The rise of the internet has allowed for the growth of the virtual assistant industry, and with it the popularity of being a Virtual Assistant Freelancer. By working with a remote team of assistants, businesses can reduce overhead costs and access a wide range of administrative and marketing support services.
There are a few options for finding help for your business. You can hire a Virtual Assistant Company or hire a Virtual Assistant freelancer. Both have benefits and drawbacks, which is why it’s important to understand the difference between the two before making a decision. In this blog post, we’ll break down each option so that you can make an informed decision about what’s best for your business.
What is a Virtual Assistant Freelancer?
As the name suggests, a Virtual Assistant freelancer provides administrative and other assorted office support services to clients remotely, usually on a contract or per-project basis. The traditional way of getting this work done would be to hire a personal assistant (PA) or an executive assistant (EA). Still, with the advent of technologies like email, instant messaging, VoIP, and video conferencing, it’s now possible for assistants to work virtually anywhere.
As a freelancer, they work independently and set their hours. You can find them through online marketplaces or freelance platforms. Rates vary depending on the skillset of the Virtual Assistant Freelancer and the project requirements. They offer a more personalized service since they are not tied to any company or project.
A VA freelancer offers greater flexibility. If your needs change or you need to scale back your operations temporarily, you can simply stop working with your VA without having to terminate them completely.
What is a Virtual Assistant Company?
A virtual assistant company provides remote administrative and technical support services to businesses and entrepreneurs. They typically employ a team of remote contractors who can do a wide range of services, such as customer service, marketing, social media management, website development, and more.
One common structure for virtual assistant companies is to have a team of generalists who can provide a broad range of services to clients. This team might include specialists in various fields like customer service, administration, human resources, etc. This type of structure allows the company to serve multiple clients with different needs.
When you work with a VA company, you are generally contracting with them for their services. They have systems and processes in place and are responsible for quality control, ensuring that your VA is adequately trained and has the necessary skills to do the job properly. This way, you can ensure that the work being completed meets your standards and expectations.
Furthermore, a VA company will usually have multiple VAs on staff. This gives you peace of mind knowing that there will always be someone available to help you with your tasks, even if your regular VA is unavailable.
Key Differences Between the Two
Hiring process
Hiring a VA Freelancer entails creating the job ads, posting them online, screening hundreds of applications, performing background and system checks, verifying documents’ authenticity, etc. Meanwhile, a quality VA company can do all these for you and more, so you don’t have to. They will be the ones which will match you with the right virtual assistant.
Consultation
Quality VA companies provide additional support, guidance, and account management assistance to you and your VA throughout your subscription period. You can get expert help from these professionals when coaching, monitoring the performance, and managing your VA. Consultation and additional support from others are not an option for hiring a freelancer.
Matching
Knowing your business needs, the VA company will filter the candidates to find the best match. They will thoroughly search and screen a vast VA talent pool of the industry’s top professionals. That’s why you will only receive a handful of top profiles to interview. Rest assured that these are fully-vetted candidates who possess the skills and experience you require. As for hiring a freelancer, you’ll be solely in charge of looking for the best candidates among all those applicants that best fit your needs.
Training
Some VA companies provide supplemental training to enhance the knowledge of their VAs. This equates to more time saved on your end. On the other hand, a VA freelancer may or may not have undergone training. So, it’s necessary to give them one to perform the way you want.
Security
VAs have a legal obligation to safeguard your information as they are subject to extensive contracts with the company. VA service providers ensure their clients are protected from potential fraudulent activities and the usage of confidential information. They do this through legal documents and other company processes that guarantee security and data protection.
Replacement
Should you need to replace or hire an additional VA, a company can prepare profiles and have another person ready to start with you in a matter of days with its vast talent pool and carefully structured matching processes. But with a freelancer, you need to go through the hiring process once again.
Time-keeping and Invoicing
Counting, tracking, and calculating your VA’s hours defeat the purpose of saving time. VA service providers take this load off of you, and they’ll be in charge of going through the rigors of receipt transmissions, bank transfers, conversions, etc. While with a freelancer, you either agree to a fixed monthly rate or do the former things on your own.
Tools
Very few VA companies provide additional tools to their VAs. These include, but are not limited to, a softphone with a local phone number and unlimited calling. This allows for faster and more efficient communication between a client and a VA and enables the VA to reach out to the client’s customers as needed. Freelancers rarely come equipped with this.
Health benefits and Leave credits
Studies have proven that happy employees/contractors are more efficient and productive. Some VA companies offer these additional benefits to attract and maintain the top talents, so you have a top-notch VA who enjoys working for the company and you. On the contrary, freelancers are self-operated people who tend to their own needs. They don’t need much from you to get by, but they expect an attractive offer, so you’ll have more chances of hiring them than others.
Which Option is Best for You?
Choosing between a Virtual Assistant Company and hiring a Virtual Assistant freelancer is mainly a matter of preference and budget. Some people prefer the stability of working with a company. In contrast, others enjoy the freedom and flexibility that comes with freelancing. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what is best for your needs.
There are multiple ads online from virtual assistant companies and VA freelancers alike. While directly hiring people seems more economical for the time being, think about the long-term benefits of getting someone from a reputable VA service provider. The minimal dollar difference certainly makes up for so much more! After all, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
Ready to Hire a Virtual Assistant?
With all the VA companies and freelancers out there, choose one that provides all these and more! Core Virtual Solutions is your best choice for all things virtual – we strike the perfect balance between quality and affordability! Hire your VA today!
