Key Skills to Excel as a Freelance Virtual Assistant

Tech Savvy VA: Key Skills to Excel as a Freelance Virtual Assistant

The role of virtual assistant is one of the few professions that is not threatened by artificial intelligence. It is a highly valued profession that has filled many gaps in the job market, and technology has only increased the demand for virtual assistants. Remote work productivity depends largely on them, as personalized service cannot be replaced.

Virtual assistant skills allow them to perform their professional duties remotely without compromising their effectiveness and productivity. Are you interested in learning more about what a virtual assistant does? Stay tuned to find out.

What is a virtual assistant?

A virtual assistant is a highly trained professional who offers resource management or technical support services to companies, clients, or users. They make the management of daily tasks in different businesses much more bearable, using a myriad of freelance VA tools that are essential for remote work.

Virtual assistant skills give them a profile similar to that of an executive assistant, except that they are adapted to the digital world. Thanks to the virtual assistant's ability to adapt to different work environments, they can perform diverse and collaborative activities with various departments, from management to finance and even the creative team. That is why it is imperative that a virtual assistant's skills include good communication strategies for remote teams.

What are the functions of a virtual assistant?

Remote work productivity goes hand in hand with virtual assistant skills, who must collaborate in the efficient management and administration of the company. From their simplest functions, we can mention:

Calendar and event management
Email and phone call management
Customer support and service
File management
Billing management
Collaboration in content creation
Task tracking

Benefits of hiring a tech-savvy virtual assistant

If you need to increase remote work productivity, a tech-savvy virtual assistant can definitely lighten your workload and optimize various computer tasks thanks to the use of freelance VA tools such as Trello, Slack, Canva, Asana, and many more.

Virtual assistants often have so much experience that they not only enrich the work but also make it more remarkable through task organization. Among virtual assistant skills, their proactivity in resolving situations and taking on tasks that may not have been initially assigned to them but that they are qualified to solve stands out, making them a great addition to any company.

Skills of a virtual assistant

Freelance VA tools are as varied as the work itself, so virtual assistant skills must also be varied. However, we can summarize some of the skills that the ideal profile should have:

Efficient communication

When it comes to Freelance VA tools, communication must be paramount. Virtual assistants must communicate effectively not only with their employer but also with clients. To do this, they must use an intelligent and cordial tone in their messages or emails.

It is also appreciated if they have good writing and copywriting skills, especially if they focus on marketing. Proficiency in at least two languages should also be included in the virtual assistant's skill set, as many remote jobs require working in a language other than English, whether dealing with company members or clients.

Organization

Efficient time management is one of the virtual assistant skills most sought after by recruiters. A virtual assistant's workday is usually quite busy with various tasks to handle simultaneously, so remote work productivity often falls on their shoulders.

While there are different Freelance VA tools that facilitate organization and time management, it is important for virtual assistants to know how to allocate the ideal amount of time to each task and to have good communication support in case they need to delegate tasks.

Affinity with technology

Virtual assistant skills obviously go hand in hand with freelance VA tools, and technology will be your primary ally when working from home. To do this, you will need to be proficient in applications, platforms, and digital services designed to enhance workflow. These can be simple tools for calls or video calls, or slightly more complex ones for storing electronic records that are sometimes sensitive.

Here are some Freelance VA tools that you should be able to use:

Word, Excel
Drive, Meet, Docs
Asana, Trello
Adobe Canva Shopify, Google Analytics
ChatGPT, Gemini

Of course, you can get a basic understanding of each of them and specialize in the ones most commonly used in your niche as a virtual assistant, since each company has its own processes, tools, and platforms necessary for work.

Remember that continuous learning is another virtual assistant skill that will help with remote work productivity, and while there is usually flexibility and a training period when starting a new job, having a basic knowledge of the most commonly used freelance VA tools is obviously a point in your favor.

Autonomy and discipline

Being autonomous and disciplined is always required among virtual assistant skills because you will often be solely responsible for your work. There will be no one else to correct you on the spot, and your decisions will be independent. In addition, for personal growth, you should also plan your own goals and make sure you meet them.

Good work environment

The environment is a vital part of a virtual assistant work; a pleasant, clean, and tidy environment will demonstrate confidence and neatness, giving you a professional image.

Keep in mind that all virtual work currently takes place through virtual platforms such as Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet. If you cannot guarantee a suitable environment, use the default backgrounds provided by these platforms.

Attention to detail

As a virtual assistant, remote work productivity is something that many recruiters look for, but that doesn't mean you should neglect details in order to prioritize time. You must be meticulous when performing your tasks to minimize errors and ensure that the information and data are correct.

Becoming a successful virtual assistant definitely involves many factors, and the employer is one of them. That's why at Alpha Solutions, we take care to find the right clients for our trained virtual assistants. We always build a good presence and match our specialists to the professional profile requested by the company. We know that many virtual assistants specialize in specific areas or niches, so we offer the best support to achieve this.