Virtual Assistant SOP Library: 50 Ready-to-Use Standard Operating Procedures

The difference between a VA who asks "what should I do?" every morning and one who operates independently by 9am is exactly one thing: documented standard operating procedures.

SOPs are not bureaucracy. They are freedom — freedom for you to step away from the day-to-day, and freedom for your VA to make confident decisions without needing you in the loop for every micro-task. Every hour you spend writing an SOP saves you ten hours of answering questions, reviewing mistakes, and re-explaining preferences.

This library gives you 50 VA SOPs across the most common business functions. Each one follows the same framework: trigger, steps, output, quality check. Use them as-is or adapt them to your workflow.

How to Use This SOP Library

Each SOP in this library is designed as a template outline. To make them operational:

Copy the SOP into your documentation tool (Notion, Google Docs, ClickUp, etc.)
Fill in your specific tools, accounts, and preferences where indicated in [brackets]
Add screenshots or Loom video recordings to any steps that are visual
Have your VA read it, then do a test run while you observe
Update based on what they surface

Standard SOP Format Used Throughout This Library:

Field	Description
Trigger	What causes this SOP to be executed
Frequency	How often this task occurs
Tools Required	Platforms or software needed
Steps	Numbered, sequential instructions
Output	What the completed task looks like
Quality Check	How to verify the work is correct
Escalation	What to do if something goes wrong

Category 1: Email Management (SOPs 1–8)

SOP 1: Daily Email Triage

Trigger: Start of each business day
Frequency: Daily
Tools: [Email client], [Project management tool]
Steps: (1) Open inbox. (2) Archive newsletters and automated notifications. (3) Label/flag emails requiring a response. (4) For emails requiring action, create a task in [PM tool] with the email linked. (5) Respond to any emails within your authority. (6) Flag emails requiring [Owner's] response and summarize the action needed.
Output: Clean inbox, task list updated, owner notified of items needing their attention
Quality Check: No email older than 24 hours is left unlabeled or unactioned

SOP 2: Email Template Response

Trigger: Inquiry email received matching a known category
Frequency: As needed
Steps: (1) Identify the inquiry category. (2) Open [Templates folder]. (3) Select the appropriate template. (4) Personalize the greeting and any variable fields. (5) Read aloud before sending to catch errors. (6) Send and log in [CRM or tracker].

SOP 3: Unsubscribe and List Hygiene

Trigger: Weekly or when inbox volume exceeds [X] unread
Steps: (1) Filter inbox by "unsubscribe" keyword. (2) Unsubscribe from anything not whitelisted in [Approved Senders list]. (3) Delete all unsubscribed emails after 3 days.

SOP 4: Email Filing and Archiving

SOP 5: Newsletter Monitoring and Clipping
SOP 6: Forwarding and Routing Rules Setup
SOP 7: Follow-Up Sequence Tracking
SOP 8: Spam and Phishing Escalation

(SOPs 4–8 follow the same format — customize trigger, steps, and tools for your specific email workflow.)

Category 2: Calendar & Scheduling (SOPs 9–14)

SOP 9: Meeting Scheduling

Trigger: Meeting request received via email, Calendly, or DM
Tools: [Calendar], [Scheduling tool if applicable]
Steps: (1) Check [Owner's] calendar for existing commitments. (2) Identify 3 available windows matching requester's preferences. (3) Send confirmation with video link (Zoom/Meet/Teams). (4) Add to calendar with: title, attendees, agenda, and video link. (5) Send 24-hour reminder to all attendees.
Output: Calendar event created, confirmed with all parties, reminder sent
Escalation: If scheduling conflict arises within 2 hours of meeting, notify [Owner] immediately

SOP 10: Meeting Prep Package

Trigger: 24 hours before any external meeting on [Owner's] calendar
Steps: (1) Research attendee/company (LinkedIn, website, recent news). (2) Pull any prior meeting notes or email threads. (3) Draft 3–5 talking points or agenda items. (4) Create a one-page prep brief and share via [Google Doc or Notion].

SOP 11: Recurring Meeting Management

SOP 12: Calendar Blocking for Deep Work
SOP 13: Time Zone Conversion and Scheduling
SOP 14: Travel Itinerary and Calendar Coordination

Category 3: Social Media Management (SOPs 15–21)

SOP 15: Content Calendar Execution

Trigger: New week begins (every Monday)
Tools: [Content calendar], [Scheduling tool: Buffer, Hootsuite, Later]
Steps: (1) Open content calendar for the week. (2) Pull approved copy and visuals for each scheduled post. (3) Load into [scheduling tool] with correct date, time, and platform settings. (4) Preview each post for formatting errors. (5) Confirm all posts are scheduled. (6) Mark calendar entries as "Scheduled" and notify [Owner].
Output: All weekly posts scheduled, calendar updated
Quality Check: Read each post once for typos. Confirm links work. Confirm images meet platform size requirements.

