A virtual assistant company is simply a firm that provides outsourcing services.
Many are located internationally (India and the Philippines are popular spots), but you’ll find a growing number of virtual assistant companies in the US and Europe.
Why’s that?
Well, the demand for qualified remote workers just continues to increase! Over the next 10 years, hiring managers expect nearly 40% of their workforce to be working remotely.
As more companies get on board with the idea of a virtual team, that means the virtual assistant industry is booming — and that’s great news for you.
Advantages of Working With a Virtual Assistant Company
There are several advantages of hiring through an established VA company vs. making a direct hire, and especially over making a local hire.
Recruiting
First, the company does the bulk of the recruiting and screening legwork for you, which can be a huge time saver.
As the demand for remote work has increased, so has the supply. And I get that. I mean, I’ve been working from home for over 10 years — it’s awesome.
But what that means for virtual assistant companies is that they can afford to be extremely picky with who they bring on board. In fact, on my VA company sites, you’ll find material on their hiring process and how they only accept the top 1-3% of candidates.
If you’ve ever tried to make a traditional job posting and screen candidates, you know that recruiting is incredibly time-consuming.
Backups and Replacements
Next, if and when your VA leaves, gets sick, or gets promoted, you’re not scrambling to replace them.
You’ll still have to train your new worker, but at least you won’t have to go out and source them completely on your own.
A Team of Assistants Under One Virtual Roof
And finally, many virtual assistant companies offer a cool hybrid model where you have a dedicated assistant for most of your tasks, but have access to the company’s broader talent pool for more specialized requests.
This allows you to amplify your productivity and keep all the communication and delegation under one roof.
Simple Accounting
Hiring through a VA company can also make for a simpler relationship come tax time too.
The fees you pay to the firm are a quick line-item deductible expense and you don’t have to stress about whether a freelance contractor you hired is technically an employee in the eyes of the IRS.
Here’s a quick profile of some of the top-rated companies. You can check them out or browse the full directory below.
| Online VA Team | Time Etc | Remote CoWorker | Tasks Expert | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Established | 2014 | 2007 | 2013 | 2017 |
| Location | USA and The Philippines | USA and UK | USA | US and India |
| Customer Rating | ||||
| Hourly Rate | $7+ | $27-29 | $5.99-8.00 | $4.50 |
| Minimum Package | $250 for 20 hours | $390 for 10 hours | $139 for 20 hours | $169 for 20 hours |
| Dedicated Assistant | ||||
| Team Access | ||||
| Rollover Hours | *Per policy | |||
| Free Trial | ||||
| Learn More | Learn More | Learn More | Learn More |
Drawbacks to Virtual Assistant Companies
The biggest disadvantage I see to working with virtual assistant companies is you’re paying a premium for:
- Their recruiting and training
- Their company overhead and infrastructure
- A management layer
In each case, those might not be a huge benefit for you. You could potentially go out and find a better skills and cultural fit by hiring directly.
The training an assistant receives through a company will probably be helpful — but it might not be directly applicable to your business.
If your VA is working from a dedicated call-center type of office, the rent, electricity, equipment, and Internet are all baked into your price.
And finally, virtual assistant companies have a management layer you’re also paying for — but unless something goes wrong — you might not need.
How Much do Virtual Assistant Companies Cost?
You’ll find virtual assistant companies with task-based plans starting around $30 a month. For that price, you’ll be able to delegate a handful of small requests.
Dedicated services begin in the $100-300 a month range for part-time support.
Overseas, you can hire a full-time VA through a virtual assistant company for $800-1500 a month. For assistants in the US or Western Europe, you can easily spend double or triple that.
My Experience with Virtual Assistant Companies
I’ve worked with several virtual assistant companies over the last decade, starting with my first dedicated assistant from Pakistan.
These companies, and increasingly specialized virtual agencies, are an important part of my virtual assistant “stack.”
(A specialist agency is a company that does just ONE thing, like graphic design, podcast editing, or bookkeeping.)
What I see as the biggest benefits are the team access and the VA replacement.
Over the last few years, there have been quite a few instances of my assistant getting promoted or taking a new job. And instead of me being stranded and stuck without support, a new qualified VA took their place seamlessly. In one case, I didn’t even know the change had happened for a couple weeks!
And similarly, when a company has lots of different skills under one roof, it’s been really helpful to send over a random request and have that taken care of.
For example, maybe your regular assistant does social media and content marketing for you — but you occasionally need some technical website stuff done. It’s a big time saver to just have one company able to handle it.
Which Virtual Assistant Company is Right For You?
