If you are on the fence about whether to let your Virtual Assistant manage your inbox or if you still cannot imagine relinquishing that much control, then this article is for you.
Below you will find 6 email templates you can give your VA when she* answers emails on your behalf. They are very basic because they are intended to be built upon. Expand their detail and application yes, but also let them get your mind working as to what other mails you can give your VA to answer.
If you take 20 minutes and scan your Sent Items, you will find many frequently asked questions (FAQ) from your clients or colleagues. These FAQs are the perfect candidates for outsourcing or delegating.
Draft the perfect reply to each FAQ and let your Assistant save each reply as a signature in her mail account. The next time she must answer a FAQ, she can simply choose the correct signature, edit any pertinent info and send.
Virtual Assistant email templates:
- When You are Out of the Office
Dear [Name],
Thank you for reaching out.
[Your name] is currently travelling between cities and commitments, with limited access to email.
She will be back on Friday, 21 February. I will check in with her then and respond to your email as soon as possible.
Kind regards,
[Signature]
2. Customer Complaint
Dear [Name],
I am so sorry to hear about the trouble here. We’ve looked into this for you and found that …..
I completely understand this wasn’t the experience you expected when you ….. from us. We aim to ….. that will make your life easier, not harder and I understand how frustrating this experience must have been.
I want to let you know that we are working with the relevant people on this matter. Rest assured we’ll take appropriate action to prevent this from happening in the future.
We appreciate your professionalism and judgment to handle challenging situations like this one.
In the meantime, we’re doing our best to ….. I’ll be in contact soon to arrange the next steps.
If you need help with anything else, please feel free to reach out.
[Signature]
3. Meeting Request – Decline
Dear [Name],
Thank you for your kind email.
Thanks also for your invitation to [coffee/lunch/meeting]. Unfortunately, this is not possible for me at the moment. Due to my existing commitments, I must decline many worthy invitations like yours.
I wish you only the best and should things change, I will reach out to see if we can connect at that time.
Kind regards,
[Signature]
4. Meeting confirmation – Outgoing
Dear [Name],
I have our appointment scheduled for [date, time] at [location]. Could you please confirm this still works for you?
If so, I look forward to seeing you there.
Kind regards,
[Signature]
5. Meeting confirmation – Incoming
Dear [Name],
Thank you for confirming our appointment. I’ll be there. I have it scheduled for [date, time] at [location].
Please let me know if there’s any other information I should be aware of for this meeting.
Otherwise, I look forward to connecting with you there.
Kind regards,
[Signature]
Bonus – Payment Received
Dear [Name],
We have received your payment in respect of invoice [invoice number]. Thank you very much.
We deeply appreciate your business.
When you have another project that requires our help, feel free to reach out to me on [contact nr] or via email [your email]
We look forward to doing business with you again.
Keep well!
[Signature]
* When we refer to one gender the others are also implied
These are basic templates for emails you can give your VA to answer on your behalf.
The best way to get rid of self-doubt is to write down your thoughts and feelings and then answer the most common questions your virtual assistant may have.
The next time she* must answer a question, she can just choose the correct signature, edit any pertinent info and send it to the correct email inbox.
In short, the email template system allows for more “accuracy” each time as well as save you and your assistant time.