SOP 16: Engagement Monitoring

Trigger: Daily, within first 2 hours of shift
Steps: (1) Check mentions, comments, and DMs on [platforms]. (2) Like and respond to comments using [Tone Guide]. (3) Flag any negative comments, sensitive questions, or PR issues for [Owner] review — do not respond to these independently. (4) Log engagement stats in [tracker].

SOP 17: Hashtag Research and Refresh

Trigger: Monthly or when post performance drops below [threshold]
Steps: (1) Use [tool: Hashtagify, RiteTag, or native platform search] to identify 20–30 relevant hashtags. (2) Group into tiers by volume: High (1M+), Medium (100K–1M), Niche (<100K). (3) Build sets of 10–15 per post using a mix of all tiers. (4) Update [Hashtag Master List] in [folder].

SOP 18: Competitor Monitoring

SOP 19: User-Generated Content Collection
SOP 20: Platform Analytics Reporting
SOP 21: Social Media Profile Optimization

Category 4: Content & Copywriting Support (SOPs 22–27)

SOP 22: Blog Post Formatting and Upload

Trigger: Approved blog post draft received
Tools: [CMS: WordPress, Webflow, Ghost], [Google Docs]
Steps: (1) Copy text from Google Doc. (2) Paste as plain text into CMS editor. (3) Apply heading hierarchy (H1 for title, H2 for main sections, H3 for sub-sections). (4) Add internal links (minimum [X] per post). (5) Set featured image from [approved image folder]. (6) Fill in SEO title, meta description, slug, and focus keyword. (7) Set category and tags. (8) Save as draft and notify [Owner] for review.
Output: Formatted draft in CMS, ready for review
Quality Check: Preview on desktop and mobile. Confirm all links work. Confirm images are not stretched.

SOP 23: Content Repurposing Workflow

Trigger: Blog post or video published
Steps: (1) Identify 5–7 key points from the long-form piece. (2) Write a LinkedIn post using the strongest insight. (3) Draft 3 tweet-length posts. (4) Identify a quote for an Instagram graphic. (5) Add repurposed content to [scheduling tool] and [content calendar].

SOP 24: Image Sourcing and Resizing

Tools: [Unsplash, Pexels, or licensed library], [Canva or Figma]
Steps: (1) Search for image matching [brief]. (2) Download highest-resolution version. (3) Resize to required dimensions per platform: Blog hero (1200x628px), Instagram (1080x1080px), LinkedIn (1200x627px), Twitter (1600x900px). (4) Save in [folder] with naming format: [date]-[platform]-[topic].

SOP 25: Newsletter Draft and Send

SOP 26: Podcast Show Notes Preparation
SOP 27: Testimonial Collection and Formatting

Category 5: Research (SOPs 28–32)

SOP 28: Competitor Research Brief

Trigger: On request or quarterly
Tools: [Browser], [Google Sheets or Notion], [SimilarWeb, SEMrush, or Ahrefs if accessible]
Steps: (1) Identify [X] competitors from [list]. (2) For each: screenshot homepage, pricing page, and top 3 products/services. (3) Note key messaging, positioning, and CTAs. (4) Record in [Competitor Tracker template]. (5) Summarize key findings in a 1-page brief.
Output: Completed tracker + summary brief
Quality Check: All links verified live. No older than [30/90 days] noted.

SOP 29: Lead Research and List Building

Trigger: On request
Steps: (1) Receive ICP (ideal customer profile) criteria from [Owner]. (2) Search [LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo, Hunter.io] using filters. (3) Export results to [Lead Tracker spreadsheet]. (4) Verify email addresses using [email verifier tool]. (5) Flag contacts with missing data or invalid emails.
Quality Check: No duplicate entries. Email validity rate must be above 85%.

SOP 30: Market Research Report

SOP 31: Vendor and Tool Comparison Research
SOP 32: News Monitoring and Briefing

Category 6: Customer Support (SOPs 33–37)

SOP 33: First Response to New Customer Inquiry

Trigger: New inquiry submitted via [contact form, email, chat]
Response Time Target: Within [2 hours] during business hours
Steps: (1) Read inquiry fully. (2) Identify inquiry type: product question, pricing, complaint, or general. (3) Select matching response template from [folder]. (4) Customize with specific details from their message. (5) Respond. (6) Log in [CRM] with status "Awaiting reply."
Escalation: Complaints, refund requests, and legal language must be escalated to [Owner] before responding.

