that being a truly exceptional VA requires much more. To thrive and make a meaningful impact within your business, we believe certain qualities are non-negotiable. The following six skills go beyond the basics and embody the core competencies every business owner should expect from their VA for maximum efficiency and success.
Your VA should have excellent time management skills to juggle multiple tasks efficiently and meet deadlines. A well-organized VA can prioritize tasks, manage their workload, and ensure important deadlines are never missed. For instance, if your VA is managing your email inbox, they should set aside time for responding to urgent messages while scheduling time slots for longer-term tasks like research or report preparation. To achieve this, familiarity with project management tools like Trello, Asana, or ClickUp is essential for tracking tasks and scheduling work effectively. Additionally, using time-tracking software like Toggl or Harvest helps monitor productivity and ensures tasks are completed on time.
Your VA should be tech-savvy and comfortable with a wide range of digital tools. Whether it’s handling social media, updating your website, or managing your CRM, tech literacy is non-negotiable in today’s digital business environment.
They should also have experience with tools like Hootsuite or Buffer for managing social media accounts, as well as CRMs such as Salesforce, HubSpot, or Zoho CRM for effectively tracking customer relationships and managing workflows.
In a remote work setup, clear communication and collaboration are key. Your VA should be able to coordinate with you and other team members effectively, ensuring smooth project execution. They should be skilled at using collaboration tools to keep everyone on the same page, whether it’s for a marketing campaign or coordinating meetings.
Platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams are crucial for maintaining real-time communication and teamwork. They should also have experience with shared documents and spreadsheets in Google Workspace or Microsoft Office 365, which will help streamline collaboration and ensure everyone stays aligned on ongoing projects.
Your VA should be a self-starter who can anticipate challenges and solve problems independently. This could involve troubleshooting issues before they escalate or suggesting ways to improve workflows. For example, if your email marketing software experiences a glitch, your VA should be able to troubleshoot the issue or contact support on your behalf without waiting for instructions. This ensures that potential disruptions are handled promptly, keeping your operations running smoothly and efficiently.
Familiarity with help desks and support systems like Zendesk is essential, along with basic troubleshooting knowledge for platforms like WordPress or Mailchimp to ensure smooth operations.
Your VA must possess strong attention to detail to ensure accuracy in their work. Whether they're managing schedules, proofreading documents, or inputting data, errors can lead to costly mistakes. This allows you to maintain high standards, avoid costly errors, and ensure that all aspects of your operations run smoothly and efficiently.
A VA must be familiar with tools like Todoist or Monday.com to help them stay on top of intricate details while writing aids like Grammarly or Hemingway App and ensure error-free communication and documentation.
Your VA must be adaptable to shifting priorities, new tasks, and evolving technologies. Business needs change quickly, and your VA should be comfortable learning new skills or tools to support your operations. This ensures that they remain effective and relevant, helping you stay agile and responsive to the dynamic demands of your industry.
To do this job efficiently, your VA should know how to handle tools like Canva for graphic design or Notion for note-taking and task management is key, and should be willing to keep up with tools like Google Analytics or SEMrush for marketing-related tasks.
Founded by serial entrepreneurs, Leverage Assistants is a white-glove service that helps you find 1% assistants and then teaches you how to build leverage with them. If you're interested in a strategy session to learn how to use an assistant, click here.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
Fill out this form, and we’ll be in contact to schedule a 1-1 delegation strategy session.
We’ll get in touch as soon as we are ready to onboard a new company.
