Inbox Management: How a Virtual Assistant Gets Your Emails Under Control

If your inbox is running your day, instead of the other way round, you’re not alone. Email is the job most business owners want to hand over first, and the one they’re most nervous about letting go of. Here’s how inbox management with a Virtual Assistant actually works.

Signs your inbox needs help

• You’re answering enquiries at 10pm when you should be on the sofa.
• New enquiries sit unanswered for days because you’re busy doing the actual work.
• Important emails get buried under newsletters and notifications.
• You check your phone on your day off “just in case”.

What inbox management includes

Every business is different, so we agree exactly what you want me to do. It usually covers some mix of these.

• Sorting and prioritising. Clearing the clutter and flagging what needs your attention, so you only see what matters.
• Replying to new enquiries. Answering the questions that come up again and again, in your tone of voice, so no lead slips through the cracks.
• Bookings and appointments. Turning emails into diary entries and confirming them with your clients.
• Keeping things tidy. Folders, labels and unsubscribing from the emails you never read.
• Following up. Chasing the replies you’re still waiting for.

How to hand over your inbox safely

A common worry is “but I’d have to give you my password”. You don’t.

• Use delegated access. Gmail and Outlook both let you give another person access to your mailbox without sharing your password, and you can take that access away at any time.
• Use a password manager for everything else. If I need to log in to a booking system or another tool, a password manager lets you share access securely.
• Start small. You can begin by handing over one type of email, such as new enquiries, and add more as trust builds.

Five things to decide before you start

1. What can be answered without you? Prices, availability, directions and booking confirmations are good places to start.
2. What must always come to you? Complaints, quotes over a certain amount, anything personal.
3. How do you sound? Send over a few of your own replies so I can match your tone.
4. How quickly should people hear back? Same day, or within 24 hours?
5. How do you want to hear from me? A quick summary by message, or a catch-up on our weekly check-in call.

How much time does it take?

It depends on how busy your inbox is, but an hour a day goes a long way. My Daily Support package is 20 hours a month, which works out at around an hour a day, so your inbox, diary and enquiries are always handled. If you only need a light touch, the 10-hour package may be plenty. You can compare them on my Services & Packages page, or read my guide to what a Virtual Assistant costs in the UK.

You started your business for more freedom, not more admin. Getting your inbox off your plate is often the quickest way to get some of that freedom back.