Another popular question from new Virtual Assistants is what services they should offer their clients. Obviously, this will depend on lots of things such as demand, your niche, your skill set, your interests, your previous career and your location, but here are 30 different services you could consider offering to start you off.
Services you could offer
- Creating/updating/maintaining databases and CRMs.
- Collating business cards into an Excel sheet for uploading to CRMs or address books.
- Data entry.
- Basic bookkeeping (Click here to read HMRC’s money laundering regulations (AML) for VAs).
- Data mining / online research.
- Typing up notes.
- Minute taking (This traditional skill pays incredibly well and I have a course if you want to learn how).
- Video creation/editing/uploading.
- Social media set up/maintenance/content research/scheduling.
- Facebook, Twitter or Google ads – creating, monitoring and analysing.
- Setting up/managing webinars and podcasts.
- Forum commenting/monitoring.
- Setting up LinkedIn profiles, groups.
- Photo editing.
- Transcription (because this is different from minute taking).
- Marketing – creating sales pages/squeeze pages/pop up email boxes.
- Creating/editing/formatting templates and guides.
- Event coordination – venue finding and confirmation/collating attendees and documents/on-site support.
- Chasing outstanding invoices.
- Diary/calendar management – scheduling meetings, syncing with devices, adding upcoming events.
- Email management and inbox detox.
- Writing/editing/formatting reports and presentations.
- Researching/making travel and accommodation arrangements.
- Lifestyle management – personal duties inc buying gifts, dry cleaning, booking restaurants and events, house moving, researching cheaper utility companies, paying bills etc.
- Blog set up/writing/SEO/editing/scheduling.
- Website set up/writing/SEO/editing/scheduling (Learn to build your own WordPress website).
- Newsletter set up/writing/autoresponders/editing/maintenance/scheduling (remember that you and your client have to comply with data protection laws or you may be fined. It’s all covered in my newsletter course.)
- eBook editing/formatting/publishing.
- Gmail set up, importing and creating labels/filters/folders (I have a free Gmail course).
- Designing/formatting infographics, logos, banners, social media profile images.
Don’t offer
Call answering services.
It’s up to you, obvs but in my experience, call answering is a right pain in the bum. It’s not cost-effective for the client, you’ll never get a minute to yourself, calls will disrupt work and focus, and the phone will always ring when you’re in the supermarket or on the loo.
Not a professional look.
I would suggest a professional call-answering service instead because your job is to ‘sort stuff’ for your clients, you don’t actually need to do everything yourself.
By using a call-answering service, you’re demonstrating that you have the client’s best interests at heart, and freeing yourself up to get on with some ‘proper’ work. These companies are cheaper, will answer the call with your client’s business name and can even be given a list of FAQs or common support ticket responses.
If you like, you can choose to get summary emails sent to you from the call-answering company and follow up if required.
Tips
- Think about your niche and what tasks people in it might need doing.
- Keep learning so you’re constantly honing your existing skills and adding new ones. You can find lots of free and paid courses on my Downloads and Training page.
- Consider charging a monthly retainer for ‘bitty’ tasks.
- A VAs job is to ‘sort sh*t out’ – you don’t necessarily need to do the job yourself! A client might want a website building, it would be insane to learn to be a web developer when you can just find one and project manage the task.
- Don’t take on anything that doesn’t fit in with your other clients, existing tasks or your business model such as being completely virtual or being able to work around family commitments etc.
- Basically, don’t take on anything that doesn’t tie in with why you decided to become a VA in the first place. A client or task you don’t like/want may provide money now but will prevent you from taking on work you do actually want.
- Watch out for people trying to save money by hiring a VA when they should really be hiring a professional copywriter, web designer/developer, graphic designer, marketer etc instead.
Ready to set up your VA business?
If you’re done researching and just want to getgoing, maybe it’s time to enrol in my DIY VA course.
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This article is fantastic. Becoming a Virtual Assistant was one of the best things I ever did. It offers the flexibility in my life to be there to raise my family, but is also so rewarding to work with businesses that I’m so passionate about.
I think the most important part of growing the business is finding your niche. What you are good at, and most like doing.
Love this article
I was wondering if there were any groups for VA’s? I’m a bookkeeper, HR and account manager and am looking to work remotely in another country and was wondering about doing something like this or combining my skills but wanted to get some insight from others who have done this. Thank you, Mariana
Hi Mariana. Yes, I actually have my own group called the VA Handbookers. There are currently over 18,000 global members and it’s an extremely friendly and welcoming community. You can join by clicking here.
Thank you. I just asked to join the group! I appreciate the info.
Thanks for this 🙂
Excellent points.
It’s make me clear about Virtual Assistant Services.
I think if you provide the pricing, that will be more helpful.
