Our community (small businesses, executives, founders, middle management, busy parents and the list goes on) usually hand off their inbox and calendar management first because these are sneaky time killers. Once delegated to your virtual assistant, you get time back in your day immediately, and perpetually. But, you can start with whatever task or project is most pressing or distracting.

Virtual assistants perform an incredibly wide variety of tasks. Common tasks are things like inbox management, social media management, scheduling of all sorts, bookkeeping and other recordkeeping, price comparisons, product research, and the list goes on – for a more comprehensive list of common tasks – click here and click around on all the “what we do” sections. But, a virtual assistant can also help with less obvious things like supporting a job search by looking for appropriate openings, submitting your resume, sending cover letters, and booking the interview. Let your imagination run wild – SHJ International virtual assistants are creative, flexible, and fast learners and can help anyone from a small business to large companies, and individuals to executives.

The short answer is; before you need one. The more common answer of when people actual hire a virtual assistant is when you realize you are spending your valuable time tasks that are necessary, but not critical and don’t take advantage of your specific skills! A virtual executive assistant can turn a hectic, always just a bit behind schedule life into a hyper-productive, highly focused success story in very little time.

No, your Virtual Assistant can help you with all sorts of personal tasks as well. From booking travel arrangements for the annual family vacation to ordering flowers for a special occasion, your virtual assistant is dedicated to making your life better, in and out of work. Life isn’t all business.

They are all powerful superheroes capable of saving the day – but yes, there are a few jobs your virtual assistant isn’t going to be able to help you with. Answering phone calls, cold calling for lead generation, advanced accounting, and obviously anything that requires them to be physically present like accepting an Oscar on your behalf (okay, they’d probably be willing to do that) are outside the services SHJ International provides to the companies it serves. Your virtual assistant can make calls on your behalf to do things like book travel, or buy things, but they are not a receptionist or a smile and dial machine.