What you should look for in a VA company, aside from positive customer reviews, is:
- professionalism (can you picture this person or company working for you?)
- response time (did they reply promptly to your inquiry?)
- price (will the work justify the expense?)
Related: 13 Questions to Ask a Virtual Assistant Company
Check out the top-rated VA companies below, see what other customers have to say, and narrow down your options.
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Black Virtual Assistants is a US-based virtual assistant company specializing in providing virtual assistants to small and medium-sized businesses. The company is headquartered in Texas, and their assistants work remotely all over the U.S. About Black Virtual Assistants (BVA) The […]
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DocVA is one of the prominent virtual medical staffing services. They focus on providing top-notch Virtual Medical Assistants (VAs) to healthcare practitioners in the United States of America such as dentists, vets, and medical doctors. In essence, their target is […]
Looking for professional multilingual BPO services to reshape the way you run your business? OWorkers have over 10 years experience in offering unique solutions that improve interaction with clients and simplify processes. Their committed staff is available to assist you […]
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Physician Focused is a US-based virtual assistant company that was started by a group of busy physicians. The service aims to help other physicians free up some time by having a VA available to send requests too. The company was […]
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UPDATE: As of mid-2020, it appears Exicon is offline. Please see below for alternatives. Exicon Assistant is a virtual assistant company based in Mumbai, India. They provide virtual assistant services to businesses of all sizes and specialize in graphic design […]
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UPDATE: It appears Cloud Assistant Pro is out of business. Please consider one of these alternatives, or see below. Cloud Assistant Pro is an India-based virtual assistant company and they have been operating since June 2015. Their virtual assistants are […]
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33Vincent is a US-based virtual assistant company that provides support primarily for high-performing business owners and executives. Their “Executive Assistants” specialize in handling those day-to-day tasks that take up your time and keep you from focusing on the more important […]
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Remote Workmate is an Australian-registered virtual staffing solutions company that puts a spotlight exclusively on outstanding Filipino virtual assistants. The company has been known to some since 2008 when Australians John Paul Grant and Matt Canty, who were then based […]
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Ataraxis Hiring the right virtual assistant (VA) can be transformative for businesses by freeing up time, reducing costs, and scaling operations. But sifting through freelancer marketplaces or vetting candidates globally is time-consuming and risky. Ataraxis solves this by offering pre-vetted, […]
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2020 UPDATE: It appears LifeBushido is offline / out of business. Please see below for alternatives. LifeBushido is a virtual assistant company that provides part-time virtual assistants for clients all over the world. There are actually three different businesses under […]
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HelpSquad offers shared VAs, dedicated VAs, and part-time receptionist services. On top of that, they provide 24/7 live chat support service with fully-trained live chat agents to businesses of all sizes and will actively work to increase your website conversions […]
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Founded 2013, Bolton Remote is an offshore staffing solution based in the Philippines. They’re not so much a virtual assistant company as they are a simplified way to build a remote support team for your business. The team is led […]
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When looking for experienced, high-quality, and diligent virtual assistants in India, there can be no doubt that a Dedicated VA is the best choice. Dedicated VA is a division of Vooraf Technology Pvt. Ltd., and has set itself apart by […]
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UPDATE: CloudFactory has changed their business structure and no longer offers Virtual Assistant Services. Please take a look here for alternative virtual assistant companies. Thank you. CloudFactory is a distributed workforce company that utilizes large numbers of virtual assistants in […]
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NS Virtual Services provides virtual business services to entrepreneurs and businesses ranging from general admin and customer service, to social media and web development. I like the tagline of “Getting You Ahead Without The Overhead!” The company was founded in […]
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Consider It Done is a US-based premium personal concierge company. They provide a range of high-end concierge services to VIP clients across the US. The company has been operating since 1997. Their headquarters and team members are located in New […]
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My Business Assistant is an outsourcing company aimed at helping small to medium sized businesses streamline their processes. The theory goes that if business can free up time, money, and resources spent on non-core processes, it usually makes sense to […]
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VALUE Virtual Assistants is a virtual assistant company based out of the Philippines. Their virtual assistants go “above and beyond” when it comes to experience and skills acquired. Despite having these qualities, they still maintain the competitive edge and ensure […]
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FlexJobs is a leading jobs board for telecommuting and work-from-home jobs. The company began in 2007 to provide a central hub of scam-free, personally reviewed remote job postings. Although headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, FlexJobs practices what they preach and have […]
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Xpertspool (a wordplay on experts pool) is a global outsourcing agency. They provide “Xperts” as they call their workforce to small and medium-sized businesses all over the world. The company is headquartered in the US, and its Xperts are based […]