Virtual assistants have become an important name in every business and are majorly replacing in-house employees by a huge margin. However, many companies are still unsure about handing over their tasks to an offshore team. The debate of VA vs. in-house employees has been raging over time and needs some settlement.
Both come with their own perks and drawbacks. It depends on what meets your requirements more efficiently. However, we will take a look at both services in detail and help you make an informed decision. So, let’s take a brief look at the difference between both for your brand success.
The Main Difference B/W Virtual Assistant and In-House Staff
One of the significant aspects companies consider when deciding between both is cost. It is well known that a VA costs much less than a full-time employee. Not only that, but a VA comes with a lot of other benefits within the same package. You need to provide workspace, benefits, pay utility bills, and afford other expenses when appointing an employee at work.
Location is another thing that makes a difference between both. The perk of having a VA is that you can have them working from around the globe. So it does not really matter where they are situated as they work remotely. In contrast, an in-house employee has to be present at the office to complete the tasks. Those in the vicinity or willing to travel a lot only work there. It also somewhat restricts the diversity as people who are around your workplace join the company. On the other hand, you can find a VA in your desired country.
For all these reasons, the operational hours of both also differ. Businesses feel at comfort with virtual assistant services due to their flexible working hours. Contrarily, full-time staff work only the standard business hours and will not cater to after-hours calls without additional salary. VAs will work for you on weekends and keep your business running round the clock seven days a week.
Pros and Cons of Virtual Assistant
Let’s break down and take a look at some of the pros and cons a VA provides.
Perks:
- You will find VAs with diverse skill sets. Not only in admin tasks, but they are also great at social media marketing, SEO research, content writing, photo editing, tech support, virtual receptionists, and more.
- You do not have to pay a VA full-time like an internal employee. Businesses can hire them for a flexible working schedule and only pay them for hours they have actually worked. It also comes in a project-based or pay-per-hour model.
- Brands can hire VAs on a monthly basis too, which saves you cost in the long run despite the amount of work done. It means you are paying the decided amount even if you exceed the working hours.
- A virtual worker is your perfect choice when you have short-term or one-time projects. This helps you avoid overhead and makes sure you make the most out of it while not exhausting your budget.
- A VA is constantly learning and increasing its knowledge and expertise in various fields. It eventually helps your business in the long run and gives you a competitive edge in the market. So, you also save the cost of training your workforce.
- Businesses also employ VAS on an as-needed basis. It works like a charm for brands who are stuck and laden with work overflow during the holiday season. Not only that, if you want to meet a deadline for urgent work, you can hire them on an as-needed basis.
- You get to choose from a pool of experts. From the US to Pakistan, you can find your virtual assistant in any country you want. You add diversity to your team to gain a different perspective on your work, which positively influences your bottom line.
- In case of any replacement, you will not lose as much as you do with a full-time employee. Your losses are restrained in terms of productivity only. You do not lose the cost spent on training, benefits, office space, and more.
Drawbacks:
- Your working hours depend on the channel you are using to track it. It can sometimes provide you with inaccurate data. You need a reliable partner as some VAs can pull off malpractices to tamper with work time.
- You might also face some communication issues with a VA. For instance, there are some tasks that need urgent attention, but your VA’s working hours do not match them, which can cause a big problem.
- Your remote worker can also experience some tech problems which are entirely out of your hands.
Pros and Cons of In-House Employee
We have seen the advantages a VA brings to the table. It is time we weigh the benefits of an in-house employee.
Perks:
- Interacting with your workforce in person provides a better way to analyze their performance and develop better relationships.
- You can reap the benefits of an employee-manager relationship better when communication is made seamless through the in-person meeting. You can boost your team’s productivity and upgrade your workflow over time with their input.
- You also can assess the room for improvement when they are present in front of your eyes. You can track everything better and train them to become an entrenched part of your business.
- The internal team ensures an excellent communication path and can clear errors comprehensively and timely.
Drawbacks:
- Having a full-time staff costs a lot. You do not only have to pay them a salary but take care of the office costs along with employee benefits.
- There is a huge cost associated with training your team to expand their skill set. Not only are you spending on training, but it also eats the work time during which they would be learning new stuff.
- In-house employees are often present to complete a dedicated task or work only for a certain period of the day.
- Your internal team is not flexible to changes and can mess stuff up in case of sudden or last-minute requirements. This is because they are already following a schedule, and moving away from that will create problems in both departments.
- Whether there is work or none at your end, you need to pay full salary to your employee. The workload does not care about the wage and could be a negative point when there is a long break.
- You also need to pay employees overtime which is not the case with virtual teams.
- In case of replacement, you are not only facing a loss of productivity but also spending on job ads, time-consuming interviews, and other responsibilities.
Virtual Assistant – The Need of Today’s Market
Having the right workforce is crucial for your company. You will not grow until you have the best people on your team. However, completing your team with the right talent requires time, patience, and cost. Digitech Outsourcing Solution (DOS) is the partner you want to succeed in the current age. Among all the virtual assistant companies, we provide your VAs who are proficient in multiple languages. Our VAs make sure to compete with your competitors by running your business 24/7. In addition, you can also use our free trial version to learn our services better. So what do you want more? Contact us to personalize your service package and streamline your business operations.
