How to Hire a Customer Support Virtual Assistant (Job Description + Trial Tasks)

Great customer service doesn’t have to drain your time or budget.

If you’re spending hours answering emails, responding to live chats, or following up on customer issues, it’s time to delegate. A customer support virtual assistant can take over the day-to-day support tasks, freeing you to focus on growing your business.

Whether you're using tools like Help Scout, Zendesk, Gorgias, or even just Gmail and spreadsheets, a customer service VA can manage it all: from answering FAQs to handling refunds and flagging issues for escalation.

This guide walks you through exactly how to hire a reliable customer support virtual assistant who can deliver fast, friendly, and consistent service, without needing to hire in-house.

Hire a Full-Time Customer Support Assistant

From $750/month

• Handles live chat, email, and ticket-based support with care
• Responds quickly and professionally to customer inquiries
• Works your business hours or covers support while you sleep
• Experienced with tools like Zendesk, Gorgias, and Help Scout

Learn More

In This Guide, You’ll Learn:

• What customer support VAs actually do
• The platforms and tools they work with
• How to write a job description that attracts the right VA
• Trial tasks to test support skills before hiring
• Interview questions and red flags to watch out for

What Can a Customer Service Virtual Assistant Help With?

A skilled VA can step in as your front line for support, handling day-to-day communication, maintaining a professional tone, and resolving most issues before they ever reach you.

Inbox Management & Email Support

• Respond to general inquiries, order questions, and support tickets
• Use templates or FAQs to answer common requests
• Flag high-priority messages or escalation cases

Live Chat or Helpdesk Support

• Provide real-time help using tools like Intercom, Tidio, or Crisp
• Route tickets to the right team when needed
• Keep average response times low and CSAT scores high

Order & Account Support

• Assist with tracking updates, refunds, returns, and login help
• Verify order details or troubleshoot user issues
• Update customer info in CRM or support dashboard

Review & Reputation Management

• Monitor and respond to public reviews on Google, Trustpilot, etc.
• Reach out to unhappy customers to resolve concerns
• Request reviews from happy customers after resolution

Documentation & Internal Support

• Create and maintain support FAQs or help docs
• Log recurring issues and suggest process improvements
• Track ticket types and report weekly support metrics

Why Hire a Virtual Assistant for Customer Support?

Faster Response Times
Keep inboxes clear and reply times fast, even during busy seasons

Consistent Voice & Tone
Use templates and SOPs to create predictable, professional responses

Lower Cost Than Full-Time Reps
Hire part-time or full-time without overhead or benefits

Scalable Support as You Grow
Add more hours or VAs as ticket volume increases

Step-by-Step: How to Hire a Customer Support Virtual Assistant

Step 1: List Your Support Needs

Before you hire, identify the biggest pain points.

Examples:

• “I can’t keep up with emails every day”
• “We need someone to monitor live chat during business hours”
• “I want someone who can help resolve refund or account issues”

You don’t need to offload everything at once; start with one or two areas.

Step 2: Choose a Hiring Path for Customer Support VA

Step 3: Write a Customer Support VA Job Post

Include in Your Job Description:

• Expected tools (Zendesk, Gorgias, Gmail, etc.)
• Hours of availability and time zone overlap
• Type of support (email, chat, tickets, refunds)
• Expectations for tone, templates, and escalation
• A small application prompt to test detail

Sample Job Description:

Title: Customer Support Virtual Assistant (Email + Live Chat)
Rate: $7–$14/hour
Availability: 4+ hours/day with overlap in U.S. business hours

We’re hiring a detail-oriented customer service VA to handle email and live chat support. You’ll respond to customer inquiries, help with order issues, and flag anything that requires escalation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Respond to tickets using HelpScout templates
• Monitor live chat and maintain fast response times
• Track issues in Google Sheets or CRM
• Suggest updates to FAQs or help docs

Preferred Tools: Gmail, HelpScout, Slack, Google Sheets, Shopify

How to Apply: Include the word “responsive” in your application and record a 2-minute Loom video walking through a customer message you’d respond to.

Step 4: Interview Questions to Ask a Customer Support VA

• What kinds of support tasks have you handled before?
  • Look for volume, channel (email/chat), and issue types.
• How do you stay calm when responding to frustrated customers?
  • Tests tone control, empathy, and professionalism.
• Have you used tools like Zendesk, HelpScout, or Intercom?
  • Make sure they’re familiar with your stack.
• How do you decide when to escalate a support issue?
  • Look for judgment and accountability.
• Can you share a time when you turned around a negative customer experience?
  • Great support VAs have real examples ready.
• Do you track common issues or suggest updates to support docs?
  • Shows initiative and process thinking.
• Can you write a quick response to this sample email?
  • Tests writing tone, clarity, and template use.

