10 Tasks You Should Delegate to a Virtual Administrative Assistant First

Running a business involves many small administrative tasks that need to be completed properly but may not require your direct involvement. Emails need to be organised, calendars updated, customer details entered and reports prepared. Individually, these tasks may seem manageable. Together, they can take several hours away from more important work.

A virtual administrative assistant can take responsibility for repeatable day-to-day tasks and help create a more organised workflow.

The key is knowing what to delegate first. Rather than handing over everything at once, start with tasks that are easy to document, repetitive and time-consuming. Here are 10 practical areas to consider.

1. Email and Inbox Management

A busy inbox can quickly become difficult to manage, particularly when important messages are mixed with newsletters, routine enquiries and internal updates.

A virtual administrative assistant can help organise emails into folders, flag priority messages, remove unnecessary subscriptions and prepare responses to common enquiries.

You can also create rules about which emails should be answered directly and which need your approval.

This means you spend less time sorting through your inbox and more time responding to the conversations that actually require your attention.

2. Calendar and Appointment Management

Managing meetings sounds simple until several clients, employees and suppliers are competing for available times.

Your assistant can schedule appointments, send calendar invitations, update meeting details and help prevent double bookings.

They can also send reminders and allow suitable travel or preparation time between meetings.

For business owners with busy schedules, delegating calendar management can create a more structured working day and reduce unnecessary back-and-forth communication.

3. Data Entry and Database Updates

Customer databases, spreadsheets and CRM systems only provide value when the information inside them is accurate and current.

Data entry is one of the first tasks many businesses can delegate.

An assistant may update contact details, enter new leads, organise records, remove duplicates or maintain internal spreadsheets.

Clear processes are important. Decide which fields need to be updated, how information should be formatted and how often records should be reviewed.

This helps maintain consistent business data without requiring senior employees to complete routine updates.

4. CRM Management

A CRM can become difficult to use when leads are not updated, notes are missing or follow-up dates are inconsistent.

Experienced virtual admin assistants can support basic CRM administration by entering new contacts, updating lead stages, recording notes and checking whether follow-up actions have been completed.

They can also help keep sales pipelines organised by making sure records follow your internal process.

The aim is not to replace your sales team. It is to make sure the administrative side of the sales process remains accurate and organised.

5. Document Preparation and Formatting

Businesses regularly create proposals, reports, meeting notes, presentations, templates and internal documents.

Many of these documents do not need to be created by a business owner or senior manager.

A virtual administrative assistant can format existing content, prepare templates, update standard documents and organise information into a consistent structure.

Providing approved templates and branding guidelines makes this process easier.

Over time, your assistant can become familiar with how documents should look, reducing the amount of checking required.

6. Online Research

Research can be valuable, but it can also consume a large part of the working day.

An assistant can complete initial research for suppliers, competitors, software, business directories, potential partners or market information.

Before delegating research, explain exactly what you need. Provide the questions to answer, preferred sources and the format you want the findings presented in.

Instead of receiving dozens of links, you may ask for a simple spreadsheet summarising the most useful information.

This turns research into something that is easier to review and use.

7. Customer Follow-Ups

Not every customer interaction requires a sales representative or senior team member.

Routine follow-ups can often be delegated using an approved process.

An assistant may send appointment reminders, request missing information, follow up after enquiries or check whether customers have received required documents.

Businesses that hire virtual admin assistants for customer follow-up should provide clear communication guidelines, approved templates and rules for when a conversation needs to be escalated.

This helps maintain consistency while keeping important customer communication moving.

8. File and Cloud Storage Organisation

Poorly organised digital files can waste significant time.

Documents may be saved under different names, stored in incorrect folders or duplicated across several locations.

A virtual administrative assistant can help create and maintain a logical folder structure in systems such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Dropbox.

They can rename files consistently, archive outdated documents and make sure commonly used information is easy to locate.

Good file organisation becomes increasingly valuable as a business grows and more employees need access to shared information.

9. Preparing Routine Reports

Many businesses review the same information every week or month.

This might include sales activity, enquiry numbers, outstanding tasks, appointments, CRM activity or internal project updates.

Once the reporting process is documented, much of the preparation can be delegated.

Your assistant can collect information from approved sources, update spreadsheets and prepare a draft report for review.

This means managers can spend more time analysing the information rather than gathering it.

The assistant should still work within clearly defined systems and should not be expected to make decisions that require specialist or professional judgement.

10. Task and Project Coordination

As businesses become busier, small internal tasks can easily be forgotten.

A virtual administrative assistant can help maintain task lists, update project management platforms, remind team members about due dates and record progress.

Tools such as Asana, Trello, Monday.com or ClickUp can make this easier, particularly when responsibilities and deadlines are clearly defined.

The assistant is not necessarily acting as a project manager. Their role may simply be to keep information updated and help everyone see what needs to happen next.

This administrative coordination can make larger projects easier to manage.

Start With Simple, Repeatable Tasks

Delegation usually works best when it is introduced gradually.

Start with two or three tasks that already have a clear process. Document how the work should be completed, what the expected outcome looks like and when the assistant should ask for help.

Once those tasks are working well, additional responsibilities can be introduced.

Before you Hire Virtual Assistants, consider which activities genuinely require your expertise and which could be completed effectively by someone else with the right instructions.

The goal is not simply to remove tasks from your own list. Good delegation should create a more organised business, clearer responsibilities and more time for work that contributes directly to growth.

Ready to Delegate More of Your Administration?

Kredence Global helps Australian businesses find dedicated virtual professionals for administration and other business support functions.

If routine tasks are taking too much time away from customers, strategy or business development, speak with Kredence Global about the work you want to delegate, the skills required and the level of support that suits your business.