Personal Assistant VS Virtual Assistant: Things You Must Know Before Hiring In 2024
Entrepreneurs are busy people who work hard to make their business venture succeed. But unfortunately, many entrepreneurs spend time doing unproductive work. Read more.
Entrepreneurs are busy people who work hard to make their business venture succeed. But unfortunately, many entrepreneurs spend time doing unproductive work. They don't get time for their core work when they are stuck with routine work like handling phone calls, messages, emails, and documentation. Virtual Assistant can help make their life easy and make them more productive.
A personal assistant can manage the routine tasks of the entrepreneur, allowing them to focus on growing the business. The personal assistant reduces the workload of an entrepreneur by taking care of all their routine tasks. On the contrary, a virtual assistant can also help entrepreneurs work effectively. The blog explains the differences between personal assistant vs. virtual assistant differences and tells you how to decide whom to choose.
What does a personal assistant do?
The dictionary meaning of personal assistant is a person doing office and administrative work for someone. Also referred to as a PA, the personal assistant is assigned to help an entrepreneur or an executive work efficiently. They offer support by managing all routine tasks and other tasks assigned to them. The duties of a personal assistant include:
- Being the first point of contact for internal and external parties, whether through phone, messages, or email.
- Handling the calendar to fix appointments and meetings.
- Preparing minutes of meetings.
- Preparing letters and other documents based on the dictation or guidelines given.
- Maintain a filing system for both physical files and digital files.
- Making photocopies of documents and taking backups of digital data.
- Making all travel arrangements, including booking tickets and accommodation.
- Collecting information and doing research.
- Helping the manager/executive in completing routine tasks.
What does a virtual assistant do?
A virtual assistant is someone who offers assistance services to managers and entrepreneurs. As the name suggests, they do their work virtually (online). They do not work in an office but from a remote location. They do all the work assigned remotely with continuous contact through phone and digital communication tools. The duties of a virtual assistant include the following:
- Offer administrative support to a particular person or group of persons virtually.
- Handle phone calls and messages.
- Manage the email inbox, including sending emails and replying.
- Manage the calendar by scheduling appointments, meetings, and events.
- Maintain records online.
- Prepare letters, documents, and presentations by collecting information or as per guidelines given.
- Offer customer services to clients over the phone or through email.
- Make all travel arrangements whenever someone has to travel.
- Carry out research and provide information.
How are Virtual Assistants similar to Personal Assistants?
Both virtual assistants and personal assistants do the same work. For example, they offer administrative support to executives, teams, or an entrepreneur. The main difference is that a personal assistant works at the office while a virtual assistant works remotely and uses technology to communicate. In addition, both use technology in different ways to make their work easy.
Both offer support by handling routine tasks, including documentation. They manage the calendar of the person(s) they work with. Their work includes fixing appointments, scheduling meetings, confirming participation in events, and updating the daily schedule. Handling communication is another critical activity that includes managing phone calls, messages, and emails.
Virtual personal assistant do documentation work; it includes taking dictation and preparing letters or other documents. They also collect information from other departments or external sources to prepare reports. Doing research is another function they perform. They can even review reports and prepare a summary of the report. Whenever the executive or manager travels, they make all the travel arrangements and can even accompany them if required.
The ups and downs of hiring a personal assistant
It is important to know both pros and cons to understand the differences between personal assistant vs virtual assistant. First, look at the pros or benefits of hiring a personal assistant.
Face-to-face relationship
A PA is available in your office at all times. You can talk to the PA face to face, and it helps build a strong working relationship. It is always easy to work with someone physically present in your office.
Accompanies on travel
If required, you can take your PA with you for meetings and other work. Again, it would help you work more efficiently.
Good understanding
Since the PA works with you every day, they understand you well. As a result, they can anticipate your needs and work accordingly.
Dedicated resource
They are a dedicated resource who works 100% for your company and your needs.
The cons of working with a PA are:
Expensive
The costs incurred on a PA are substantial. It includes salary, allowances, and expenses for providing facilities.
Finding the best person is tough
It is not easy to find a PA who perfectly meets your needs. You may have to hire a well-experienced PA who would be expensive.
You need a physical premise
Apart from a physical office for the PA, you must have a physical premise. If you work remotely, working with a personal assistant is not possible.
The ups and downs of hiring a virtual assistant
The pros of hiring a virtual assistant are:
Saves costs
The money you pay for a virtual assistant is much lesser than the salary paid to a PA.
You can use their services only when required.
Flexible
The VA is flexible and can work at any time since the work is done remotely. Therefore, you need not use the virtual assistant services without work.
No physical premises needed
If you work remotely, then a virtual assistant is the perfect solution for your needs. You can save on office space since the virtual assistant works from their location.
