Spruce for Virtual Assistants: How VAs Use Spruce for Communication

Spruce works seamlessly with both in-person and virtual assistants (VAs). This article covers how Spruce can be used as a collaboration tool and how to get a VA set up on your account. With all communication stored securely in the cloud, your care team can coordinate and share patient information (including PHI) quickly and safely, even when working remotely.

IN THIS ARTICLE

• Inviting Your Virtual Assistant to Spruce as a Teammate
• Making and Receiving Calls Using the Spruce Number
• Streamlining Configuration for Existing VAs
• Using Spruce in Multiple Practices
• Frequently Asked Questions

Inviting Your Virtual Assistant to Spruce as a Teammate

Follow these steps as an administrator on Spruce to invite your VA as a teammate:

1. Confirm that your organization’s Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) settings allow access via email by going to Settings > Organization Preferences > Two-Factor Authentication and selecting either “Email only” or “SMS or Email.”
2. Go to Settings > Teammates > select Invite Teammate.
3. Type in the virtual assistant's email address. You can leave the "Require phone number verification" and "Mobile Phone Number" fields blank.
4. Select the Invite button to send the invitation to your VA. They will then create their Spruce account using the link in the email. 

Making and Receiving Calls Using the Spruce Number

Your VA can make and receive calls using Softphones on their computer or smartphone (iOS or Android). To ensure this works smoothly:

1. Add your VA as a teammate to the appropriate Numbers to Ring lists or Saved Ring Lists.
2. Confirm that Softphones are enabled for your organization by checking Settings > My Call Settings.
3. Confirm that your VA has configured their My Call Settings to accept incoming calls on their preferred device (web, desktop app, or mobile).

If your VA will be answering calls on a computer, we strongly recommend downloading the Spruce desktop app, which provides the most reliable notifications and call handling on a computer.

Streamlining Configuration for Existing VAs

If you previously added a VA to Spruce, you can now simplify their setup and remove the need for an additional vendor (such as Google Voice or RingCentral). To streamline configuration:

1. Update your organization’s Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) settings to allow email access by going to Settings > Organization Preferences > Two-Factor Authentication and selecting either “Email only” or “SMS or Email.”
2. Have each VA update their personal 2FA method to Email under Settings > Account > Two-Factor Authentication > select Edit > select the "Email" option and then press Next. You will then need to re-enter your password and confirm the 2FA code. 
3. Ensure each VA uses Softphones on their computer or smartphone for making and receiving calls.

Using Spruce in multiple practices

If you or your virtual assistant works in more than one office that uses Spruce, please see this article on Using Spruce in Multiple Spruce Organizations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a virtual assistant use Spruce from a remote location?

Yes. Spruce works on mobile, web, Mac, and Windows, so VAs can handle calls, messages, and tasks from anywhere with an internet connection.

How do admins control what a virtual assistant can access in Spruce?

Use user access management controls in Spruce settings to define each team member’s inbox access, feature permissions, and visibility level.

Does a virtual assistant need their own Spruce user seat?

Yes. Each user requires a separate Spruce seat billed at the plan rate per user per month.