Virtual Assistant vs. In-House Assistant: What Best Supports Your Business?

There’s no escaping it in the fast-paced world we live in today. Work efficiency and productivity are your weapons as you establish a small business, startup, or company that has been around for longer. It can sometimes take an ideal support person to jail-bird the whole administrative process, i.e., IT-based or customer service. Over the years, businesses have coped with hiring in-house assistants to do these kinds of jobs. However, an offshore virtual assistant is a great alternative due to technological advances and the increase in remote workers.

Which option is perfect for your business? Is hiring an all-time in-house assistant necessary, or perhaps VA support for business would be more beneficial? Let’s look at their pros and cons and help you make a better choice.

What Is A Virtual Assistant?

A virtual assistant (VA) is an off-site employee who provides administrative, creative, or technical support services to your business from anywhere an employee can live. VAs handle most administrative tasks, such as email sorting, appointment scheduling, customer service, bookkeeping, social media management, etc. Some VAs work full-time, while others work part-time or are called to perform one-time-only projects.

Rather, for many entrepreneurs, the biggest point to hiring a virtual assistant agency is the access they get to talented people without the hassle of recruitment and training beforehand. In addition, they are found cheap, the experience level is high, and most have a great command of English; hence, an offshore virtual assistant that one gets from countries like the Philippines and India is highly sought after.

What Is The Need For An In-House Assistant?

An in-house assistant is a person who works on-site at your business premises. The person processes business tasks typically handled by a virtual assistant but is physically available; therefore, convenience is laid for face-to-face communication, office management, and hands-on duties.

Comparing Virtual Assistants and In-House Assistants

1. Cost Efficiency

Cost efficiency is one of the main reasons to hire a person as a virtual assistant. 

• Virtual Assistant: Companies spend less on hiring VAs because they work away from the company. Thus, business costs like office space, equipment, utilities, and employee benefits are not incurred. Also, as most offshore virtual assistants charge low rates, hiring their services becomes quite budget-friendly for small businesses. 
• In-House Assistant: For an in-house assistant, full salary payment, benefits, superannuation, and other employee-related expenses come into play. For startups and small businesses, this is a significant financial commitment. 

Virtual Assistants are the cheaper option, especially for offshore VA agencies. 

2. Flexibility and Availability

• Virtual Assistants: VAs offer fantastic flexibility to businesses. VAs can be hired part-time or full-time for specific projects depending on the business’s needs. Some VAs operate after business hours to assist in time zones. 
• In-House Assistants: Usually, they follow a rigid 9-to-5 schedule, which may not always suit your business’s needs. If a task needs urgent attention after hours or on the weekend, the in-house assistant may not be available. 

Virtual Assistant is more flexible and available 24/7.

3. Skill Set and Expertise

• Virtual Assistant: Working through a virtual assistant agency provides access to professionals who may possess diverse special skills in digital marketing, customer service, graphic design, bookkeeping, and so on. You can hire different VAs for different tasks without the hassle of training. 
• In-House Assistant: An in-house assistant may have general skills focused only on administrative support. Their skills may have to be expanded through training and development programs. 

Virtual Assistant has access to more diverse skills and expertise.

4. Communication and Collaboration

• Virtual Assistant: Communication is mostly done through emails, messaging apps, video calls, or project management tools. Technology makes remote collaboration easy, but the lack of immediacy of a face-to-face meeting might dampen its enthusiasm. 
• In-House Assistant: Communication is more spontaneous when a physical presence is in the office. They can help with hands-on tasks that require immediate attention, such as organising the office, running errands, or dealing with on-site clients. 

In-house assistants are better for partnerships requiring direct contact, collaboration, and instantaneous responses.

5. Security and confidentiality

• Virtual Assistant: Because VAs work remotely, businesses must enforce strict security measures to protect sensitive data. Secure communication, NDAs, and limited access to confidential information can help minimise risk.
• In-House Assistant: An in-house assistant can further monitor data security and confidentiality since sensitive data can only be accessed within the office environment.

In-house Assistant has more control over data security.

6. Scalability and Business Growth

• Virtual Assistant: The VA setup permits an organisation to scale up or down as needed. The increased workload can easily accommodate more VAs without worrying about the space to house them. 
• In-House Assistant: Scaling up with in-house staff requires hiring new employees, allocating office space for the new hire, and increasing overheads, which makes it complex. 

Virtual Assistant is easier to scale as your business grows.

What Should You Choose To Support Your Business?

Choose this Virtual Assistant if:

• The cost is reduced because you are protected from the overhead of paying salaries.
• Flexibility in working hours and availability is essential.
• The job needs different specialisations to do diverse tasks.
• You conduct a remote or online business.
• You should ramp up your business without full-time employment.

Pick an In-House Assistant when:

• On-site activities require physical presence.
• Your business demands face-to-face collaboration.
• You use the very secretive and sensitive data that stay in-house. 
• You want a more controlled environment. 

Final Thoughts

Both virtual and in-house assistants can be hired. Each has special benefits so the choice will depend on the business’s requirements. Hiring virtual assistants or using virtual assistant agencies would be ideal if a business is looking for cost-saving, flexible, and scalable solutions. On the other hand, in-house assistance might be the right choice if hands-on support and face-to-face interaction are crucial for the business. 

It is probably realised by many businesses that a hybrid approach, in-house staff for core operations combined with VA support for relatively smaller businesses to perform remote administrative and technical tasks, is equally successful. Hire a virtual assistant at Kredence to progress productivity in the right direction and ensure the business’s success.