Virtual Assistant vs Employee – Part 4 – A Niche for Everyone

Most Virtual Assistants (VA) work within a niche market chosen because of a passion they have.  As everyone knows, you learn everything you can about your passion and become an expert at it! I chose my niche market of solo practice lawyers and small law firms because of my love of the law and the legal system and because most lawyers are no-nonsense, straight shooting people who appreciate the same in someone they work with.  

Here are a few of the different types of VAs:

• General VAs – Email and contact management, general correspondence, transcription, data entry and travel arrangements (just to name a few of the tasks they do)
• Legal VAs –knowledge of law firm administration, legal procedures and legal terminology
• Medical VAs – knowledge of medical office administration and medical terminology
• Real Estate VAs – listing coordination,  manages transactions, marketing assistance
• Technical VAs – creates and manages websites, blogs, newsletters, social media, etc.

When choosing a VA you want to research the different types and find one that is an expert in the area you need assistance in.  Before retaining a VA ask questions, get all of the facts and make sure you have a contract outlining the services to be provided. You won’t be disappointed!!

Virtual Assistant vs Employee – Part 3 – Knowledge and Skills

When you contract with a Virtual Assistant (VA) you are pairing yourself and business with another business owner, so you are gaining the knowledge of a professional who has business management experience.  Before you begin working with a VA set forth in a contract the description of services to be provided so your virtual assistant will be productive from the minute they begin working for you.

You will find that VAs have a wider skill set than traditional employees and you won’t need to spend days training them as you would an employee. When you are hiring an employee, you usually don’t hire the same person to take care of your correspondence and contact management as you do to build or update your business website. Because Virtual Assistants rely on technology to run their businesses they are up to date on the latest, which means your VA may be able to provide both types of services. 

The knowledge and skills that a Virtual Assistant brings to your business is invaluable!

Photo by: Custom Courses | DLC Worldwide

Virtual Assistant vs Employee - Part 2 - DEDICATION!!

Most virtual assistants are business owners and therefore are more dedicated to delivering a better work product, whereas most employees get paid regardless of their effort and work product. If a VA doesn't deliver they don't get paid and/or lose a client! And because VAs are business owners they understand the importance of time management and productivity so they will look for tasks to do for you so you can focus on business development.

Your benefit to hiring a VA? More DEDICATION to getting the job done well and less micro-managing of office employees!

VA vs Employee-Part 1-Saving $60,000 a Year!

In the two years that I've been in business as a virtual assistant (VA) I've spent a lot of time explaining what a virtual assistant is - what they do and don't do and the benefits of using a virtual assistant as opposed to an employee. I decided to devote the month of July to getting into the habit of blogging regularly so I'm going to do a series on VA vs Employee. Since money is the bottom line for most people, Part 1 is about the cost effectiveness of using a VA.

Most people who are considering a VA may look at their hourly rate or monthly retainer fee and think the cost is too high, but actually you're saving over $60,000 a year by using a VA. Check this out before you dismiss the idea!!

A cost comparison for a full-time employee versus a Virtual Assistant

COST COMPARISON	Full-time Employee	Virtual Assistant
Hourly Rate of Pay	$20.00	$35.00
Fringe Benefits @ 35% (Health/Dental/Life Insurance, Retirement Plans)	7.00	None
Overhead Rate @ 50% (Office Space, Equipment & Office Supply expense, UI Insurance, Worker’s Compensation, Overtime Pay, Administration Costs)	$10.00	None
Total Effective Rate of Pay	$37.00	$35.00
**Hours Per Year	2,080 hrs.	480 hrs.
TOTAL Annual Labour Cost	$76,960.00	$16,800.00

Difference = $60,160.00 per year

*Souce: Virtual Assistant Networking Association