Managed VAs for UK and Irish firms
A VA on UK office hours, with us behind them.
Johannesburg runs one or two hours ahead of London, so the person we place starts and finishes their day when you do. Nikki finds them alongside you, and we stay responsible for how it goes.
- 2008 placing VAs since
- 250K+ hours delivered
- 98% client retention over 14 months
- 13 reviews on Clutch
The hours figure counts every client hour we've ever delivered. Retention is worked out from invoices.
As a UK based business we could hire employees that have been prescreened in South Africa.
We really work well with Karen; she has been so helpful in the growth of our new business. We are enjoying meeting new members of the team too.
UK hours
Their working day sits inside yours
Johannesburg never changes its clocks. While London is on GMT, Johannesburg is two hours ahead, and during British Summer Time the gap drops to one hour.
Clients in Scotland and Ireland get that same overlap. There's more detail on our UK region page.
London office GMT and BST
Your VA in winter London on GMT
Your VA in summer London on BST
London time along the bottom. Times inside each bar are your VA's clock in Johannesburg.
- 9 am Londonmeans 11 am for your VA, or 10 am during BST
- 5.30 pm Londonmeans 7.30 pm for your VA, or 6.30 pm during BST
Why VAConnect
Someone who cements themselves into your business
Changing VAs every few months is bad for you and bad for us. So we put the effort into the match up front, and we stay in touch after day one.
Yours and only yours
Nobody else shares them. They pick up your systems and your habits, and in time it feels like they sit down the corridor.
Training that keeps going
VAVarsity, our in-house training platform, keeps adding courses, so your VA keeps learning while they work for you.
We handle the people side
Recruitment, training, performance reviews and backup cover sit with us, and so does the line management. The output is yours.
Replacement at our cost
Let Nikki know and she'll begin a fresh search. We run the changeover too, at no charge to you.
The first step is a 30-minute talk about your business. No deposit is needed.
The process
Five steps, in this order
What we do ask is a commitment to the process. Here's how it runs.
Discovery call
A first chat about how your business runs and which tasks keep landing on your desk.
Nikki shortlists 3–4 candidates
She checks every match personally. Each CV arrives with the candidate's Boiler Room results attached.
Boiler Room
Each candidate spends 45 minutes in a simulated day of your role. Below 80%, they don't go forward. Boiler Room explained »
You meet them
Interview whoever made the shortlist. By then their skills are proven, so listen for who you'd enjoy working beside.
Onboarding
We write the SOP for the role together. Your VA usually starts one to two weeks after your go-ahead.
The call costs nothing, and neither does the search Nikki runs afterwards.
The longer version is on our page about managed virtual assistants for UK businesses.
Client reviews
In our clients' words
Everything ran smooth. They found people we could not believe.
The team is well organized, formulates to-do lists, communicates on each task, and consistently meets deadlines.
They are straightforward, easy to deal with, and once up and running are fully self-managing.
UK firms are among our 13 Clutch reviewers, including the two quoted at the top of this page. If we can't help, you'll hear it from us straight away.
VA specialities
Work you can hand over
Every single client is different. A sales role at one firm looks nothing like a sales role at the next, so your brief comes first.
Executive support
Diary, inbox, travel and board papers for directors who need a right hand.
Project management
A person in charge of deadlines who chases each loose end inside your tools, so projects actually finish.
Marketing
Planning content, scheduling posts, sending email campaigns and pulling the monthly figures together, all in the way your brand speaks.
Sales
Qualifying leads, outbound outreach, keeping the CRM tidy and chasing follow-ups in the pipeline, so your time goes on closing.
Our paralegal VAs have all signed NDAs. We find general and real estate VAs for UK clients as well.
Packages
Start small, then build
Each package includes SOP creation for hand-overs, priority stand-in cover, managed quality and backup cover. On the smaller packages, up to a half day, your VA logs their hours in a tracker you can check. You'll find each package priced in GBP, USD and EUR through the link below.
Dedicated VA
One trained person on the hours you book each month, covering sales, marketing, project management or executive support.
Dedicated VA pricing »Growth Accelerator
Several VAs take their brief through one person, so you explain the job once and they share it out. Packages start at 160 hours a month.
Growth Accelerator pricing »Carol Programme
Our always-on executive tier, for leaders whose days are complex.
Carol Programme details »
Meet the founder
Karen van Zyl
Karen began matching VAs with clients in 2008, and the business has carried the VA Connect name since 2014.
Karen didn't start an agency. She built the one she wished existed.
Questions
Contracts, data and the other details
Is there anything to pay before I choose a VA?
No. We don't take deposits or consultation fees, and no money changes hands while the search runs.
Is there a minimum contract term?
No minimum. It's a rolling monthly arrangement. You're never tied in for years.
What if the match goes wrong?
Tell us early. Nikki starts a fresh search and we handle the changeover. You're not charged for any of it, so the effort you put into onboarding isn't wasted.
How soon will I meet candidates?
Nikki sends three to four CVs, each with the candidate's Boiler Room results, and books the interviews on Zoom. Once you decide, your VA usually starts within one to two weeks.
Can I see how my VA's hours are spent?
Yes, if your package is a half day or smaller. Your VA records their hours in a tracking tool you can log in to, which also shows whether you've booked the right amount. On bigger packages we don't log every minute, because checking time would eat into the work. Measure it against the KPIs you set and the work that comes back.
Do the hours really line up with the UK?
Yes. London is one or two hours behind Johannesburg depending on the season, so you share the whole working day. Scotland and Ireland work the same way.
What about our data and client confidentiality?
We'd rather you own your data. You hold the CRM and calling accounts yourself, so nothing walks out with us if the partnership ends. Our privacy policy explains how we handle personal data, and every paralegal VA has signed an NDA.
Who keeps quality up once my VA has started?
Monthly performance reviews catch problems early, before they reach your desk. VAVarsity keeps your VA's skills current as your tools change.
Will my VA be comfortable speaking to my clients?
Yes. The South African accent is neutral and clear on calls. English is also a main business language there. Every candidate is interviewed by you, so you'll have heard them first.
Can I see prices in pounds?
Yes, our pricing shows pounds next to dollars and euros.
Which tools will my VA work in?
Yours. We set your VA up on the software your team runs on today, for example Xero, HubSpot, Slack or Microsoft 365.
Anything we've missed, bring it to the call. Talking to us costs nothing.
Book a discovery call
Bring us the jobs you keep putting off
Plan for 30 minutes. Explain the work, and if it's right up our alley, we'll say so. You won't be asked for money up front, and the consultation itself costs nothing. If moving forward feels right afterwards, you just drop us a short message and Nikki will jump on it.