20 Ways to Utilize a Virtual Assistant (VA)

Sending information can be done via email, fax, scanning, phone, express or regular mail.

1. You know in today’s world, you need a web presence, but aren’t ready to spend thousands of dollars to create and maintain it. Your VA can create your website for you, find you web hosting, and set up your email accounts.

2. Whether you have employees working from home, branch offices, or all in one main office, a company intranet is the easiest way to share information and procedures they can access at any time they need them. Your VA can create an intranet for you and add more information as needed over time.

3. You don’t have time to monitor website traffic. Your VA can monitor traffic and analyze it to make adjustments or find better website promotional options for you.

4. You know bookkeeping is crucial to your business, but don’t want to pay for a full-time employee or high hourly rates for a CPA. Your VA can handle all of your bookkeeping functions, including standard accounting entries, invoicing customers, paying bills, collections, and standard accounting reports. This also has you fully prepared for your tax accountant at year end.

5. You need to hire a new employee, but don’t have the time to spend handling the project. Your VA can write and publish the job ad, sort through the responses, and pre-screen possible candidates. You only have to handle the final interviews and decision.

6. You’re company doesn’t need a full-time Human Resources person, but does need someone to handle HR functions such as employee paperwork, benefits administration, tracking dates for probation periods and reviews, and employee questions/issues as they arise. Your VA can handle this work on an as-needed basis.

7. You’re starting a new company and need the standard manuals and forms for employees, company policies, and/or work procedures. You give the general information to your VA and she creates the manuals and forms for you.

8. All businesses need research done on various topics, and seldom have time to do a complete job. Your VA can do that in-depth research and give you a summary of the specifics you wanted.

9. You have daily/weekly reports/forms that have to be turned in to a home office. You send the info to your VA, who compiles and submits the report/form.

10. You need to do some purchasing, whether it’s software, office supplies, a new vendor, or anything else. You tell your VA what you want, and she researches your options, gets price quotes, and gives you the compiled info for your final decision.

11. You do a lot of writing, which needs to be turned into typed copy. You send it to your VA, who converts it for you.

12. Your email is out of control, and you’re missing important emails. You and your VA discuss your needs on how to handle it, whether it involves her screening them and handling routine requests, or setting up your email software to sort and filter for you.

13. You work out in the field all day. You can send your work to your VA to process it into the right forms and invoices, as well as send them where they need to be.

14. You prepare the content of a report and send your draft to your VA to edit and format it.

15. You want new business cards, certificates, product/price lists, or marketing materials. Your VA can design and print or have them printed for you.

16. You collect business cards and send them to your VA weekly/monthly to enter them into your database.

17. You need a printed manual converted into an editable electronic format, so you send the document to your VA, who types it and gives it back to you in an e-file.

18. You’re preparing a seminar or presentation and send the text, sketches, diagrams, and/or charts to your VA, who prepares the PowerPoint slides for you.

19. You want to publish a newsletter. You provide the info to your VA, who designs and sends it for you.

20. You know client follow-up is a great way to get return or referred business, but don’t have the time to do it. Your VA does.