Pricing and Costs of Virtual Assistants

Virtual assistants improve administrative efficiency, save money and offer valuable skills for your business

With the widespread availability of digital and electronic media, virtual office services have become effective and efficient solutions for business staffing needs. Virtual assistants work from their own offices and provide services to business located anywhere--in the same town or across the globe.

Virtual office assistants offer a range of virtual office solutions, ranging from virtual receptionist services and bookkeeping to web design and public relations. Not only does a virtual office assistant provide value-added services for your business, but creating a small business virtual office can save your company money. Before hiring a virtual administrative assistant, evaluate the pricing and costs of virtual assistants:

1. How much should your business expect to pay for a virtual office service or virtual administrative assistant?

2. What are the costs for hourly, project and retainer based virtual office services? Which type of small business virtual office contract best meets your business needs?

3. How much can your business save by using a virtual office and services instead of hiring a traditional employee?

 

Select virtual office solutions at competitive rates

The rates for a virtual administrative assistant vary depending upon the virtual assistant's skills and experience, but typically are between $30 and $80 per hour. Virtual assistants based in major cities generally will have higher rates because of the higher costs of living in their metropolitan area. Many virtual assistants offer support packages available for a set monthly fee.
Try: A Virtual Office Service is a Jacksonville-based virtual office company that provides a virtual business address, virtual receptionist services and phone services for around $200 a month. Hourly rates for virtual assistant services at Texas Virtual Assistant Services start at $30 an hour.

Look for small business virtual office assistant contracts that meet your short and long-term needs

Select virtual office services that benefit your short-term and long-term business goals. If your business requires daily administrative support, consider an hourly or retainer contract with a virtual receptionist or virtual administrative assistant. If you business needs assistance with a specific project, like creating a website, choose short-term, project-based virtual assistants.
Try: Clerical Business Solutions offers an occasional assistance plan for short-term project work for $325 to $475 dollars depending upon the project scope, and a retainer contract for $40 per hour. Your Virtual Assistant features hourly, project or retainer contracts with fees ranging from $55 to $95 per hour, and sometimes higher depending upon the project complexity.

Compare business costs between traditional employees and virtual assistants to calculate savings

Virtual office services are growing in popularity because they make financial sense. By hiring a virtual assistant, you reduce basic staffing costs like the need to purchase desks and computers or pay for sick and vacation time. Your business also saves money by paying virtual assistants for the time they actually work, rather than a weekly salary.
Try: According to the comparison chart at VANetworking.com, the cost difference between hiring a full-time employee and hiring a virtual assistant is around $60,000 a year. The Design & Publishing Center provides a cost comparison for hourly employees vs. virtual employees, and reports that the average $13 per hour employee has real costs of more than $20 per hour. Your Virtual Resource calculates the cost difference between a full-time assistant and a virtual assistant at around $20,000 a year.

 

• Take advantage of free consultations to help your business determine its virtual assistants needs. Many virtual office services firms offer free telephone consultations to assess virtual office solutions for your business.

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