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In today's digital age, the role of a virtual assistant has become increasingly vital for businesses and entrepreneurs seeking efficient support without hiring a full time employee. Which we all know is a beast in and of itself. As a new virtual assistant in the online space, you have the power to change the way businesses operate and thrive. However, to unlock your full potential and excel in your virtual assistant career, it is essential to equip yourself with the right tools.

So in this blog, we will jump into the world of virtual assistant tools, unveiling the eleven indispensable tools that every new virtual assistant needs. These tools are designed to enhance your productivity, streamline your tasks, and empower you to deliver exceptional results for your clients.

From task management to communication and collaboration, time tracking to client management, we will explore a wide range of tools tailored to meet the unique demands of virtual assistant work. Whether you are just starting your journey or looking to level up your skills, this guide will provide you with valuable insights and recommendations to help you make informed choices.

By embracing these tools, you can optimize your efficiency, elevate your performance, and carve a niche for yourself in the competitive virtual assistant landscape. Are you ready to unlock the secrets to becoming an indispensable virtual assistant? Let's dive in and discover the eleven tools that will set you up for success!

Importance of Tools for Virtual Assistants

I think it’s important that we start at the beginning…

The importance of tools for virtual assistants. Like, why do we need them anyway? Why can’t we just wing it every day and make it up as we go along?

I mean if you’ve had any kind of job ever, I think you know the answer to this already. It’s impossible to be productive if you’re making it up every day. You need to have tools and systems in place that help you get the job done. Plus, you want to get the job done quickly, right? We don’t want to sit around all day working on one thing that should have taken a couple hours at most.

So it’s super important that you have a set of tools, or what I like to call a tech stack, that works for you, your business, and the way you help your clients. Which is probably different than the way I help my clients, right?

That said, know that there are tons of options out there for each of the different tools we’re about to cover. But for the purpose of this blog post, I’ve chosen to keep it to one option per category. So the apps you’ll find listed below are the ones I use in my business with my clients. I know they work, they’re customizable, and user friendly.

If you try one and you absolutely hate it, that’s cool. Try another one. As a brand new virtual assistant, I wanted to give you tried-and true recommendations and not overwhelm you with tons of options. Because believe me, there are TONS. Alright, let’s go already!

Virtual assistant Tool #1: Task Management

A day in the life of a VA basically revolves around a good task management tool.

There are essentially two parts to your business. There’s your business and what you do to grow it, increase revenue, find clients, create products, etc. And there’s your actual client work. It’s very easy to get sucked into one side of this or the other if you don’t have a clear plan with a list of what you need to work on.

That’s where the task management tool comes in. I highly recommend this be one of the first, if not the first tool you set up.

My favorite task management tool, and you’ll know this if you’ve been hanging out with me for any amount of time 😉, is ClickUp.

I love ClickUp so much because it can grow with you. As you’re just starting out today, you can use it for a basic checklist. Easy peasy done. But as you add on more clients and you need to focus more on separating client work from working on your business, it grows with you.

ClickUp allows you to have different spaces for different types of work, so you can keep things super organized. But you can see your tasks from all of those workspaces on your home screen so you always know what you need to work on next.

So let’s say you have a content workflow space, a marketing space, and a client roster space. This helps keep all your tasks and to-dos organized. But when it comes down to what you need to do right now, you can hop over to your home screen to see everything that’s currently in progress for each different section. So you can prioritize what you need to work on now.

ClickUp also lets you set up automations within each different list you create. So you can automation what happens when you complete a task, or when a task changes from one status to the next. You can set it up to add or remove assignees, change due dates or start dates, or even update custom fields. This alone makes it a great tool to use as a database as well! But that’s for another blog. 😀

Really, grab ClickUp and start with just a simple list to get your main tasks out of your head and trackable. Make them repeatable if necessary, and you’re all set! ✨

Virtual assistant Tool #2: Communication and Collaboration

Communication is obviously one of the most important pieces of running a virtual assistant business. You’ve got to be able to maintain good communication with your clients. Now I’m not talking about 24/7 contact. You still need to have boundaries in place. But you need a tool that lets you communicate easily with your clients.

For this I highly recommend Slack. It’s a messaging tool that at it’s most basic can be used as just that. But if you don’t mind spending a little to upgrade it, the pro version takes your client communication to the next level.

The free version is absolutely a wonderful messaging tool because it gets you out of social media apps and emails for messaging which can be distracting. The pro version adds in features like video messaging, voice messaging, and huddles (live meeting rooms) which have completely changed the way I communicate with my clients.

I will throw in that you still need to set boundaries with your clients regarding when you’ll be replying to messages. Ultimately no matter what messaging app you use, they’ll be able to message you anytime. That doesn’t mean you have to reply constantly. Let them know when they can expect replies from you so they don’t think you’ve ghosted them, and you’ll be good to go!

Virtual assistant Tools #3: Time Tracking

Now, I’ll be the first to admit that once you enter the world of entrepreneurism it’s super easy to think, “I have all the time in the world to do everything! I don’t need to track my time!”

