If you watched the DoneMaker episode with Erin Thompson, CEO of Thompson Virtual Assistants, you already know one thing: you don’t have to do everything yourself. Erin breaks down how US and Canada-based Virtual Assistants help entrepreneurs reclaim time, streamline their back office, and get the kind of consistent, high-quality support usually reserved for big companies. In this guide, you’ll find a practical, step-by-step list of how Virtual Assistants can transform your business, how to hire them the smart way, and the systems you should demand to protect your time and revenue.
Table of Contents
- 1. Stop wearing every hat: delegate the back office to specialists
- 2. Get big-business-level support without hiring full time
- 3. Avoid the hamster wheel of hiring, training, and losing staff
- 4. Expect better availability and communication with North American Virtual Assistants
- 5. Track hours sensibly—use a system that reviews and rolls over hours
- 6. Build a backup-ready team so sick days and vacations don’t break you
- 7. Hire for reliability and “why”, not just skills
- 8. Use structured interviews and group rounds to spot leadership and collaboration
- 9. Insist on SOPs, task recordings, and a client dashboard
- 10. Plan for disputes: transparency, review, and mutual trust
- FAQ — Virtual Assistants: Common questions answered
- Final thoughts: Treat Virtual Assistants like partners, not tools
1. Stop wearing every hat: delegate the back office to specialists
One of the most common traps you fall into as a small business owner is hiring one person and dumping every task on them. Bookkeeping, social media, scheduling, website edits, client communication—the list grows, and so does your stress. Erin puts it bluntly: “If you are a roofer, God, don’t give me a nail gun.” You should be doing the money-making work; you need a team that handles everything else.
Virtual Assistants let you split those tasks among specialists instead of expecting a single hire to be an expert at everything. When you engage Virtual Assistants, you get access to a team where each person is ranked and tested for specific skills—bookkeeping, social media management, executive assistance, website updates, and more. That means you get better-quality output and more predictable results.
2. Get big-business-level support without hiring full time
Big companies have teams. Small businesses usually don’t—so you either struggle or overpay. Erin’s approach is to give you that “big business feel” through Virtual Assistants: an assigned client success manager, a curated team of specialists, and a dashboard that ties it all together.
When you reach out, a client success manager asks you to list every task you want off your plate. They plug those tasks into a purpose-built tool that estimates hours and cost. Then they match those tasks to the right Virtual Assistants. Rather than hiring a single generalist, you get a coordinated effort where the right person does the right job.
3. Avoid the hamster wheel of hiring, training, and losing staff
If you only need 5–10 hours a week of help, trying to hire someone full time becomes a constant churn problem. People use small gigs as stepping stones to bigger, full-time roles. Erin explains how this leads to an endless cycle of recruitment and training that steals your forward momentum.
Virtual Assistants solve that by providing access to part-time hours from experienced professionals who want the flexibility. You avoid hiring headaches, get continuity, and can scale up or down. Virtual Assistants allow you to remain competitive without draining resources on perpetual hiring cycles.
4. Expect better availability and communication with North American Virtual Assistants
Offshoring can be cheaper, but Erin highlights real drawbacks: communication issues, timezone mismatches, and variable quality in client-facing tasks. When the person answering your clients’ messages is halfway across the globe and working night shifts, it’s harder to maintain your brand’s voice and responsiveness.
Using Virtual Assistants based in the US and Canada improves availability and reduces the risk of miscommunication. Erin’s team provides phone and texting options tied to task numbers, and answers usually within an hour. If you value responsiveness and brand integrity, Virtual Assistants on the same continent are a safer bet.
5. Track hours sensibly—use a system that reviews and rolls over hours
One of the biggest fears owners have is paying for help they don’t actually use. Erin addresses this by explaining how her agency tracks time for every task and reviews usage monthly. If you sign up for a package and consistently use fewer hours, they don’t just let that slide; they start a conversation.
Here’s how sensible hour tracking works with Virtual Assistants:
- Estimate hours using historical times for similar tasks.
- Track actual time and review monthly.
- Discuss anomalies and seasonal changes (e.g., landscapers in winter).
- Allow rollover of unused hours so you’re not stuck in pro-rated waste.
That transparency is crucial. You want Virtual Assistants who manage your hours as carefully as you would.
