Skip to main content

Virtual assistant users (VAs): create and manage permissions

Grant team members controlled access to your stores and delegate tasks while protecting sensitive settings.

Introduction

A virtual assistant user is a sub-account created within your AutoDS account to allow a team member or assistant to help manage store operations.

As your dropshipping business scales, having extra support can make a significant difference in your operations. While AutoDS automates routine tasks such as product uploads, inventory monitoring, and price optimization, certain activities benefit from human oversight, particularly customer service and order management.

The AutoDS VA Users feature allows you to grant access to virtual assistant users to your account with customized access levels. This ensures you maintain control over sensitive account settings while your VA handles operational tasks, keeping your business running efficiently.

Why add virtual assistant users to your AutoDS account

Adding virtual assistant users to your AutoDS account can help you share the workload generated by managing daily operations single-handedly becomes increasingly challenging and time-consuming as your dropshipping business expands.

Many dropshipping entrepreneurs face common bottlenecks that limit their growth potential, such as:

  • Time-consuming product management: Uploading new products, updating listings, and monitoring inventory requires constant attention that takes away from business development.

  • Order processing demands: Handling orders, tracking shipments, and managing fulfillment processes can quickly overwhelm solo operators as sales volume increases.

  • Customer service workload: Responding to buyer inquiries, resolving issues, and maintaining positive feedback requires dedicated time and prompt responses.

  • Limited bandwidth for growth: When you're occupied with operational tasks, strategic activities like market research, supplier negotiations, and business planning get postponed.

Key benefits of adding virtual assistant users to AutoDS

Adding virtual assistant users to your AutoDS account provides strategic benefits that enhance both operational efficiency and security across your dropshipping business, such as:

  • Precise access control: Grant only the permissions each VA needs to complete their specific tasks, preventing unnecessary access to sensitive areas of your account.

  • Improved operational efficiency: Delegate routine tasks such as product uploads, draft management, order processing, and customer service while retaining control over critical settings like automation rules and supplier configurations.

  • Flexible team scaling: Adjust store access and permissions at any time as your team grows or as responsibilities change, without needing to create new accounts or restructure your workflow.

By adding virtual assistant users to your AutoDS account, you create a scalable team structure that handles operational demands while you maintain oversight and control.

This approach ensures business continuity, faster response times, and the ability to manage multiple stores or higher sales volumes without compromising quality or customer satisfaction.
​

Virtual assistant users' permissions options

The AutoDS VA Users feature allows you to customize exactly what each virtual assistant can access and modify within your account. The Privileges section of the Add User form has nine checkboxes, and you can select any combination that matches your VA's responsibilities.

Below is a breakdown of each privilege and what it allows your VA to do:

  • View Dashboard: access the main dashboard to review account activity, view quick metrics, and monitor overall performance.

  • View/Edit Active Products: view and edit the products that are active in your store, including product details. Selecting this privilege also makes View/Import Untracked Listings, List New Products, and End Active Products or Untracked available to select.

  • View/Edit/Delete Drafts: view, edit, and delete product drafts before publishing them to your store.

  • View/Edit Orders: view orders and update order details, statuses, or tracking information.

  • Customer Messages & Cases: handle buyer messages and cases through the eBay Customer Support feature, available for eBay API stores only.

  • View/Import Untracked Listings: view untracked listings and import them into AutoDS for monitoring; available after View/Edit Active Products is selected.

  • List New Products: import products and list them in your store, available after View/Edit Active Products is selected.

  • End Active Products or Untracked: end active products or untracked listings in your store, available after View/Edit Active Products is selected.

  • View/Edit Settings: one privilege that gives access to all of these settings areas: Automations, Templates, Keywords, Supplier Settings (except the Orders tab, which stays restricted), Buyer Account, and Store Settings. It includes the Lister tab in Supplier Settings, where the eBay Shipping, Payment, and Return policies are selected.

When assigning permissions to your VA, consider their primary responsibilities and workflow requirements.

