Virtual assistant: what to know

What the job involves, what changes the price, and what to ask a pro.

What virtual assistant is

A virtual assistant handles administrative work for you from a remote location, such as managing email, scheduling, data entry, research and customer messages. People hire one to take routine tasks off their plate so they can focus on the work that only they can do.

Signs you need it

  • Your inbox has hundreds of unread messages and important requests get lost
  • You spend hours each week on scheduling back and forth with clients or vendors
  • Recurring admin tasks, such as invoices or travel forms, pile up each month
  • You need research done, such as a list of vendors, but you do not have time to compare them
  • You want someone to answer routine customer questions during hours you are not working

What the pro does

  • Learn your tools, your tone and the rules you want followed, such as which emails need your approval
  • Sort and answer routine email according to the instructions you set
  • Book, move and confirm appointments and meetings using your calendar
  • Enter, check and organize data in your spreadsheets or systems
  • Research the topics you name and send a short summary with sources
  • Send you a daily or weekly summary of what was done and what needs your decision

What changes the price

Every job is different, so we do not publish prices. These are the things that move the quote up or down.

  • How many hours of help you need each week and whether the need is steady or changes
  • The number of tools and systems the assistant must learn, such as email, calendar and accounting software
  • Whether the work includes sensitive information such as financial records or client files
  • How much research, writing or data cleanup is part of the job
  • Whether you need coverage during set hours or outside your normal working time
  • Whether the assistant must have experience in your industry

What a written quote should spell out

  • The tasks included, and the tasks that are excluded
  • The hours or the amount of work covered, and how work is tracked
  • Which accounts and systems the assistant will access, and how that access is set up
  • How the assistant reports completed work and asks for decisions
  • How the assistant handles confidential information and passwords

Questions to ask before you hire

  • What tasks have you handled for clients like me, and in which tools?
  • How do you keep my passwords and client information secure?
  • How will you handle emails that need my personal reply?
  • What happens if you are sick or unavailable on a busy day?
  • How will you report what you have done each day?
  • Will you sign a confidentiality agreement before you see my records?

Red flags

  • Asks for your bank login or card PIN in a casual message
  • Wants to send emails or make payments in your name without written limits
  • Will not sign a confidentiality agreement before handling your records
  • Cannot show samples of past work, such as a schedule, a research summary or a report

What you can do yourself

You can write a short list of routine tasks, set up a shared task list and decide which emails need your personal reply. Hire a virtual assistant when the routine work takes more of your time than you can spare each week, or when you need steady coverage that you cannot manage yourself.

Licenses and permits

No license is usually required for virtual assistant work. Ask instead for references from clients with similar work, examples of the reports and summaries they produce and a written confidentiality agreement; check with your state or local business licensing office if the assistant operates as a registered business.

Virtual assistant questions

Can a virtual assistant reply to my emails?

Yes, within the rules you set. Agree on which senders they may answer, which topics need your approval and what tone to use.

What access will the assistant need?

Usually only the accounts for the tasks they handle. Ask for a list of each account and login method, and use separate access where your tools allow it.

How do I know the work is done right?

Ask for a daily or weekly summary with links or copies of the work. Review the first few weeks closely and adjust the instructions as you learn what needs correcting.

Pro reviewers

Pros who offer virtual assistant remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.

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  1. 1. Describe the job

    Pick the service, add your ZIP and a sentence about what is going on.

  2. 2. Pick the pros you want

    See screened pros who serve your ZIP and choose who you want to hear from.

  3. 3. They reach out

    They contact you the way you chose: phone, email or in-app messages.

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