If you are just starting out in remote work, one of the first things you will notice is that every role has its own set of tools. A virtual assistant works with different platforms compared to someone in customer support or telehealth. And if you show up to a client not knowing the tools they use, it creates a bad first impression.
This guide lists the tools used across every Digital Witch skill. Find your area, learn the tools, and you are already ahead of most people applying for the same roles. If you are still deciding which skill to go into first, our guide on the best IT courses for Africans who want to work remotely will help you choose.
Telemarketing and Lead Generation Tools
If you are going into telemarketing or outreach, clients will expect you to know these.
1. Apollo.io
Apollo.io helps you find leads, verify their contact details, and send outreach sequences. A lot of telemarketing roles use Apollo to build prospect lists. If your client is doing outbound sales, there is a good chance this tool is already in their workflow.
2. Lemlist
Lemlist is for personalised cold email campaigns. Instead of sending the same email to everyone, Lemlist lets you customise each one at scale. It is popular with sales teams running lead generation campaigns.
Customer Support Tools
Customer support is one of the most available remote roles for Nigerians. Read our guide on customer support training in Nigeria if you want more detail on the role itself.
3. HubSpot
HubSpot is probably the most widely used CRM tool for small businesses. It tracks customer interactions, manages contacts, and handles follow-up emails. The free version does a lot and it is one of the tools taught in the Digital Witch IT Support Programme.
4. Intercom
Intercom is a customer messaging platform common in tech startups. It handles live chat, email, and automated responses all in one place. Intercom Fin is their AI support bot. If you are targeting SaaS companies, you will likely encounter Intercom.
5. Freshdesk
Freshdesk manages support tickets, live chats, and customer emails. It is beginner-friendly and the free plan gives you access to most of what you need to learn the basics before your first client.
6. Zendesk
Zendesk is what a lot of larger companies use for customer support. It handles high volumes of customer interactions and is more advanced than Freshdesk. Knowing Zendesk opens doors to higher-paying support roles.
7. Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM tracks leads, manages deals, and automates sales processes. Some clients prefer Zoho over HubSpot. Worth knowing as an alternative especially if you work with clients in certain industries.
Workflow and Productivity Tools
Almost every remote role involves at least one project management tool. These are the most common ones.
8. Asana
Asana keeps tasks, deadlines, and responsibilities organised across teams. Common in medium to large remote teams with multiple ongoing projects running at once.
9. Trello
Trello uses boards and cards to organise work visually. It is simple, easy to learn, and widely used by small businesses and solopreneurs. A good starting point if you are new to project management tools.
10. Monday.com
Monday.com is flexible and popular with growing businesses. It handles project tracking, collaboration, and workflow automation in one place.
11. ClickUp
ClickUp combines task management, docs, goals, and time tracking all in one platform. Remote teams love it because it reduces the number of tools they need to use.
12. Clockify
Clockify is a free time tracking tool. You log how long you spend on different tasks and clients. Useful for billing accurately and keeping yourself organised. The free version is fully functional.
13. Time Doctor
Time Doctor tracks time and monitors productivity. Some clients require remote workers to use it. Even if yours does not, tracking your own time helps you understand how long tasks take and price yourself better.
14. Airtable
Airtable is like a spreadsheet but more powerful. Teams use it for content calendars, client databases, project pipelines and more. It is becoming more common across remote teams in different industries.
15. Zapier
Zapier connects apps and automates repetitive tasks between them. For example, when someone fills a form, Zapier can automatically add them to a spreadsheet, send a welcome email, and notify the team on Slack without anyone touching it. VAs who understand Zapier are increasingly in demand.
Technical Support Tools
For technical support roles, you need tools that let you access and work on client systems remotely.
16. TeamViewer
TeamViewer lets you remotely access and control another computer from your own device. Widely used for technical support sessions where you need to see exactly what a client is dealing with.
17. AnyDesk
AnyDesk does the same thing as TeamViewer but is faster and lighter. Some clients prefer it. Best to have both set up so you are ready for whatever they ask.
18. Google Meet
Google Meet is built into Google Workspace. Clients who run everything on Google tools often prefer it over Zoom for meetings and screen sharing sessions.
19. Zoom
Zoom is the most widely used video call platform for remote teams. Client calls, onboarding, team meetings. Know how to join, host, share your screen, and troubleshoot basic issues. It is also covered in the Digital Witch IT Support Programme.
Virtual Assistant and Scheduling Tools
Core tools for VA and appointment setting roles. Read our guide on how to become a virtual assistant in Nigeria for more.
20. Google Suite
Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Drive, and Google Meet. These are the foundation of most remote work. Being confident across all of them is a basic expectation for any VA role.
21. Calendly
Calendly lets people book meetings directly into a calendar without the back and forth of finding a time. Many clients use it to manage bookings and will ask you to set it up or maintain it.
22. PickTime
PickTime is a free scheduling tool for small businesses. Simple to set up and works well for clients who need basic appointment management without paying for a premium platform.
23. Acuity Scheduling
Acuity Scheduling is more advanced and used by coaches, consultants, and healthcare providers. It connects with payment systems and video call platforms making it popular with professionals who need a complete booking solution.
Virtual Property Management Tools
For Airbnb and short-term rental management roles.
24. Airbnb
As a virtual property manager, you handle guest communication, booking requests, listing updates, and review responses directly through the Airbnb host dashboard. This is where most of the day-to-day work happens.
