Last Updated on March 25, 2025
In today’s evolving business world, virtual assistants are the secret weapons of many businesses. Virtual assistants are unlike your full-time employees, who work on many tasks at once. They’re like experts you can bring in, no matter where you are.
From taking care of administrative tasks to dealing with specialized projects, virtual assistants can be your game-changers. What’s even better is that they can give your return on investment (ROI) a real boost.
They free up your time, let you scale up without the usual costs, and improve that work-life balance we’re all after. So, let’s look at virtual assistants, what they do, and how they can seriously boost your ROI.
What are virtual assistants, and how do they work?
Virtual assistants, often called VAs, are the hidden heroes of the remote work world. They are professionals who work from wherever they are, using their skills to help businesses and busy founders like you with many tasks that you don’t like or often hesitate to work on. However, businesses may face remote work challenges, such as communication gaps or time zone differences, when integrating VAs into their workflow. Overcoming these obstacles ensures a smoother collaboration and maximizes productivity.
Think of them as all-around problem solvers who can make your work life a breeze. VAs usually work on a freelance or contract basis. You can hire them for a particular project or have them on your team longer.
Another good thing about VAs is that they don’t need office space or additional equipment, as they come equipped and ready to roll. It’s like having a super-skilled teammate who’s always just a message or call away. Whether you need help with business bookkeeping, content creation, or customer support, they have your back.
What do virtual assistants do?
Virtual assistants are like personal assistant who takes care of everything you need—even the tasks you don’t want to do.
VAs can manage your emails, schedule appointments, handle data entry, or even help you manage your remote team payroll and perform tasks on your HR software. They help you become more productive by helping you with tasks, so you have more time to focus on other crucial parts of your business.
VAs can become your social media marketers by creating and scheduling posts, engaging with your audience, executing your event marketing tactics, and analyzing performance metrics. You can guide virtual assistants through the research process, and they can gather valuable data, market insights, and competitor information while you take the time to review the materials.
Most virtual assistants often have writing skills, which you can use to create content for your social media accounts. Whether you need blogs, social media updates, help in digital marketing, or email newsletters, virtual assistants with content writing skills can help create engaging content that resonates with your audience.
How do virtual assistants deliver ROI?
Although virtual assistants do not directly contribute to your business as your employees do, they still hold a position that can improve your ROI. To maximize ROI, businesses can streamline tasks like expense reimbursement, inbox management, calendar scheduling, customer service support, and even social media management by delegating them to virtual assistants, ensuring accurate and timely processing without draining internal resources.
- Improved productivity
By taking over time-consuming tasks, virtual assistants free you and your team to focus on core activities. It improves your team’s productivity and efficiency, directly impacting your bottom line.
Getting more work done becomes possible when your productivity levels are higher, you can be more productive with hacks like time boxing techniques, and you can boost productivity even more by setting specific time limits for tasks, helping you make the most out of your work hours.
- Scalability
VAs have various skills and can easily adapt to your business’s changing needs. Whether you scale up or down, you can adjust the number of VAs you work with to match your current requirements, avoiding the costs and risks of hiring full-time employees.
- Cost savings
Virtual assistants are often more cost-effective than in-house employees. You don’t have to worry about providing office space, equipment, or benefits. You pay only for the work done, reducing overhead expenses. In this case, your investment will be lower while your returns will be higher.
Holger Sindbaek, the owner of WOCG, shares “As a solopreneur, the pivotal moment came when I realized the profound cost-saving potential of virtual assistants. As a bootstrap business, every dollar saved was a dollar earned towards our growth. By integrating virtual assistants into our business operation, we tackled various tasks from customer service to administrative duties at a fraction of the cost of full-time employees. This strategic move trimmed our operational expenses significantly and amplified our efficiency. The ROI was clear and immediate — reduced overhead costs and an increased ability to reinvest savings into critical areas of our business. VAs didn’t just help us save; they became a catalyst for sustainable growth in a highly competitive market.”
