Virtual assistant (client communications and operations)

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT — CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS & OPERATIONS Hornchurch Marquees | Remote | Permanent / Rolling 5–7 hours/day --- ABOUT THE BUSINESS Before applying, please read this section carefully. We want you to have a clear picture of what we do, who we serve, and how the business works before deciding if this is right for you. What We Do Hornchurch Marquees is a marquee hire company based in London, United Kingdom. We are a premium event hire and hospitality business. Our job is to provide people with a stunning, weatherproof party space in their own garden so they can celebrate life's most important occasions in comfort and style. We supply and install marquees — large, professional-grade party tents — along with a wide range of extras including: - Hardwood flooring and carpet - Lighting (chandeliers, fairy lights, star cloth ceilings) - Bars (LED bars, mirror bars) - Dance floors (standard or luxury LED-lit) - Sound systems - Tables and chairs - Heaters for winter events - Portaloos and luxury toilet trailers - And more In short: we help people throw the best parties of their lives, in their own space, without the stress. Everything from the tent to the dance floor to the bar — we handle it all. Where We Are Based We are based in Hornchurch, Essex, East London, United Kingdom. Our service area covers Essex, London, and surrounding areas. This is a fully remote role — you do not need to be in the UK — but you must understand that our customers are UK-based and all communication happens in British English. Who Our Customers Are Our customers are primarily middle-to-high-income households in Essex and East London planning a significant celebration. The most common events are: - 18th, 21st, 40th, and 50th birthday parties - Weddings and engagement parties - Family celebrations and gatherings They value quality, reliability, and a great experience. They are willing to spend money — our packages are not the cheapest on the market — and they expect a responsive, professional, and friendly service in return. How the Business Works - We run paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram and generate organic leads through our Instagram page (10,000+ followers) and Google Maps presence (100+ five-star reviews) - Leads come in via Instagram DM, WhatsApp, Facebook enquiry forms, and our website - An AI system handles the first stage of enquiries — gathering the basics and sending a preliminary quote - Once a lead is financially qualified and interested, they are passed to the owner to close the sale - We subcontract the physical installation work — the business focuses entirely on sales and client experience The most important thing to understand: the sale comes first. Speed and responsiveness are critical. A slow reply or a missed message can cost us a booking. --- WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS As the business grows, the owner needs a reliable, organised virtual assistant to take on the day-to-day client communications and admin tasks that currently fall on him. This is not a highly technical role. It requires someone who is organised, communicates clearly and warmly in English, thinks logically, and takes genuine initiative to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. This is also a growing role. We are expanding Hornchurch Marquees and launching a B2B agency (Uppscale) that provides the same systems to other marquee hire companies across the UK. As that grows, we will need more assistants. If you perform well, there is real potential for your hours and responsibilities to grow with the business. --- WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING 1. RESPONDING TO NEW ENQUIRIES When a new customer messages us — on Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, or any other channel — you will be their first human point of contact. You will respond promptly, warmly, and professionally. Your job at this stage: - Confirm you have received their enquiry - Check whether the AI has already gathered their key details (postcode, guest count, event date) - If missing, collect them yourself using a friendly, conversational tone - If already present, review them and prepare to send a preliminary quote Speed is directly tied to conversion. A lead that does not hear back quickly can lose interest or go to a competitor. 2. SENDING PRELIMINARY QUOTES Once you have the three key pieces of information (postcode, guest count, event date), you will send a properly formatted preliminary quote. This involves: - Identifying the correct marquee size based on guest count (using the sizing guide you will be provided) - Selecting two suitable size options to present to the customer - Formatting the quote correctly with pricing, included items, and available extras - Sending the quote directly in the chat — NOT redirecting them to the website - Following up with the standard confirmation message You will be given a full pricing reference document and a decision guide. You do not need to memorise every number — you need to be able to read the reference, apply basic logic, and send an accurate, well-formatted quote. Never guess at pricing. If you are unsure, flag it to the owner before sending. A two-minute check is always better than a wrong quote. 