Why Virtual Assistants Are Always Preferred to Employees
The debate about who is best between virtual assistants and full-time employees has been raging on for some time now.
It wasn’t like this before.
Before the rise of the internet, it was a no-brainer to hire employees as team members.
Now, the coming of the internet and its numerous job opportunities has introduced the possibility of remote work, causing virtual assistants to become the popular choice of team members over employees.
I’m going to show you all the reasons why online business owners prefer hiring virtual assistants to full-time employees these days.
Though there are still a lot of employment opportunities for employees, it seems even that is dwindling because the corporate world has shifted to remote hiring.
Global events like the COVID-19 pandemic have reinforced the importance of having remote teams instead of traditional office teams.
The eyes of founders and hiring managers have been opened to see that while the operations of employees in physical offices can be disrupted, it’s possible to switch to remote work to continue the day-to-day business operations.
What this means is that more and more online entrepreneurs now favor team members who specialize in working from home, with little or no supervision.
And who fits the bill perfectly?
Enter virtual assistants.
Upon hiring a virtual assistant (VA), a founder discovers that there are far more benefits to working with a VA than with an employee.
These reasons will later become responsible for his preference in choosing a virtual assistant over a full-time employee.
It’ll take another wave of technological innovation to change the mind of an entrepreneur who has gotten accustomed to working with a virtual assistant.
I’ll be going over these reasons why a virtual assistant is always preferred to an employee.
Why Virtual Assistants Are Always Preferred to Full-time Employees
I’ll highlight the core reasons and differences why a virtual assistant seems more profitable to hire than an employee in this day and age.
Ready? Let’s go.
1. Virtual assistants are cheaper than full-time employees
Full-time employees are costlier to bring on board because they’ll need office space, internet connection, computers, chairs, desks, and other things that require money.
That’s not the case with a VA.
A virtual assistant comes with his own computer, and internet connection while working from home.
Most founders no longer want to shoulder the operating costs of catering for the welfare of employees, when a VA has zero operating costs.
The use of virtual assistants ensures that startup founders save costs on maintaining their teams because they’ll have to replace faulty computers, air conditioners, and heating systems in their employee’s offices from time to time.
With a virtual assistant, an employer doesn’t have to go through those headaches.
All he has to do is to find the VA, assign tasks, show the VA your preferences for getting tasks done if you have any, delegate, and rest.
And that’s why online entrepreneurs find it easier to hire a virtual assistant properly and quickly as compared to employees.
2. Virtual assistants work outside office hours and can provide 24/7 support
Some companies offer products and services that cater to customers from all over the world.
In cases like this, customer support staff from different time zones are needed.
If you live in the United States, the employees you’ll hire will be in the U.S., and they’ll only attend promptly to customers in the U.S.
You know how grumpy and angry customers get when they’re not responded to on time.
This is one aspect where a virtual assistant comes in and shines.
Employers can now get virtual assistants from other countries with different time zones to cater to the needs of their global audience.
It’s also never been easier to source international talent. In the past, if you were a UK business owner considering hiring in Germany, for example, the red tape, regulations, and lack of infrastructure would’ve made it unfeasible. Now, with high-speed internet, mobile computing, and the wide availability of EOR (employer of record) services, it’s not only feasible, but advisable — particularly if you’re struggling to find the necessary skills on home turf.
It’s impossible for full-time employees who need a physical space to work in to pull this off because you’ll be confined to hiring from the same time zone where you live.
This is why most online business owners, especially those that own eCommerce stores, get customer service virtual assistants from different countries that’ll cater to all time zones of the world.
3. Virtual assistants come with their own skills, while employees might need training
Another major reason why hiring managers are on the lookout for virtual assistants is that they won’t need to spend human and financial resources training them.
While employees might need certifications and other hands-on training to optimize their performance, virtual assistants come with their own skillset.
Virtual assistants are first business owners armed with digital marketing skills, with an active online presence, ready to take on all technical and non-technical activities you no longer want to handle in your business.
All you need to do is itemize the list of tasks that you need help with.
And if you have any preferences for carrying out those tasks, you can share them.
Simple.
For example, you can tell a virtual assistant to perform keyword research and come up with blog post ideas to fill up your content calendar, and your VA will do just that.
You wouldn’t need to set up a training manual to familiarize them with keyword research tools and the intricate nuances as you would do to an employee.
Virtual assistants come prepared, making them the automatic choice for online entrepreneurs that need help in their businesses right away.
4. Virtual assistants are paid only for the work done, employees are paid monthly
Employees are hired on a full-time basis and are paid a fixed salary every month, whether they carry out their complete job description or not.
This arrangement makes employees suitable for managing a large number of tasks in an organization.
What about a small business owner who just needs help with one or two activities like content editing and publishing or travel bookings?
To be honest, most people who run online businesses need to outsource a few tasks that are not worth hiring a full-time employee for.
Virtual assistants are ready-made for scenarios like this and charge strictly based on the number and type of tasks you need help with.
Unlike full-time employees that get consistent monthly payments for a sizable job description, you’ll likely pay your VA a lower amount based on the number of tasks they accomplish.
Virtual assistants now reject hourly payment and prefer to be paid based on tasks or projects because it rewards VAs with a fast turnaround time.
5. Virtual assistants are reported to be more productive than traditional employees
Employees often share offices or workspace with coworkers, so it’s only natural to engage in small talks, office politics, and prolonged social interactions during lunch hours.
All these little activities cut into working hours making the actual productive time far less than most employers think.
Virtual assistants, on the other hand, work from home without all the distractions that come with physical workspaces and coworkers.
With the knowledge that they are only paid for the tasks completed, a VA has no choice but to double down on the job at hand.
You’re going to experience far more productivity and efficiency at a lower cost when you hire a virtual assistant than when you onboard a full-time employee.
6. Virtual assistants are perfect for short-term jobs…and long-term jobs
Sometimes, you don’t have many activities that you’ll like to outsource in your business.
You might just need help with two or three tasks in your business like processing clients’ orders and data entry.
These might not be enough to hire a full-time employee.
That’s when virtual assistants come in handy.
Also, you might want to delegate a job that only lasts for a few months, maybe a job with a 3-month duration.
You don’t want to go through the stress of onboarding an employee with all the numerous paperwork, disclosures, and tax forms, only to end up working for just three months.
Why go through that smoke when you can quickly hire a virtual assistant without the stress to start working immediately for a short-term period?
Not to mention that VAs are also super convenient to have for the long-term too.
Final Thoughts
These are all the true and not-so-obvious reasons why employers will always choose virtual assistants over employees.
Most online business owners would always go for the most convenient, productive, and cheaper option of a virtual assistant over an employee, anytime any day.
Author Bio
Bryan Grey offers virtual assistant services to online business owners who need help in managing their businesses.