Top 10 tasks a Support Assistant can do for any business
Virtual Success Show
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Episode breakdown
In this episode, barbara and matt share with listeners the virtual assistant tasks that they feel a support assistant can do to help you in your business. During this episode, we take a look at how every minute you can save in your business and put into a direct income generating task, or something else important in your life, is a minute that is valuable to you.
- Calendar management – whilst this may seem like a simple task that you can do yourself, if you had your support assistant managing this for you, you gain valuable ‘minutes’ to spend on your business.
- Newsletter creation – this can be a timely exercise, so passing this task over allows you to focus on other important tasks, whilst making sure you have the ‘final sign-off’ on the newsletter
- Managing social media channels – this task can be quite tedious as different channels have different specs for text limits and image sizes.
Distributing social media posts, organizing and cleaning up podcasts, speeding up processes, that's a really good area to use support assistants.
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction
Matt and Barbara introduce a simple yet powerful topic: the top 10 easiest tasks a support assistant can do. Often, entrepreneurs struggle with knowing what to delegate. This episode outlines foundational tasks that, when handed off to a support assistant, can save time, boost productivity, and bring focus back to income-generating or strategic business activities.
02:37 – Task #1 – Research
Research is a versatile task for support assistants. From competitor analysis to finding tools, venues, or guest experts, support assistants can handle time-consuming information gathering. Business owners save time while gaining valuable insights. Even comparing online tools or options can be offloaded to support assistants who present findings clearly, helping entrepreneurs make faster, more informed decisions.
04:10 – Task #2 – Calendar Management
Support assistants can take over calendar duties like booking, rescheduling, and organizing appointments. They ensure tools like Calendly run smoothly and allow business owners to focus on priorities. Even when automation is used, support assistants ensure oversight, freeing entrepreneurs from daily scheduling clutter and enabling more time for high-value or personal activities.
05:54 – Task #3 – Formatting documents
Formatting documents—Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDFs—can be tedious. support assistants can handle this efficiently, converting formats, applying branding, or digitizing handwritten ideas. Whether simple tasks like adding a letter to letterhead or creating templates from scratch, delegating this task reduces frustration and ensures clean, professional documents every time.
08:27 – Task #4 – File management
Like having a digital housekeeper, support assistants keep your cloud storage (e.g., Dropbox) tidy and organized. They make files easy to access and send, prevent clutter, and help manage folder structures. This simplifies workflows, saves time searching for documents, and brings much-needed order to chaotic digital spaces.
09:16 – Task #5 – Create and send newsletters
Matt and Barbara emphasize the value of having a support assistant create and send newsletters, as it saves significant time and ensures consistency. While many business owners hesitate due to technology or the belief they must write everything themselves, support assistants can handle formatting, images, and recurring sections like blog posts or podcasts. The key is to establish a process—such as always reviewing and approving a test email before sending—to maintain quality while making the task manageable and consistent.
11:37 – Task #6 – Blog posting
Support assistants are ideal for turning content—audio, video, or text—into polished blog posts. They manage layout, visuals, SEO formatting, and uploading to websites. This offloads the time-intensive 80% of content publishing, allowing entrepreneurs to stay consistent with their content marketing and overcome common bottlenecks in content production.
12:57 – Task #7 – Audio transcription
For those who prefer talking over typing, support assistants can transcribe audio into text. This is ideal for turning spoken content into blogs, newsletters, or articles. Entrepreneurs can record thoughts on the go and let support assistants handle the transformation into polished drafts, making content creation faster and easier.
14:35 – Task #8 – Manage social media channels
Support assistants can distribute content across social platforms, tailoring it for each channel using tools like Canva. With proper guidelines, they handle image formatting, post scheduling, and link placement. This keeps your content active without daily effort from you, maintaining a strong presence while saving time.
16:56 – Task #9 – Reporting
Reporting allows entrepreneurs to retain control without micromanaging. Support assistants can track content schedules, social engagement, and project updates, creating dashboards or summaries. They provide transparency through regular updates, identifying roadblocks early and supporting better decision-making. Reporting also helps uncover tasks that could or should be delegated further.
21:09 – Task #10 – Invoicing
Support assistants can manage invoicing within defined boundaries. With proper training and system access (like Xero), they create drafts, manage templates, and handle routine tasks. While bookkeeping should be left to experts, a support assistant can prep invoices and streamline admin. Clear processes and access limits ensure accuracy and compliance.
24:21 – Task #11 – Travel arrangements
Support assistants can handle everything from booking flights to creating itineraries. With systems and preferences in place, they manage logistics like parking, transfers, and hotel bookings. When integrated with tools and budget controls, this becomes a seamless, time-saving system—especially valuable for frequent travelers like Matt.
27:15 – Task #12 – Appointment confirmations
For appointment-based businesses, support assistants can send confirmations via email or SMS using CRM tools. With templates and systems, they ensure clients are reminded and prepared. This reduces no-shows, improves customer experience, and keeps operations smooth—especially when supported by automation and human oversight.
29:04 – Wrapping things up
Barbara and Matt reflect on the importance of starting with simple support assistant tasks, especially for those new to outsourcing. While experienced support assistants can handle complex systems, beginners should begin with foundational tasks. They encourage listeners to share the show, join the Virtual Success Facebook group, and suggest future topics to help more people succeed with support assistants.
