What are the Costs of Using a Virtual Assistant?
What Are The Costs of Using a Virtual Assistant?
The costs of a VA are hard to summarize: some charging by the hour where others charge per service. It is therefore important that you use the quoted figures below as guidance only.
For those that charge by the hour, you can expect to pay between £10 – 30 per hour depending on the services required: word processing and general admin at the lower end of the scale, accounting and event management at the other.
For services that are charged individually, the prices will vary depending on the service. Below are three typical examples:
- Word Processing: Expect to pay £4 – 10 per, say, 1000 words
- E-mail Responses: Expect to pay 5p – 10p per response
- Forwarded Mailing Address: Expect to pay £20 – 40 per month
Any additional costs will be charged separately such as:
- Telephone calls/Internet Usage
- Stationary (paper, envelopes, printing cartridges, floppy discs, etc)
Many of the prices quoted are usually negotiable but it is common that a VA will offer a generous discount for bulk purchasing of their time/services.
Where to Find a Virtual Assistant
Most VA’s have their own web sites detailing their services so it is easier to find a VA through an on-line search engine such as Google or on-line directory such as Yahoo! However, VA’s can be found in telephone directories and business magazines/newspapers. Below are a few links to Virtual Assistant Services:
Summary
The term ‘virtual assistant’ may be new to some people: maybe that is why you are reading this article now – out of curiosity. Businesses use virtual assistants for many reasons ranging from word processing, to telephone answering, to budgeting, to mail management. They act just as a normal administrative assistant would, except that they work from their own office using communications such as phone, fax, mail and e-mail to send/receive information to/from you. The added advantage of using a virtual assistant is that they offer flexible terms i.e. you only pay for the time they are needed or for the service you require. Small businesses in particular can benefit from a virtual assistant due to the small number of employees to delegate tasks to, particularly if you are a sole-trader. With a wide choice of virtual assistants available, many of them self-employed, finding one for you should not be a problem.
Relevant Articles
- Serviced Offices
- The Art of Delegation
- Broadband ADSL ISDN Internet Connections (for effective communication with a VA)
Article Index
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- Using a Virtual Assistant
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- Costs of Using a Virtual Assistant
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