Top 10 Must-Have Virtual Assistant Skills

How we help VAs practice this skill:

At Outsourcing Angel, we’ve been using the Jibble app, and it’s really helpful not just for time tracking and attendance management, but also for its integration capabilities.

We integrate it with our communication tool, Slack, and it helps keep our VAs manage their time properly.

Other tips to help your VA be more time-efficient:

• Mastering the Art of Time Blocking: Start by identifying your VA’s most important tasks for the day. They can allocate specific time blocks for each task and use a timer to stay on track. As they gain confidence, they can also experiment with adjusting time blocks based on task complexity. This practice enhances their ability to allocate time effectively and maintain focus.
• Utilising Productivity Tools for Effective Task Management: Choose one productivity tool (such as Asana or Trello) and explore its features. Create a mock project and experiment with task creation, priority settings, and progress tracking. Integrating a productivity tool into daily routines enhances your VA’s task management efficiency 💯
• Creating a Well-Structured Workflow: Analyse a recent project and break it down into smaller tasks or steps. Create a visual workflow chart or checklist to map out the process from start to finish. You or your VA can even identify potential bottlenecks or areas for improvement! This exercise strengthens your ability to streamline tasks and execute them seamlessly.

If your VA has excellent communication skills, they can help you bridge gaps, connect dots, and propel your enterprise forward 👏

Excellent communication is the heartbeat of every effective collaboration, and it’s one of the top virtual assistant skills your candidate should have. It’s the key to ensuring that your ongoing efforts are accomplished well, every time.

How we help VAs practice this skill:

Our VAs regularly practice their communication skills by having 1 on 1 chats with their team leaders each month. These check-ins aren’t just for performance review purposes—it’s also about getting to know each other better, and learning how we can make their jobs easier.

By regularly telling team leaders more about themselves and how they’re doing at work, our VA team constantly improves their communication skills.

Other tips to help VAs hone this vital skill and elevate your business:

• Navigating Digital Communication Platforms: Encourage your VAs to send concise and clear messages through email, instant messaging, and video conferencing. Also, remind them to seek feedback and adjust accordingly to enhance your virtual interactions 🧑‍💻
• Tailoring Tone and Style to Various Audiences: Choose a recent piece of communication you’ve sent and consider asking your VA to rewrite it for a different audience—perhaps to a colleague or a client. Compare the two versions to identify differences in tone and style. This exercise sharpens their adaptability in tailoring messages for different stakeholders.
• Active Listening in Virtual Conversations: Both you and your VA can set up automated note-taking during meetings using tools like Fathom or Read.AI. This does not only enhances your virtual assistants’ active listening skills, but also reinforces your ability to foster meaningful virtual dialogues with each other instead of focusing on manual note-taking.

Technology is the backbone of business operations, and having a virtual assistant who is tech-savvy and digitally literate helps you be one step ahead of your competitors. That’s why this skill ranks high in the Top 10 skills of a virtual assistant 📃

Your virtual assistants’ proficiency with virtual collaboration tools, knack for troubleshooting technical glitches, and commitment to staying ahead of technological advancements are invaluable assets that ensure your business remains at the forefront of innovation.

These are must have skills of a virtual assistant in any industry, from lead generation to eCommerce ventures and more 👍

How we help VAs practice this skill:

Some other tools we use at Outsourcing Angel are:

• SystemHub to access all our Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs
• Officevibe to monitor our team performance and morale
• and Xero for accounting.

It helps if you or your VA know their way around these great tools, too!

Here are some other quick tips for VAs to be more tech-savvy:

• Troubleshooting Basic Technical Issues: Your VA can create a list of common technical glitches and solutions. Whenever you encounter a minor issue, they can consult their list and attempt to troubleshoot it themselves before seeking external help. This hands-on approach enhances their problem-solving skills and boosts their confidence in handling technical challenges.
• Staying Updated with Technological Advancements: Set aside a specific time each week to explore tech news websites, blogs, and social media accounts focused on technology trends. Your VA can also create a digital bookmark folder to save relevant articles, tools, and resources for future reference. Regular exposure to new tech developments keeps everyone’s knowledge up-to-date 💻

In a world overflowing with information, it’s important to have a virtual assistant who is adept at research and data analysis.

