There are a lot of things to consider before you decide to hire a virtual assistant especially if you’re new to the idea of hiring someone to work for you remotely. But what is it really like to hire a virtual assistant? What are some of the pros and cons?
Pros:
1. Virtual assistants are everywhere. It’s easier to hire someone online than to look for help locally. There are hundreds and thousands of virtual assistants that you can hire online through websites like Upwork.com, Virtualstafffinder.com, Fiverr.com, Taskrabbit.com, etc. You can even just Google “virtual assistant” and it will give you countless results. It’s all up to you to hire the best one for your business out there.
2. It’s cheaper. Not only that you don’t have to pay for taxes if your virtual assistant is overseas because there’s W8-BEN policy that exempts you from having to pay tax for what you’re paying your overseas employee but also, having them work from home means you don’t have to pay for office space, electricity, and all other expenses that come from having a physical office. Go over our plans and pricing to compare: http://virtualbeez.com/#pricing
3. They can’t be late because of traffic. It’s funny but it’s true. Since virtual assistants work from home, they’re most likely to be on time everyday since they don’t have to do the everyday commute to work. They have less time to get ready for work and more time to actually do the tasks that they’re given.
4. There’s no contract. You hire and fire as you wish and you only pay for the hours that they work for. If your business slows down, you can pause their employment and renew as you see fit.
5. They value their work. It’s not always easy for virtual assistants to get a good-paying client to work for- long-term so when they do get one, they take care of that client. Not to mention, there are a lot of virtual assistants online that can replace them so most of the time, they get really competitive and go the extra mile to make their client(s) happy.
6. No holidays, emergency leaves, sick leaves, etc. In the virtual assistant world. These things don’t normally exist. It’s really up to the employer if they want to provide these leaves but, they’re not expected to. Again, no work, no pay. Sucks for the virtual assistants but great for the employers.
Cons:
1. You don’t get to monitor what they’re doing every second because you don’t see them face to face. You can ask your virtual assistant to have a web camera (it’s up to you). You can also get an app to monitor their computer activity but still, it’s different when you see their every move when they’re at the office with you. The perfect way to monitor their productivity is just to make sure tasks are accomplished in a timely manner. List down the things you want them to accomplish on a daily, weekly, monthly basis, etc. That’s one way to make sure your virtual assistant is being productive.
2. They may work on other jobs and/or projects while working for you- it’s very common for them to accept side projects to earn extra income. They may work on the other projects outside their shift or while on shift. That’s why you have to make sure to set expectations and make sure they’re being productive.
3. They can just quit if offered better pay. But I guess, it goes for all employees, even the ones employed locally but it’s hard to train a replacement if your virtual assistant all of a sudden quits so make sure to ask them to provide ample time to train their replacement before resigning.
There a lot more things to discuss when it comes to hiring a virtual assistant. Definitely, this list is not enough. Probably not even half of the things you need to know but it this just to give you an idea. I do think there’s more positive than negative in hiring a virtual assistant. The industry is growing rapidly and for good reason.
