Delegation and operations
20 Tasks to Delegate to a Virtual Assistant
Most owners know they should delegate and still do not, because the list in their head is vague. This page makes it concrete: twenty tasks that transfer well, grouped by function, with a note on how to hand each group over cleanly. Pick three, hand them off properly, and the rest gets much easier.
By The Peak Hire editorial team · Last reviewed August 2026
Administration and inbox (tasks 1-4)
This is where almost everyone should start. The rules are easy to write down, the work is high frequency, and the relief is immediate.
- 1. Inbox triage: sort, label, draft replies for your approval
- 2. Calendar management: scheduling, rescheduling, buffers, reminders
- 3. Document preparation: proposals, decks and templates from your notes
- 4. Data entry and file organisation across your drives and tools
How to hand it over: give your assistant a short list of who always gets a reply, what never gets one, and what must come to you. Two weeks of corrections and inbox triage largely runs itself. See administrative virtual assistant support for the full scope.
Sales and pipeline (tasks 5-8)
These tasks are usually the first to slip when you are busy, and the ones with the clearest link to revenue. We do not promise a result figure; we do say the follow-up actually happens when someone owns it.
- 5. Lead follow-up sequences and reminders on stalled deals
- 6. CRM hygiene: deduplication, stage accuracy, notes after calls
- 7. Proposal and quote preparation from your template
- 8. Weekly pipeline report so you see movement without digging
How to hand it over: define what a qualified lead looks like, what your assistant may send without asking, and where approval is required. See sales virtual assistant support and CRM management support.
Customer service (tasks 9-12)
Response time is often the difference between a retained customer and a bad review. This work suits a dedicated assistant who learns your tone.
- 9. First-response handling on email and live chat
- 10. Ticket triage and routing to the right person
- 11. Order, delivery and appointment status updates
- 12. Review and feedback follow-up after resolution
How to hand it over: supply five real past conversations you were happy with. Tone is learned from examples far faster than from instructions. See customer service virtual assistant support.
Recruiting and scheduling (tasks 13-15)
Hiring admin is bursty and time-sensitive, which makes it a strong candidate for delegation.
- 13. Sourcing and first-pass screening against your criteria
- 14. Interview coordination across calendars and time zones
- 15. Candidate records, status updates and follow-up messages
How to hand it over: write down your must-have criteria and the questions that disqualify. See recruiting virtual assistant support and appointment setting support.
Operations and reporting (tasks 16-18)
- 16. Process documentation so the work survives staff changes
- 17. Project tracker upkeep and chasing overdue items
- 18. Recurring weekly or monthly reporting pack
How to hand it over: let your assistant document the process while learning it. You get training and documentation from the same hours. See operations virtual assistant support.
Bookkeeping support (tasks 19-20)
This is administrative support around your finances, not licensed accounting advice. Keep sign-off with you or your accountant.
- 19. Invoicing, expense categorisation and receipt collection
- 20. Chasing unpaid invoices and preparing reconciliation files
How to hand it over: set an approval limit above which nothing is sent or paid without you. See bookkeeping virtual assistant support.
How to choose your first three tasks
- Step 01
Track a week honestly
Note what you actually did in thirty-minute blocks. The list in your head is never the real list.
- Step 02
Mark frequency and judgement
High frequency plus low judgement equals delegate now. Low frequency plus high judgement stays with you for the moment.
- Step 03
Record once, checklist once
One screen recording and one checklist per task. This is the whole handover, and it takes under an hour.
- Step 04
Set the approval boundary
Write down what your assistant may do alone, what needs a check, and what always comes to you.
- Step 05
Review weekly, then widen
One short weekly review. Once the first three run cleanly, add the next three.
What not to delegate
- Strategy, positioning and pricing decisions
- Hiring and exit decisions for your own team
- Signing contracts or committing the business legally
- Licensed professional advice: legal, accounting, clinical
- Anything you cannot describe or check the output of
- Relationships you personally need to hold
Frequently asked questions
What should I delegate first?
Start with the task you do most often that needs the least judgement. Inbox triage, calendar coordination, and data entry are usually the fastest wins because the rules are easy to write down and mistakes are cheap to correct.
How do I hand a task over without spending hours explaining it?
Record your screen once while you do the task and narrate the decisions. That recording plus a short checklist is usually enough for a first pass. Review the first few outputs, correct once, and the task is transferred.
Should I delegate anything that touches money or customers?
Yes, with boundaries. Invoicing support, expense categorisation, and customer email all delegate well when you set clear approval limits and keep final sign-off. Write the boundary down rather than assuming it.
How many of these tasks fit into one plan?
It depends on volume, not count. Ten hours a week (our $600 Essential plan) usually covers a focused set of recurring admin. Forty hours a week (our $1,600 Dedicated plan) supports a much broader remit. We scope this with you on the discovery call.
What should stay with me?
Anything that sets direction, prices your work, hires or exits people, or commits the business legally. Delegate the execution around those decisions, not the decisions themselves.
Keep reading
Bring your list to the call
Pick the three tasks that cost you the most hours and book a free discovery call. We will scope the role around them and tell you which plan covers the volume.