Research and data analysis is a skill that holds the power to uncover valuable insights, guide decision-making, and steer your business towards success. So these must have skills of a virtual assistant can be the difference between a thriving business and one that easily burns out!

Your virtual assistant’s ability to swiftly gather relevant data, synthesise complex information, and present findings clearly is a testament to their commitment to your business’s growth 🌱

How we help VAs practice this skill:

At Outsourcing Angel, we’ve just started conducting what we call “Angel Talks.” This is where our internal VAs from all departments learn from one another by sharing tips and tricks about various topics such as talking to clients, boosting social media reach, AI techniques, and more.

Presenting about a certain topic helps fine tune their analysis skills and also kickstarts other VAs to start researching on their own. So it’s a win-win!

Here are other ways for VAs to turn this skill into a game-changer:

• Gathering Relevant Information Efficiently: Have your VA set a timer and challenge themselves to find a specific piece of information within a short timeframe. They can use advanced search operators, filters, and credible sources to improve search efficiency. With practice, they’ll develop a keen eye for pinpointing accurate data quickly.
• Synthesising Data for Decision-Making: Choose a topic and gather various data points related to it. Practise condensing these points into a concise summary that captures the essence of the information 👀 Think of it as creating “tweetable” insights; short and impactful. This exercise sharpens the ability to extract key insights from complex data, which is a great VA skill.
• Presenting Research Findings Clearly: For reports, consider asking your virtual assistant to create an infographic summarising the main points. Have them focus on creating a visual narrative that flows logically. This exercise hones their skills in visually presenting research findings in an engaging and easily digestible format 👍

Change is constant in the realm of business. Having virtual assistants by your side who thrive in the face of change, adapting and being flexible, is an invaluable asset. So adaptability and flexibility will always definitely be part of the top virtual assistant skills!

This skill even enables your virtual assistant to be a reliable anchor in times of transformation. Their ability to adjust to changing workflows, navigate unexpected challenges, and eagerly embrace new tools and techniques ensures that your business remains agile and ready for whatever comes its way 💪

How we help VAs practice this skill:

We’re proud to say that over the years, we’ve matched hundreds of clients with great VAs who have adapted so quickly and are really flexible with their pace. Our happy clients even leave testimonials highlighting this particular VA skill, and this encourages our other VAs to be flexible as well!

Here are other tips for VAs to practice being more adaptable and flexible:

• Embracing New Tools and Techniques: VAs should actively seek out new tools, software, or techniques that are relevant to their role. Set aside dedicated time to learn and experiment with these tools 🧑‍💻 Whether it’s a project management app or a communication platform, embracing change ensures you’re prepared for whatever the digital landscape throws your way!
• Adapting to Changing Workflows and Priorities: Set aside specific time slots for different tasks, and then intentionally switch tasks when the time is up. This exercise enhances your ability to transition between activities seamlessly, a skill that’s invaluable in a fast-paced virtual environment.

How we help VAs practice this skill:

Our Marketing team is lucky to have an excellent social media manager, Victoria. Victoria has over 3 years of experience as a social media manager and admin VA before coming onboard Outsourcing Angel. So experience is key!

She makes sure our reach and engagement numbers are always in the green across multiple platforms.

Here are other tips for VAs to practice their social media management skills:

• Crafting Engaging Social Media Content: Dive into the world of content creation by experimenting with different types of posts—from informative to entertaining. Pay attention to trending topics and incorporate them into your content strategy. Then use scheduling tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to plan and organise your posts for maximum impact.

👉 Related: Check out our Free ChatGPT Marketing Cheat Sheet to supercharge your content!

• Scheduling and Monitoring Posts Across Platforms: Familiarise yourself with social media scheduling tools and explore their features. Experiment with scheduling posts at different times to identify the optimal posting schedule for your target audience. You can even regularly monitor engagement metrics and use insights to fine-tune your strategy!
• Analysing Social Media Insights for Strategy Refinement: Dive into analytics platforms like Facebook Insights and Twitter Analytics to gain a deeper understanding of your audience’s behaviour. Identify trends, popular content, and peak engagement times 📈 Finally, use this data to make informed decisions and refine your social media strategy for maximum reach and engagement.

How we help VAs practice this skill:

One of our long-standing VAs at Outsourcing Angel is VA Alaila. She’s been one of our Graphic Designers for over 4 years now.

