One of the many benefits of having virtual assistants is that they help entrepreneurs get more things done effectively in less time. In a survey, 85% of companies stated that remote assistants have drastically increased their productivity. Thanks to technology, collaboration tools have been made for entrepreneurs and remote assistants that help them communicate and manage their tasks efficiently.
As virtual assistants work in remote locations, it is very crucial for entrepreneurs and small business owners to have the right tools to properly communicate with them and to delegate the tasks that need to be done in an effective and timely manner. Thus, having the right collaboration tools for virtual assistants is the key to ensuring smooth sailing.Â
12 collaboration tools for virtual assistants
If you are an entrepreneur or a small business owner who is looking for ideas in finding the right collaboration tools for your virtual assistants, then this list might help you. Here we gathered the suggested collaboration tools for virtual assistants that have helped entrepreneurs and their VAs streamline their processes.Â
Slack
My go-to tool for collaborating with virtual assistants is Slack. It’s widely used throughout a number of professional sectors and for good reason. Slack allows you to create different channels for different purposes, each with its own members. This helps when you have several assistants assigned to varying jobs and tasks. Slack is also free (aside from storage costs) and easy to add to any device.
Daivat Dholakia, VP of Operations, Essenvia
Google Workspace
My virtual assistant and I use Google Workspace to collaborate and communicate. My business uses all things Google for the majority of our tasks and projects, so it didn’t make sense to download a new tool like Slack or Trello just for my virtual assistant. We share files and information via Google Drive, operate out of a shared Google Calendar, directly communicate with Google Chat and email, and occasionally video chat via Google Meet. It’s easy and it was something my assistant was already familiar with, so they didn’t have to learn a whole new platform.
Chrisen Costa, CEO of Gadget Review
Trello
Trello allows you to maintain the flow of communication and collaboration with their ability to write comments on task cards, set due dates, maintain a weekly checklist of tasks, and organize your Trello board to fit your workspace. The free features of Trello have allowed my team to complete many projects over the years that ranged from collaborative posts to social media management to SEO research through the use of uniquely designed Trello boards.
Nina Clapperton, CEO of She Knows SEO
Brief
Brief is my favorite tool to use when it comes to my virtual assistants and employees. It is one of the collaboration tools for virtual assistants that help members prioritize and concentrate on critical work while reducing distractions. In addition, Brief is a time management program that enables you to get more done professionally and personally in a shorter time.
The app is simple and clutter-free, making it easy to use. Brief provides a central location for teams to discuss current projects, share files, collaborate, and do video calls. Because your entire team is in one spot, the app eliminates the need for email drafts, allowing for real-time collaboration.
Vaibhav Kakkar, CEO of Digital Web Solutions
DropBox
DropBox is one of the collaboration tools for virtual assistants. File sharing and storage are essential in today’s digital world, yet email is a waste of time and space. DropBox was the first service I used to exchange and back up documents with customers. Even better, you may download an app that syncs files and folders straight from your computer to the website. The first 2GB of storage is free, and there are incentives to earn extra free space if you successfully sign up for space with your friends and coworkers.
Mike Chappell, Co-Founder and COO of FormsPal
Nextcloud
Most of my VAs are concerned about security when keeping their files online, and Nextcloud meets their demand for additional security. It offers features that make collaborative work easy such as file sharing, calendars, and video calls. Nextcloud’s standout point, however, is that users have personal servers, giving them full control over their data, with less worry for breaches. This tool is available both on desktop and mobile at an affordable price.
Jeroen van Gils, Founder and CEO of LiFi.co
Mindmup
I have been using Mindmup for a few years now. As one of the collaboration tools for virtual assistants, it has been a great help to my VAs and remote team, especially for strategic planning, conceptualizing, and communicating our ideas during our team meetings and presentations.
This mind-mapping platform is an effective tool to translate and organize your ideas into one illustrative picture. We have made countless and valuable business decisions with the help of this platform. Since it is cloud-based, anyone can access the map simultaneously. You can also add links, images, and icons that are accessible to all its users. This very intuitive platform is free, user-friendly, and available to every device.
Ewen Finser, CEO at The Digital Merchant
Zoom
Video conferencing is vital in a small group to quickly convey the tasks in detail, and we use Zoom for that. It has a recording feature which is helpful for us when we want to re-watch what we’ve discussed during the meeting. It even has a screen sharing factor that displays the speaker’s screen to get a better understanding of what was being discussed.
Warner Quiroga, President and owner of Prestige Home Buyers
Zoho
I make use of Zoho, which is a web-based office suite that I find quite useful. Word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations are just a few of the integrated programs included in this package. Other software packages include databases, customer relationship management, invoicing, and project management software, to name a few. It can be accessed from any device that has a browser pre-installed on it. Every essential tool that my virtual assistant can use to work or stay organized
at home or on the go is covered, including checklists, calendars, notes, presentation slideshows, slideshow viewer tools, and other useful resources.
Sam Sweeney, Founder of Trivvy
Evernote
As one of the collaboration tools for virtual assistants, Evernote is a popular choice. Researching subjects and storing relevant information obtained on the internet may be done quickly using Evernote. One spot to save everything you need to work together on a project with other people. This feature of Evernote is one of the most excellent things about it — everything is synced up across desktop and mobile.
Dr. Michael K. Newman, CEO and Plastic Surgeon
Hubstaff
Hubstaff is a web-based time tracking and project management tool. It allows you to monitor employees, store files, assign due dates, and create tasks. Moreover, its features include accurate timesheets and proof of work that will give you more security and allow you to focus on other tasks.
Hilda Wong, Founder of Content Dog
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is one of the collaboration tools for virtual assistants and a social media management platform that serves as a dashboard where they can monitor, publish and share different posts from different networks in one place. In this way, virtual assistants can easily manage postings on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Jan Chapman, Co-Founder and Managing Director of MSP Blueshift
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Takeaways
Having the right tools for your business is one way to establish a good working relationship between you and your virtual assistant. Managing them, together with the projects that you worked together might be quite hard but with the use of collaboration tools for virtual assistants, your goal is within your reach.Â
Find time to research and experiment with the different collaboration tools for virtual assistants and you can find out which one suits the best for you, your projects, and your Vas.Â
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