The cons of hiring a virtual assistant are:
Not available face to face
Interaction with the VA is through video calls and other modes. There is no face-to-face interaction, and you cannot develop a strong working relationship. Also, the virtual assistant cannot physically accompany you on travel.
Not 100% dedicated
A VA may work for different executives from different executives and is not a dedicated resource for you.
Cost Differences: Personal Assistant VS Virtual Assistant
When we look at the virtual assistant vs personal support: the best support for business owners issue, we find a significant cost difference. Whether you hire a personal assistant, you will incur costs. Let's look at how these costs vary.
A personal assistant is a part of your payroll and gets a monthly salary with other benefits and perks. You have to provide office space for the PA to work. It should be near the office of the person(s) with whom they work. The PA would need a computer/laptop, mobile, printer, and other devices. All these cost much money.
In today's competitive times, every company tries to reduce expenses. Unfortunately, increasing your revenue is not so easy, so the easier option is to cut expenses. You can do that by hiring a VA. You only need to pay a fee to use the virtual assistant's services. The fee depends on the charges of the virtual assistant.
The charges vary depending on the person selected. However, it would be much less than a personal assistant's salary. Also, there is no requirement for office space, equipment, or facilities. Therefore, the savings are substantial, and working with a virtual assistant is cost-effective.
Which one should you go for: Virtual Assistant vs Personal Assistant review?
Personal assistant vs virtual assistant - most executives are confused about which to choose. When you look at virtual assistant vs personal assistant, the best support for business owners' issues, both offer the same kind of support. The main difference is flexibility. A personal assistant is employed full-time and has to be given a monthly salary along with facilities at the office.
Let's assume you do not have much work for the personal assistant; you still need to pay the salary. If you want to reduce expenses and flexibility is essential, then the virtual assistant vs personal assistant review reveals that working with a virtual assistant is better.
You can hire a virtual assistant and use their services when needed. It ensures flexibility, and you will pay only for the services you use. You don't need to include the virtual assistant on your payroll, and you don't need to provide them with office facilities. Cost-effectiveness is the key benefit of working with virtual assistants. Keeping this in mind, hiring a virtual assistant is the best option.
Wishup can help you find the ideal Virtual Personal Assistant
Wishup is a well-known company that helps you hire the best virtual assistants. They can help you build a remote team thanks to the professionals they have on their platform. So if you want the best virtual personal assistant, you will find them on Wishup.
Top Talent
You will want the best people for your company. Unfortunately, finding the best PA is difficult, but finding the best virtual assistant is easy. It is because Wishup only hires the top 1% of applicants to ensure you get access to the best talent.
Cost-Efficient Virtual Staffing
Wishup's virtual assistants work on a per-hour basis. You can use their services as and when needed. It gives you the flexibility you need while saving much money.
Easy 3-Step Hiring
Hiring a virtual assistant from Wishup is easy. It involves just three simple steps:
- Schedule free consultation and let Wishup know your requirements.
- Wishup will choose the best virtual assistant for you based on your needs.
- Onboard the virtual assistant to work for you within 24 hours of onboarding.
Free 7-Day Trial
You can hire a VA from Wishup for seven days on a trial basis. The trial is free and helps you evaluate how good the person is. If you are happy, go ahead with them. If not, you can request a full refund for your trial period.
Replacement within seconds
If, for any reason, you are not happy with the assigned virtual assistant, you can get them replaced. Wishup offers an instant replacement within seconds.
Dedicated Success Management
Wishup trains all virtual assistants on different tools and skills. They are experienced in their field and assure you of quality work. They are dedicated to your success and will provide the best services per your needs.
Conclusion
When we look at the personal assistant vs virtual assistant issue, we find that both do the same work. A difference is that the personal assistant works at the office while the virtual assistant works remotely. Hiring a personal assistant is expensive, while virtual assistants are cost-effective. If you want flexibility, working with a virtual assistant is a better idea.
Wishup is a leading provider of virtual assistance services. Hiring a virtual assistant through them ensures you get the best person for the job. You can schedule a free consultation with them for more details on hiring virtual assistants. You can also send your requirements by email to [email protected].
FAQs
What is a PA in virtual assistant?
A PA is an abbreviation used for a personal assistant. A virtual assistant can be a personal assistant to an entrepreneur, executive, or senior manager. The virtual assistant would help them by offering administrative support for their work.
What is the role of a personal assistant?
An online personal assistant is assigned to one or more people to help them work effectively. The PA handles routine work like managing the calendar, communication, documentation, filing, making travel arrangements, and any other work assigned. The PA is considered a right hand of an executive.
What are 4 examples of virtual assistant?
Virtual assistants offer support services remotely. They work in various areas, and four examples of virtual assistants are:
- Virtual personal assistant.
- Administrative executive assistant.
- Virtual bookkeeping assistant.
- Virtual travel assistant.