Systems and methods for assisting a user with a variety of tasks are provided. A virtual assistant has access to a user's contacts, calendar, and location. The virtual assistant also is able to access information about weather, traffic, and mass transit, and is able to adjust the time of for alerting a user about an upcoming appointment. The virtual assistant also has a rules engine enabling a user to create rules for handling incoming calls and instant messages, rerouting calls based on their caller identification. The virtual assistant also has a query engine enabling a user to find a document and to work with it, including sending it to a contact in the user's address book. Interfaces to virtual assistant may include installed software client, web browser, SMS/instant message, as well as an interactive voice response system.