SOP 34: FAQ Response Management

SOP 35: Complaint Handling and Escalation
SOP 36: Refund and Cancellation Processing
SOP 37: Customer Feedback Collection

Category 7: Administrative & Operations (SOPs 38–44)

SOP 38: Invoice Processing

Trigger: Invoice received via email or [accounting tool]
Tools: [QuickBooks, Xero, Wave, or equivalent]
Steps: (1) Download invoice PDF. (2) Check vendor name, amount, and due date match [approved vendor list]. (3) Log in [accounting software] under correct expense category. (4) Flag any invoice above [dollar threshold] for [Owner] approval before logging. (5) File PDF in [Invoice Archive folder] with naming format: [YYYY-MM]-[Vendor]-[Amount].
Escalation: Any invoice that does not match a known vendor or is above [threshold] goes to [Owner] before any action.

SOP 39: File Organization and Naming

Standards: All files use format: [YYYY-MM-DD]-[ProjectCode]-[DescriptiveTitle]-[Version]
Steps: (1) Receive or create file. (2) Apply correct naming format. (3) Place in correct folder per [Folder Structure Guide]. (4) Remove duplicate or outdated versions and archive in [Archive folder].

SOP 40: Weekly Report Compilation

Trigger: Every Friday
Steps: (1) Pull task completion data from [PM tool]. (2) Note any incomplete tasks and reason for delay. (3) Summarize key metrics for the week: [define which metrics]. (4) Highlight blockers or risks. (5) Send report to [Owner] by [time] on Friday.

SOP 41: Password and Access Management

SOP 42: Subscription and Software Renewal Tracking
SOP 43: Meeting Notes and Action Items
SOP 44: Data Entry Quality Control

Category 8: Project Coordination (SOPs 45–50)

SOP 45: New Project Setup

Trigger: New project or client onboarding confirmed
Tools: [PM tool], [Google Drive or Notion]
Steps: (1) Create project folder in [Drive] using naming convention. (2) Create project in [PM tool] using [Project Template]. (3) Add all relevant stakeholders and assign roles. (4) Set up milestone timeline based on [project brief]. (5) Create communication channel in [Slack/Teams]. (6) Send kickoff checklist to all parties.

SOP 46: Task Dependency Tracking

Trigger: New project created with multiple stakeholders
Steps: (1) Map all tasks in [PM tool]. (2) Identify dependencies (which tasks block other tasks). (3) Flag dependent tasks with blocker tags. (4) Set up alerts to notify task owners when their predecessor task is complete.

SOP 47: Weekly Project Status Update

Trigger: Every Monday
Steps: (1) Review all active projects in [PM tool]. (2) Identify tasks that are overdue, at risk, or completed since last update. (3) Draft status summary: Green (on track), Yellow (at risk), Red (blocked). (4) Share update in [Slack channel or email] by [time].

SOP 48: Contractor and Vendor Coordination

SOP 49: Deadline and Milestone Reminders
SOP 50: Project Closure and File Archiving

SOP Quality Scorecard

Use this to evaluate whether any SOP you've written (or inherited) is actually usable.

Criteria	Score (1–5)
Does it have a clear trigger?	/5
Are all steps numbered and sequential?	/5
Is it specific enough to follow without asking questions?	/5
Does it list all required tools and access?	/5
Does it define what a completed task looks like?	/5
Does it include a quality check?	/5
Does it include an escalation path?	/5
Has it been tested by someone unfamiliar with the task?	/5

Total: /40

35–40: Production-ready
25–34: Needs one revision round
Below 25: Rewrite from scratch

SOP Maintenance Schedule

SOPs degrade over time as tools and processes change. Build a review cycle into your operations.

SOP Type	Review Frequency
Daily/weekly recurring tasks	Quarterly
Monthly tasks	Every 6 months
One-off or project SOPs	After each use
Tool-dependent SOPs	After any tool change
Customer-facing SOPs	After any policy change

Build Your SOP Library Faster with the Right VA

Writing 50 SOPs from scratch takes time — but it's time that pays back tenfold. The fastest path to a documented, well-run operation is pairing a strong SOP library with a trained VA who knows how to follow structured processes.

Stealth Agents specializes in matching businesses with virtual assistants who are trained to operate within documented systems. Their VAs come with baseline operational skills that can be layered onto your custom SOPs from Day 1 — cutting ramp-up time significantly.

Final Thought

You don't need all 50 SOPs on day one. Start with the five tasks your VA will do most frequently, document those first, and expand from there. A library of 5 excellent SOPs outperforms a library of 50 mediocre ones every time.

Build the system once. Let it run forever.