What are the Real Costs of Virtual Services?

There’s a new kid in town these days – or at least one that’s been away for awhile. When The Work Place first opened, we were considered a Secretarial Support Service. That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it. We do secretarial work for other businesses. Now, we’re called Virtual Assistants (VA). Does that mean that we’re a temp agency? Nope. We do the work in our offices, which frees you – the small business owner – to do the work that you need to do to generate income and to grow your business. The administrative (things like answering emails, calendar scheduling, sending out invoices, writing marketing materials, mailing those materials, updating the customer database, etc.) gets handled efficiently and effectively without you having to worry about how you’re going to get it all done.

Sounds good doesn’t it. Kind of like a genie in a bottle. Just rub it and out we pop; your wish is our command. Hiring a VA has many advantages, particularly for a small business or an individual who is self-employed. Unfortunately, many would-be clients tend to shy away from such services because they don’t understand how they work and don’t understand the pricing value of such a partnership. For example, the VA does the work in his or her own office: not in the employer’s office. Questions like how can I control the work flow? Am I paying for them to sit around, do other people’s work, and take naps? come to the fore. The answer is NO.

First of all, a VA is a business owner, just like you. Their business will not be a success unless your business is a success. They want the same things that you do – for their company to grow and prosper. Thus, they put their whole effort into making your work as accurate and complete as possible. Oftentimes they will be able to even take over some of the more “thinking type” projects that tie you down – once they get to know you and have worked with you regularly.

And because you only pay them for the time that they are doing YOUR work, you save money. You’re not paying benefits, taxes and other compensation. You’re not paying for sick leave, vacation time, breaks and equipment. That is all the responsibility of the VA and frees you from those costs. Think about if for a minute. Say you’re a plumber. How much is your time worth. Do you charge $50, $75, $120 an hour? And when you’re spending time doing that admin work, how much potential income are you losing? Two hours of designing a newsletter (while an important marketing tool) costs you $240 (if you bill out at $120 an hour). Yet, if you were out there fixing a backed up kitchen sink, you could be earning $240. You’ve actually just lost $480. Now, if you had a VA doing that newsletter for you, it might cost you $50. You gain the $240 because you’re out there fixing that sink. And you might gain some new customers who read your newsletter and get a better understanding of what’s involved in remodeling their bathroom (an article you wrote for the newsletter). What’s the value of that?

A VA can be surprisingly affordable when you calculate how much more billable work you can accomplish when you’re not trying to do it all yourself. Give us a call at 269-503-7350 if you’d like more information on how The Work Place can help you free up your time, and add money to your bottom line.