Glossary

Admin and VA terms, in plain English

No jargon, no acronyms without explanation. If a term you've seen isn't here, ask on a free call and we'll explain it.

Virtual assistant (VA): An experienced administrator who works remotely, supporting one or more businesses for the hours needed — without the fixed cost of an employee.
Retainer: A monthly agreement for a set number of hours at a fixed rate. Cheaper per hour than ad-hoc work and guarantees priority in the assistant's diary.
Ad-hoc hours: Support booked as needed, with no monthly commitment. Best for one-off projects or occasional busy spells.
Inbox triage: Sorting an inbox into folders, flagging what needs your reply, and handling routine messages — so you open a clear inbox rather than a wall of email.
Diary management: Booking, rescheduling and reminding around meetings, so the calendar stays full without you chasing it.
Invoice chasing: Following up politely and persistently on overdue invoices so you get paid on time, without the awkwardness of doing it yourself.
Delegated access: Granting someone access to a mailbox or account without sharing the password — through a password manager's shared vault or the platform's own delegation feature.
Password manager: A tool that stores and shares logins securely, so a credential can be used without ever being seen or emailed. Revoking access takes one click.
NDA (confidentiality agreement): A simple written agreement that defines what's confidential, how it's handled, and that the obligation ends when the work ends.
Scope of work: A written list of the tasks, turnaround expectations and hours agreed before work starts. Removes the 'I thought you were doing that' problem.
Process documentation: Writing down how a recurring task is done, step by step, so it can be handed over and done consistently without you.
Onboarding: The first stage of working together — the free call, agreeing scope, setting up secure access and handing over the first task.
Rota cover: Arranging for work to continue when the usual assistant is away or unwell — easier with an agency than a solo VA.
Pillar guide: A long, evergreen article that covers a topic in depth and that shorter posts link into — the opposite of a quick daily tip.
Timed breakdown: An itemised record showing what each billed hour covered, sent with the invoice so there is no guesswork about where your time went.
Credit control: The whole process of getting paid: raising invoices on time, tracking who owes what, sending reminders on a schedule and escalating politely when a payment is late.
Bookkeeping admin: The clerical side of the accounts — chasing receipts, categorising transactions, reconciling and preparing records — as distinct from filing statutory accounts, which is your accountant's job.
CRM: Customer relationship management software — the system holding your contacts, deals and follow-ups. Only useful if someone keeps it accurate.
Executive assistant (EA): Support pitched at director level: gatekeeping the diary, preparing board papers, handling sensitive correspondence and making judgement calls on priorities.
Virtual PA: The same role as a personal assistant, delivered remotely. In UK usage 'virtual PA' and 'virtual assistant' are used interchangeably.
Employer on-costs: Everything an employee costs beyond salary — employer National Insurance, pension contributions, holiday and sick pay, equipment, software and payroll. None of it applies when you engage a VA.
Offshore VA: A virtual assistant based outside the UK. Cheaper per hour; needs UK context explained and requires appropriate safeguards for transferring personal data.
Turnaround time: How long after a request lands before it is actioned. Agreed in the scope so 'urgent' means the same thing to both sides.
Escalation: The agreed rule for what gets passed back to you rather than handled — a complaint, an unusual invoice, anything above a set value.
Out-of-hours cover: Work outside Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm UK, arranged in advance at a premium rate rather than assumed.
UK GDPR: The UK's data protection regime. It governs how personal data is stored, shared and transferred — which is why access is delegated rather than passwords emailed.
ICO registration: Registration with the Information Commissioner's Office, required for UK organisations processing personal data. Wise Resolutions is ICO registered.
Inbox zero: A working state where every email has been actioned, filed or deferred — not an empty inbox for its own sake, but nothing left undecided.

Go deeper

Read the hiring guide

The glossary explains the words; the guide shows you how to use them to hire the right support.

How to hire a VA in the UK

The Weekly Admin

One useful tip a week. Free, unsubscribe anytime.