Step 5: Trial Tasks to Test a Customer Service VA

Trial Task 1: Respond to Sample Support Tickets

• Prompt: Use two sample emails and write replies using templates or freeform.
• Tests: Tone, clarity, comprehension
• Ideal Outcome: Friendly, helpful, grammatically clean replies

Trial Task 2: Handle a Refund Request Scenario

• Prompt: Draft a response to a customer requesting a refund past policy terms.
• Tests: Policy application, empathy, solution-focused tone
• Ideal Outcome: Polite denial or creative resolution

Trial Task 3: Create a Simple FAQ Entry

• Prompt: Turn a recurring issue into a knowledge base answer.
• Tests: Writing clarity, helpfulness, structure
• Ideal Outcome: Clear, reusable entry with step-by-step guidance

Trial Task 4: Monitor a Sample Chat Log

• Prompt: Review a short transcript and flag what needs escalation.
• Tests: Judgment, product knowledge
• Ideal Outcome: Identifies and categorizes next steps appropriately

Trial Task 5: Update a Ticket Tracker Sheet

• Prompt: Log 5 sample tickets with issue type and status.
• Tests: Accuracy, attention to detail
• Ideal Outcome: Correct categorization, no typos or data errors

Trial Task 6: Handle a Tiered Escalation Flow

• Prompt: Review 3 customer emails and determine which should be handled directly, escalated, or refunded.
• Tests: Judgment, escalation logic, policy interpretation
• Ideal Outcome: Each case is routed correctly with a clear, justified action

Trial Task 7: Respond to a Negative Review

• Prompt: Write a public reply to a sample 2-star review from an unhappy customer.
• Tests: Tone control, empathy, professionalism
• Ideal Outcome: Friendly and non-defensive response that invites resolution

Trial Task 8: Draft a Saved Reply Template

• Prompt: Write a reusable email template for responding to “Where is my order?” inquiries.
• Tests: Clarity, structure, ability to standardize responses
• Ideal Outcome: Well-formatted reply that’s clear, concise, and ready to reuse

Trial Task 9: Tag and Categorize Sample Tickets

• Prompt: Review 10 sample support tickets and assign an issue category for each in a spreadsheet.
• Tests: Attention to detail, consistency, classification logic
• Ideal Outcome: All tickets are tagged accurately with no classification errors

Trial Task 10: Build a Mini Help Article

• Prompt: Turn a list of internal steps into a customer-facing help doc or FAQ entry.
• Tests: Writing clarity, process understanding, tone
• Ideal Outcome: Easy-to-follow article with clear headings and actionable steps

Tools Customer Support VAs Should Know

Example: How a Customer Support VA Transformed Daily Operations

A small but growing business was overwhelmed with customer emails, order questions, and refund requests. Response times stretched to over 24 hours, and important tickets were getting missed.

After bringing on a customer support virtual assistant, the business:

• Cut inbox time by over 80%
• Brought response times down to under 3 hours
• Reduced repetitive questions with new FAQ templates
• Increased customer satisfaction scores significantly
• Handled live chat, ticket tagging, and refund requests consistently

Now, their VA manages all frontline communication, keeping the team focused on growth while customers get fast, helpful support.

Final Thoughts: Let a Customer Support VA Keep Your Customers Happy

You don’t need to spend your day answering tickets or writing the same email over and over. A customer service virtual assistant can help you deliver fast, professional support, while giving you back hours each week.

Start small. Let them take over your inbox or chat queue. Within weeks, you’ll wonder how you ever managed support without them.

Hire a Full-Time Customer Support Assistant

From $750/month

• Handles live chat, email, and ticket-based support with care
• Responds quickly and professionally to customer inquiries
• Works your business hours or covers support while you sleep
• Experienced with tools like Zendesk, Gorgias, and Help Scout

Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a customer support VA cost?

Most VAs range from $7 to $20/hour, depending on region and experience.

Can they do live chat support?

Yes. Many work inside platforms like Intercom, Crisp, or Zendesk daily.

What if I need specific tone or brand voice?

Provide templates, canned replies, or sample responses; they can adapt quickly.

Is it safe to let a VA respond to customers?

Yes, especially when you provide SOPs and review early responses.

Can I hire part-time?

Absolutely. Many businesses start with 2–4 hours/day and scale from there.

Do I need a helpdesk tool to get started?

No. Many VAs can work from Gmail, spreadsheets, or basic systems.

Why Trust This Guide?

We’ve worked with dozens of virtual assistants across industries, but one of the most game-changing hires we made was a customer support VA. They took over our overflowing inbox, slashed response times, and created a support experience that actually built loyalty with our customers.

This guide is based on our real hiring process—what worked, what didn’t, and what we now recommend to anyone looking to outsource customer service. From job descriptions to trial tasks, these are the exact steps we used to find a reliable, affordable VA who treats our customers like their own.