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The idea of becoming a virtual assistant can sound very appealing – with flexible working hours, you can work from literally anywhere in the world and, if you’re experienced, it can be a much easier job than being in an office with a demanding boss. The reality of being a remote employee and offering virtual secretary services means that you need to be up-to-date with the best software to carry out duties, so that you can be as efficient as possible in the job – regardless of whether you’re a VA in London or on the other side of the world.
We’ve made it a little easier by rounding up the best new apps and what you’ll be using them for.
Time Tracking
Timely
Timely is completely design-focused which means that the interface is extremely intuitive and aesthetically pleasing. This is going to be your go-to app when you’re tracking your timesheet as it calculates your activity across your device (including browser activity, desktop apps, travel, calls and meetings) so you won’t miss out on one second of pay. The timesheet is also automatically compiled so you don’t need to manually sit down every month and pull the figures together.
Social Media
DrumUp
If you’re spending too much time every day to schedule posts for your principal, this one is for you. The great thing about DrumUp is that it’s a social media scheduler, content generator and provides analytics all-in-one. Not only that, it has a function which searches the web for new relevant posts from leaders in the industry and suggests you repost them. You can schedule and post to the multiple platforms at the same time, complete with emojis, gifs and hashtags.
Scheduling
Float
This app will be a lifesaver if you’re the virtual PA to multiple partners or a whole division. You can control a number of schedules simultaneously, including tracking time off and overtime. As the VA, you’ll also have control of who has access rights to each schedule, so nothing will be changed without your approval, which may be very helpful if you’re putting together sensitive information. There are also settings for project managers, employees and contractors to make it even easier for you.
Online Meeting Software
Brosix
This is an instant messaging app that provides a secure network for collaboration and is perfect for holding meetings with your principal. If you’re dealing with sensitive information, the end-to-end encryption will make it as secure as possible while being over the web. And best of all, you don’t need to buy any other hardware, unlike many other options out there. You have the option to share your screen so to present the presentation you’re creating or demo how to complete a new process.
File Sharing App
pCloud
The beauty of this app is that you don’t need to brief your principal on any new technology as they don’t need to be a user of pCloud to receive the files. You can invite them to view and edit content according to permissions you set up and upload/download content you send them using links. Unlike other file-sharing apps, this one has a public folder which allows you to use it as a hosting service for large files.
Contact Tiger Virtual if you’re interested in becoming a VA.
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