The outsourcing market is booming. Many companies nowadays are using this opportunity to find talents and save money. And virtual assistants are one of the most outsourced positions in the field.
Freelancing sites like Upwork and Fiverr are offering thousands of gigs and projects. So why not to ride this growing trend?
To be successful as a virtual assistant, you have to be a “multitasker”. Planning, coordinating, or various administrative tasks are on your daily plan as a virtual assistant.
To master all the stressful moments and various tasks, you have to use the right online tools.
Because all you need to focus on is meeting the deadlines of your clients and providing good quality service.
But if you don’t have the right virtual assistant software, it may cause you to dislike your job (and lose your contracts too). But don’t worry, I got the solution.
The good news is that you can get most of the tools you’ll need as a virtual assistant for free. You’ve heard most of them before, even if you haven’t tried them out.
Best Free Tools for Virtual Assistants
In this article, I’ll present you the best tools for virtual assistant you should learn to use to increase your value on the market.
These are the most used tool nowadays in every company working with freelancers. Some of them are “free forever”, others come with a free trial.
1. Canva
Canva is the best free online tool to start creating visuals without an experienced designer. With thousands of templates and other visual elements, this tool will ensure your social media content stands out.
This tool is completely free and very easy to learn. From Instagram posts to website elements, learning this tool will add value to your portfolio.
To learn to use Canva, you can start designing your own designs or check YouTube tutorials. There are many videos that help you learn fast the designer principles with Canva.
Another option to learn faster is to follow gurus on Instagram. Profiles like canvatutorials are sharing daily tips to learn faster.
2. Trello
Trello is a terrific project management tool that allows you to categorize and organize your projects. Boards, cards, and steps are used to break down tasks.
Trello allows you to collaborate with others, resulting in a considerable reduction in the number of emails. It can be used to create groups with bulletin boards that correlate to the duties they are in charge of.
This tool makes it simple to keep everyone on the same page. Companies are using it for projects of all sizes and complexity levels.
Again, this is one of the tools you can use for free. The paid version is offering additional features like custom fields or 1,000 workspace commands.
To learn to work with Trello, you can start with the guide provided by themself.
The most useful feature you should learn is “Rules”. These are automations you can set up and save you and your client a lot of time. You can learn more about rules once you sign up and open the Automation/Rules section.
3. Zoom
It is the best videoconferencing platform to conduct meetings. Zoom provides you the possibility to connect with clients or stakeholders all around the world. Fast and easy.
Zoom allows you to communicate verbally while simultaneously seeing each other’s faces. Its services are completely free. This allows you to have a 40-minute Zoom call conference with 100 participants. This tool is also available on a mobile device or a laptop.
The best of both worlds, you can use the screen sharing feature to show your presentation to others. You can even use it step-by-step to explain particular topics. It will help you to keep in touch with your team in various ways.
You can save a recording of the Zoom call for later use or collaborate on the whiteboard.
The best thing about Zoom among all the video conferencing tools is the app marketplace. With over 2000 apps and integrations, you can bring communication with your clients and teammates to another level.
As already mentioned, Zoom is offering his app for free. There are also paid “PRO” and “Business” models, with more functions for bigger teams.
In the Zoom learning center you can find many valuable informations on how to start using this wonderful app.
4. Google Workspace
G Suite, before Google Workspace, offers several valuable tools that can help you with your career in several ways. G Suite includes many tools, including Google Meet, Google Drive, and Calendar.
It allows you to collaborate and share with your coworkers. It’s a one-stop-shop for all your virtual assistant requirements!
The user interface is straightforward, intuitive, and easy to use.
Google Meet is a video communication application like Zoom. Google Drive is a cloud-based document, spreadsheet, and presentation storage service.
You may access your Google Calendar from any device linked to your Google account.
Meeting, data storage or collaborations on Google Docs, all this is offered from Google for free.
5. LastPass
LastPass is a password manager that can help you to keep track of your passwords. It keeps all of your passwords safe in one place. It also works as a password-sharing application, allowing you to securely exchange accounts with others.
It offers a free plan with unlimited password storage and one-to-one sharing, and a paid subscription with dark web surveillance and encrypted file storage. LastPass makes collaboration a lot easier.
As a virtual assistant, you’ll need access to your client’s accounts and other sensitive information, such as credit card numbers. This online tool for virtual assistants helps customers relax by giving them a secure way to exchange information.
6. Slack
Slack is wonderful for fast conversations that don’t require a complete email and has entertaining emojis to keep things interesting. It can help you communicate more effectively.
This is a channeled communication tool for virtual assistant. You can create channels based on a topic or project and send private messages to coworkers. In addition, it allows for a more relaxed communication style.