6. Build a backup-ready team so sick days and vacations don’t break you
When a solo assistant is your entire support, their sick day is your crisis day. Erin’s model ensures that a backup is always available. Your Virtual Assistants have access to shared meeting notes, the client dashboard, and clear handoffs—so someone can step in without chaos.
This reduces operational risk. With Virtual Assistants operating in a team model, you never have a single point of failure. That consistent coverage is one of the reasons businesses reclaim 20+ hours per week—because tasks are completed reliably and on time.
7. Hire for reliability and “why”, not just skills
Skills matter—but Erin is equally focused on the person behind the resume. With Virtual Assistants, you should be selecting people who have the right attitude, communication habits, and motivations. Erin asks prospective VAs questions like “Who do you take care of?” and “What is your dream?” to gauge whether they’ll treat your business like a priority.
Why this matters for you:
- Virtual Assistants who understand the stakes—mortgages, families, dreams—tend to be more invested.
- Remote work requires time management and responsiveness; you can’t train integrity easily.
- People who show initiative and empathy reduce friction with clients and customers.
When you hire Virtual Assistants, ask about systems they’ve used, how they prioritize tasks, and why they want the role. That will tell you more than a checklist of tools ever will.
8. Use structured interviews and group rounds to spot leadership and collaboration
Erin’s agency uses a multi-stage hiring process: resume screening, quarterly group interviews, and role-specific tests. The group stage is brilliant if you want Virtual Assistants who will function in a remote team. It exposes how candidates communicate, lead, and support others—qualities that matter when your team won’t sit in the same office.
When you interview Virtual Assistants, consider adding:
- Scenario-based questions: “If a client complains publicly, what do you do?”
- Group problem-solving: see who elevates others vs. who dominates the room.
- Role-specific tasks under time constraints to test practical skills.
9. Insist on SOPs, task recordings, and a client dashboard
Virtual Assistants should not be a mystery. To scale and maintain quality, Erin emphasizes systems: recorded meeting notes, task logging, and an internal capacity tool that matches who can work on what and when. These are non-negotiables for you if you expect dependable outcomes.
Essential systems to demand from Virtual Assistants:
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for repeatable tasks.
- Task tracking and time logs for transparency.
- A client dashboard to add, review, and check task status.
- Recorded client meetings for training, accountability, and dispute resolution.
With these in place, you’ll have evidence of work done (and who did it), making feedback and improvements far simpler.
10. Plan for disputes: transparency, review, and mutual trust
No matter how robust your systems, you’ll occasionally face he-said-she-said moments. Erin outlines a fair set of protocols that you can adopt with any Virtual Assistants team:
- Listen first—get a clear description of the issue from all parties.
- Review recorded calls, task logs, and meeting notes for context.
- Provide additional training or supervision if the issue is skill-related.
- If evidence supports the client, make a change; if evidence supports the VA, reassess the client relationship.
- Keep an open, documented conversation to avoid surprises.
Trust is central. Erin explains: “My business is based off trust. And it’s a big trust because for my people, where their income is and for my clients, where the backbone to their dream is.” When you work with Virtual Assistants, set clear expectations, document them, and pick a provider that prioritizes transparency.
How Virtual Assistants typically get started with you (the onboarding checklist)
When you sign up for Virtual Assistants through a professional team, the onboarding will generally follow these steps:
- Discovery call: tell the client success manager all the tasks on your “post-it notes.”
- Task audit: the agency plugs tasks into a tool to estimate cost and hours.
- Team compilation: specialists are matched and assigned with clear SOPs.
- Client dashboard setup: you get access to communicate, check tasks, and track hours.
- 30-day and monthly reviews: usage, efficiency, and rollover hours are reviewed.
This approach ensures that Virtual Assistants begin with clarity and measurable expectations, not guesswork.
Common services Virtual Assistants deliver (so you can stop doing them)
- Bookkeeping and financial reporting.
- Social media management and content scheduling.
- Scheduling, calendar management, and reception services.
- Website updates, basic web builds, and editing.
- Data entry, CRM maintenance, and lead follow-ups.
- Executive assistance and time gatekeeping.
According to Erin, most clients start with bookkeeping, social media, or scheduling. Within months they realize the team can do more, and bundling services becomes more cost effective than hiring four separate people.
Pricing transparency: why you shouldn’t expect canned rates
Erin doesn’t list pricing publicly—and for good reason. Custom packages based on the tasks and hours you actually need are the way to avoid paying for unused time. Virtual Assistants can appear expensive in a per-hour comparison to offshore labor, but when you factor in communication, availability, and rework, the value becomes clear.
