Do you want to start a career as a virtual assistant? If you want to succeed in this career, you must be productive. Besides, you must prove to your clients that you have the necessary resources and tools to handle their work. So, how can you make this possible?
Below, we list the top 10 virtual assistant must-haves.
Reliable internet connection
Yes, a fast and reliable internet connection is a must! Thus, when searching for an internet service provider, choose a reliable one, and one who will give you good speeds. If your area has internet outages, make sure that you have a backup. The last thing you’d want is to lose a client because of internet-related issues. At the end of the day, clients won’t care if your internet is slow or bad. Besides, no one will wait for your internet problems to be solved.
Workstation
A designated workspace is essential for a virtual assistant. You can create this space in your house or rent out a working space. Besides, this place needs to be quiet and conducive to your work. Setting up a workstation in a noisy environment will make your client think that you cannot work efficiently.
Successful virtual assistants will make clients believe that they are not different from someone sitting in a normal office.
Computer
This can be a laptop or a normal desktop. However, ensure that you have a powerful and fast computer, with reasonable storage space. Besides, your computer must have an up-to-date operating system.
An outdated OS means your computer cannot support certain programs needed to do client work. Therefore, your clients will expect you to have modern technology. With this, you’ll not have any challenges when doing client work.
Service page
This allows you to show your prospective clients what you can offer. Therefore, ensure that you have a well-designed page, one that captures the attention of prospective clients.
Your service page should:
- Have testimonials
- Have your rates
- Explain your ideal client
- Tell clients why they should hire you
- Have a call-to-action button
File management and sharing tools
According to Allshore, a virtual staffing agency, these tools make it easier for virtual assistants to share and collaborate files with their clients. Here are the common file management and sharing tools:
- Dropbox – this allows you to get 2GB free after signing up, and you can get more storage space through referrals. It has top security features and allows one to access files offline.
- Google Drive – allows auto-saving files while working on them. Besides, it has 15GB free storage space.
- OneDrive – this tool is for Microsoft Office users. It gives users 5GB free, and has security features such as expiring links and password protection.
Payment tools
After all that work, how do you expect to be paid? Here are the common payment tools for a virtual assistant:
- PayPal – this is the most common payment tool, thanks to its worldwide presence.
- Payoneer – it allows you to withdraw money directly via its debit cards. Besides, it has favorable exchange rates.
- Transferwise – this is one of the cheapest platforms, but it’s not available in some countries.
Other platforms like Upwork allows clients to pay virtual assistants directly.
Time tracking tools
These tools are essential for VA’s working on an hourly basis. They help in tracking the time you spend working, which, in turn, assists clients to process your payments. Some of the common time tracking tools include Time Doctor and Toggl, but you have to pay to use them.
Upwork, on the other hand, has it’s time tracking app. People working on this platform are the only ones who can access this app.
Task management tools
You will need a time management tool to manage and track your daily tasks. This tool is essential when dealing with multiple clients, as you will not have a challenge in managing your workload and tasks. When searching for a time management tool, choose one that’s easy to use.
Communication tools
Communication is essential between a virtual assistant and a client. Thus, you must look for a fast and reliable communication platform. The best communication too must support text messaging, as well as voice and video calls.
Social media management tools
As a virtual assistant, you’ll need to manage social media accounts for your clients, in addition to yours. Thus, you must look for tools that will allow you to manage these accounts with ease. The best social media management tools must help you in automating these accounts for easier management.