Slack is accessible in desktop and smartphone versions. This is an excellent tool for quick on-the-go communication. You can work without your laptop and still be “in the office.”
You can also use Slack as a video conferencing tool or use a feature called “huddle” to catch-up with your clients and teammates. It is just great tool to keep the whole communication and information flow on one place.
There is a big community around this wonderful tool. Many innovative startups and companies are using Slack as their primary communication tool. As a virtual assistant working with different teams, you can also keep all your informations and tasks in one place using “Slack-Connects”.
My favorite feature that every virtual assistant should know is “Workflow Builder”. It allows you to build custom workflows to automate daily recurring tasks and so save you a lot of time.
Slack comes with a intuitive interface and is very easy to learn. You can also visit their resources page and get some valuable tips on how to use the app.
7. HoneyBook
HoneyBook is a customer relationship management software. It combines project management, client contact, and invoicing into a single application. This app contains a built-in contact book that makes it simple to keep track of clients. It also includes an integrated calendar, to-do list, and project list for better organizing.
HoneyBook is an excellent tool for a virtual assistant because it keeps everything in one place.
Is another tool that can help you clear out your email. It allows you to collaborate more easily with your client and operate more autonomously and efficiently!
8. Calendly
Calendly is a meeting scheduling tool that makes scheduling meetings as simple as possible.
Your Calendly account includes a personalized meeting link you can send to clients to schedule you without coordinating calendars. In addition, it allows users to connect Calendly to their calendar apps, such as Google Calendar.
Calendly is a fantastic tool for reducing the stress of coordinating with clients and coworkers. It helps you send fewer emails, send fewer back-and-forth messages, and spend more time on the other things that require your attention!
9. Time Doctor
Time Doctor is a strong time management tool that assists virtual assistants in prioritizing activities and increasing productivity.
In addition, because several assistants frequently handle a client project, this software will make tracking their productivity and project completion simple and precise.
The reason this app is on this list is the advanced features portfolio. Besides the time- and project-management features, Time Doctor is also offering you advanced features like “Distraction Alerts” or “Budgeting” and “Productivity Measuring”.
The app does not offer a completely free pricing model, but you can start a 14-day free trial. The basic pricing starts at 7$ per user/month.
10. Buffer
As a virtual assistant in today’s world, you can’t avoid being confronted with digital marketing. It is simply a part of every business running online. And social media are the most trendy topic around this industry.
Buffer is a great tool that helps you manage accounts on social networks. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and also LinkedIn you can manage all these channels from one place.
Virtual assistants who help clients with digital marketing know-how tough managing many social media accounts are. Such tools like Buffer are used to tackle this problem. It allows you to schedule social media postings, track content performance, and manage all of your accounts from one location.
The free plan is just enough to start using this online tool. The paid plans starting by $5 per channel/month are all coming with 14 days free trial to test.
To learn to use buffer, you can start watching some tutorials on YouTube or read Buffer’s Guides & Courses.
11. Todoist
This is a useful feature if you prefer to work with a to-do list. This tool will serve as the framework for your project. In addition, this tool makes keeping and managing a to-do list simple.
With the help of this tool, you may create long-term and short-term goals. This simple feature may also keep track of your everyday behaviors. The most important feature is that you may use it on your phone and on your PC. Furthermore, a chrome extension version can aid you in any manner.
It can also be used to set personal objectives or goals. With this technology, maintaining a system at work is a breeze. In addition, this tool can be used in conjunction with another program.
FAQs
What is a virtual assistant?
A virtual assistant is a self-employed individual who works for a client and offers administrative help from a location other than the client’s office. Virtual assistant works from home most of the time, but they can access crucial planning tools like shared calendars from anywhere.
What educational requirements are needed for a virtual assistant?
In contrast to other occupations, becoming a successful virtual assistant does not necessitate a specific education. Any relevant education can be mentioned when pitching prospective clients, but a formal degree is not required to get started.
What kind of hardware and software does a virtual assistant need?
They usually work from home, using a fax machine, computer, desk, and Internet connection. Virtual assistants’ software requirements vary depending on their industry. However, virtual assistants use the same software to deliver services and administer a business.
Conclusion
Virtual assistants rely on software to execute all of these jobs promptly, assigning assignments, engaging with clients, streamlining procedures, storing data, creating sales leads, or maximizing company results. There are multiple tools for virtual assistant available on the market.
Most virtual assistant tools are low-cost, interactive, and popular in terms of the number of people who use them. Now that you’ve learned about some of the top virtual assistant tools, it’s time to work! These tools will assist you in being a more organized and productive VA while reducing your time on projects.