3. SENDING PHOTO AND VIDEO EXAMPLES After sending a quote, customers often want to see what a marquee of that size looks like. We have a media library organised by marquee size stored in Google Drive. Your job is to send the relevant example photos or short videos alongside the quote. You will be given direct links to the correct folders — you simply match the recommended size to the correct folder and send the images. This used to be done manually by the owner every single time. You doing this consistently and promptly removes a major inefficiency and directly increases our conversion rate. 4. HANDLING ONGOING CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS Once a customer has received a quote and shown interest, there will often be back-and-forth. They may have questions about sizing, add-ons, availability, or the process. You will handle these conversations through GoHighLevel (our CRM), which connects WhatsApp, Instagram, and email in one place. Your responsibilities: - Answer common questions using the knowledge base you will be provided - Relay more complex questions to the owner or suppliers, and feed the answer back promptly - Keep conversations warm — never let a thread go cold without a follow-up - Flag any customer who is clearly ready to book so the owner can step in and close the sale 5. FOLLOWING UP ON QUOTES AND ENQUIRIES A significant amount of revenue is lost because quotes are sent and never followed up on. You will run a structured follow-up sequence for every lead that has received a quote but has not yet booked. You will be given a follow-up template system. Your job is to apply the correct follow-up message at the correct time, using your judgment about tone based on where the conversation was last left. Recovering just 2–3 additional bookings per month through consistent follow-up represents thousands of pounds in revenue that would otherwise be lost. 6. CREATING INVOICES When the owner has agreed a booking, you will create and send a deposit invoice using a provided template. Populate it accurately with the correct customer details, booking date, items, and pricing — then send it through the approved channel. Accuracy is non-negotiable. Always double-check before sending. 7. COORDINATING WITH SUPPLIERS AND SUBCONTRACTORS Once a booking is secured, you will help coordinate logistics — primarily confirming subcontractor availability for the build date and relaying customer requirements to the relevant contractor. You are not expected to manage contractors independently. You pass information accurately and promptly, and flag any conflicts or issues as soon as they arise. --- TOOLS YOU WILL USE GoHighLevel (GHL) — Central CRM. All conversations (WhatsApp, Instagram DM, email) are managed from one inbox. You will never need passwords for individual social media accounts. WhatsApp — Primary customer communication channel, managed through GHL. Instagram DM — Also managed through GHL. Email — For invoices, document sharing, and supplier coordination. Google Drive — Media library of setup photos organised by marquee size. Invoice template — Simple template system, details confirmed on onboarding. Important: You will never be given the password to our Instagram, WhatsApp, or email accounts. Everything runs through GoHighLevel so the owner can see all activity and the business remains secure. --- WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR Essential: - Excellent written English — clear, warm, professional, and conversational. You will be representing a premium UK brand. Your writing must be natural and error-free. - Strong organisation — you will manage multiple conversations at different stages simultaneously. Nothing can fall through the cracks. - Logical reasoning — you will apply simple decision rules (matching guest count to marquee size, calculating quote totals from a reference sheet) quickly and accurately. - Good initiative — if something needs doing and it falls within your scope, do it. Flag things outside your scope rather than ignoring them. - Reliable and consistent — this is a permanent, rolling role. We need someone who shows up every day and builds trust through consistency. - Comfortable working remotely and independently — you must be self-disciplined and proactive about managing your workload. Preferred (not required): - Previous experience in a customer service, hospitality, or events-adjacent role - Experience using CRM platforms (GoHighLevel, HubSpot, Zoho, or similar) - Experience working for a UK or Western business remotely - Comfortable on a video or voice call in English Basic numeracy required: You do not need to be an accountant. You need to be comfortable reading a pricing reference document, extracting the correct figures, and adding line items to produce a total. Example: A customer says they have approximately 80 guests standing. You look at the sizing guide, identify that a 6x12m or 6x13m marquee is appropriate, check the corresponding prices, and format the quote correctly. That is the level of maths required — simple, logical, reference-based. --- ROLE STRUCTURE Hours: 5–7 hours per day, Monday to Sunday. Availability during UK daytime hours (9am–6pm UK time) is strongly preferred. Contract type: Permanent / Rolling — this is not a short-term or project-based role. Rate: $5–$10 per hour depending on experience and performance. Oversight: The owner can see all conversations in GoHighLevel at all times. Training: Full onboarding and training provided. You will not be expected to work unsupervised until you are ready. Progression: Strong performance can lead to increased hours, higher rate, and additional responsibilities as the business and agency grow. --- IMPORTANT NOTES BEFORE APPLYING - This role is remote. We are looking for applicants based in the Philippines or a similar market — not UK-based applicants. - You must be able to write fluently and naturally in British English. Please do not apply if your written English is not at a high level. - Every message you send represents the Hornchurch Marquees brand. Quality and warmth of communication is non-negotiable. - We are looking to hire more than one assistant — this is a growing team, not a single hire. - Honesty about your availability and skill level is essential. We would rather know your limitations upfront. --- HOW TO APPLY Please send the following: 1. A short cover message written in English explaining why you are a good fit — specifically referencing what we do and what the role involves 2. Your CV or a brief summary of relevant experience 3. BONUS TO STAND OUT - 60 Second video of you talking explaining why you'd be a good fit for the role and giving examples of similar recent experience. We will be reviewing applications and conducting short video or voice calls with shortlisted candidates. Written English is the priority, but spoken communication is a bonus.