Here are the top 20 tasks that todays’ busy business professionals outsource to their VA’s.  
 

1. Managing the blog. Many businesses maintain a blog or website that requires updating, but administrative professionals may not have the time or skills required to keep the website up-to-date. Hiring a virtual assistant to stay on top of this task will not only save time, but their finished product will also attract more clientele who appreciate the modernity and reliability of the brand’s blog messages.

2. Planning and posting on social media. Virtual assistants can not only create social media accounts for their employer, but they can also write and plan new content to keep those portals current. Applications such as Postmate make writing new social media content much more efficient, and can even automate a posting schedule at times when sites are guaranteed to get the most web traffic.

3. Managing a schedule. Virtual assistants can coordinate meetings and organize online calendars to streamline day-to-day processes.

4. Conducting online research. Whether a management has been tasked with writing a quarterly report or a performance review, they often do not need to gather the data themselves. Instead, a virtual assistant can compile this information and organize it into a spreadsheet or easy-to-read outline so that their supervisor can simply begin writing.

5. Planning business trips. Virtual assistants can plan flight arrangements, tours, hotel stays and more for employers, employees or out-of-town guests of the company. They can communicate with travel agents, find discounts, and develop schedules, all from the convenience of their laptop.

6. Maintaining the company website. There are several elements involved in maintaining a website: drafting new content, editing existing material, and posting regularly on the site. A virtual assistant can accomplish all of these tasks.

7. Planning events. Since virtual assistants can also be responsible for coordinating office calendars, they can plan in-office and promotional events for the workspace, down to catering and decorations.

8. Recruiting team members. Once they are familiar with the brand, virtual assistants can create job descriptions and job postings to hire new team members or replace staff who are moving on to new opportunities.

9. Promoting the business. Virtual assistants can also create fresh marketing strategies to promote their employer on social media, other websites, and in print.

10. Organizing accounts, files, inboxes, etc. Virtual assistants can be experts at decluttering virtual material. They can reorganize desktops, calendars, inboxes, and files, all into more meaningful, efficient, user-friendly set-ups.

11. Entering data. Virtual assistants familiar with the Microsoft Office Suite can enter data into spreadsheets and file other information to ensure a more organized office space.

12. Creating reports. While virtual assistants may not write the reports themselves, they can complete the more menial task of gathering data and outlining it, so all their supervisor has to do is present the information in a more personal, customized manner.

13. Bookkeeping. Virtual assistants can prepare documents, oversee direct deposits, and complete other financial and administrative tasks that a manager simply does not have time to do on his or her own (See also number 18 for organizing reimbursements).

14. Editing and proofreading. Outsourcing editing and proofreading to a virtual assistant means that a pair of fresh eyes can review promotional and website material for errors and inconsistencies that might deter a client.

15. Researching the market. Though managers surely know the industry within which they are working, virtual assistants can provide new perspectives on the competition, as well as strategies to ensure that their employer rises above the rest.

16. Writing content. Virtual assistants can draft content for the website that clearly and concisely communicates information to clients about new products, services, or features that the company has to offer.

17. Creating infographics. Businesses often want to quickly communicate their successes and services to clients in a way that catches their eye. Infographics, easily created on infogr.am, are one way to ensure that customers immediately learn valuable information about a company. Virtual assistants, when supplied with the appropriate information, can create concepts and designs for infographics that accomplish exactly that goal.

18. Organizing reimbursements. For businesses that offer company credit cards to certain employees, or reimburse them for certain expenses, an administrative assistant or virtual assistant will often be in charge of collecting those receipts, organizing them, and reimbursing the appropriate individual.

19. Creating forms for customer feedback. This task is generally a quick action item to complete, but it often sinks to the bottom of a to-do list due to its lack of urgency. Don’t let this be the case, as consumer feedback is a valuable tool to grow a business in a direction that customers will appreciate. Instead, assign a virtual assistant to create a feedback form and link it to a location on the company’s website where customers are most likely to see the form and then fill it out.

20. Anything! Essentially, a virtual assistant is responsible for completing three general types of tasks: jobs a manager does not want to do, does not have time to do, or should not be doing in the first place. If a task falls into any of these three categories, delegate to a staff member or virtual assistant to ensure the efficiency of the project and guarantee that each employee is using his or her time most effectively.