The Best CRM Tools for Virtual Assistants and Why Your Business Needs One  

June 03, 2025

In a world where business changes quickly, it can become very overwhelming to manage client relationships, follow tasks, and stay in contact with people through a screen. That’s where CRM tools (Customer Relationship Management software) come into play. For virtual assistants, these tools aren’t just helpful—they’re essential.

Whether you’re managing leads for a real estate agent, blanket follow-ups on pending invoices for a coach, or scheduling appointments for a healthcare provider, the right CRM can dramatically enhance your efficiency. At ConnectedStars, we encourage every virtual assistant and business owner to adopt a strong and capable CRM system so you can stay organized, improve client interactions, and scale effortlessly.

Let’s take a look at the top CRM tools for virtual assistants and how to implement them into your everyday business.

What Is a CRM Tool and Why Do Virtual Assistants Need It?

A CRM tool is a software that allows users to manage customer information, interactions, and communicate more effectively. But for virtual assistants, a CRM tool should include a lot more than a digital contact list, representing a way to manage everything from clients who have projects, emails, calls, deadlines, and follow-ups in one centralized location.

With multiple clients, overlapping projects, and tasks with dependencies, VAs should have a centralized system for managing this data comfortably and efficiently. A good CRM should be able to save time, minimize errors, improve communications, and enhance or streamline service delivery.

For businesses hiring VAs, a CRM tool provides visibility into what the VA is working on, ensures nothing slips through the cracks, and offers real-time collaboration, especially important when managing remote professionals.

Top 6 CRM Tools Perfect for Virtual Assistants

1. HubSpot CRM (Free & Paid Versions)

Best for: Beginners, startups, and general business support.

Why it works:

HubSpot is one of the easiest CRM tools to use. If you simply want to start tracking leads and manage contacts or schedule emails and communications with clients, then HubSpot can do that for you within a free plan. Its visual pipeline management makes it easy for VAs to organize tasks and keep clients updated.

HubSpot easily integrates with Gmail, Slack, Zoom, and dozens of other apps and is perfectly designed for all types of digital workspaces.

Pro Tip: VAs can assist small business clients with data migrations from a variety of different projects and manage HubSpot dashboards for lead nurturing as well.

2. Trello (for CRM + Project Management)

Best fits: Creative professionals, content marketers, freelancers.

Why it works:

Although Trello is not a traditional CRM, it is very visual and can be adapted for both client management and task management. VAs can customize Trello boards to manage their clients' workflows, deadlines, content calendars, etc. Trello is useful for tracking multi-step processes, such as a client posting a blog, scheduling social media posts, working through lead nurturing, etc.

It is a lightweight CRM option that works well for VAs working with clients in the creative or marketing industries. Many of our VAs at ConnectedStars use Trello Boards to work collaboratively on marketing and admin projects with clients.

3. Zoho CRM

Best for: Sales support, lead tracking, and customer service.

Why it works:

Zoho CRM is a robust platform, perfect for VAs working in sales support and customer relationship roles. It allows virtual assistants to automate emails, follow-up reminders, and customer onboarding processes. And it will even give you AI assistance and reporting tools - great for business owners who want analytics without spending hours gathering data.

Zoho also has a suite of invoicing, booking, and project management tools - essentially a one-stop shop.

4. Monday.com

Best for: Teams, agencies, and multi-client VAs.

Why it works:

Monday.com is a work operating system that acts as a CRM, a project manager, and a communication app in one. It is especially useful to virtual assistants servicing multiple clients or when working with a team. The marketing automation is great too, and with the ability to create your customizable templates, automation attributes that set reminders or notify you of upcoming events, built-in timelines, kanban boards, etc. It’s a perfect tool for VA to track things like client contact information and onboarding steps.

It also allows clients to view project updates in real-time, almost eliminating the need for them to email you asking what’s going on!

Use case: Ideal for VA agencies or virtual assistants working under managers.

5. Salesforce Essentials

Best for: Enterprise support and large-scale CRM.

Why it works:

Salesforce is the king of CRMs for a good reason. Salesforce Essentials is the scaled-down version made for small businesses and VAs who handle sales pipelines, customer support tickets, and client onboarding.

It is more complicated than other CRMs, but once you are all set up, you can customize it and automate lots of processes. VAs can create custom email journeys, manage drip campaigns, and track everything the customer does.

If your VA services are geared toward startups or enterprise clients, Salesforce experience can give you a serious edge.

6. ClickUp (All-in-One VA Workspace)

Best for: Admin, marketing, and all-around tasks.

Why it works:

ClickUp is favored by many virtual assistants because of its customizable dashboards, task management, and ability to create CRM templates. You can use it to build CRM pipelines, task lists, deadlines, and automated workflows.

ClickUp combines CRM, project management, chat, time tracking, and even docs into one interface. So if you’re a multitasker like many VAs, this gives you everything in one place, and you do not have to switch tabs.

How CRM Tools Help Businesses Working with VAs

If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, a CRM tool may primarily be a tool to make your VA's life easier, but it is also a tool to make your life easier. Here's how:

• Transparency: You will see what your VA is working on and the status of the various tasks.
• Efficiency: You can avoid unnecessary meetings and emails with task dashboards.
• Consistency: You can standardize your client onboarding and support processes.
• Scalability: You can scale the same system as your business grows.  
• Better Customer Experience: Your VA will have quick access to your customers' contact histories and communications, allowing for more timely personal responses.  

CRM + Virtual Assistant = Business Superpower

In a remote-first environment, efficiency is everything, and a virtual assistant using a proper CRM is a valuable partner. As you grow your client base with just a couple of clients or an entire pipeline of leads, leveraging an efficient CRM will help your VAs be organized enough to provide high-value support that leads to real results in your business.

At ConnectedStars, we help businesses match with virtual assistants trained in CRM tools like ClickUp, HubSpot, Trello, and more. It does not matter if you are a solopreneur looking for help with following up with your customers or an agency trying to scale your outreach; our virtual assistant services are built to fit your needs.

Final Thoughts

Picking the best CRM tool for your business and having an experienced virtual assistant take the lead is one of the smartest decisions you can make in your business. Not only does it save you time, but it also takes away the chaos, and it helps you look a lot more professional to your clients and customers.

Looking for a VA who knows their way around CRM systems?

Get in touch with ConnectedStars today, and let's find someone who can help you with your business needs.