What a VA charges will depend on the VA. There is no set price for services which is why I haven’t provided prices
Keep up the good work Joanne! While writing this I’m about to complete my website. I am a freelancer on Upwork and I have now decided to start/launch my own platform. I want to know how you ask clients to pay. Do they pay in advance or after the work is done? Because I am thinking to charge upfront, given that I have worked on Upwork for so long and the payments there have a security.
Hi Abdul, clients will rarely pay in advance (except for a retainer and they usually only move to one of those after they have worked with you a while and seen the value you offer – and know that they like you) and most pay after the work has been done.
After all, you would be reluctant to pay someone you didn’t know upfront when you didn’t know them, trust them, know they were legit, or if they could even do your work to the standard you wanted.
Thank you for replying to my comment. I guess this is why Upwork charges their fee and now I know why it is justified. I will go through the link. I have dealt with around 50 + clients and only two of them seemed like they never wanted to pay. How’s your experience with clients paying after the work is done?
You have a contract so they usually pay. Very occasionally you get a client who doesn’t pay so you need to know what to do. I have a blog post that covers that here.
It’s worth reading everything I’ve ever written on money and legalities.
If that doesn’t work Joanne and Abdul you can hire me as a VA Collector. I’ve been collecting over 15 years and I’m trying to get into doing it virtually.
Very helpful post about VA.
I have a query, How to accept payment from the client when we will work outside of the freelancing marketplace?
Hi there, you would take payments either via direct bank transfer, PayPal, Stripe or TransferWise. Watch out for fees though.
Yep, fees are crazy if you’re in Europe and your client is from US
If you are planning to use the virtual assistant service for the first time, it is always better to avail their services at discounted prices. After reading ‘The 4 hour work week book’ I was inspired to hire a virtual assistant for Myself. But want to give out a try first. In the meanwhile, I saw a post on Facebook regarding their flash sale of 50% off which I think is good to start with.
Thank you very much for taking the time to comment. I personally wouldn’t hire any outsourcer who offered a 50% discount. I would assume they had no belief in their own abilities (or prices) and they are definitely going to struggle to earn money as they go forward. You’re then looking at a price hike and potentially an unhappy/awkward relationship. I don’t know any good SEO consultant, web developer or Solicitor etc who would offer a 50% discount and expect to be taken seriously. That is just my opinion as a client though.
I am setting up my va business as we speak. I feel totally unprepared. Your website is basically my bible! The only only issue that concerns me is that many clients seem to need Call answering services. Whether it is answering their customers’ calls or scheduling meetings with them etc. I honestly rather not do that. Especially if you have 3 clients and you have to answer their own clients calls?! I’ll go mad! I barely used the phone when I worked at my corporate job why would I need it now? It is hard getting the first client so I’ve thought about going through those websites that hire you (mostly to get a feel of how the work will be like) but most of those require you be available by phone and have a land line. I have skype, I can get google voice but that is to speak to my client. i really don’t want to spend my earning on getting skype credit. Do you think I can be successful and get clients without offering phone type services?
Thanks in advance!
I have always advised never to offer call answering services for those very same reasons. I would either get them to use a dedicated call answering service (much cheaper for them too) or you sort it out fr them. SO you pay the call answering service then charge the client for the service with a small mark-up.
How do you determine the costs you ask your clients (pricing)
I have a blog post on that which will help you – https://www.thevahandbook.com/set-va-rates/
Thank you for giving out this list of services. I am, as a VA, starting to learn these servies so I can provide as much to my clients. It’s just quite confusing why can’t we offer the call answering services? I came from the call center industry so I know how so much easier and helpful it is clearing the issues through a phone call.
Hi Mariane, I don’t mean to say you CAN’T offer call answering services. I’m just saying in my experience, they’re a nightmare to manage as a VA as you can never get on with anything else if it’s you that’s taking the calls. Referring the client to a call answering service is always much better so you can actually get on with other stuff. It’s not very cost or time effective for a VA. x
Thanks for the list of services. Is this up to date?
Yes, all these services are ones you could offer depending on what you know how to do or want to learn how to do. Try to lead with admin support though and try no to be all things to all people or nobody will hire you!
I’m doing my research now with the aim to become a VA around spring time 2016 (need to give 3 months notice) and this is a really useful list. I’ve done a variety roles and so this provides me with a really good starting point for considering which of my skills would be beneficial to others. Thanks!
Perfect list. I’ve been a VA for the last 2 years now. I’ve covered most of this list and I’m still expanding my knowledge and experience.
Brilliant info, but it seems for the USA & Canada markets. How can I get info to start this idea for myself as I reside in UK.
Hi Farrukh. I’m a UK-based VA and so are most of my readers so all the info on the site is aimed at people whatever country they’re in. Plus you really need to think about the info and apply it to your own situation. You have to have initiative, resourcefulness and nous to be a successful freelancer. Being a VA is the same as being any freelancer – you need to find clients, do work for them, invoice and get paid. That’s it. The rest is just detail. x
This is perfect, thanks, and spot-on with the keywords!