- Improved work-life balance
As your VAs handle tasks such as replying to emails, taking care of your team’s payroll, or answering customer queries that used to consume a lot of your time, you can reduce stress and focus on more strategic decisions such as minimizing business expenses, finding ways to reduce health insurance costs, or planning long-term business goals. When those time-consuming tasks are taken care of by someone else, your mental well-being will improve, as well as your work-life balance.
- Access to expertise
Virtual assistants often have specialized skills you might not know as a business owner. When you hire them with expertise in specific areas, you can tap into their knowledge and experience without investing in training or hiring specialists. For example, some virtual assistant websites have specialized services that categorize assistants according to their field of expertise, so you can choose the one that suits your needs best.
- Faster turnaround
Virtual assistants are unlike full-time employees. They offer flexibility and specialized skills, making remote assistants an efficient solution for businesses looking to streamline tasks without the commitment of full-time hires. The sooner they get work done with you, the more other clients they can work with. With a team of VAs, you can speed up project delivery. It leads to quicker time-to-market and captures market opportunities before your competitors.
How to hire & manage a great virtual assistant
Finding, hiring, and managing are three crucial elements when hiring anyone, and are especially important for virtual assistants. Here are some strategies for you to hire a perfect VA and increase your ROI:
Finding long-term and trustworthy virtual assistants online
Before getting into the details of hiring and managing VAs, you must build trust with your remote team working either at home or in a virtual office. Here’s how to find reliable VAs online:
- Reputable freelance platforms
Websites like Upwork, Freelancer, and Fiverr are the best for finding virtual assistants. As these platforms have ratings and reviews, you can easily choose someone that aligns with your needs the best.
For a hassle-free experience, consider using EOR for freelancers to handle compliance and payments seamlessly. Expanding your team internationally can come with legal and logistical challenges. Understanding concepts like a Global Employer of Record (EOR) can help streamline the process, ensuring compliance with local employment laws and simplifying cross-border hiring.
- Specialized virtual assistant agencies
Similar to content and marketing agencies, some agencies specialize in providing virtual assistant services. You can visit their social media accounts or websites to find a way to contact them and choose the best one. VAs from agencies like these can be expensive though.
- Referrals
Ask people within your network to refer some VAs to you from their network. A referral from someone trustworthy or a virtual assistant company can be a reliable way to find a great virtual assistant. Additionally, people on referrals work better than someone from job boards.
Finding the right VA
- Clearly define your needs
Make a detailed list of tasks you want your VA to handle. Do it even before hunting for VAs. It will help you find the right person and an expert with the specific skill sets you require.
- Check experience
Sometimes, it isn’t about what people say but what their past work holds. So, review the virtual assistant’s portfolio, credentials, and work history. Look for relevant experience in your industry or with tasks similar to what you need.
- Take interviews
Once you know the applicant’s capabilities, interview them and try to assess their skills. You can analyze their communication skills and understand if they are a good fit for your team.
Hiring your VA
- Set clear expectations
You must provide a clear job description—including responsibilities, deadlines, and performance expectations—to the person before hiring. Even a simple hidden line can sometimes lead to searching for a new VA after a month or so.
When hiring virtual assistants, ensure that you have a clear contractor agreement in place and guide them on administrative tasks like how to fill out a W9 to streamline onboarding and compliance processes.
- Trial period
Not everything that glitters is gold. Similarly, people who managed to ace the sample and interview rounds might lose efficiency after getting into the job. So, consider starting with a trial period to check if the VA can deliver on your requirements and work effectively within your team.
- Establish communication protocols
Communication is another essential factor to care about. Poor and weak communication can lead both parties nowhere. Clearly define how you will communicate with your VA. Is it through email, a meeting, or a simple WhatsApp message? Team communication tools could also enhance how team members communicate and work together.
Managing and utilizing your VA
- Regular check-ins
Talk to your VA regularly to discuss progress, address questions, and provide feedback. Doing so can hold them accountable for the work. Effective HR communication plays a vital role in managing virtual assistants, ensuring clear expectations, seamless collaboration, and compliance with essential administrative requirements. In addition, integrating payroll software can streamline compensation processes, ensuring timely and accurate payments while maintaining transparency in your virtual assistant’s work schedule and hours.
