A virtual employee can be an excellent alternative to hiring an in-house employee, especially if you are considering your first hire.

Virtual employees work remotely and are most often employed by a third-party company, so you are essentially buying a service from that company, which means you don’t have to worry about payroll processing or tax liabilities.

Advantages of Working with Virtual Employees

Technology has gone a very long way in making what was virtually impossible back then, a normal day in the office today.

Who would have thought that having an employee who’s not in the same office would be possible?

The truth is there’s more to it to working with virtual employees than just the perks brought about by technology.

Build your Business Faster

By spending less time with the tactical workload and focusing on your “CEO” responsibilities, you’ll be able to scale your business faster than you originally projected.

It helps a lot when you have an “employee” managing your non-core processes because you don’t have to worry about them getting done without running out of time.

Ease of Hiring and Recruitment

Let’s be honest: hiring is a pain!

Not all business owners are blessed with time to go through dozens of resumes or conduct interviews to find the right person. This is one area that makes virtual employees a valuable option.

A virtual agency can manage this entire process on your behalf.

Legal issues, IT concerns, and the entire hiring process, in particular, can take so much of your time if you have to do them all alone. This shouldn’t be any of your concern anymore when you have a virtual staffing service doing all of them for you.

It’s certainly faster and more convenient than trying to find every hire yourself.

Slash Staffing Costs

Paying for employees’ salaries is one thing but shouldering overhead costs?

That’s entirely different.

Hiring an in-house employee automatically puts you in charge of paying for overhead costs like office space rental, office supplies, IT services (laptops, desktops, monitors, hardware, software, etc,), and ancillary services just to name a few.

While you’re technically hiring full-time staff in virtual employees, what makes them a better alternative is that you don’t have to cover similar expenses because the virtual agency is in charge of most of them.

The third-party company that employs them will be in charge of where they work and the technology they use which gives you fewer headaches and stuff to worry about.

Business Continuity

One of the things that make hiring virtual employees a worthy consideration is that you don’t have to worry about some of the “nightmares” of hiring a freelancer.

Time and again, we’ve heard stories of freelancers abandoning work all of a sudden or just disappearing– never to be heard from again. That’s awful, especially if they left a project hanging.

In such situations, you’ll probably be going out of your mind trying to find an equally good replacement, which, as we all know, is never easy.

This is not something you’ll need to worry about if you hire a virtual employee. The third-party company they work for has processes in place to keep this from happening.

Should a new hire not be the perfect fit, the company will be in charge of finding you a replacement and taking care of everything. That gives you the peace of mind you need to keep your business running despite the temporary setback.

Drawbacks to Hiring Virtual Employees

Despite the benefits it has to offer, hiring virtual employees has its downsides too and below are some of them:

Inaccessibility

There’s no such thing as a perfect system and no matter how cautious you are, issues are bound to surface when you least expect them.

When you work with people remotely, addressing emergency problems like equipment malfunction or server downtimes can be a bit difficult. You can’t easily organize a meeting or get a hold of everyone immediately so you can keep them posted.

While it is possible, organizing your team may take some time compared to when you have them all in one location.

Lack of Social Interaction

Social interaction is arguably a huge factor in promoting camaraderie and teamwork but when you work with someone you don’t see or speak with (at least on a personal level). Because of that, collaboration may not be as smooth as you expect it to be.

Sure, you’ll still speak to your virtual employee frequently, but most of the time, these interactions are purely business-related.

Working together is far more effective when you get to actually personally talk to them, go out to lunch with them, or simply hang out.

When it comes to working with virtual employees, isolation is one of your worse enemies.

Risk to Reputation

While this perception is certainly changing, one of the biggest concerns in hiring virtual employees is that you run the risk of being labeled as a “non-legit” firm.

Will you still deliver the same quality service without a big expensive office downtown?

Some potential customers might judge your company if they find out you work with virtual employees. (But the right customers won’t care!)

How Much do Virtual Employees Cost?

Hiring a virtual employee can cost you anywhere from $140 to $1995 per month on average.

Different companies offer varying pricing plans and packages with some opting for a per hour rate that can begin from $5 up to a high of $30 depending on skills and location.

As expected, the more skilled and seasoned ones will definitely cost more.

Virtual employees living in the US or Western Europe also tend to be more expensive compared to those who are located in other countries.

Make sure to check with the company what each plan or package entails so you’ll get maximum value for your money.

Which Virtual Employee Company Should You Choose?

Going the virtual employee route obviously brings a lot of benefits to the table. Not only will you be getting the services of an expert, but you’ll also have them working for you exclusively which means you’ll have their undivided attention.

