Top Tools for Success
Streamline Workflow and Boost Productivity
The Virtual Assistant (VAs) and Virtual Executive Assistant (VEAs) industry increasingly popular in recent years, as businesses and executives seek to streamline their operations and focus on core activities. However, being an effective VEA requires not only a set of skills but also the right tools to work efficiently and effectively.
There are many tools available today to help make our job easier and more efficient. Here are some of the main types of tools for executive assistants:
Calendar and Scheduling Tools: Tools like Google Calendar, Calendly, and Doodle help with scheduling appointments, meetings, and events. They allow us to easily manage schedules and avoid conflicts.
Communication Tools: Communication is key for assistants, especially those who work virtually. Tools like Slack, Zoom, Google Meet, and Skype make it easy to communicate with colleagues, clients, and vendors. These tools also allow for video conferencing, which is especially useful when working remotely. You will also need a great email tool such as Gmail or Outlook to ensure communication is a breeze.
Project Management Tools: As an executive assistant, you may be tasked with managing various projects. Tools like Asana, Trello, Monday, and Basecamp help keep projects organized and on track.
Travel Management Tools: Booking and managing travel can be a time-consuming task. Tools like TripIt, Expensify, Expedia, and Concur make it easy to book flights, hotels, and rental cars, and keep track of expenses.
Personal Assistant Apps: Virtual personal assistant apps like Siri, Google Assistant, Bixbi, and Alexa can help with tasks such as setting reminders, making calls, and sending texts.
These various tools allow assistants to be more productive and organized so they can focus on their client's success and overall happiness. In this post, we will take a closer look at some of these tools and review how they can increase your success in a high demand and saturated industry.
Calendar and Scheduling Tools
Calendly: Calendly is a scheduling tool that makes it easy for VAs to schedule meetings and appointments with clients and other stakeholders. It also integrates with most calendar apps, making it easy to manage multiple calendars. Calendly has 4 plans in addition to their customized enterprise pricing ranging from free to $16/seat/month. The app connects to Google, Office 365, Outlook, and iCloud calendars. Depending on your plan, you can connect anywhere from 1-6 calendars per person. Calendly all versions have unlimited access to scheduling polls to easily find a time that works between multiple busy schedules.
Doodle: Doodle is an app designed to simplify scheduling by allowing users to create polls to find the best time to meet. The app offers a user-friendly interface where users can input their availability and invite others to participate in the poll. Once all participants have responded, Doodle generates a list of the best meeting times based on everyone's availability. The app also integrates with popular calendar platforms like Google Calendar and Outlook, making it easy to schedule events directly from the app.
Google Calendar: Google Calendar is a free web-based calendar service offered by Google. It allows users to create and organize events, set reminders, invite others, and share their calendar with others. It can be accessed from any device with internet access and can be synced with other calendars. With a clean and user-friendly interface, Google Calendar makes managing your schedule easy and efficient. Some Google Workspace plans allow you to create a scheduling page for clients to easily choose times for meetings that work best for them.
Communication Tools
Communication is an essential part of any executive assistant's job, and virtual assistants need to be able to communicate effectively with their clients, co-workers, and other stakeholders. A few of the best communication tools for VEAs include:
Zoom: Video conferencing has become the norm in today's remote work environment. Zoom is a popular tool for conducting meetings and webinars, making it an excellent choice.
Slack: Slack is a great platform for team communication and collaboration. It's easy to use and allows VEAs to create channels for different projects and tasks.
Asana: Asana is a project management tool that can be used to manage tasks and deadlines in various views. It's an excellent tool for VEAs who need to keep track of multiple projects simultaneously but also allows you to assign tasks and projects to others who can either be invited or added as a collaborator. This makes it a great tool, especially when you are managing a team for your own business or for your client.
Google Meet: A video conferencing tool similar to Zoom. The free version allows longer sessions and, if used with Google Calendar, a meeting room can be automatically created for each event.
Teams: Teams is a collaborative platform developed by Microsoft, designed to facilitate communication and teamwork within organizations. It offers features such as instant messaging, video conferencing, file sharing, and project management tools to help teams work together efficiently and effectively.
