What Does a Virtual Assistant Do? Tasks, Skills and How to Hire One
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What Does a Virtual Assistant Do? Tasks, Skills and How to Hire One
- 2example.com
A national directory listing
- 3example.com
A competitor's old blog post
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A comparison site
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Quick answer
A virtual assistant (VA) is a remote professional who handles tasks for a business, such as admin, email, scheduling, data entry, customer service, social media or online store management. VAs work from their own location, usually part-time or on a set number of hours, so you get help without hiring a full-time employee.
Key takeaways
- A VA works remotely on tasks you'd otherwise do yourself.
- General VAs handle admin; specialist VAs handle ecommerce, marketing or real estate.
- Look for clear communication, reliability and tool skills.
- Document your process before you hire.
- Keep ownership of every account and give access you can remove.
What is a virtual assistant?
A virtual assistant is a self-employed or agency-based professional who supports a business remotely. Instead of sitting in your office, they log in to your tools, like email, calendar, CRM or online store, and complete agreed tasks. Some are generalists; others specialize in an area such as ecommerce, bookkeeping, marketing or real estate.
What does a virtual assistant do? Common tasks
| Type | Typical tasks |
|---|---|
| Admin | Email inbox, calendar, travel booking, document prep |
| Data entry | Spreadsheets, CRM updates, product data |
| Customer service | Replying to emails, chat and marketplace messages |
| Ecommerce | Product listings, order processing, returns, store updates |
| Marketing | Social media scheduling, basic graphics, blog uploads |
| Research | Supplier, competitor and lead research |
For online sellers, an ecommerce virtual assistant or an eBay virtual assistant focuses on listings, orders and buyer messages.
Virtual assistant skills to look for
- Clear written communication in your customers' language
- Reliability and good time management
- Comfort with your tools, such as Google Workspace, Seller Hub, Seller Central or Shopify
- Attention to detail for data entry and listings
- Discretion with customer data and account access
- Willingness to follow a documented process
Benefits of a virtual assistant for small businesses
- Time back: hand off repetitive work and focus on sales and sourcing.
- Flexibility: scale hours up or down with demand.
- Lower fixed costs: no office space or full-time employment commitments.
- Speed: faster replies to customers and quicker listing of new stock.
How to hire a virtual assistant
- 1List the tasks you want off your plate and how often they happen.
- 2Write down your process, with examples of good work.
- 3Decide: freelancer or agency. A freelancer is flexible; an agency adds backup and quality checks. See agency vs freelancer vs in-house.
- 4Start with a trial on a small batch of real work.
- 5Set up safe access: use team or permission features where possible, keep ownership, and never share banking details.
- 6Review weekly at first, then monthly.
Frequently asked questions
What is a virtual assistant in simple terms?
Someone who works remotely to handle tasks for your business, like admin, customer messages, data entry or store management.
What can a virtual assistant do for my business?
Anything that can be done online with clear instructions: email and calendar, customer service, data entry, social media scheduling, product listings and order management.
What skills does a virtual assistant need?
Good written communication, reliability, attention to detail, comfort with your software, and discretion with data and account access.
Is a virtual assistant worth it?
Usually, if you spend hours each week on repetitive tasks that someone else could do with clear instructions. Start with a trial to see the impact.
Sources
Platform rules change often, so we check sources at every update. Last reviewed October 23, 2026.
Written by
Zia Ur Rehman
Founder & Lead SEO Strategist, DigiEthic
Zia Ur Rehman is the founder of DigiEthic, with 14 years of experience in digital marketing. He works hands-on across technical SEO, AI search optimization (AEO/GEO), Local SEO, Google Ads and Meta Ads for service businesses and e-commerce brands.
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