What to look for in pricing from Virtual Assistants:
- Custom quotes tied to task lists and estimated hours.
- Monthly reviews and adjustments based on actual usage.
- Hour rollover or banked hours for seasonality.
- Clear definitions for after-hours or holiday coverage.
How to interview Virtual Assistants effectively: questions that reveal intent
If you’re interviewing Virtual Assistants on your own, include questions that probe motivation and fit, not just technical ability. Erin’s favorites are:
- “Who do you have to take care of?” — reveals responsibility and stability.
- “What is your dream?” — indicates long-term perspective and empathy.
- Scenario questions: “If a client is upset, what do you do?” — tests judgment.
- Behavioral prompts: “Tell me about a time you fixed a process.” — tests initiative.
Those questions help you determine if a Virtual Assistant will treat your business like more than a paycheck.
When to choose local (US/Canada) Virtual Assistants vs. offshore
There’s a place for both, but choose local Virtual Assistants when:
- You need reliable client-facing communication with strong grammar and nuance.
- Your customers expect fast, same-day responses during North American business hours.
- Your brand depends on cultural understanding and tone.
- You want fewer timezone hassles and real-time collaboration.
If your highest priority is lowest hourly cost and tasks are one-way, offshore may work. But Erin’s experience shows the tradeoff in responsiveness, availability, and quality can cost you more in lost leads and client frustration — and that’s why many businesses switch to US and Canada-based Virtual Assistants.
FAQ — Virtual Assistants: Common questions answered
Q: How quickly can Virtual Assistants start saving me time?
A: You can free up low-value hours immediately by handing over admin, scheduling, and repetitive tasks. Real, measurable time savings often appear within the first 30 days as processes stabilize and team members get accustomed to your workflow. The key is to clearly document what you want them to do and allow time for initial ramp-up.
Q: How do I know how many hours I need from Virtual Assistants?
A: If you don’t track time exact to the minute, don’t worry. Agencies use historical task data and time-tracking to estimate. The standard practice is to start with an estimate, review usage monthly, and adjust. Good providers will proactively discuss rollovers, seasonal changes, and rebalancing so you’re not overpaying.
Q: What happens if a Virtual Assistant isn’t a good fit?
A: Request a replacement. Agencies that run teams of Virtual Assistants usually have backup staff and quality control in place. They’ll listen, review tasks, do more training if needed, or reassign the work. If you’re working with a single VA directly, add clauses in your agreement for replacements and trial periods.
Q: Can Virtual Assistants handle sensitive tasks like bookkeeping?
A: Yes—if they are qualified and the agency has screening and testing processes. Look for providers that test skills, limit access, and keep detailed logs. When you work with Virtual Assistants for bookkeeping, request access controls and monthly reconciliations so you maintain oversight.
Q: Are Virtual Assistants expensive?
A: They can be more cost-effective than hiring full-time for part-time needs. Instead of paying a full salary plus benefits, you purchase only the hours you need. When you account for reduced hiring churn, fewer mistakes, and improved client responsiveness, Virtual Assistants often pay for themselves.
Final thoughts: Treat Virtual Assistants like partners, not tools
If you want to reclaim 20+ hours a week, stop treating Virtual Assistants as simple task-fillers. Build a relationship, demand transparency, and expect systems. Favor US and Canada-based Virtual Assistants when you need reliable, client-facing communication and synchronized availability. Ask about SOPs, client dashboards, hour tracking, backups, and monthly reviews before you commit.
Erin’s message is simple but powerful: small businesses deserve the same support as big ones. With the right Virtual Assistants, you can get that support without hiring full-time staff or wrestling with the hiring hamster wheel. You’ll get specialists for bookkeeping, social media, scheduling, and more—so you can focus on growth and revenue.
If you’re ready to start, reach out directly to a trusted provider—ask for a discovery call, list your tasks, and request a custom package. That first conversation will show you whether the team understands your needs and whether their systems match the promises they make.
Remember: the right Virtual Assistants will care about your “why” as much as their qualifications. If you align with people who treat your business as if it were their own, you’ll build a partnership that scales.
Watch the full podcast here: Expert advice on hiring US & Canadian based Virtual Assistants for small businesses