…but that’s not entirely true.

You do now have the freedom to make your own schedule, work when you want, take days off when you want and all that fun stuff. But you still need to be very strategic and intentional with the time you spend working. Otherwise you can very easily either find yourself working all the time without realizing it (been there 🙋🏻‍♀️) or not working enough and getting behind on things. Maybe not client things but on the tasks that will move your business forward (been there too).

I’ve found if I start feeling overwhelmed or too busy, the first things that fall by the wayside are time off, and working to grow my business. Things like blogs and emails to my audience take a backseat when really they should always be a priority.

So, it’s important track your time to make sure you’re staying focused on the important things.

My favorite tool for time tracking is Toggl. It’s free to use, easy to set up, and you can run reports to see where you’re spending most of your time.

I use this to track the time I spend working for clients as well as time I spend working on my business. So if I’m writing an email, a blog, or working on my new membership for VAs, I know how long I’ve spent on each task. This comes in handy when you’re ready to start hiring tasks out to your own VA or team member. You’ll know how long it takes you to do each thing in your business, so you’ll know where you benefit most by delegating tasks out.

I also love Toggl because it has a built in Pomodoro timer. While I don’t use this method all the time, it can really help me if I’m struggling to focus on something I need to be working on. If you’re not familiar with it, the Pomodoro method simply sets the timer for 25 minutes (instead of ongoing until you stop it). You work super focused for 25 minutes, then you take a 5ish minute break. Then start the timer again for 25 minutes. The short burst of being super focused can really help you knock out some tasks quickly!

Virtual assistant Tools #4: Productivity

Another tool I like that helps with productivity is Acuity. What? How is this a productivity tool? I’ll tell ya.

If you’re not familiar, Acuity is a scheduling app. You essentially just put your availability in the calendar, then share the link or embed it to your website, and new clients or potential clients can schedule calls with you. Back in the day, scheduling a call required a lot of back and forth via email, checking everyone’s calendar, all that fun stuff.

But now with apps like Acuity, all that is in the past. Acuity can really increase your productivity by taking that back and forth element out of your day. You can focus on your blog and get it done quicker because you don’t have to keep checking your email to see if that client lead emailed you back yet. Or risk losing them because you didn’t see their email right away.

They can check your calendar and schedule an appointment in one quick step! 🎤

Virtual assistant Tools #5: Graphic design

Okay for graphics and design, there is only one option out there and that is Canva. Alright, they aren’t the only option out there, but if you’re not a seriously professional graphic designer who’s using pro tools, then Canva is the only design app you need.

Canva allows you to easily make any kind of graphic image you need. Blog images, banner images, Pinterest images, YouTube thumbnails, I mean I could go on. Seriously, every image you see on my website and in this blog was made in Canva.

They have come a really long way in the last 7 years that I’ve been using the app. You can now even automagically remove backgrounds from photos and add some really cool effects to them.

The app is fully free to use but I highly, highly recommend that if you don’t upgrade any other app in your life, you upgrade Canva to the pro version. The pro version unlocks all kinds of design elements and even stock photos that you can use in your graphics that just makes everything so much easier.

So, for graphics for your business and for your clients, Canva. 100%.

If you’d like a detailed walkthrough mini-course on how to use Canva, check out Canva Studio!

Virtual assistant Tools #6: Website

Alright, website. Now, it’s completely true that you don’t need to have a website when you are first starting out. You can absolutely sign clients without one. However, in my experience, the sooner you have a website up and running the better. Because the sooner you have a website, the sooner you can start using SEO to drive clients right to you, without you having to lift a finger on social media.

Let me tell you that’s a dream for this introvert! And one of the marketing techniques we’ll focus on in the VA Spark Academy 😉

So, when you’re ready to start your website, my favorite website builder is Squarespace. Hands down. It is very easy to learn if you are not super-techy. It has great SEO power. They have been working really hard to make it more customizable than ever. You don’t need to know code to use it. You don’t need any plug ins. There’s nothing to update. You don’t need a separate host. It’s all right there, in one place.

Like, I can’t talk Squarespace up enough.

You can even buy your domain and Google Workspace (for your custom branded email address) right through the Squarespace interface so it’s all managed in one place. You really cannot go wrong here, and I honestly, even having worked with other website platforms, cannot recommend another builder.

Virtual assistant Tools #7: Payments

Now one of the most important things as a new virtual assistant is being able to take payments from your clients. Because if you don’t have any money coming in, you don’t have a business, I’m afraid.

My favorite tool for taking payments is Square. It’s very easy to set up and use. You can create invoices to send on a regular basis. Your clients can opt to have invoices auto-pay when sent, if you like. I love this feature because I don’t have to worry about chasing down payments.

You can also set up payment links, if you have a project or one-off payment, this is a super easy way to get paid.

There are no monthly fees, and their payment fees are industry standard. It also connects to other tools, like Dubsado or Squarespace commerce to take payments through those platforms as well.

But perhaps my favorite thing about Square is they typically deposit your money to your bank account the next day. Which is super helpful, especially when you’re just starting out!

