VA or software

Thinking about a virtual assistant? Start with the typing.

A good virtual assistant or part-time office person is worth it for the phone and the customers. But a lot of what contractors hand a VA first is typing: logging calls, booking callbacks, drafting invoices and follow-ups. Software can take that part today, and it's worth knowing which is which before you hire.

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What you're really trying to hand off

Contractors often start looking for a virtual assistant at the same moment: the work is good, but evenings go to paperwork, calls go unreturned, and invoices go out late. It feels like one problem. It's usually two. One is the phone: someone needs to pick up, be polite and get the job details. The other is the office: writing down what happened, getting it on the calendar, sending the bill, noticing who hasn't paid.

A person is the right answer for the first. For the second, try software before you pay someone by the hour to type. Redline's chat does the office part from a message: you tell it what happened, and it files it.

A fair split

Task	Redline's chat	A person (VA or office help)
Answering the phone	No	Yes
Replying to customer messages	No. Redline doesn't text; it drafts emails you approve	Yes
Logging calls, notes and payments	Yes, from one message	Yes
Booking estimates and callbacks	Yes, in open slots grouped by town	Yes
Drafting quotes from site photos	Yes, saved as drafts for you to check	Depends on how well they know your pricing
Drafting invoices from finished jobs	Yes, on Solo and up	Yes
Noticing who's overdue	Yes, flags at day 3, 7 and 14 and tells you who to call	Yes, if they track it
Calling customers who owe you	No	Yes
Bookkeeping and reconciliation	No. It exports a CSV for whoever does your books	If they're a bookkeeper
Telling you what to do first each morning	Yes, one push in the iPhone app	Yes, if they're on early

The end-of-day brain dump

Today: called back the Wus, they want the bathroom redo quote by Friday. Left a voicemail for Ostrowski about the deck. Hartley paid $600 cash for the gutter cleaning.

Logged a call with Linda Wu, a voicemail note on Ostrowski, and a $600 cash payment from Hartley.

Want a reminder Thursday to finish the Wu quote?

Yes. And draft something to Ostrowski so he knows I called.

Reminder set for Thursday. Here's a draft to Greg Ostrowski: "Hi Greg, tried you this afternoon about the deck. I've got Tuesday or Wednesday morning open next week to come measure. Which works?" Tap Approve & send and it goes from your Gmail.

Logs and reminders apply right away. Emails go only when you approve them, from your own Gmail.

Software first, or a person first?

If your biggest leak is missed calls, hire the person (or an answering service). Redline doesn't answer phones, and no amount of tidy paperwork brings back a customer who called someone else.

If your biggest leak is the evening paperwork, try software first. It's free to start and $29 a month once you invoice through it, it's there at 9pm, and it doesn't need training on where things go. If you hire later, you hand them a system that's already full instead of a notebook.

And you can do both. On Team and up, an office person or VA can have their own seat, working from the same customers, jobs and calendar as you.

What to expect, honestly

Redline takes off your plate

Writing down calls, notes and payments
Putting estimates and callbacks on the calendar
First drafts of quotes, invoices and follow-up emails
Noticing overdue invoices and quiet quotes
Remembering your prices and packages

Redline doesn't

Answer calls or texts, or chat live with customers
Book customers on its own
Do bookkeeping, reconciliation or payroll
Replace a person; it takes the typing off your plate

Questions contractors ask

Should I hire a VA or use software first?

If calls are going unanswered, hire first. If the paperwork is what's burying you, try software first: start on Free, run a couple of weeks through the chat, and see what's left over. What's left is the job description for the person you hire.

Can my VA use Redline?

Yes, on Team or Team+. They take one seat, and you pick their role: Admin, Member, Office or Tech. See team accounts.

Can Redline call customers back for me?

No. It tells you who to call and gives you a one-tap Call button that opens your phone's dialer.

What does it cost compared with a person?

Free costs nothing for one person. Solo, with invoicing, is $29 a month. Team, with 3 seats for you and your help, is $129 a month. See pricing.

What the chat handles

Hand it tonight's paperwork.

Start on Free and tell the chat what happened today. See what's left for a person.