Why Email Automation Still Needs a Human Touch: The Case for a Virtual Assistant

Automation handles the tasks. A Virtual Assistant keeps it smart, clear, and human.

Email automation tools are powerful allies for organising your emails and tidying your inbox. Without a human, though, to guide, refine and act alongside them, you may find they don’t work as efficiently as you’d like.

I understand how frustrating that can be.

Many business owners discover that managing emails still takes up more time than it should, because automation lacks that nuanced human touch.

Sure, technology can help, but the burden is still on you to take action. The good news is that there’s a smarter way to stay in control. With a human Virtual Assistant (VA) working alongside your email automation tool, you can step away from the day-to-day email juggling and focus on what really matters: growing your business.

Here are five ways a VA can make that happen:

1. Making the Automation Tool Smarter

   Email automation sorting is based on keywords, senders and rules. The technology doesn’t necessarily recognise tone, urgency and nuances.

    A VA will help you optimise the technology to make decisions based on context, not just rules, by:

   • Reviewing how the automation tool is sorting and tweaking folders based on actual priorities.

   • Monitoring if important emails are getting missed and adapting the filtering rules accordingly.

   • In doing these, your VA can help the tool learn and refine what really needs to be followed up.

   
   

2. Filling the Gaps the Automation Tool Can’t Reach

   Rules-based automation can only nurture a client relationship up to a certain point.

   Some emails need judgement calls — not everything can be snoozed or templated.

   For example, a response to an email campaign may not quite fit the usual rules and so needs a more tailored reply.

   A VA will handle those grey areas that automation ignores.

   • Email automation tools clear the clutter, but a VA decides what’s meaningful.

   • The tools can remind you to reply, but your VA can write the thoughtful follow-ups.

   
   

3. Managing the Strategy, Not Just the Inbox

   Whilst these email automation apps wait for instructions and then maintain the emails, they don’t handle the emails.

   They just follow orders and execute tasks — they won’t take the initiative.

   A VA can create a long-term email management strategy that helps operate your inbox, not just maintain it, by:

   • Monitoring performance and adjusting/refining as necessary.

   • Providing guidance like “Let’s route this newsletter into a reading folder” or “Let’s use the automation tool for these kinds of emails”.

     
     

4. Handling the Follow-Through

   These apps are great at reminding you when something needs attention, but the action still falls to you.

   For example, the app might snooze an email until Monday, but when Monday comes around, it’s easy for it to get buried under your other priorities.

   With a VA, those reminders prompt immediate actions. No snoozing required, and time saved for you. For instance:

   • Following up with clients and prospects.

   • Adding key details to your calendar.

   • Acknowledging receipt and confirming the next steps or details to keep things moving.

     
     

5. Saving Time by Making Most of the Technology and Your VA

   Although effective at decluttering your inbox and keeping it that way in the long term, the initial learning, integration and set-up of email automation tools can be time consuming.

   But you don’t need to learn how to set it up or maintain the automation tool.

   A VA can learn and set it up for you. With your VA plus the automation tool, you get the best of both worlds — automation without the frustration. 

   For example, a VA can help:

   
   

   • Set up the automation processes.

   • Set up workflows between the automation tool, calendar tools and CRMs.

   • Know when to say, “This task is better done manually”.

Email automation tools are built to reduce clutter, remind you to follow up and keep things tidy, but they can still leave gaps that require your attention. Just like a VA uses automation tools to enhance their role, they’ll work alongside the automation tool to make it work better.

Don’t let your email automation tool add to your workload. Your time is too valuable. Let a VA take charge of managing it and ensuring it runs smoothly, so the tool can do what it does best.

If you’d like help managing your email inbox efficiently, ensuring important messages are never missed while maintaining a personalised touch, I’d be happy to help. Phone or email today to arrange a Discovery Session.

If you’d like to know how to tame your inbox without the help of automation tools, I’ve created a FREE guide with 7 Easy Strategies to help quickly and effectively manage your emails and free up time for high-impact business activities.

Get Back Control with a Virtual Assistant

Don’t let poor management of admin steal time away from you — it will stop you from realising your full potential to keep your business growing. Save time and get back control to refocus on growing your business by eliminating the admin chaos.

You can avoid getting distracted and overwhelmed by time-consuming tasks that stop you achieving your business goals, as well as freeing up your time, by delegating those tasks to a Virtual Assistant.

Phone or email today to arrange a Discovery Session and find out more about how my Virtual Assistant services can help you gain more time to spend on getting results and growing your business!

Subscribe to my Productivity Power-Up emails and receive more time-saving tips, productivity strategies, and helpful insights straight to your inbox. Occasionally, I'll send extra content during the week.