In all honesty, you will probably also still use Stripe and PayPal in your business at some point. But I try to use Square anytime it’s an option because it’s just so much easier to use.

Virtual assistant Tool #8: CRM

I’m going to start off the CRM section by saying (sort of like in the website portion) that you don’t need a CRM when you’re first starting out. In fact, I recommend not waiting until you have one set up to start signing clients. Because to really effectively use a CRM (customer relationship management), you need to have your process pretty well mapped out and ready to go.

And you won’t have that until you have a few clients under your belt that you’ve been able to test with. What worked, what didn’t work, all that fun stuff.

That said, when you’re ready for your CRM, there’s no better one out there than Dubsado. I’ve been with them pretty much since the beginning and while I tried some other platforms out (for research 😉) I always come back to Dubsado.

The ability to automatically send out contracts and invoices is incredible and saves so much time. You can even create applications or client intake forms, embed them on your site, and, depending on your workflow, have the contract, invoice, and call scheduler sent out all automatically so all you have to do is show up for your client and not worry about all the backend details.

It’s definitely a game changer for business if you work with 1:1 clients.

Virtual assistant Tool #9: File Storage and Organization

Okay truth is you probably already have this one. If you have a gmail.com email address you for sure have Google Drive. And if you use Google Workspace to create your branded email address, you will get a whole new Google Drive with that account.

Google Drive is basically cloud storage that’s hosted by … Google! It is an awesome tool to have in your arsenal as a virtual assistant. You can easily create docs, spreadsheets, forms, and presentations right in the drive. Everything saves automatically. And if you’re sharing any of that with your clients, you just have to give them access to it via the share button. No more sending countless docs back and forth via email and not knowing which one is the most updated one. Now you just have one, and it’s updated and saved automatically.

You can also create folders that you can upload pretty much any kind of file to. So for example if you have 1:1 calls with your clients and you want to share the replay with them, you can download it from Zoom (or wherever you recorded it) and upload it to the Google Drive folder so they can access it.

It’s such a nifty tool and a great way to organize all of your business files and documents.

Virtual assistant Tool #10: Password Management

At some point when you’re working with clients, you’re going to need to log into their tools and platforms. Some tools will give them the option to add you as an admin or assistant and grant you access so that you can log in with your own login information.

But some apps don’t have that as an option so they’ll need to share their log in info with you. I’m sure you’re aware that it’s not best practice to share that information over email or text. If you must do it that way, I’d split it up. Send the log in email via email, for example, and send the password over text, so it’s not all in one area that could become compromised. But again, that’s not a best practice or recommended.

What I do recommend is the use of the tool Lastpass. Lastpass allows your client to send their log in information confidentially (even you can’t see it unless they allow it) and logs you into their apps automatically with the use of the Lastpass Google Chrome extension.

This tool is great because it keeps information secure, on both your side and your client’s. And if you decide to stop working together, or the project ends, they can revoke access to the log in info so you can no longer access it. Which again, gives them peace of mind and will also give you peace of mind knowing that all of their content and information remains secure.

As with all the other apps listed, there are multiple options out there for a password management app. But Lastpass is the one I’ve used for years and recommend. It’s free for one type of device (desktop or mobile) and not too expensive if you need to upgrade. But I’ve been able to manage this long with the free version so you should be good there too! 🎉

Virtual assistant Tool #11: Email Management

Last but certainly not least (not in the slightest) you need an email list for your business. Hands down the best email service platform out there is ConvertKit.

Why do you need an email list? Because you need a consistent flow of clients. Even when your client roster is full, you can’t expect that everyone you are currently working with will stay with you forever. I’m sure you will have long term clients, which is amazing!, but you need to be ready for when someone leaves.

So growing and nurturing an email list is the best way to make that happen!

I have tested and played with numerous different email platforms out there and ConvertKit always comes back as the best. It’s easy to use. You can write letter-like emails without a lot of fluff. Which is what I like because it feels more authentic than sending something that looks like a sales ad. Plus it gives my audience a chance to get to know me a little better with each one.

And, I’m not a huge fan of social media. I play around on it from time to time for my business, but ultimately it usually ends up stressing me out. I would much rather send an email to a select few people that want to receive them, than try to write a post and curate a picture to reach random people maybe. If you’re an introvert feeling that way too, then an email list is 100% where you need to be!

Conclusion

There you have it! A rundown of the 11 must-have tools for new virtual assistants.

TL;DR:

As I mentioned before, there are multiple options in each category, so I just shared what I use and feel is the number one tool. If you don’t like it, that’s okay! Feel free to try what ever else is out there. But I do recommend having one tool from each of the above categories in your tech stack so that you can start your virtual assistant business off on the right foot!

Til next time! 💖

PS: If you’re looking for more info on the systems and tools I used to start my virtual assistant business, I invite you to check out the Virtual Assistant Spark Toolkit.

This free library gives you access to the tools and processes I used to start my business when I had no idea what I was doing! 😉 I’ve taken some of the guesswork out for you so you can get `started today.