What Does a VA Actually Do?

Start With a Client Task

Imagine a client sends you this message:

“Please organize the customer information in the attached spreadsheet. Remove duplicate entries, make sure the information is in the correct columns, and send me the completed file by 3 PM.”

What does the VA actually do?

It's more than opening the spreadsheet and typing.

The Basic Work Cycle

A simple way to understand VA work is:

Receive → Understand → Do → Check → Communicate → Submit

Sometimes the work continues:

Review → Revise → Submit again

Let's look at each part.

1. Receive

The client gives you a task.

This might come through:

• email
• chat
• project management software
• a shared document
• another work system

Your first job is to understand what has been given to you.

2. Understand

Before doing the work, determine:

• What exactly am I being asked to do?
• Which files or information do I need?
• What should the finished work look like?
• When is it due?
• Where should I submit it?
• Is anything unclear?

Don't start changing things simply because you can.

Understand the request first.

3. Do

Now you perform the task.

In our example, that might mean:

• opening the spreadsheet
• reviewing the information
• identifying duplicate entries
• correcting column placement
• organizing the data
• saving the completed file

The exact actions depend on the task.

4. Check

Before submitting, check your work.

Ask:

• Did I complete every part of the instruction?
• Did I miss anything?
• Did I accidentally change information I shouldn't have changed?
• Does the result look correct?
• Is the file saved properly?

Checking your work is part of doing the job.

5. Communicate

Sometimes you need to communicate with the client before or during the task.

For example:

“I found two customer records with different email addresses but the same name. Which record should I keep?”

That's better than making an assumption that could create a problem.

You may also need to give a progress update or explain an issue.

6. Submit

Once the work is complete and checked, submit it according to the client's instructions.

The client may want:

• an attachment
• a shared file
• a link
• an uploaded document
• an update inside a project management system

Follow the requested process.

Sometimes There Are Revisions

A client may review your work and ask for a change.

That doesn't necessarily mean the entire task was wrong.

Maybe the client wants:

• a different format
• another column added
• a correction
• additional information
• a different approach

You review the request, make the change, check your work again, and submit the revised version.

Another Example: Social Media Scheduling

Imagine a client says:

“Please schedule these five posts for next week.”

The VA may need to:

1. Check the provided content.
2. Confirm the dates and times.
3. Check whether the correct images are attached.
4. Schedule the posts.
5. Review the scheduled posts.
6. Report that the task is complete.

Again, the work isn't simply clicking the Schedule button.

The VA needs to understand the request and make sure the result matches what the client expects.

Activity

Follow the Task

A client sends this instruction:

“Please rename the files in the Project A folder using the naming format shown in the example file. Do not change the contents of the files.”

Question 1

What should you do first?

Rename every file immediately.Look at the instructions and example so you understand the required naming format.Open and edit the contents of every file.

Question 2

You are unsure whether a particular file belongs in Project A.

What should you do?

Guess.Delete it.Check the available instructions or ask for clarification if necessary.

Question 3

After renaming the files, what should you do?

Check that the names follow the requested format and that the file contents were not changed.Rename them again using your preferred format.Delete the example file.

Question 4

What should you do after completing and checking the task?

Leave the client to discover the result.Submit or report the completed work according to the client's instructions.Change unrelated files while you're already in the folder.

Reset this activity

A Useful Habit

Before starting a task, ask yourself:

What exactly am I being asked to do?

Then:

What should finished work look like?

And if something is unclear:

What needs clarification before I proceed?

These simple questions can prevent many avoidable mistakes.