As a virtual assistant, you have your pick of services to offer. 

Be a general VA, and you can complete a slew of services for clients or specialize, and you can become known for one or a few offers. Many virtual assistants choose to specialize in automation because it is one of the most in-demand virtual assistant services for clients in all industries with both online and in-person business offerings. 

What are automation services?

Automation allows you to put certain repetitive tasks on autopilot instead of completing them manually each time.

Think about making an online purchase and how you receive an email confirming your order after your purchase. That’s automation. 

Think about how you download a free resource from a business owner, and as soon as you opt-in, it gets delivered to your email inbox. That’s automation. 

Think about how companies have customer service bots that can answer simple questions without monitoring the conversation. That’s automation. 

Automation is popping up everywhere, thanks to technology. 

Businesses are using it at a growing rate because it delivers a consistent high-quality customer experience without requiring a person to get the job done each time. 

How do virtual assistants fit in?

Businesses hire virtual assistants to take tasks off of their to-do lists.  

While you might think technology, such as automation, reduces the need for a VA, the opposite is true.  General virtual assistants might be replaced by some automation services, but those who offer an in demand service like setting up automation will stay in demand.

That’s because many business owners don’t have the know-how or the time to set up or update their businesses’ automation system. 

So, when a business wants to set up an email sequence, they need to develop the content and triggers within the email platform to make it run correctly. If the sequence needs to be updated, someone has to go in there and update it for them. 

That’s when they call on a virtual assistant to get it done. 

Automation is not a skill that every virtual assistant is offering or can offer. It is a tech-based specialty and making it one of your service offerings can help you stand out and charge high prices for the value you bring to the table. 

Think about it. 

Which seems more valuable to a company – organizing a Google Drive or setting up a chatbot customers can automatically get answers to common questions instead of clogging up phone lines and email boxes?

Which task would a company likely pay more for a virtual assistant to complete? 

If you guessed the automation task, then you got it right. 

As a virtual assistant, you can make a lane for yourself by giving businesses the gift of automation, and they will gladly pay a premium price for this specialty service. 

What automation services can I offer?

There is a never ending list of the automation services you can offer clients.  Here are some of the most common:

• Setting up calendar appointment software such as Acuity Scheduling and Calendly
• Scheduling social media content to go out for various platforms like Later and Planoly
• Setting up evergreen webinars
• Setting up opt-in forms
• Setting up email nurture sequences
• Setting up digital product delivery
• Setting up sales funnels
• Setting up online payment systems
• Setting up automated abandoned cart emails
• Automating inventory management
• Automating invoices
• Automating customer support with chatbots
• Automating text marketing
• Automating Facebook messenger marketing
• Assigning inbound leads to a sales representative
• Automating your sales pipeline
• Automating client onboarding for service-based businesses
• Automating failed billing charge follow up
• Automating appointment reminders

And this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this in-demand virtual assistant service. 

How do I start offering automation services?

Now that you know the benefit of offering automation services, you might be wondering how you can break into this lucrative service. 

Thankfully, you can start offering automation services to clients even if you have zero experience doing so.

• Understand your value: First, you want to make sure that you understand the value you are bringing to companies. You are setting up systems that will save them hours down the road, and as the saying goes, time is money. You are also helping to provide their customers and clients with a consistent quality experience through automation. 
• Pick your niche: Within automation, think about the type of service you might want to offer. The good thing about automation is that you can work within any system once you understand the foundational principles behind the service. For example – once you know how to set up email sequences in ConvertKit, you can figure out how to do it in Mailchimp, Kajabi and Katra, other services that offer email marketing. 
• Develop your portfolio: Clients will want to see the work you’ve completed, so put together a few examples of automation services you’ve set up. 
• Set your rates: You can charge a minimum of $50/hr for your services or develop specific packages for your offer. 

Now, it’s time to start marketing your services and booking clients. 

How much do I charge for automation services?

When you offer automation services, you can break away from the idea of being a $20/hr virtual assistant. 

Now you are offering a specialty service and with that comes premium rates. 

You should charge a minimum of $50/hr for your automation services, and as you become more skilled in your offering, your rate can increase accordingly. 

Are you ready to get started?

There is amazing growth potential for virtual assistants who offer automation services. Whether you have zero experience or have some knowledge of automation, it’s easy to get started. 

The Anatomy of Automation is designed to help you become an Automation Pro™, even if you’ve never touched tech before, so you can charge a premium rate, making more money while working with fewer clients. 

Take the next step in offering automation services with The Anatomy of Automation.