Most clients send their own Zoom, Meet or Teams link, so you only need the free app installed and tested. When you are the host, Google Meet is the safer free choice for one-to-one calls because it does not cut you off; Zoom Basic ends every meeting at 40 minutes, which is awkward in the middle of an interview.
Tip: Join a test call from the same laptop, headset and connection you will use for real calls, the day before. Fix audio before you fix anything else.
Related guides:Sound professional with a cheap headsetWorking as a VA with slow internet
Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Drive cover the email, document and spreadsheet work most beginner VA services involve, and they are what many small-business clients already use. Keeping work in its own account means client files never mix with your family photos, and you can hand over or close it cleanly.
Tip: Store client files in the client’s own Drive or shared folder whenever possible. Their files then stay in their account, and your 15 GB is not eaten by their videos.
Related guides:Email and calendar management for VAsClient onboarding checklist
Graphics and social media posts
Our pick: Canva Free.
For quote cards, simple carousels, flyers and slide decks, Canva Free is enough to learn the work and build portfolio samples. Pay for Pro only when a client needs brand kits or bulk resizing every week, and ask whether the client’s own Canva team can add you instead.
Tip: Make two or three clearly labeled practice designs for a made-up business. That is a stronger portfolio than ten unrelated templates.
Related guides:Canva basics for virtual assistantsSocial media management starter guide
A shared Trello board with To do, Doing, Waiting on client and Done columns answers the client’s favorite question (“where are we on this?”) without a message. Keep your own process notes somewhere you control so you do not lose them if a client removes you from their workspace.
Tip: Write a one-page SOP the first time you do any recurring task. By the third client you will have a library that makes you faster than other beginners.
Related guides:Your first 90 days as a VAWhat a VA does day to day
You will usually join the client’s Slack. If it is on the free plan, older messages disappear from view after 90 days, so anything that matters (login handovers, approved rates, standing instructions) should be copied into a shared doc.
Tip: Never accept a first contact that moves straight to Telegram or WhatsApp with no company email and no contract. That pattern shows up in many VA job scams.
Related guides:How to spot and avoid VA job scams
Clients will give you access to email, social accounts and tools. A password manager keeps every password unique and lets you receive shared logins without anyone pasting them into chat. Two-factor authentication on your own email, Upwork and payment accounts is one of the most effective protections against account takeover.
Tip: When you turn on two-step login, save the recovery codes offline straight away. Bitwarden warns that losing your 2FA device without a recovery code can lock you out of your vault permanently.
Related guides:How to spot and avoid VA job scamsIs being a VA legit?
Upwork hourly contracts use Upwork’s own tracker, so you do not need another one there. For direct clients, a timer with a project per client gives you a report to attach to each invoice, which heads off most billing disputes.
Tip: Start the timer before you open the client’s inbox, not after. Small tasks you forget to log add up to hours you are never paid for.
Related guides:Invoice template and payment termsHow to set your VA rates
A two-minute screen recording is often clearer than a long email when you need a client to approve something or show you a process. Loom gives the client a link they can watch without installing anything.
Tip: Record a three-minute walkthrough of a practice task (for example, cleaning up an inbox) and add the link to your portfolio. Clients can hear how you explain your work.
Related guides:Build a VA portfolio with no experience
Drive links do not expire and you control who can open them, but the files count against your storage. WeTransfer is handy when you need to send a big video once and do not want it sitting in your Drive.
Tip: On a slow connection, upload big files overnight or from a faster connection, then send the client the link. Do not hold a call hostage to an upload.
Related guides:Working as a VA with slow internet
Clients judge you on your first few emails. A free checker catches spelling and grammar slips and flags tone. It will not fix unclear thinking, so keep messages short: what happened, what you need, by when.
Tip: Do not paste confidential client information into any AI or writing tool unless the client has approved that tool.
Related guides:Improve your business English for client workAI skills every VA needs
