Congrats! Your business is booming and now it is time to add to your team. Hiring a virtual assistant is a sound business investment that will help you scale your business while saving
money at the same time! Here are four ways that you can hire some help without breaking your pockets by considering a virtual assistant versus an in-house employee.
Save Money on Taxes
The traditional payroll model calls for payroll taxes, benefits, FICA deductions, and local taxes to
be paid by the employer. Since virtual assistants are independent contractors, they are responsible for their own expenses and taxes. Trust us, the taxes can get pretty expensive.
Save Money on Training
Time is money when it comes to business,and traditional, on-site employees will need training to get up to speed on basic office systems, programs, and processes. More than likely, this will be paid training.
Find a virtual assistant that has the required skill level and essential software abilities to make a smooth transition to your team. There is little down time for extensive training. Your assistant can be up and running quickly with some help from you and your team. Sure, you’d have to train on specific processes that you business has adapted but if your help is privy to working with similar systems, the learning curve won’t be as steep.
Just like hiring an in-person employee, it is important to communicate needs, expectations, and any other helpful information. While a virtual assistant can be up and running quickly, there will always be something to learn. Either time-block your schedule so that you can dedicate time or have a teammate available to answer their questions and to get them up to speed on your business’ unique culture and practices.
If you do have specific system and software requirements that your virtual assistant is not familiar with, be sure to have clear, concise training resources available to them as well as written SOPs for them to refer to. Record training videos so that you can repurpose them as you grow your team — we’re huge fans of Screencast-O-Matic!
Allow some time for training and mastery of processes and business-specific software, and be
available for questions. Virtual assistants are highly adaptable to a variety of business practices. That adaptability, combined with software expertise and the skill level you are looking for makes for a shorter learning curve.
Save Money On Office Space And Equipment
Virtual assistants work primarily from their own space, using their own equipment. Especially if you are also working remotely or have shifted your business to your home office, a virtual assistant will fit in perfectly with your space requirements. Since they utilize their own equipment and space, they will cover their own equipment and workspace expenses.
Flexibility
Virtual assistants can perform a wide variety of tasks for your business: call handling, social media scheduling and updates, calendar management, website management, and more. Their role can expand as your business needs change.
Scheduling flexibility is also a plus. As independent contractors, virtual assistants exercise full control over their schedule and are more than willing to work with their clients in mapping out a mutually agreeable schedule.
If you work with a virtual assistant agency, you will be matched with an assistant who is available to work within your specific time zone and who can meet your scheduling needs.
Business is unpredictable! A virtual assistant has the flexibility to respond to your changing business needs. This makes implementing changes to workflow and/or scheduling pretty seamless.
Adding a VA to your team is a sound investment; you will save both time and money! That way, you can focus your energy on scaling your business even further.
If you are looking to onboard a virtual assistant, we have a staff of US-based virtual assistants that are perfectly matched for your business needs. Click here to get in touch today. It’s time that you are matched with the perfect Buddy for your business.