Simplistically speaking, a virtual assistant helps you save time by taking over the tasks that you don't have time, staff, or inclination to do yourself. They save you money because instead of hiring someone part or full time and paying all of the costs that go into having staff on site, you are only paying for each hour worked.

Time is Money

When an office worker works the hours you designate and works in your office, then they are an employee. On-site staff is paid for the block of time that they're in your office, whether or not they are actually productive the entire time. Sometimes you pay for their lunch time or staff meeting attendance. You always pay for their idle time. In addition, there are health benefits, vacations, sick pay, supplies, office space, and the inevitable taxes: workman's comp, income tax, and social security. At the end of a year's time, that can be a whopping amount of money.

If you are able to get someone to work in your office for $10 an hour, and you only want them to be there four hours a day, you are still going to pay for the space, office supplies, and taxes. You usually get what you pay for. Chances are your office help will not be overflowing with motivation, creativity, and the desire to help you succeed. That office worker's primary motivation is making a paycheck.

Virtual assistance is entirely different.

A virtual assistant is a business owner and a contracted worker. Some, but not all, virtual assistants work evenings and weekends. If you have on-site staff, you usually pay overtime for that, and you also have to find someone who will do it; if a virtual assistant works those hours, then she does it at her regular rate, because she charges the same rate for every hour worked, regardless of when that is.

Office assistance wages vary, but in some places you can hire someone for as little as $10 an hour, while a virtual assistant charges anywhere from $25 an hour to $50, depending on a variety of factors. She is worth it, considering that one of the primary differences between office worker and virtual assistant is expertise.

Experience Matters

A virtual assistant specializes. Most of them have a field of expertise in a chosen industry. For instance, some work only with the legal system, some only with education, and some with corporations. They are not only highly skilled in their specialty fields, but they are also adept at using technology to connect and communicate. Virtual assistants are technology experts. They don't need to be in your hometown - or even in your state - to get the job done. They know how to transfer, share, and remotely access files. They can be involved in a meeting, presentation, or class that is being held in cyber space. A virtual assistant can collaborate with you via VOIP, text messaging, or using a Blackberry.

How does a virtual assistant save you money? Can you imagine how much it would cost to hire a full-time, on-site assistant who could do all that and still have your success as their primary goal? You don't train a virtual assistant, other than in learning your systems occasionally. They already know your industry and how to combine that with the vast world of technology. The virtual assistant pays his/her own taxes, health benefits and office overhead.

The Bottom Line

An on-site office worker is the ideal choice if you're looking for someone to work for you - someone who will answer the phone when it rings, greet people as they come in, and take care of repetitious office tasks. If you want someone to do the books, you also hire a bookkeeper; someone to create flowcharts, schedule meetings, and take care of office correspondence, then you add an administrative assistant. You will have a full staff, which require a full pocket.

On the other hand, you can work with a virtual assistant and have someone who will not only work with you, but who is specialized in your industry. You won't train them, because they will already know how to work with you. Virtual assistants have a variety of honed skills that fit your needs. They have the abilities and the knowledge to work with you from across the state or across the country. The bonus in working with a virtual assistant is the degree of professionalism and technical know-how that you won't get with a traditional, on-site office worker.