So you’ve decided you’re too busy and it’s time to get help, but have you decided what tasks to delegate to your VA?
At Streamlined, it’s a key part of how I decide which VA is the best fit for you. I look at the niche you operate in and the work you want done to create an ideal match. So when I’m working with a client, one of the questions I always ask is ‘What kind of work do you want to give away?’
You don’t have to have a complete list of tasks, but you do have to have some ideas.
Creating your own list of tasks to delegate
Many new clients or potential clients don’t have clear ideas. They just know they have too much on. These people will ask, ‘What can I get a VA to do?’
If that’s you, my suggestion is to spend a week or two working as you normally do, but to watch out for tasks you don’t want to spend time on. Keep a pen and notepad next to you, or a file open on your computer or phone. Every time you’re doing something and you wish you weren’t (and it’s not rocket science), note it down.
By the end of a week, you’ll have a list of potential tasks to give away. We can discuss that. It’s enough for me to identify the kinds of work you want to hand over, so I can pick the right VA. Occasionally, I may actually recommend two different VAs for different kinds of task. (One of the advantages of a business like mine is that you’re not dependent on just one person and their skill set. You can mix and match!)
Before sending you off to do that homework though, here’s my take on the different kinds of work you can delegate to a VA. If you want to know about the most delegated tasks in each area, book in a time when we can discuss in more detail.
Just remember, your detailed list can change. You’ll think of other things to delegate, especially as you get to know your VA better and understand their skillset. Flexibility is a key advantage of working with VAs!
Marketing tasks
Marketing can be really time-consuming for a small business, so it’s an area where many people are looking for help. VAs can assist with social media, email marketing, events, preparing presentations and more.
When you’re looking for help with marketing, be clear whether you want help with creativity, admin or both. There’s a big difference! For example:
| Creative | Admin |
| Sourcing feature images for your blogs | Resizing, cropping and uploading images to your blogs |
| Creating social media posts | Adding all your social media posts to Buffer, Hootsuite, or whatever scheduling system you use |
| Creating email marketing templates which match your brand | Adding content you provide to existing email templates and scheduling the send |
| Editing video footage | Transcribing video or audio files |
Financial tasks
Money matters – and it can be time consuming. You might want a VA to assist with tasks like creating invoices, chasing unpaid invoices and organising payment to suppliers. Some have bookkeeping skills and can help with management accounts, cashflow and budgets too.
If you’re trusting someone with access to financial records, it’s really important to set up access properly.
One thing to be aware of is that officially, your VA shouldn’t send your invoices. That should be done by you as the company owner, an employee or a registered bookkeeper or accountant. The VA can of course prepare everything for you to save you time.
Systems, processes and templates
If you want to expand, efficiency is vital. That means easy, repeatable processes which everyone can follow.
Busy business owners often need help
- creating processes if they work ad-hoc or case-by-case
- documenting existing processes
- improving processes to save time and money or deliver better service
A systems-oriented VA can be a godsend. They know a lot of software and shortcuts to make things run smoothly. They’ve seen systems in other businesses, so they have lots of ideas for improvement. And they can create process documents, flow charts or how-to videos so you and the team have something to refer to.
Email management and filing
The average person receives 121 work-related emails every day, which can take over 15 hours a week to deal with.
Could you ask your VA to do ‘email triage’? They’ll need rules on what to delete, standard responses and what to escalate to you, but it may be worth investing some time now to save hours, week after week.
You can also delegate repetitive tasks like filing invoices, proposals, signed contracts or other important documents.
Scheduling and appointments
Help managing your calendar is a step up from simple email. It’s especially useful if your appointments change a lot, or you have to coordinate meetings with many people.
This is also an area where a locally based VA, who knows suburbs and travel times, can be an excellent choice.
Customer service
Every business owner should spend time with customers, but with a focus on the relationship rather than small details. Customer service tasks you can delegate to a VA include answering common FAQs; updates on delivery dates; requesting (and responding to) online reviews, or updating your CRM after meetings and phone conversations.
General admin tasks
Think of those little niggly tasks which chew up your time!
- Pulling reports from Google Analytics, Facebook or even your accounting software
- Updating CRM records when a client starts with you, or when key contacts change
- Ordering office supplies
- Taking meeting minutes, then circulating them afterwards
If you can save an hour a day, you get half a day a week back to concentrate on what matters. And you can go home early one night a week too!
What tasks do you most want to delegate to a VA?
For most of us, one or more of those areas is a pet peeve. What a great place to start when you’re wondering what to delegate to your VA.
So get your brains pumping, start your list and benefit from more time for the things which really matter.
Once you’ve got started, chances are there are some other options I can suggest. So why not make a time to chat about what makes most sense for you?
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