Virtual Assistant VS Personal Assistant: The Best Support For Business Owners

As your organization grows, so will your responsibilities increase. This will require you to hire someone to help keep track of things and support you in your business and social life. Often you have to hire either a personal assistant or a virtual assistant.

When it comes to choosing between hiring a virtual assistant or a personal assistant for support, it can be quite confusing. You can’t straight away decide between the two.

In this article, we’ll discuss who virtual and personal assistants are, their duties, and what you need to consider when choosing them for support in your business. Read on to find out more!

What’s a personal assistant?

Personal assistants offer administrative support to business owners by working on less demanding tasks like picking up mail, doing laundry, getting coffee, and making copies. By so doing, they free up their boss’s time to focus on tasks requiring the utmost attention. The only catch is that they’re always present with their boss.

Since personal assistants are full-time employees, they receive monthly salaries from their companies or bosses. Therefore, if you’re a business owner with administrative tasks requiring an in-person assistant, consider hiring a personal assistant to sort them out.

What’s a virtual assistant?

Virtual assistants are a digital embodiment of personal assistants. They offer the same administrative support as a personal assistant but remotely. They don’t need to be present with you to provide their services.

As such, virtual assistants aren’t full-time employees of a company or an individual. They work on a contract basis and are paid an hourly rate depending on their work hours. So, if you don’t need an in-person assistant at your office, consider getting a virtual assistant. And set up a virtual office where you’ll handle all your business and transactions.

What are the duties of a personal and virtual assistant?

The duties of a personal and virtual assistant are the same. They include the following;

• Appointment booking
• Planning your calendar
• Organizing events, meetings, and conferences.
• Diary management
• Telephone answering
• Bookkeeping
• Writing and replying to emails
• Filing paperwork and making data entries

What to consider when choosing between a virtual or personal assistant for your business

Choosing a personal or virtual assistant for your business can be a daunting experience since their job functions are similar. Here are four things to consider to help you make the right choice.

        i.            Salary

As a business owner, you’re always looking for ways to cut costs while maintaining maximum output. As such, you should consider the salary associated with virtual and personal assistants to pick either for your business.

The average hourly rate of a personal assistant is €18, translating to an annual salary of around  €44,321. On the other hand, a virtual assistant can get an hourly wage of €19 but earn less annually since they’re only productive for the first three hours of a day.

So, instead of getting a full-time personal assistant working 8 hours a day, you should go for a virtual assistant who works for 3 to 5 hours a day and still gives the same output. This will significantly cut down your business costs.

     ii.            Work environment

Since personal assistants must be present at their workstations, they’ll require a working desk or office at your organization. Also, you may have to travel with them whenever you have a business trip. Ultimately, they result in more expenses since you’ll have to provide them with furniture, floor space, and travel costs.

On the other hand, virtual assistants work online from the comfort of their places. There are no costs associated with them apart from their hourly pay. Additionally, they might deliver better results since they’re working under minimum pressure.

   iii.            Employment type

As a business owner trying to grow your company, the type of employment you’ll offer will determine how you pay taxes and the kind of benefits you’ll offer.

If you decide to offer full-time employment, your personal assistant will be entitled to health insurance coverage, allowances, paid leaves, and all the necessary government benefits. This may increase your overhead costs and hurt your business if you have a limited budget.

But, if you only offer contracts to your virtual assistants, it may reduce your overhead costs. This is because you’ll have forgone expenses such as paid leaves and providing health insurance coverage. All you have to do is pay up on the agreed contract amount and close your expenditure. Giving out contracts is very suitable for small businesses that must keep an eye out for their overhead costs.

   iv.            Job type

Some jobs work best with a particular assistant. Look at the two scenarios below:

Suppose you’re a director of some action-packed movie. In that case, you’ll need to have a personal assistant with you to perform optimally. This is because your job is highly demanding, and the tasks you’ll require assistance with change now and then. So it will be easier for you to communicate with your personal assistant rather than a virtual assistant.

If you’re an online business owner, you may work best with a virtual assistant rather than a personal assistant. This is because you don’t own a physical office- your store is on the web. So, getting a virtual assistant for support will be in your best interest.

Also, the demands of your job will determine who you select. Some jobs will require your assistant to keep upskilling so that they can deliver optimally. In such a case, a virtual assistant is your ideal pick because they have a flexible work schedule, thus giving them more time to conduct research and upskill when needed.

Wrapping up

As your business continues to boom, getting support from an assistant is mandatory, lest you risk failing. However, you may be confused between selecting a virtual assistant and a personal assistant.

Keeping in mind that they both perform similar functions, you should select one that fits your preferences. If you want to keep costs low and you don’t have a physical office, go for a virtual assistant. But if you want someone to be present physically to run errands, then a personal assistant is what you should go for. I hope you’ll find it easy to pick your ideal assistant and get the support you need.

If you’re looking for a virtual assistant to assist you in your work, don’t look further than Clyde offices. We offer the best support in Glasgow to help grow your business. Give us a call today so we can grow with you!