Delegating tasks to a virtual assistant can save you time and money, but it can be difficult to know what to outsource. The more you trust your PA and develop a professional working relationship, the sooner you’ll discover the benefits and variety of virtual assistance.

Virtual Assistant tasks you can outsource

Social Media – A good social media strategy can help your company to attract new customers, retain loyal fans and keep ahead of competitors, but it requires time and consistent, high quality content posted across the multiple, ever-evolving channels. A virtual assistant can dedicate their working day entirely to social media, staying plugged in to online activity and responding to complaints or messages promptly.

Bookkeeping – Keeping track of invoices and bills can be one of the simplest and most useful tasks to assign to a virtual assistant. An assistant can chase and record anything outstanding or unpaid so that nothing slips off the radar when you’re not looking, allowing you to rest in the knowledge that everything is properly accounted for.

Research – Whether it’s to help you prepare for a meeting, check out your competitors or stay up to date on market developments, research is another easy job to delegate which will save you hours of time and ensure you are always kept well informed.

Database entries –  Updating or creating databases of contacts, mailing lists or subscriptions is one of the key examples of how a PA can assist with general organisation and is crucial to the smooth running of any company. Business owners are handed business cards frequently but either lose or forget to follow up – a PA can stop this from happening and aid the expansion of your professional network, which could potentially lead to exciting future developments and partnerships.

Managing email – The average employee checks their email 36 times every hour. That’s 288 times in a working day. To keep you from wasting that precious time, hand over the management of your inbox to a virtual assistant who can prioritise emails and respond on your behalf.

Travel arrangements – Virtual assistants are a great resource for finding hotels, booking travel and planning trip itineraries for both business and leisure. They can use the growing number of online comparison and review sites to ensure you get the best deal within your budget and that everything is booked well in advance so you’re never left in a lurch.

Diary management – So many scheduling tools are now available online, making the virtual management of your diary easy and actually more efficient. Assistants can send calendar invites, plan meetings and events and anticipate clashes.

Chasing business – Most of the time business leaders are so preoccupied that they don’t have the time to actively search out and follow up on potential business opportunities. Virtual assistants can help with this process by virtually communicating with potential customers, suggesting partnerships and finding potential collaborations.

Presentation of data – It takes time to transform raw data and stats into a clear format that’s easily readable and attractive. A PA has the time to experiment with different layouts to find the one that best suits the material and your audience.

Social tasks – Virtual assistants can help you keep on top of your personal life as much as your professional by buying gifts for friends or relatives over the web, sending flowers, booking appointments, planning parties or even renewing your gym membership.