How Much Does a Virtual Assistant Cost?

There are all kinds of virtual assistant companies and freelancers available, and the cost and business models vary widely. So, as is often the case, the answer to the question, “How much does a virtual assistant Cost?” That, well, it depends.

There are three main factors that affect how much a VA costs:

1. service model
2. A collection of skills
3. Place

We’ll dive into what each of these factors entails so you can find a virtual assistant service that meets your needs and budget.

Virtual assistant service models

There are three broad categories of Virtual assistant service Providers:

• Freelancers through an online market or job board.
• Agencies that match you with a qualified assistant, similar to a recruitment company, but you pay the agency.
• Managed service providers that hire, train and support virtual assistants for long-term engagements.

Let’s break down the costs of each model and the costs, use cases and risks.

Freelance Virtual Assistants

Google “virtual assistant,” and you’ll see freelance marketplaces with prices as low as $10 an hour. UpWorkFor example, advertises rates of $10-$20 per hour. indeed Lists the average freelancer rate at $20/hour. Sounds great, right? Remember that “average” means that half are above and half are below this amount. Freelancers can be great if you have one-off projects that are time-based and require minimal training or coaching.

However, there are risks involved freelancersincluding:

• Will not always be available if you want repeat or long term work
• They may not have the advertised skills
• Training, management and quality control are up to you
• You can end up wasting a lot of time getting a project right
• If the freelancer gets a better gig, you start over.
• Little escape if things go wrong.
• There is no guarantee of IT security.

Remember that marketplaces and job boards are not virtual assistant service providers. They are like online dating sites for all types of work and do not specialize in one area. Freelancers may have references from previous clients, but it’s up to you to check.

Virtual assistant agency

A virtual assistant agency specializes in virtual assistants and usually has a quality control review process. Prices vary, and many companies are tight-lipped about their pricing and instead talk about how much less the cost is compared to a full charge. employed full time. indeed Lists virtual assistant companies as assistants paying $25-$89 per hour. This is what the assistant earns, so the cost to the customer will be higher.

The risks with an agency are the same as those of hiring a freelancer. Agencies generally have a little more accountability for assistants’ performance. The risks include:

• They may not have the advertised skills
• Training, training, management and quality control are up to you
• You can end up spending a lot of time creating the right relationship
• If the freelancer leaves, you start over
• There is no guarantee of IT security.

Managed virtual assistant service

Managed virtual assistant service providers offer a high-touch model where the service provider hires, trains, onboards, manages and supports virtual assistants in their own facilities, often overseas (although they work during customer business hours). The cost is usually a flat fee. Prialto, for example, offers 55 hours of virtual assistant time for $1,350 a month, or about $24 an hour.

In the managed service model, the assistants are full-time salaried employees of the service providers, with full benefits. B of Prialto Incidentally, each assistant has fully trained back-up assistants to ensure continuity, account managers who support customer satisfaction and strong IT security with the company’s computers and networks.

The main advantage of a managed service is that the customer does not carry an additional administrative burden. Account managers work with the client to document processes so they can train the virtual assistants on the client’s systems prior to engagement. The helpers show up ready to contribute on the first day. The customer’s feedback reaches the account manager who trains and supports the assistant.

Managed virtual assistant services are ideal for clients with repetitive tasks that can be turned into processes and performed off-site.

As the client-assistant relationship grows and the assistant learns the clients’ businesses, they can add more tasks. There are risks in this model as well, due to the nature of the engagement:

• Not suitable for one-off projects or short-term engagements
• Customers may not be able to document their processes
• You do not have enough work for the purchased hours

expert vs. General virtual assistants

Similar to a home worker, the cost of virtual assistant services often varies based on the skills you need. Most virtual assistant providers brand themselves as generalists or specialists. The former can handle most process-oriented tasks while the latter can handle advanced projects in one area of ​​expertise.

Here are some examples of the different types of tasks you can take on based on the skill set of a virtual assistant:

Marketing and website maintenance

When most people think of a virtual assistant, marketing support doesn’t necessarily come to mind. However, offloading tedious tasks allows you/your team to focus on driving your marketing strategy. Here are some of the tasks you can offload depending on whether the VA is an expert or not:

general:

• Schedule content your team has created
• Set up routine workflows for activities such as monthly newsletters

expert:

• Turn your blog posts into social media content
• Add meta data and/or schema to your articles

This type of support encompasses a wide range of activities and software so, if you choose a specialist, expect to pay higher rates if you use niche software or industry-specific tactics.

Sales management and CRM

Given that salespeople spend Only 30% of their time to sellUsing a virtual assistant for sales support is a no-brainer.

The type of virtual assistant you should proceed with varies depending on what you want to download:

general:

• Set up outbound campaigns and schedule the meetings coming from them
• Keep your CRM up-to-date by monitoring your sales team’s calendar and updating related records

expert:

• May perform tasks traditionally done by SDRs such as outbound cold calling

Since a virtual assistant who specializes in sales support has skills that fall somewhere between a generalist and an SDR, they may not be worth the extra cost unless you need them to cold call.

General operational support

Offloading many of the logistical tasks required to keep your business running is an easy and relatively affordable way to increase efficiency.

general:

• Complete manual workflow steps that you couldn’t automate such as copying data between systems that are not integrated or whose integration has limitations
• Schedule appointments and send reminders to help people stay on track

expert:

• Dealing with operational tasks that are not standard and require a significant degree of discretion

Whether a specialized virtual assistant is worth the extra cost varies depending on how standardized your processes are. Remember that many of the tasks you think are ambiguous can be corrected. Our engagement managers regularly help our clients create processes so they can offload more tasks to their virtual assistants.

Administrative administration

The difference between a general virtual assistant and an expert virtual assistant is similar to an entry-level executive assistant versus a senior executive assistant. The former will tackle standard tasks and have a much lower salary while the latter is capable of completing highly nuanced projects but has a much higher salary.

general:

expert:

• Perform the duties expected of an in-house senior executive assistant such as preparing presentations and drafting communications on your behalf

Which skill offers a better ROI?

Whether a specialized virtual assistant is worth the extra cost depends on whether you want to offload advanced tasks or handle these activities in-house. You often get a better ROI by hiring a generalist because they are able to handle a wide variety of tedious tasks giving you and your team more time to focus on projects that leverage your expertise.

US-based vs. offshore virtual assistants

Among virtual assistant services with the same model and skills offered, there is still significant variation in costs based on location. For example, a freelance virtual assistant in India might charge $7 an hour while a similarly skilled assistant in the United States might charge $40 an hour.

There are often differences in the level of knowledge of local business norms that can make a difference, especially if you are looking for administrative administrative support.

This includes:

• The tone, brevity and overall communication style used in emails and other messages
• The types of restaurants suitable for different types of business dinners
• The necessary preparation for conferences and other types of events

With that in mind, working with a company that offers a land/sea hybrid model is often the best option. For example, at Prialto, our virtual assistants work from our offices in Guatemala and the Philippines. However, our engagement managers are located in Portland, Oregon. They act as consultants for our clients and train our virtual assistants. This approach ensures that our virtual assistants provide highly nuanced support at a lower cost than many US-based alternatives.

Weighing costs and risks

As mentioned above, the cost of a virtual assistant varies depending on the provider’s business model, skill set, and location. The combination of factors you need depends on your budget and the nature of the work you are outsourcing.

If you need support in multiple areas of your business, a combination of providers may be the best fit. For example, you can hire a general, managed virtual assistant service to handle your day-to-day administrative and operational tasks, as well as some specialized freelancers for obscure and/or short-term projects.