10 things you should outsource to a virtual assistant

Do you wish you had more time for the things that matter? At Sigrid, we feel everyone should be able to outsource their non-core tasks and conserve their energy and time for the things they enjoy and are good at. Our managed remote virtual assistant service was created to make that possible.

Since our launch in February, one of the questions we get asked the most is, "What can I use a virtual assistant for?" Our answer: More things than you can imagine!

Read on to learn about nine tasks our clients successfully outsource to their remote assistants. 

1. Calendar Management & Meeting Scheduling

Ask your dedicated Virtual Executive Assistant to manage your schedule for you proactively. Your VA will continuously plan and refine the detailed logistics of your life weeks ahead of time based on your current and future time zones. Everything is reflected in your shared calendar, leaving you free to focus on your core responsibilities. 

• Manages your email inbox

• Schedules meetings, appointments, and events; adds them to your calendar

• Books meeting and conference rooms

• Manages lunch and dinner reservations at your favorite restaurants

• Coordinates and sets up conference calls using your preferred app (Zoom, Skype, Hangouts, etc.)

• Reminds you about important dates and events (birthdays, christenings, recurring meetings and events, recurring purchases, etc.)

2. Travel Management

Transform business travel from a chore to a pleasure by delegating your travel planning to your Virtual Executive Assistant. They can proactively plan all of your travel logistics, ensuring that it’s seamlessly integrated with your schedule. This is especially valuable when things change at the last minute, saving you from losing hours in rescheduling and rebooking hell. 

• Researches the best prices on flights, hotels, and car rentals

• Researches health and travel measures taken by host countries

• Manages travel applications and other requirements 

• Books and rebooks flights, hotels and rental cars

• Finds the best price for remote airport parking

• Books airport shuttle services (airport drop-off/pickup)

• Coordinates flight check-ins and secures your preferred seat on flights

• Provides visa and passport renewal assistance 

• Calls airlines to resolve travel-related questions

• Tracks lost and delayed luggage

• Books taxis and car services (Uber, Lyft, etc.)

3. Project Management Assistance

Do you have a trusted assistant who can manage every aspect of your projects? Someone who can provide highly structured support as a demonstration of good corporate governance? Your Sigrid Virtual Project Management Assistant will manage every aspect of your projects, anticipating challenges and devising solutions, proactively scheduling meetings, and updating standard operating procedures.  

• Set up an MS Teams site & Workstreams for every project

• Manage meeting scheduling and calendars 

• Manage meeting room and event bookings/rebookings

• Schedule conference calls on Zoom, Hangouts, Skype, etc. 

• Implement and maintain an online project documents structure

• Conduct client profiling 

• Conduct competitor analysis and specialized research

• Conduct process management
  
  4. Human Resources

Sigrid’s highly-experienced HR Virtual Assistants can proactively manage your HR needs at a fraction of the cost of hiring an in-house HR team.

Recruitment Management

• Advertises job openings

• Screens, interviews, and processes job applicants

• Conducts initial interviews & schedules one-on-one interviews

Attendance Monitoring & Timesheets

• Maintains employee attendance & time tracking system

• Prepares monthly attendance timesheets

Payroll Management 

• Prepares monthly employee payroll 

• Keeps all employees’ financial records as required by law

• Submits government tax reports in relation to employee incomes

General Admin & Performance Management

• Maintains Human Resources Information System
• Ensures complete documentation and update of employee records, correspondence, and memos
• Monitors employee performance

5. Bookkeeping   

Stay focused on your core responsibilities by delegating all of your bookkeeping to your dedicated Sigrid Virtual Administrative Assistant. Your VA will be assisted by professional bookkeepers in the Sigrid Team, and they’ll work together to establish good bookkeeping practices so you can focus on business growth.

• Prepares monthly, quarterly, and annual reports for your accountant to review 

• Performs year-end closing of financial books

• Works on tax filing and tax documentation preparation

• Updates financial ledgers

• Generates and sends invoices to clients; collects payments

• Assists with payroll and generates weekly financial reports 

• Monitors revenues versus expenses

• Works on monthly reconciliations 

• Records and tracks day-to-day transactions

• Enters data, maintain records, and creates reports and financial statements

• Handles accounts payable

• Performs inventory management, budget allocation, and petty cash management

6. Social Media Management

The duties and responsibilities of a Social Media Manager are demanding and not all SMBs can afford one from the outset. Why not delegate your SocMed to-do list to a dedicated remote Social Media Specialist at Sigrid? You can increase or decrease the number of social media tasks you delegate to your remote Social Media Specialist depending on your marketing needs and budget. Your Social Media Specialist can accomplish the following:

• Execute your social media strategy

• Develop social media content for your SocMed channels

• Manage your social media content and calendar in Hubspot

• Measure the success of your social media campaigns

• Stay up to date with the latest SocMed best practices and techniques

7. IT Support (Software Management /Basic Troubleshooting /License Management)

Get rid of that long list of IT-related issues by asking your Virtual Assistant to take care of it for you. If they can’t find the solution themselves, they’ll willingly call IT support companies that may have long hold times and patch you into the call once a representative becomes available. They’ll also spend days corresponding with tech support teams until your issue is resolved. Your VA can also recommend the best IT software and hardware and suggest productivity hacks. And if your company wants to establish a viable remote workforce, your VA could recommend best-in-class software solutions. 

• Provides software and software license management

• Performs basic troubleshooting 

• Calls IT support companies and patches you into the call once a rep is available 

• Researches solutions to IT-related problems

• Suggest productivity hacks

• Researches new IT software and hardware products

8. Personal Admin

• Household Maintenance & repairs
• Child & Family Logistics
• Personal & Family Agendas
• Bookkeeping at hotels, restaurants, clubs, etc.
  
  

We'll continue to write about things you can successfully outsource to a remote assistant on this blog.

Ready to start your journey with us? Book a consultation or test run our services. We currently offer the first 14-day period for free on all our subscription plans.