A virtual assistant, a digital team, or both

What a virtual assistant does well

A good virtual assistant (VA) is one person who gets to know how you work. That is a real advantage for the steady, everyday side of running a small business.

A VA is often the right fit when:

• You need regular help with email, scheduling, bookkeeping prep, travel or data entry
• You want one person who learns your preferences and your customers' names
• The work comes in at a steady pace that matches the hours you've agreed
• You value having someone you can message directly, who remembers last week

This is a sensible place to start. If your list of jobs is mostly admin and it's manageable, a VA may be all you need.

Where a VA's scope ends

Any single VA, employee or freelancer works within the skills they offer. That isn't a flaw. It's how a role is defined.

It tends to show up like this:

• Skills. Your VA is excellent at inbox management, but you now need a flyer designed, a page on your website updated or a slide deck formatted. These are different skills, and your VA may not offer them.

If you notice jobs sitting on your own list because nobody has the skill, a subscription can take them.

What a subscription adds

A digital team subscription gives you a set list of services through one point of contact.

At Clique, that works like this. You choose a monthly plan and send requests through the Clique app. A dedicated account manager coordinates each request and keeps it moving, so you have one point of contact. The service catalog covers website support, graphic design, content and research, documents and file management, tech support and training, and admin and business tools. You can see typical requests on the services page.

A subscription doesn't replace the relationship you have with a VA. It adds range. The plans are priced by task slots, which is how many requests can be worked on at the same time: 3 on Lite (CA$30 per month), 6 on Standard (CA$55 per month) and 12 on Plus (CA$100 per month), in Canadian dollars. Every plan includes unlimited requests and an account manager. See the pricing page for the details.

A simple decision checklist

Answer these in order. Each answer points one way. There is no scoring.

1. What is most of your list? If it's mostly steady admin tasks that need someone who knows your business well, a VA is a strong fit. If it's a mix of design, website, documents and research, a subscription covers more ground.
2. Do you need design, website edits or document formatting done? If yes, consider a subscription.
3. How even is the workload? If it's steady, one person's hours may match it. If it spikes, a plan with more task slots lets more requests be worked on at once.
4. How much do you want to explain each time? A VA builds up knowledge of your preferences. With Clique, a clear request does that work: say what it's for, what must be right, attach the files and give a date.
5. How do you want to pay? A VA's rates and arrangements vary, so ask. A Clique subscription is a flat monthly amount in Canadian dollars, billed in advance, and you can cancel anytime.

If you answered mostly "steady admin", start with a VA. If you answered mostly "a mix of skills" or "it spikes", look at a subscription. If it's both, read on.

Using both

You don't have to choose. You can keep the person who knows your business and add Clique for the rest.

A simple split looks like this:

• Your VA keeps the inbox, the calendar, the follow-ups and the records, the work that depends on knowing you and your customers.
• Clique takes the jobs that need a specific skill: the flyer, the web page update, the formatted proposal, the research summary.

If you're not sure whether a job is the kind of thing Clique handles, ask first. You can email [email protected] or message your account manager in the app. And if you're a virtual assistant yourself, we've written a separate guide on what a virtual assistant can hand off.

When you're ready to add Clique to the way you work, you can start your subscription in the Clique app.