Delegation · 8 min read ·
What to Delegate to a Virtual Assistant First (30-Day Plan)
Short answer
Delegate repetitive, rules-based work first: inbox triage, calendar management, appointment scheduling, data entry, research, invoicing and CRM updates. Once those run reliably for two to three weeks, move to customer support, content scheduling, lead generation and reporting.
The principle: cheap mistakes first
Start with tasks where an error is quickly caught and easily reversed. That builds trust, produces documentation, and reveals how your new VA thinks — all before anything client-critical is at stake.
Week 1 — Calendar and inbox
- Calendar management, booking and rescheduling.
- Inbox triage: label, archive, flag anything needing you.
- Standard reply drafting for your five most common emails.
- Meeting prep: agenda, background notes, follow-up summary.
Document as you go by recording a two-minute screen walkthrough per task. Your VA writes the SOP from the recording — never write them yourself.
Week 2 — Data and documents
- CRM updates and pipeline hygiene.
- Data entry, list cleanup and enrichment.
- Invoice preparation and payment chasing.
- File organisation and template creation.
Week 3 — Client-facing basics
- First-line customer support replies, using the approved playbook.
- Client onboarding pack delivery.
- Scheduling and confirming client calls.
- Follow-ups on outstanding proposals.
Week 4 — Growth work
- Prospect research and list building.
- Content scheduling and repurposing.
- Email campaign build and scheduling.
- Weekly reporting on the metrics you actually watch.
What to keep for yourself
- Final pricing and negotiation decisions.
- Strategy and positioning.
- Relationships where you personally are the product.
- Anything requiring licensed or regulated judgement.
The delegation habits that make it stick
- One weekly 20-minute check-in, same day, same time.
- A single task board — never delegate through scattered messages.
- Explain the outcome and the constraints, not just the steps.
- Ask for a first draft rather than a finished result in week one.
- Review the SOP after two weeks and improve it once.
If a task recurs and takes you more than ten minutes, it should exist as a documented process — whether or not you have delegated it yet.
Frequently asked questions
How long before a new VA is fully productive?
Typically two to four weeks for core admin, and six to eight weeks for client-facing and growth work, assuming a weekly check-in and reasonable documentation.
What if I have no processes documented at all?
That is normal. Record short screen walkthroughs as you work and let your VA turn them into SOPs — it costs you minutes rather than hours.
Want us to look at your workload?
Send us the five tasks you'd hand over first. We'll tell you what kind of support fits — and match you with a vetted VA in 3–7 business days.