- Use project management tools
Keeping track of work is another crucial part of successful management. With agile project management tools like Slack, Asana, or Trello, you can keep track of tasks and monitor progress.
- Provide training and resources
Today’s industry is evolving, and VAs should move along. So, take time to train your VA and provide them with free resources or tools to ensure they can perform their tasks effectively. Utilizing mentoring platforms can also help with skills development and growth.
You can incorporate an AI assistant into your virtual assistant’s workflow, which can significantly enhance efficiency by helping them handle repetitive, time-consuming tasks—like data entry or basic customer queries—freeing your human team to focus on more strategic and creative work. You can also integrate it with your existing tools (CRM, email, project management apps), to seamlessly update data and maintain records, reducing errors and ensuring consistency.
- Delegate responsibility
Ask your VA to take ownership of their tasks and trust them. Only give feedback once they complete the whole assignment. Micromanaging can restrict their ability to work efficiently.
How to measure the ROI of virtual assistants
Although VAs work is a tiny portion of your business, they work on the most crucial parts. To calculate the return on investment of your virtual assistant, consider the following metrics:
- Cost savings
The money paid to a VA depends on the amount of work they do or the number of hours they work. But for full-time employees, you must pay a fixed number every month. Calculate the difference between hiring a full-time employee and working with a VA. Include salary mentioned in the real paystub, benefits, and overhead expenses.
- Time saved
Responding to emails, answering every customer call, or arranging and editing documents takes more time to complete. Measure the time you and your team save by outsourcing tasks to a VA. Calculate the value of this time based on your hourly rate using a salary wage calculator.
Also, based on the hourly rates, you can convert hourly to salary rates to pay VAs according to their duties. This helps you understand the financial impact of delegating tasks.
- Increased revenue
Your virtual assistant can be your content writer or social media marketer. Track the impact of your VA’s work on your business’s revenue. It might include increased sales, improved customer retention, or faster project delivery.
- Task completion
Tasks like tracking expenses or bookkeeping are essential, and updating such records more often is necessary. Measure how quickly VAs complete tasks compared to doing them in-house.
- Quality of work
Quality is as important as getting things done faster. Evaluate the quality of work delivered by your VA. Getting new customers and retaining the previous ones becomes much easier when you do quality work. Remember, quality is much better than quantity.
- Scalability
Evaluate how well your VA adapts to changes in your business. A VA’s ability to scale with your needs can lead to revenue growth and cost savings.
Virtual assistants FAQs
- What is the market rate for virtual assistants?
The market rate for virtual assistants can vary widely depending on factors such as skills, location, and experience. On average, you can expect to pay between $15 and $30 per hour.
More specialized VAs may charge higher rates, while those in lower-cost-of-living areas may charge less. However, VAs from agencies can also be quite expensive, irrespective of the location they’re from.
- Where can you find virtual assistants?
Virtual assistants are everywhere—from Facebook groups to Instagram to LinkedIn. Job board platforms like Upwork and Fiverr also work better for finding inexpensive VAs.
Amongst all, referrals tend to perform better. The struggle lies not in finding the VA but in choosing the best one.
- How many hours does a virtual assistant work in a day?
The number of hours a virtual assistant works in a day depends on your agreement and their availability. They can work full-time or part-time. Some even work for multiple clients for a few hours.
Conclusion
In today’s business environment, virtual assistants are like superheroes in improving productivity, efficiency, and—most importantly—your bottom line. These skilled people can take those time-consuming tasks off your shoulders, simplify your operations, and help you save money.
You can unlock your VA’s full potential for your business when you hire, manage, and measure their performance effectively and regularly. Omniscient Digital can be your growth partner if your goal is to improve ROI through content and search engine optimization.
With a proven track record of driving attractive results for many businesses through SEO and content marketing, we can help you take your ROI to the next level. Your success is our mission.
Author’s Bio:
Mona is a content marketing specialist with over 4 years of experience who is currently working with SaaSit.in in creating engaging and effective content for various SaaS companies. She likes researching topics related to B2B and SaaS.
