A virtual assistant or a temp agency – What’s the difference?

A virtual assistant or a temp agency – What’s the difference?

In this article, I explain the ways a virtual assistant is different than hiring through a temp agency.

Why should business owners use virtual assistants instead of a temporary staffing company?

Temp agencies have been around for a long time.  The usual needs are when an employee goes on maternity leave or gets married and goes on their honeymoon or someone just goes on a leave of absence.  Sometimes there’s also just a need for the day. Depending on the level of assistance, the employer will look for either a temporary/contract worker or a replacement.

Virtual assistants work quite differently.  First of all, most are not looking to be hired by the firm.  Secondly, virtual assistants are executives in their area and diligently work to get the project completed on time.  Most temp agencies hire out who they have on staff at the moment needed.  This means that the temp you get may not have the desired skills needed to fulfill your company’s specific requirements! With a virtual assistant, you speak directly to the virtual assistant. 

So what’s the real difference between a virtual assistant and a temp agency?

Virtual assistants have specific skills that could suit your needs to a T.  Be it tax preparation, administrative tasks, project management or simply replying to email requests for more product/service information or setting appointments.

Besides getting your specific professional needs met, you don’t have to pay the overhead costs that come with temp agencies.  Another major benefit of hiring a virtual assistant is that the work done could be totally tax-deductible depending on your state’s laws!

In my opinion, if you’re an employer, it behooves you to compare and contrast the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant with that of using a temp agency.  Call me today at 330-573-2863 and let’s discuss your specific business needs from brochures to daily tasks to website maintenance!

Should you have any comments or suggestions or simply want to inquire about our services, please fill out the contact page.

FreeDigitalPhotos.net, image by Stuart Miles.

What is a Virtual Assistant?

What is a Virtual Assistant?

What is a virtual assistant?

The definition of a virtual assistant by Wikipedia is as follows; also typically abbreviated to VA, a virtual office assistant is generally self-employed and provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients from their own home office.

Because they are independent contractors rather than employees, clients are not responsible for any employee-related taxes, insurance, or benefits (except in the context that those indirect expenses are included in the VAs fees). Clients also avoid the logistical problem of providing extra office space, equipment, or supplies. Clients pay for 100% of the work and can work with them individually, or with multi-VA firms to meet their exact needs. Virtual Assistants usually work for other small businesses. It is estimated that there are as few as 5,000-8,000 or as many as 25,000 virtual assistants worldwide; the profession is growing in centralized economies with “fly-in, fly-out” staffing practices.

The Virtual Assistant Industry

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Common modes of communication and data delivery include the Internet, e-mail, and phone call conferences, online workspaces, and fax machines. Professionals in this business work on a contractual basis and long-lasting cooperation are standard. Typically 5 years of administrative experience in an office is expected at such positions as an executive assistant, office manager/supervisor, secretary, legal assistant, paralegal, legal secretary, real estate assistant, information technology, et cetera.

In recent years, those entering the virtual assistant industry are seeing an upswing in the need of many mainstream businesses.  With the advent of VOIP or other services, such as Skype it has been possible to have a virtual assistant who can answer your phone remotely without the end user’s knowledge. This allows many businesses to add a personal touch in the form of a receptionist without the additional cost of hiring someone.

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Delegate is not a dirty word!

Delegate is not a dirty word!

Too much work?  Feeling overwhelmed? Delegate the extra work!

Delegate the extra work! When we think of the word “delegate,” we think we’re passing the buck so to speak.  That’s just not true.  In essence, it’s a good leader, a good manager who can delegate tasks to the appropriate person.  As business owners, we don’t want to micromanage. We want to delegate to someone who knows how to work independently. Virtual assistants have the knowledge, skills, and independent factors already in place. No training, no overhead costs, and no wasting time. Appointing someone else to complete a project or task means you know who will do a good job.

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Delegating tasks and projects to a virtual assistant could be the best decision you make!

To delegate some extra work to a virtual assistant can be the best decision for a busy business owner and seriously what business owner is not busy? The idea of outsourcing work is efficient, clear and less expensive than hiring a temporary employee or bringing someone in full-time and training them.

FreeDigitalPhotos.net, image by Jannoon028