Tip: Start with the minimum set of permissions required for your VA's specific role. You can always add more permissions later as their responsibilities expand or as workflows require additional access.

Activate the VA Users add-on

Creating VA users in your AutoDS account requires activating the VA Users add-on, which unlocks the tools needed to manage virtual assistants safely and with customized permissions.

To enable the VA Users add-on, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to Settings in your AutoDS dashboard.

  2. Click on Plans & Add-ons from the menu.

  3. Scroll down to locate the VA Users add-on card.

  4. Review the add-on information, which includes the monthly cost (billed separately from your subscription plan), and a 3-day trial period.

  5. Click the Enable button on the VA Users card to begin the activation process.

  6. A confirmation modal will appear showing your order details and the add-on price. Review the order information displayed in the confirmation modal.

  7. If you have a coupon code, click I have a coupon! to apply your discount.

  8. Click the Confirm button to complete the activation and enable the VA Users add-on.

  9. Once confirmed, the VA Users will be active, and the Users section will become available in your Settings page, allowing you to add VA users and control the access levels they receive.

The image below shows where to purchase the VA Add-on inside your account settings.

To learn more about all available add-ons, manage your subscription, and handle billing in your AutoDS account, click here.

Important: If the email address you want to use is already registered as a user on another AutoDS account, that person may experience access issues when trying to log in to your account. To ensure smooth access for your VA, create the VA user access with a different email address that hasn't been registered on any other AutoDS account.

How to create a virtual assistant user

Creating a VA user in your AutoDS account gives you the ability to delegate specific tasks while maintaining control over your account's security and settings.

Follow these steps to add a new VA user:

  1. Navigate to Settings from your AutoDS account.

  2. Click on Users in the left-side menu.

  3. Click the Add User button to begin creating a new VA profile.

  4. Enter the required information in the form:

    • Name: The full name of your virtual assistant.

    • Email: The email address that will serve as the username for login (ensure this email is not already registered on another AutoDS account).

    • Password: Create a secure password for the VA's account access.

  5. Select the store scope under Privilege on:

    • All of my stores: grant access across your entire AutoDS account.

    • Selected stores: limit access to one or several selected stores.

  6. Select the Privileges to define what permissions the VA will have.

  7. Click Add User to create the VA user account.

  8. Share the login credentials (email and password) securely with your virtual assistant.

After completing these steps, your VA user will be able to log in to AutoDS with the permissions you configured, allowing them to begin working on assigned tasks immediately.

You can also watch our video tutorial to see step-by-step how to create and manage virtual assistant users in your AutoDS account here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What information is required to create a virtual assistant user (VA)?

Creating a VA user in AutoDS requires three essential pieces of information: the VA's full name, an email address that will serve as their username for login, and a secure password for their account access. Make sure the email address is not already registered on another AutoDS account to avoid login conflicts.

Can I limit a VA to access only one specific store?

You can limit a VA to access only one specific store in your AutoDS account. When creating or editing the VA user, under Privilege on, select Selected stores and choose the store instead of All of my stores. This restriction is useful when you have multiple stores and want to assign dedicated VAs to manage each one separately.

Can I change a VA's permissions after creating their account?

You can modify a VA's permissions at any time after creating their account by adding or removing specific privileges, changing store scope, or updating login credentials as your business needs change.

What permissions should I give my virtual assistant user if they only handle customer service?

For a VA who only handles customer service tasks, select the Customer Messages & Cases privilege to allow them to manage buyer messages and cases. You may also want to add View Dashboard for a general account overview and View/Edit Orders if they need to check order details when responding to buyer inquiries.

Can I remove a virtual assistant user from my account?

You can remove a VA user from your AutoDS account at any time. Navigate to Settings, locate the VA user you want to remove, and click the trash can icon next to it. This will immediately revoke their access to your account, and they will no longer be able to log in.

How many virtual assistant users can I add to my account?

You can determine the number of VA users you want to add to your AutoDS account, depending on your store volume and need for expanding your team capacity.

If you have trouble adding virtual assistant users, let us know.

Related Articles
Did this answer your question?