Why use a Girl Friday, Virtual p.a. or a Virtual Assistant?
10.December, 2008
Lots of people ask me why on earth someone would want to utilize a virtual assistant. The reasons are many and varied but in the end the biggest 2 factors are time savings and cost. The following is extracted from some research that was carried out in the USA which paints a very clear picture and is food for thought in our present economic climate.
|
Cost Comparison (£) |
Full-time employee |
Virtual Assistant |
|
Hourly rate of pay |
12.00 |
£25.00 |
|
Fringe benefits @ 35% |
5.00 |
None |
|
Overhead rate @ 50% |
7.00 |
None |
|
Total effective rate of pay |
24.00 |
25.00 |
|
**Hours per year |
2,080 |
480 |
|
TOTAL Annual labour cost |
52,000 |
12,000 |
Difference = £40,000 per year
By hiring a Virtual Assistant, you SAVE £40,000 per year!
Although the Virtual Assistant’s hourly rate is more than the employee’s rate in the first place, you save the cost of benefits and overhead that would have to be applied to the new employee’s wage. And, because Virtual Assistants are usually more experienced, more efficient, and better connected than the employee, you’ll need to devote far less time to the project to get the same results: an average of 480 hours a year versus 2,080 for the new employee.
Don’t forget you are also making savings on training costs, equipment costs and software costs.
**Remember, with a Virtual Assistant, you only pay for the time on task by the minute! No more paying for socializing, hour-long lunches, or frequent trips to the restroom.
Your employee’s 8-hour day can be crunched into 3-4 hours with a Virtual Assistant.
Simply put, you should contract with a Virtual Assistant because it’s more cost-effective and Virtual Assistants go above and beyond the normal assistant’s duties to impact your own productivity. As small business owners themselves, Virtual Assistants understand the importance of effective time management. And since your bottom line directly affects the Virtual Assistant’s bottom line, s/he has a vested interest in helping your business succeed.
No task is too big or small for a Virtual Assistant to handle. Even if you only have one hour of work a month for a Virtual Assistant to do, a VA can (and will) do it.
*Source: Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA) Cost Comparison - The Largest Global Network Online for Successful and Aspiring Virtual Assistants.
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