Virtual assistant vs in-house assistant

As your business grows, you need extra help to manage work. As the owner, you cannot keep on doing all the work by yourself; that is not your job. There will come a time when you’ll have to delegate your administrative tasks. Guess it is time to hire an assistant.

But which one?

In today’s world, you have the option to hire an in-house assistant or a virtual assistant. The advancement in technology has allowed remote work possible, thereby making it possible for virtual assistants to exist. The concept of a virtual assistant has been a blessing to entrepreneurs and businesses. They effectively help you save time and be more productive.

But that’s what an assistant does, right? Well, yes. But a virtual assistant brings much more to the table than an in-house assistant. In this post, we explore the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant over an in-house assistant.

Cost-savings

An in-house assistant is an employee of your office. Accordingly, you need to have them on payroll, pay them monthly wages, and provide benefits, holidays, training, insurance, etc. Additionally, you need to provide them the office space and IT infrastructure to do their job. While hiring an assistant may not look like much on the surface, there are hidden costs involved. A virtual assistant, on the other hand, charges just for their services. They mostly charge on an hourly basis, so you don’t have to hire them full-time if you don’t have to. There are no overhead charges involved. You only pay your virtual assistant’s salary, which is not as high as that of an in-house assistant. Moreover, if you hire a virtual assistant from an offshore location, they will cost even less because of the lower cost of living. By hiring a virtual assistant, your company can cut down costs.

Global talent

An in-house assistant will have to be locally hired because they will be commuting to your offices daily. That limits your hiring pool. If you cannot find a satisfactory candidate, you might even have to wait longer or make do with a sub-par choice. A virtual assistant works for you remotely. So your office premises are no longer a factor in hiring. In fact, geographical boundaries are no longer a factor. You can hire a virtual assistant across the globe. They can be from your country or overseas. You get access to global talent, therefore allowing you to choose from some of the best-talented individuals. You can hire as per your terms and needs without compromising the service quality.

Flexible hours

Your in-house assistant will mostly abide by 9 to 5 working hours, as is the norm for any employee. What if your requirements are different? What if your work requires you to spend most hours outside the office? Is your in-house assistant willing to make these adjustments? If not, you can benefit from hiring a virtual assistant. Earlier, we mentioned how you could hire a virtual assistant for limited hours a day. Similarly, you can hire a virtual assistant who works hours that are suitable for you instead of the traditional 9 to 5 work shift. Virtual assistants are able to offer flexible hours because they work remotely. It means they can work at hours that are apt for them. It could mean some may work during the day, and others may work during the night. It is their preference. You can find a virtual assistant who matches your requirements. You don’t work from your office much? No problem. A virtual assistant anyways works for you remotely, so it wouldn’t make a difference to them.

Increased efficiency

As stated above, virtual assistants work flexible hours. That means they get to choose their own working hours. If they feel they are more productive during early mornings, they will pick those shifts and work for clients who need them then. If they are active during the later hours of the day, they will work during those hours. Essentially, they will work when they are most productive and alert. It is an advantage for their employer. It means their virtual assistant will provide quality services with minimum errors. They will be attentive to the tasks they are performing and ensure they are up to your standards. They will be more efficient than an in-house employee who has to work regardless of their concentration levels during office hours.

Higher productivity

An in-house assistant is your employee, meaning they will be paid monthly salary irrespective of their work. Unless, of course, the work is so abysmal that you are forced to let them go. But they are not bound by hours. However, a virtual assistant gets paid by the hour. They get paid if they get the work done. So they get the work done on time, irrespective of the urgency of the task. They are far more productive. An in-house assistant may not be as dependable, though it varies from individual to individual and their commitment to the job.

Hiring a virtual assistant gives you room to work on your terms. You can find a virtual assistant as per your requirements without having to worry about work quality. Eventually, it comes to your needs and work approach, but we find that virtual assistants have the edge over personal assistants.