Time Management Tools
Time management is a critical skill for any executive assistant, and virtual assistants need to be even more organized to manage their time effectively. Some of the best time management tools for VEAs include:
Clockify: Clockify provides an array of useful features including time-tracking, analytical, time-sheet, and management tools all within a single column. With Clockify, you can obtain a project and client overview with just one click or delve into the finer details of teams, customers, projects, and tasks. The app integrates with 80+ web apps such as Asana, Monday, Google calendar, Gmail, JIRA, Trello, ToDoist, Teams, and Outlook. Clockify offers five plans ranging from free to $11.99/month, all of which support an unlimited number of users. Automatically compute billable hours using pre-set hourly rates for both projects and employees. It can also track time spent on non-billable hours so you can get an accurate sense of your actual hours spent working versus paid hours. Clockify has the availability to share reports with clients via a link, making invoicing a breeze. Pro and Enterprise users can track project expenses and fixed fees, like retainers or day rates. The web and mobile apps allow you to upload receipts, and add expense details to invoices through the built-in invoicing tool.
RescueTime: RescueTime is a time-tracking tool that runs in the background and tracks how you spend your time on your computer or mobile device. It provides detailed reports on how much time you're spending on different apps and websites, and can help you identify areas where you're wasting time therefore allowing you to increase productivity and ultimately save you time.
Flowsavvy: Flowsavvy is a productivity tool designed to help individuals and teams better manage their workflow. It offers a variety of features, including task management, team collaboration, project tracking, and time tracking. Flowsavvy can be customized to fit specific workflows and is accessible across multiple devices. With Flowsavvy, users can stay organized, prioritize tasks, and increase productivity.
Productivity Tools
Being productive is critical for any executive assistant, and virtual assistants need to be able to work efficiently without sacrificing quality. Some of the best productivity tools for VEAs include:
Grammarly: Grammarly is a writing assistant that can help VEAs to improve their writing skills. It checks for spelling and grammar errors, as well as suggests alternative words and phrases.
Evernote: Evernote is a note-taking app that can help VEAs to stay organized and on top of their work. It allows them to save notes, web pages, and other content, making it easy to find and access later.
LastPass: LastPass is a password manager that can help VEAs to keep track of their login credentials for various websites and apps. It also allows them to share passwords securely with clients and co-workers and vise versa.
Flowsavvy: Yes, this one makes the list twice. Flowsavvy can automate routine tasks such as scheduling appointments, sending follow-up emails, and setting reminders and has a feature that allows you to create customized workflows that match specific needs. Simply enter in tasks and set a start and due date and/or time and whether or not the task can be broken into sessions and Flowsavvy will autogenerate a workflow for you around your fixed schedule. Flowsavvy also tracks productivity which you can use to identify bottlenecks in your workflows and make adjustments to improve performance. You can generate customized reports on activities and workflows to provide insights to clients on task or projects. By using this software, you can save time, reduce errors, and focus on higher-value tasks, which can ultimately lead to better performance and job satisfaction.
Travel Arrangement Tools
As a virtual assistant, organizing travel arrangements for clients can be time-consuming and challenging. However, there are many travel arrangement tools to streamline this process making it much more manageable and efficient. By using these tools you can save time, reduce errors, and provide clients with a more organized and stress free travel. Some of the best travel arrangement tools are:
TripIt: TripIt is a popular travel organizer that allows you to store all your travel details in one place. You can forward your client's flight, hotel, and car rental confirmation emails to TripIt, and the app will automatically create an itinerary for you. TripIt also provides real-time updates and alerts, ensuring that you and your client stay informed throughout the trip.
Google Flights: Google Flights is a powerful tool that allows you to search for flights, compare prices, and book tickets. It also has a feature that shows you the cheapest flights to different destinations. Additionally, Google Flights allows you to set up alerts for price changes, so you can quickly book a ticket when the price drops.
Expensify: Expensify is a popular expense management tool that can help you keep track of all your client's travel expenses. With Expensify, you can capture receipts, create expense reports, and even submit reimbursement requests. This makes it easier to manage your client's travel expenses and ensure that everything is accounted for.
Kayak: Kayak is a travel aggregator that allows you to search for flights, hotels, and car rentals from various providers. It also has a feature that shows you the cheapest travel options available. Additionally, Kayak has a mobile app that allows you to manage your client's travel arrangements on the go.
Hopper: Hopper is an app that predicts the best time to book flights, based on historical data and price trends. It also provides price alerts and allows you to book flights directly within the app. This makes it easier to find the best deals and save money on your client's travel expenses.
Conclusion
Being a successful virtual executive assistant requires a combination of skills and tools. By using the right communication, time management, and productivity tools, VEAs can work efficiently and effectively, making their clients' lives easier and improving their own productivity. The tools mentioned in this post are just a few examples, and there are many more out there that can be just as useful. By staying up-to-date on the latest technology trends, VEAs can continue to improve their skills and deliver exceptional service to their clients.