Alaila uses various tools like Filmora, Indesign, Canva, Illustrator, and more. Exploring options is vital!

Here are other tips to help your VA hone this skill and add a splash of creativity and allure to your business’s visuals:

• Creating Visually Appealing Presentations: Dive into online design tutorials to learn about effective colour schemes, fonts, and layouts that make presentations pop. Experiment with platforms like Canva to practice your skills and craft captivating slides that convey information seamlessly!
• Designing Simple Marketing Materials: Start by deconstructing well-designed marketing materials you come across. Understand the placement of elements, use of white space, and visual hierarchy. 🖌️ Also, try using free design tools like GIMP or Inkscape to create your own materials and add a creative touch to your skill set.
• Editing and Enhancing Visual Content: Familiarise yourself with basic image editing tools such as cropping, resizing, and applying filters. Practice by editing your own photos or images found online.

Nurturing client relationships is the cornerstone of sustainable success in any industry! By organising client information, providing exceptional support, and harnessing CRM tools for enhanced efficiency, you’re setting the stage for fostering long-lasting partnerships.

This particular virtual assistant skill can elevate their ability to create meaningful and impactful connections with their clients.

How we help VAs practice this skill:

At Outsourcing Angel, we use HubSpot to keep on top of our client deliverables. We highly recommend it because it’s an all-in-one management platform that helps keep tasks organised with efficient goal setting and easy collaboration tools.

It also allows you to tailor workflows, so it’s more specific to your business processes.

Here are more tips to help your VA hone this specific skill:

• Managing and Organising Client Information: After onboarding, you can ask your VA to create a sample client profile so they can explore your chosen CRM system, its tags, or labels, and practice entering and updating client details, interactions, and preferences. This also helps when you need them to regularly review and clean up your client database to ensure accurate and up-to-date information 💻
• Providing Exceptional Customer Support: For customer service VAs, focus on responding promptly and empathetically, and providing solutions. Seek feedback from colleagues or mentors to refine your communication and support skills.
• Implementing CRM Tools for Enhanced Efficiency: Choose a specific task, such as sending follow-up emails or scheduling appointments, and automate it using your CRM’s features. Monitor the process to ensure accuracy and adjust settings as needed. This hands-on approach familiarises you with CRM automation, which boosts your efficiency in managing client interactions 🤝

Effective task delegation and project coordination hold successful ventures together. It’s a skill that empowers your VA to be an expert in managing tasks and orchestrating projects.

By delegating tasks, coordinating multiple projects seamlessly, and vigilantly monitoring progress, you’re positioning yourself and your VA as better project managers.

How we help VAs practice this skill:

We help VAs become higher-value employees for their clients by conducting skills workshops, regular check-ins, performance evaluations, and more.

This frees up our clients’ time and energy so they can strategise and scale their business!

Here are other ways your VA can improve this skill:

• Coordinating Multiple Projects Simultaneously: Choose two or more projects and create a timeline or calendar. Allocate time slots for each project, considering its priority and complexity. Regularly review and adjust the schedule as needed. This sharpens your VA’s ability to balance and coordinate multiple projects seamlessly.
• Monitoring Progress and Ensuring Deadlines: Select a task you’ve delegated or a project you’re already coordinating. Set regular check-in points to monitor progress and address any roadblocks. You can even use tools like task management software or project boards to track milestones and ensure tasks are completed on time! 🕜

Staying ahead requires more than just mastering a set of skills. It demands a commitment to continuous skill development—an unwavering dedication to evolving and adapting 📈 This consistent pursuit of knowledge and growth transforms virtual assistants into indispensable assets for businesses of all sizes.

How we help VAs practice this skill:

In our Slack platform, we have dedicated channels for VAs to learn new AI tools and industry techniques so they can execute their jobs better and faster. It encourages everyone to grow and expand their knowledge!

Here are more tips for VAs to hone this skill:

• Set Clear Learning Goals: Encourage VAs to define specific, achievable learning objectives. Whether it’s mastering a new software or improving communication skills, clear goals provide direction and motivation.
• Allocate Dedicated Learning Time: Establish regular time slots for learning and skill development. This dedicated time helps VAs avoid distractions and prioritise their growth.
• Stay Updated on Industry Trends: Encourage VAs to subscribe to industry newsletters, blogs, and podcasts to stay informed about the latest trends and developments in virtual assistance and related fields.