I am a virtual assistant self-employed worker who specializes in offering administrative services to clients from a remote location, usually a home office. Typical tasks a virtual assistant might perform include scheduling appointments, making phone calls, making travel arrangements, and managing email accounts. Communication
One of the top virtual assistant skills is communication, both asynchron
ous and synchronous. Sometimes, you may be working in real-time with your client during a video conference or a phone call, while other times you're giving updates via email, Slack, or text. Virtual assistants need to communicate clearly with clients and on behalf of their clients. Companies and individuals engage virtual assistants because they need help completing tasks and want to make their lives easier. As a virtual assistant, your job is to complete these assignments virtually. Depending on the client, you could book travel plans one day and respond to social media inquiries the next. Virtual assistants often represent their clients when sending out emails, interacting with followers on social media, or making cold calls, and strong professional communication skills are a must.
2. Time management
Successful virtual assistants are experts at managing time—both their own and their clients'. When working as an independent professional, you create your own schedule and decide when to take on projects or say yes to new clients. As a virtual assistant, you need to complete your client's tasks on time, making sure you stay caught up and finish all assignments. Part of effective time management is knowing your workflow and how much you can realistically complete in a day. As you say yes to new projects, create a personal schedule and to-do list that is manageable. Minimize distractions and block off your time into tasks, so you're working efficiently. The right time management tips can help you become an expert! Some clients may require personal scheduling and planning, and creating their calendars and arranging meetings will be up to you. Each client and company is different, and learning what works best may take some trial and error. You could also be working in a different time zone than your client and need to double-check times and be flexible for meetings. Here are some time management courses to improve your game impress clients:
Udemy
Complete Time Management Course Raise Personal Productivity
Time and Task Management: Time Management Techniques
Time Management Mastery: Do More, Stress Less
Practical Time Management—Personal Productivity Tools
LinkedIn Learning:
Time Management Fundamentals
Time Management: Working From Home
Time Management Tips: Scheduling
Building a Better To-Do List
3. Bookkeeping
Bookkeeping is a worthwhile skill for virtual assistants. You could offer this as a service or make it your niche and specialize in bookkeeping; many companies look for virtual assistants to manage the day-to-day of their finances. Keep in mind that bookkeeping is different from accounting. It’s less inclusive, with specific tasks that might include:
Invoicing
Data entry
Billing
Employee reimbursement
Reconciliation (comparing financial records to ensure accuracy)
Payroll
Inventory control and analysis
Reporting
Interested in learning more about bookkeeping to see if it's a virtual assistant skill you want to develop and offer to clients? Check out these bookkeeping courses:
Coursera:
Intuit Bookkeeping Professional
Bookkeeping Basics
Creating a Budget With Microsoft Excel
Udemy:
Bookkeeping in QuickBooks Online (Bookkeeping & Accounting)
Accounting & Bookkeeping Masterclass—Beginner to Advanced
Bookkeeping Basics Explained (Bookkeeping & Accounting)
Effective Bookkeeping and Payroll
Skillshare:
Bookkeeping for Small Businesses Using Google Sheets
Introduction to QuickBooks: Bookkeeping Basics
How To Start a Bookkeeping Business!
4. Email management
A popular administrative task for virtual assistants is email management. Companies and individuals need help managing their inboxes, organizing email, and responding in a timely fashion. As a virtual assistant, this could be a viable focus for you. You could find yourself managing a company email account that receives customer questions, complaints, requests, or orders. A client may ask that you handle their business email because they don't have time to read every incoming message. They need their email organized by someone they trust. When a client hires a virtual assistant, like you, for email management, they need to feel confident in your skill set and trust that you will respond to emails with proper etiquette. When managing a client's inbox, your daily tasks could be reading all email and responding if appropriate, sending follow-ups, and letting the client know which email requires their attention. You could also be responsible for email marketing and setting up and monitoring campaigns. Using an email service provider like MailChimp or Constant Contact, clients could ask that you send out regularly scheduled newsletters or mass marketing emails to clients or potential clients. Part of email marketing is reporting analytics such as open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates, and unsubscribes.
5. Organization
Virtual assistants need to have strong organizational skills. One aspect of being a virtual assistant is keeping your administration tasks organized so you're on top of every deadline and don't miss any assignments. Project management, a valuable and in-demand skill for virtual assistants, requires a great deal of organization. Establishing a daily routine and creating to-do lists can help you stay organized while working. Clients may also ask that you help keep them organized by creating processes and using tools that help streamline their everyday life. Before starting a virtual assistant job, know how you will stay organized. Slack
Email
Skype
Upwork Messages
How will you schedule meetings and appointments? Google Calendar
Microsoft Outlook
Calendly
Do you have a way to collaborate on social media? Hootsuite
Buffer
Loomly
Canva
How will your client assign tasks? Upwork Milestones
Asana
Trello
6. Writing and typing
Writing and typing skills can help you be more efficient in any setting, including when working remotely. Virtual assistants need to be able to type quickly and professionally for their clients, whether you're doing data entry or email marketing. If you're a talented writer, you could offer copywriting and content writing skills as part of your virtual assistant services. You may find yourself transcribing meetings, writing email, and even creating content like blogs, presentations, or website copy. Fast and accurate typing also helps with data entry and note taking. Being able to quickly create quality content expands your skill set as a virtual assistant and makes you more marketable and competitive. Clients may ask you to ghostwrite blog posts for them or send out emails on their behalf, and you need to sound professional and match their tone and voice. Need more confidence in your writing skills? You can improve your writing with practice and by taking courses. The more you write, the better you'll get. Udemy:
Writing With Flair: How To Become an Exceptional Writer
Better Business Writing Skills
Modern Copywriting: Writing Copy That Sells in 2022
Skillshare:
Creating Content That People Love To Read (and Google Loves To Rank)
Copywriting for Beginners: How To Write Web Copy That Sells Without Being Cheesy
LinkedIn Learning
Marketing: Copywriting for Social Media
Tips for Writing Business Emails
Learning To Write for the Web