25. Priceline
Some property management clients list their properties on multiple platforms. Priceline is one of them. Knowing how to manage listings across different platforms makes you more valuable as a property management VA.
26. Booking.com
Booking.com is one of the largest accommodation platforms globally. Many clients list on both Airbnb and Booking.com at the same time. Being comfortable with both puts you ahead.
Telehealth Support Tools
For medical VA and telehealth support roles. Read our guide on how to become a medical virtual assistant for more.
27. Kareo
Kareo is a medical billing and practice management platform used by small healthcare providers in the US. It manages patient records, appointments, and billing. Knowing Kareo is an advantage for medical VA roles targeting US-based clients.
28. Doxy.me
Doxy.me is a HIPAA-compliant telehealth video platform. Patients do not need to download anything to join a session. Widely used by solo practitioners and small clinics. Simple to learn and very practical for telehealth support roles.
29. Tebra
Tebra is a practice management and patient engagement platform used by independent medical practices. It handles scheduling, billing, and patient communication. One of the most commonly used platforms in US telehealth administration.
General Productivity Tools
These come up across almost every remote role regardless of your skill area.
30. Slack and Microsoft Teams
Slack is more common in startups and tech companies. Microsoft Teams is more common in corporate environments. Both are team communication platforms. Know how to navigate both so you are not caught off guard when a client uses one or the other.
31. Loom and Vocaroo
Loom lets you record your screen and voice together to explain something clearly without scheduling a call. Vocaroo is a simple voice recording tool for quick audio messages. Both are great for async communication with clients in different time zones.
32. Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive
These are the three most common cloud storage platforms. Google Drive is most common with small businesses. Dropbox is popular with creative teams. OneDrive comes with Microsoft products. Know all three because different clients use different ones.
33. Discord
Discord is now used by a lot of online communities and remote teams for voice, video, and text communication. Clients with community-based businesses sometimes use it as their main team hub.
34. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a sales CRM focused on managing deals through a pipeline. Common in businesses with active sales teams. Worth knowing if you are targeting roles that involve sales support or lead management.
35. Google Vids
Google Vids is Google's AI-powered video creation tool built into Workspace. It is being used for internal updates, client onboarding videos, and content. Still relatively new but becoming more common as Google pushes it across their ecosystem.
Where Do You Start?
Pick your skill area and focus on the four or five tools most used there first. Every single tool on this list has a free version or trial. There is no reason to wait until you have a client to start learning them.
The Digital Witch IT Support Programme covers the core tools across virtual assistance, customer support, telehealth support, and more across 6 to 7 weeks of live practical training. You practise using them during the programme so by the time a client asks, the answer is already yes.
Over 150,000 students trained since 2021. 75% actively working remotely. Visit digitalwitchng.com to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools do remote workers in Nigeria need to get started?
It depends on your role. For virtual assistance start with Google Suite, Calendly, Trello, and Loom. For customer support add Freshdesk and HubSpot. For telehealth add Doxy.me and Zoom. Focus on your specific skill area first before expanding.
Are all these tools free?
Most have free versions that are more than enough to learn and practise with. Google Suite, Trello, HubSpot, Freshdesk, Clockify, Loom, Calendly, PickTime, Airtable, Discord, and Zapier all have functional free plans.
Which tools does Digital Witch teach?
The Digital Witch IT Support Programme covers all the tools listed in this guide. From Apollo.io and Lemlist for telemarketing, to HubSpot, Freshdesk, Zendesk, and Intercom for customer support, to Zoom, AnyDesk, and TeamViewer for technical support, to Google Suite, Calendly, and Acuity for virtual assistance, to Doxy.me and Kareo for telehealth, and all the productivity and communication tools in between. Every tool here is part of the training.
What is the difference between Clockify and Time Doctor?
Clockify is a free self-managed time tracker. Time Doctor includes monitoring features that some clients use to track remote worker activity. Both track time but Clockify is more personal while Time Doctor is more employer-facing.
Do I need to know all the property management platforms?
Start with Airbnb. It is the most common. Add Booking.com once you are comfortable. Priceline comes later as you expand to clients listing across multiple platforms.
What telehealth tools should I learn first?
Doxy.me and Zoom are the best starting points. They cover most telehealth consultation needs. Tebra and Kareo become relevant once you start targeting US-based medical practice clients specifically.
What CRM should a VA learn first?
HubSpot. It is free, widely used, and covers what you will encounter in most VA and customer support roles. Add Zoho CRM and Zendesk as your client base grows.
Is Zapier hard to learn?
The basics are actually quite simple once you understand that Zapier just connects apps and triggers actions between them. Start with something simple like connecting a Google Form to a Google Sheet and build from there.
What communication tools do most remote clients use?
Slack or Microsoft Teams for team messaging. Zoom or Google Meet for video calls. Loom for async updates. Email for formal communication. Different clients use different combinations so knowing all of them helps.
Where can I learn these tools properly?
The Digital Witch IT Support Programme teaches the most important tools in the context of real remote work. You are not just watching someone use them. You practise them yourself during training.
References
- HubSpot. Free CRM Software. 2026 [cited August 2026]. Available from: https://www.hubspot.com/products/crm
- Zapier. How Zapier Works. 2026 [cited August 2026]. Available from: https://zapier.com/how-it-works
- Upwork. Virtual Assistant Hourly Rates. 2026 [cited August 2026]. Available from: https://www.upwork.com/hire/virtual-assistants/cost/
