Admin & Support
Hire Virtual Assistants
Virtual assistants take recurring admin off your plate: email, scheduling, data entry, research, bookings and customer messages.
The role
What virtual assistants do
A good virtual assistant follows a process reliably, notices when something looks wrong, and asks before guessing. Some specialise in executive support, e-commerce operations, customer service or bookkeeping support. Most work best with clear instructions and a regular set of tasks.
Typical deliverables
- A managed inbox and calendar
- Up-to-date spreadsheets and CRM records
- Research summaries
- Travel and appointment bookings
- Written notes on how recurring tasks are done
Tools you will see
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- Notion or Asana
- HubSpot and other CRMs
- Zendesk or Help Scout
- Slack
Choosing
How to choose virtual assistants
What to look for
- Clear, careful writing in their messages to you.
- Experience with the tools you already use.
- A sensible approach to passwords and confidential information.
- Working hours that overlap yours, if tasks are time-sensitive.
- Reviews from longer engagements, not only one-off tasks.
Questions to ask
- 1Which tasks have you handled for similar clients?
- 2How do you keep track of recurring tasks?
- 3How do you handle access to accounts and passwords?
- 4Which hours are you available, and how quickly do you reply?
- 5What do you do when instructions are unclear?
Planning
Before you post the job
Write the tasks down
List what you want to hand over and how you do it today. A short written process makes the first weeks much smoother.
Access and security
Use a password manager, give access only to the accounts needed, and remove it when the work ends.
Contract type
Variable weekly support suits hourly with a weekly limit. A steady monthly role suits a Dedicated Hire.
Hiring on Open Lance
- Posting a job and reviewing proposals are free.
- Each milestone is funded into escrow before work starts and paid when you approve it.
- Hire fixed-price, hourly, as a monthly Dedicated Hire, or buy a packaged Drop-In.
- Client fees are shown before you pay and added on top of the work.
FAQ
Questions about hiring virtual assistants
What should I delegate first?
Tasks you repeat every week that follow clear steps, such as sorting the inbox, scheduling and data entry.
Hourly or Dedicated Hire?
Hourly with a weekly limit suits a workload that varies. A Dedicated Hire suits a steady role with predictable monthly hours.
How do I share passwords safely?
Use a password manager that shares access without revealing the password, and revoke it when the engagement ends.
Related
Related skills
Post a job for virtual assistants
Describe the work and compare proposals. You only fund the first milestone once you have chosen someone.