Software for virtual assistants

A VA with five clients switches context twenty times a day, and every switch is a chance to forget to log the time. At month end each client wants to see where their 20 hours went. SoloWOS keeps the hours, the procedures and the invoice for each client in the same place, so that report takes minutes.

From a new client to the first invoice

1. A business owner books a free call on your booking page and answers your questions: which tasks, which tools, how many hours a week.
2. You send the "Monthly retainer" proposal starter, edited to your package: 20 hours a month, response times, what happens with unused hours and the rate for hours over the block.
3. They accept and sign your agreement through E-Signatures. An automation creates an "Onboard new client" task on your board.
4. Send an onboarding form for the basics: which inbox, which calendar, preferred channels. Ask for access through their password manager, never in the form.
5. Write each recurring task as a page in Notes & Boards: how to process the inbox, how to prepare the weekly newsletter. When you go on vacation or bring in a second VA, the procedure is already written.
6. Start the timer from the task you're on. At month end, open an invoice for the client and use "Add unbilled time" to list the hours.

A typical week

• Monday: inbox triage for three clients, each with the timer running on its own project.
• Tuesday: you record a 3-minute video showing a client how you set up their new email filters, instead of booking a call.
• Wednesday: a prospect books a discovery call; you send the retainer proposal that afternoon.
• Thursday: the time report shows one client at 18 of 20 hours with a week to go. You let them know before you go over.
• Last day of the month: five invoices built from unbilled time, plus the hours report as CSV for the client who wants it.

All 13 tools, one by one

Time Tracking, Invoicing and Notes & Boards run a VA business day to day. This is where every tool fits:

• Link in Bio: a page for your LinkedIn profile and the Facebook groups where you find clients, with your packages, a discovery-call button and a signup for the tips you email to prospects.
• Short Links: short links for the resources you send clients, such as a shared folder or their SOP page, so you can change where a link points without resending the email.
• Forms: a weekly request form a client fills out instead of sending ten messages, and an automation can turn each submission into a task on your board.
• Scheduling: a 30-minute monthly review meeting type for current clients next to the free discovery call, each with its own length and questions.
• Proposals: two or three retainer sizes (10, 20 or 40 hours) saved as separate templates, each with your overage rate and rollover rule in the terms.
• E-Signatures: your services agreement with confidentiality terms and how you handle access to their accounts, signed before you get any logins.
• Document Tracking: send your services guide or rate sheet as a tracked PDF after a discovery call and see whether the prospect opened it before you follow up.
• Screen Recording: record yourself doing a recurring task once and paste the link into its SOP page, so a backup VA can follow along.
• Notes & Boards: one board per client with recurring tasks and due dates, so on Monday you can see what each client needs this week.
• Time Tracking: set the hourly rate on each client's project and keep your own admin as non-billable time, so the report shows only client hours against each block.
• Invoicing: a recurring invoice for each fixed-hour retainer, issued on the 1st, plus a second invoice built from unbilled time for hours over the block.
• Expenses: your software subscriptions, coworking days, courses and the computer you work on, with receipts, so the monthly profit isn't just what clients paid.
• Automations: when the agreement is signed, the client gets an email with the onboarding form link, so setup starts the same day.

Start with these three

Time Tracking with one project per client, Invoicing with Stripe connected, and Notes & Boards for SOPs. Add Proposals and E-Signatures when you sign your next client.

Free tools for VAs

• Time card calculator to total hours from start and end times.
• Time zone meeting planner for clients in other time zones.
• Invoice late fee calculator for clients who pay late.
• Automation ROI calculator to show a client what an automated task saves.
• Free invoice generator if you only need a one-off invoice.

What SoloWOS won't do for a VA

• A recurring invoice repeats the same fee each month, so it suits a fixed block of hours. Hours that change month to month go on an invoice you build from unbilled time, and nothing charges the client's card automatically.
• No retainer balance that counts down; the time report shows hours used against the project.
• No password vault and no access to your clients' own tools. Clients can't log in to see your board.
• No screenshots or activity monitoring. The timer records time, not what's on your screen.