If you're thinking about hiring a virtual assistant (VA), the first question is usually: “What would I actually give them?” The short answer: almost any recurring, computer-based task that follows a repeatable process. The long answer is below — 60+ concrete tasks, grouped by department, so you can tick off what applies to you.
The simple rule: repeatable, rules-based, reviewable
A task is a great fit for a VA when it is:
- Repeatable — it happens daily, weekly or monthly.
- Rules-based — you could explain how to do it in a checklist or a 5-minute screen recording.
- Reviewable — you can quickly check the output (a sent email, an updated spreadsheet, a scheduled post).
Tasks that need your unique judgement, relationships or legal authority stay with you (more on that below). Everything else is a candidate.
1. Admin, inbox & calendar
This is where most business owners start, because it frees the most hours fastest.
- Inbox triage: labelling, archiving newsletters, flagging what needs you
- Drafting replies to routine emails for your approval
- Following up on unanswered emails and pending approvals
- Scheduling meetings across time zones and sending reminders
- Rescheduling and managing your calendar “guard rails” (focus blocks, buffers)
- Preparing meeting agendas and taking/distributing notes
- Travel research, bookings and itineraries
- Formatting documents, proposals and slide decks
- Organising Google Drive / Dropbox folders and naming conventions
- Data entry and spreadsheet clean-up
- Updating your CRM or project-management tool after calls
2. Customer support
- Answering support emails, live chat and WhatsApp messages
- Managing helpdesk tickets (Zendesk, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Help Scout)
- Order-status (“where is my order?”) replies
- Processing returns, refunds and exchanges within your policy
- Writing and updating FAQ / help-centre articles
- Monitoring and responding to reviews
- Escalating complex issues to you with a clear summary
- Sending a weekly report of common questions and complaints
3. Social media & marketing
- Building a monthly content calendar
- Designing posts, carousels and story graphics in Canva
- Scheduling posts with Meta Business Suite, Buffer or Later
- Writing captions and researching hashtags
- Replying to comments and DMs (with approved responses)
- Repurposing a podcast, webinar or video into posts and newsletter snippets
- Uploading blog posts, adding images and basic on-page SEO
- Managing your email newsletter list and scheduling campaigns
- Compiling a monthly performance report
4. Bookkeeping & finance admin
- Categorising transactions in QuickBooks, Xero or Zoho Books
- Creating and sending invoices
- Polite payment reminders for overdue invoices
- Collecting and matching receipts
- Preparing bank-reconciliation support for your accountant
- Tracking subscriptions and flagging ones you don't use
- Monthly expense summaries
Note: a VA can prepare your books, but tax filing and financial advice should stay with a qualified accountant.
5. Sales & lead generation
- Building prospect lists from LinkedIn, Apollo or industry directories
- Finding and verifying contact details
- Loading leads into your CRM with the right tags
- Sending cold email sequences and follow-ups you've approved
- Booking discovery calls into your calendar
- Researching prospects before calls (one-page briefs)
- Keeping your pipeline stages up to date
- Competitor and market research
6. E-commerce operations
- Uploading products, variants and images
- Writing SEO-friendly product descriptions
- Processing orders and updating fulfilment status
- Inventory counts and low-stock alerts
- Supplier and 3PL follow-ups
- Marketplace account-health checks (Amazon, Etsy, Flipkart)
- Setting up discount codes and promotions
- Requesting and responding to product reviews
7. Industry-specific tasks
Real estate agents
Lead follow-up, CRM updates, MLS listing input, showing scheduling, transaction checklists, just-listed/just-sold marketing and past-client nurture. See real estate VA support →
Coaches & consultants
Discovery-call scheduling, client onboarding, course-platform admin, community management and content repurposing. See coach VA support →
Startups & small businesses
Founder admin, recruiting coordination, investor-update formatting, research and SOP writing. See startup VA support →
What you should NOT delegate
- Strategy and final decisions — pricing, hiring/firing, partnerships.
- Key relationships — your top clients and investors expect to hear from you.
- Legal sign-offs — contracts, compliance filings and anything requiring a licence.
- Sensitive financial authority — your VA can prepare payments, but you approve and release them.
- Brand-new, undefined work — do it once yourself, document it, then delegate.
How to choose your first 5 tasks
- For one week, jot down every task that takes you more than 10 minutes.
- Mark each one: R (repeats), S (could be explained in a checklist) and $ (worth less than your hourly rate).
- Anything with all three marks goes on your “delegate first” list.
- Pick the five that free up the most hours.
- Record a quick screen video of each one — that's your first SOP.
Want a head start? Download our free checklist, 50 Tasks You Can Delegate to a Virtual Assistant Today, or take the 60-second VA quiz to see which type of VA fits you best.
