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What Can a Virtual Assistant Handle in 20 Hours a Month?
Twenty hours of virtual assistance can give your business useful support. The key is deciding what those hours should accomplish before the month starts.
In this guide
Start with the work that keeps coming back
Think about the tasks you repeat every week: sorting email, coordinating appointments, updating a client record, or following up on information you are waiting for. Each task may look small on its own. Together, they can take attention away from your clients and your business.
A 20-hour plan works best when you give your assistant a short, clear list of recurring responsibilities. Trying to cover every part of the business in the same allowance usually creates competing priorities. Start with the work you can explain, review, and hand off consistently.
An example of a 20-hour monthly workload
Here is an illustrative budget for a small service business. These are planning allowances, not promised completion times. Actual capacity depends on the volume, complexity, tools, and instructions involved.
| Responsibility | Monthly planning allowance |
|---|---|
| Inbox organization and routine scheduling | 8 hours |
| Client follow-up and appointment coordination | 6 hours |
| CRM updates and task tracking | 4 hours |
| Recurring document and checklist updates | 2 hours |
| Total | 20 hours |
This example gives the assistant a defined lane. It does not mean unlimited inbox management or a guaranteed number of appointments. A busy inbox could use the whole allowance by itself. A smaller workload may leave room for another agreed task.
Choose tasks with a clear finish line
A useful instruction explains the action, the standard, and when to ask for approval. Your assistant should know what they can handle independently and what needs your decision.
- Instead of “manage my inbox,” ask for messages to be sorted into agreed folders and anything urgent to be flagged.
- Instead of “handle clients,” define which follow-ups to send, which template to use, and when to escalate a question.
- Instead of “keep the CRM updated,” specify the fields, the source of the information, and how often updates are needed.
Use a completed example whenever you can. A short recording or checklist can explain your preferences more clearly than a long message with several different tasks mixed together.
Leave room to learn your process
Even a capable assistant needs to understand how your business works. Instructions, examples, access, and feedback help the first handoff go smoothly. Start with up to two agreed tasks and review the early work before adding more.
At Lazar & Company, standard onboarding includes a kickoff call of up to 45 minutes and the initial handoff of up to two tasks within the first month’s account oversight allowance. Task execution uses your assistant hours. For our 20-hour plans, 1.5 hours of account oversight are included separately. Complex migrations and additional onboarding need their own agreed scope.
Check priorities before the hours run out
Use the weekly activity and hours summary to see where time is going. If one responsibility takes longer than expected, decide together whether to simplify it, postpone a lower priority, or discuss a larger plan. Additional work and costs require approval.
The goal is a workload that makes sense for your business and gets consistent attention. Measure that by whether the agreed tasks are handled accurately and on time, as well as by the time they take.
Is 20 hours a sensible starting point?
It can be, especially when you have a few recurring tasks and want to build a working relationship before expanding. If you need frequent availability throughout each business day or a large amount of customer support, discuss that volume before choosing a plan.
Lazar & Company’s 20-hour plans start at $399 per month for global assistance or $799 per month for U.S. based assistance. Availability, working hours, responsibilities, and final scope are confirmed in a written proposal.