What migrates well
Intake routing, data entry across systems, calendar reminders, invoice generation, follow-up sequences with fixed rules, file organization, and pulling weekly reports. If the VA was following a script, Make can run the script cheaper and faster, and it will not forget on a Wednesday.
What does not migrate
Reading a client's tone in an email and choosing how to respond, deciding whether a lead is qualified based on context, cleaning up a mess nobody documented, handling exceptions that were never anticipated. Those need a human, and the ROI on trying to automate them with rules is negative.
The honest playbook
Audit what the VA actually does across a two-week window. Split the list into "rules-based" and "judgment-based." Automate the first bucket in Make. Either keep the VA for a smaller number of hours doing the second bucket, or reshape the role toward the judgment work and hire less admin next time.
The failure mode
Teams that skip the audit and try to replace the whole role usually end up hiring a new VA inside 3 months to fix the automations.
Want a working call on this? We map the leaks, name the fix, and tell you honestly which parts still need a human.
Book a call