The most common reason business owners delay hiring a virtual assistant is not cost. It's uncertainty about what a VA can actually do.
This guide breaks down 80 specific VA tasks across six categories, tells you which require specialized skills vs. general admin capability, and helps you build a delegation plan for your first or next VA hire.
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How to Use This List
Not every task is right for every VA. Use this list to:
1. Identify which tasks currently consume the most of your time 2. Flag the 5-10 with the highest time cost and lowest need for your personal judgment 3. Build those into your VA's job description before you hire
The tasks that should go to a VA first are those that are repetitive, have clear outputs, and don't require your specific client relationships or institutional knowledge.
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Category 1: Administrative Tasks
These are the tasks most commonly handled by general admin VAs. They require organization and attention to detail, but not specialized domain knowledge.
1. Email inbox management (sorting, labeling, drafting responses) 2. Calendar management (scheduling, rescheduling, blocking focus time) 3. Travel booking (flights, hotels, ground transport, itineraries) 4. Data entry (CRM updates, spreadsheet maintenance, list building) 5. File organization (naming conventions, folder structure, archiving) 6. Expense tracking and receipt organization 7. Meeting notes and action item follow-up 8. Document formatting (reports, presentations, proposals) 9. Proofreading emails, blog posts, and documents 10. Setting up and managing task management tools (Asana, Trello, ClickUp) 11. Managing contact lists and databases 12. Handling physical or digital mail 13. Researching vendors, tools, or services 14. Creating templates for recurring documents 15. Maintaining digital filing systems and shared drives
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Category 2: Customer Service and CRM Tasks
These tasks require strong written communication skills and comfort with customer-facing interactions.
16. Responding to customer inquiries via email or chat 17. Handling complaint escalations using a documented process 18. Processing refund and exchange requests 19. Following up with leads who haven't responded 20. Updating CRM records after calls and meetings 21. Sending onboarding information to new clients 22. Managing customer feedback surveys and logging responses 23. Setting up and sending automated follow-up sequences 24. Monitoring and responding to online reviews 25. Maintaining a FAQ document based on incoming questions 26. Tagging and segmenting email lists based on activity 27. Chasing overdue invoices via templated communications 28. Scheduling and coordinating client calls 29. Sending check-in messages to existing clients 30. Managing helpdesk tickets in tools like Zendesk or Freshdesk
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Category 3: Social Media and Content Tasks
These tasks can be split between general admin VAs and social media specialists, depending on the complexity.
31. Scheduling social media posts across platforms 32. Repurposing existing content (turning a blog post into 5 social posts) 33. Writing captions for images or video content 34. Responding to comments and DMs 35. Conducting hashtag research 36. Creating graphics in Canva from templates 37. Uploading and publishing blog posts with proper formatting 38. Building content calendars based on provided topics 39. Monitoring brand mentions and flagging relevant conversations 40. Compiling monthly social media performance reports 41. Researching competitors' content strategies 42. Managing a content queue in a scheduling tool (Vista Social, Buffer, Hootsuite) 43. Transcribing audio or video content for repurposing 44. Updating website content (blog posts, team pages, service pages) 45. Creating newsletter drafts from provided bullet points
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Category 4: Research and Analysis Tasks
These tasks require strong research skills, critical thinking, and ability to summarize findings clearly.
46. Lead list research (company, contact name, email, LinkedIn URL) 47. Competitor analysis (pricing, positioning, content) 48. Market research (industry trends, target audience data) 49. Keyword research for SEO content planning 50. Researching speaking opportunities, guest post placements, or podcast appearances 51. Summarizing long documents, reports, or industry articles 52. Building databases from public sources 53. Research for blog post briefs (sources, statistics, examples) 54. Vendor comparison research (pricing, features, reviews) 55. Identifying potential partnership or collaboration opportunities
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Category 5: Financial and Operations Tasks
These tasks require attention to detail and familiarity with specific tools. Some require accounting knowledge.
56. Invoicing clients and tracking payment status 57. Reconciling expenses against receipts 58. Managing accounts payable (sending payments based on approved invoices) 59. Preparing monthly financial summary reports (bookkeeping background preferred) 60. Tracking project budgets vs. actuals in a spreadsheet 61. Maintaining payroll records (not processing, but tracking) 62. Creating purchase order documentation 63. Monitoring subscription renewals and notifying you ahead of billing 64. Building operations dashboards from data you provide 65. Documenting processes as SOPs after you describe them verbally
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Category 6: Project and Team Coordination Tasks
These tasks are typically handled by more senior or executive VAs.
66. Coordinating project timelines and deadlines across team members 67. Running weekly team standup agendas and documenting outcomes 68. Tracking deliverables across contractors and vendors 69. Managing new hire onboarding logistics (paperwork, access, scheduling) 70. Coordinating product launches (timeline, asset tracking, cross-team communication) 71. Updating project status boards and reporting to stakeholders 72. Managing contractor relationships (invoices, deliverables, check-ins) 73. Building out and maintaining the team wiki or internal knowledge base 74. Facilitating recurring meetings (agenda, notes, action items) 75. Handling vendor relations and procurement follow-up
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Specialized VA Roles
Beyond general VA work, these are distinct specializations with their own rate ranges and required training:
Executive VA (EVA): Manages your calendar and inbox as your right hand. Attends meetings and takes notes. Manages travel, expense reports, and stakeholder communication. Typically $15–25/hr.
Social Media VA: Manages content scheduling, engagement, and reporting across social platforms. Uses dedicated tools. Typically $10–18/hr.
Bookkeeping VA: Manages accounts receivable/payable, reconciliation, and financial reporting. Requires accounting software experience (QuickBooks, Xero). Typically $15–25/hr.
Customer Service VA: Handles inbound inquiries, tickets, and escalations. Uses helpdesk platforms. Typically $8–14/hr.
Research VA: Conducts lead research, market analysis, and summarization tasks. Strong writing and organizational skills required. Typically $10–15/hr.
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How to Build Your First VA Job Description
Step 1: Go through this list and mark every task you currently do personally that appears here.
Step 2: Estimate the weekly hours each task takes.
Step 3: Identify your top 8–12 tasks by time cost. These form your initial scope.
Step 4: Group them by skill type (admin, CS, social media). If they cluster around one category, that defines the role type.
Step 5: Write a job description with: role type, specific tasks (use this list), required tools/platforms, hours per week, and communication expectations.
A VA with a clear job description ramps significantly faster than one given a vague mandate. Define the scope before you hire.
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Before You Hire: The Setup Decisions That Determine Success
The most common reason VA arrangements fail in the first 60 days is not the VA. It's missing setup work on the employer side:
- No written scope document before day 1
- No communication standard (which channels, what response times)
- No documented processes for recurring tasks
- No feedback cadence (weekly update, biweekly call)
A trained, pre-vetted VA paired with a well-set-up employer produces dramatically better outcomes than the same VA paired with an unprepared one.
For help building the setup and finding a trained, certified Filipino VA: [tantaholdings.com/consulting](https://tantaholdings.com/consulting)
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*This post is part of the Tanta Holdings business operations series. For the full VA management framework — scope setting, communication standards, feedback cadence, and how to handle underperformance — see [How to Manage a Virtual Assistant Effectively](/blog/how-to-manage-a-virtual-assistant-effectively).*