What Gives Virtual Assistants the Edge Over Freelancers?

by Kristen White Blogger

Hiring a virtual assistant can really take a load off of your shoulders. If you are running a company, there are many different things they can help you with. While it’s nice to hire in-house staff so they can work alongside you, a virtual assistant also has its share of benefits; maybe even more than a physical employee.

There are also freelancers that you could also contact to help you with certain tasks. Freelancers are typically, self-employed individuals and don’t typically work for any company in particular. What makes virtual assistant companies different is that you work with companies that hire employees who will work for you, making the differences more significant.

When choosing between a freelancer and a virtual assistant company, it can often be a hard decision. While it may sound charitable to take a chance on a freelancer with talent and motivation, virtual assistant companies employee workers also who run on discipline and good work ethic.

Here is why you should consider a virtual assistant company over a freelance worker:

Services

When working with a virtual assistant company, you likely won’t be working with just one individual, but many. This is because they have a wide array of skills that can write, bookkeep, design, and do many other tasks on your behalf. All of this is arranged with a single contract and fee, so you won’t need to worry about having to pay each individual that works with you on services.

As for freelancers, some consider themselves as utility players or “swiss army knives”, but if is a freelancer that cannot do a task you want them to, then you will have to hire another freelancer. This can end up costing you more time and money in the long run.

Communication

When using a virtual assistant company, you typically keep in touch with a project leader or manager. This person is responsible for assigning work to virtual assistants depending on expertise and availability. You contact the project manager whenever you have questions, feedback, or need help. For ongoing tasks, you also might be able to contact a certain virtual assistant, too.

If you are not happy with the work that one assistant is doing, there is always another that the project manager can consider for you. If you aren’t happy with the services offered in general, you can always cancel and get your money back for that month.

With a freelancer, there are not many options if you are not happy with their performance. Typically, you won’t be able to get a refund for the work they put in, and there is no one else for you to talk to about the problems that you are having.

Price

Virtual assistant companies will offer a flat fee after every month or specific number of hours. They also typically come with a money-back guarantee.

With freelancer workers, their rates and conditions depend on a number of factors, and they’ll typically require you to spend more for more work that they do. They typically won’t offer to make changes for free, either. Like with services, you may need to pay multiple freelancers for more work you need them to do, which is often very taxing fiscally.