Hiring a virtual employee off of a virtual staffing company is an excellent way of having a full-time staff at a much lower price.

Read reviews from real virtual employee companies to find one that best meets your needs.

Overall Rating4.994.994.994.994.99
Quality of Work4.994.994.994.994.99
Communication4.984.984.984.984.98
Value4.974.974.974.974.97
Boldly (formerly Worldwide101)

Boldly connects ridiculously talented US-based executive assistants to leaders in absurdly crucial roles. Founded in 2012, Boldly serves established companies and nonprofits that require premium executive support. Boldly’s staffing model ensures clients can maintain compliance and work with trusted administrative […]

Overall Rating4.954.954.954.954.95
Quality of Work4.944.944.944.944.94
Communication4.954.954.954.954.95
Value4.94.94.94.94.9
BELAY (formerly eaHELP)

BELAY is a virtual staffing solutions company that employs exclusively US-based assistants and specialists. The company got its start in 2010 helping churches and pastors outsource their administrative work, and has since expanded to serve businesses (small & large) nationwide. Contact BELAY […]

Overall Rating4.944.944.944.944.94
Quality of Work4.934.934.934.934.93
Communication4.94.94.94.94.9
Value4.914.914.914.914.91
Time Etc

Time Etc is a US and UK-based virtual assistant company that has been around since 2007. They’re one of the most popular VA companies too — having saved their clients more than 1,032,559 hours so far! Important Note: This Time […]

Overall Rating4.944.944.944.944.94
Quality of Work4.944.944.944.944.94
Communication4.944.944.944.944.94
Value4.944.944.944.944.94
TaskVirtual (Task Virtual)

Task Virtual is an India-based virtual assistant company. The company is 8+ years old and has industry experience of more than 15+ years. The company offers a wide range of services, carried out by fully-vetted, skilled assistants, and being based […]

Overall Rating55555
Quality of Work55555
Communication55555
Value55555
Tasks Leader

Tasks Leader is a virtual assistant company providing skilled and experienced VAs to businesses all over the world. The company is headquartered in Kolkata, India. All of their virtual assistants are based in their offices and are available 24/7. VAA […]

Overall Rating4.874.874.874.874.87
Quality of Work4.844.844.844.844.84
Communication4.884.884.884.884.88
Value4.864.864.864.864.86
My Tasker (MyTasker)

MyTasker is a well-established and fast growing firm in the virtual assistant industry. The India-based company was founded in 2012 by three veteran VAs, who brought years of experience to the table. Since the MyTasker team spent the time in the trenches, […]

Overall Rating55555
Quality of Work55555
Communication55555
Value55555
RemSource

Need full time availability but don’t have a full time workload? RemSource is built for solo & small business; it’s US-based (Maryland), and staffed with “#VirtuallyAwesome” (their words) Admins & Bookkeepers wired for business owners with more tasks than time. […]

Overall Rating4.934.934.934.934.93
Quality of Work4.954.954.954.954.95
Communication4.854.854.854.854.85
Value4.934.934.934.934.93
Remote CoWorker

Remote CoWorker is a virtual assistant company specializing in providing virtual assistants at competitive rates to entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes all over the world. The company’s headquarters is located in Florida, U.S. All of their virtual staff work […]

Overall Rating4.764.764.764.764.76
Quality of Work4.764.764.764.764.76
Communication4.694.694.694.694.69
Value4.834.834.834.834.83
24/7 Virtual Assistant

  24/7 Virtual Assistant is a personal outsourcing company with locations in Atlanta, Georgia and India. The company has been in business since 2008, and has attracted clients all across the country and around the world. 247VirtualAssistant.com is geared toward […]

Overall Rating4.84.84.84.84.8
Quality of Work4.754.754.754.754.75
Communication4.84.84.84.84.8
Value4.814.814.814.814.81
VirtualEmployee.com

VirtualEmployee.com goes above and beyond other virtual assistant companies in that they set you up with a full-time dedicated remote employee, at a fraction of what one would cost locally. You can specify your requirements in advance and VirtualEmployee.com will […]

Overall Rating55555
Quality of Work55555
Communication55555
Value55555
YourDailyTask

YourDailyTask is a virtual assistant company based in Mumbai, India. The firm was established in 2008 and has grown to a team of 200+ virtual assistants serving over 6000 clients worldwide. They’re open 24/7, and target a more business-oriented client […]

Overall Rating4.864.864.864.864.86
Quality of Work4.644.644.644.644.64
Communication4.934.934.934.934.93
Value4.864.864.864.864.86
VA Staffer

VA Staffer is a Digital Marketing and Virtual Assistant Company with the majority of it’s team in their Makati City (Metro Manila) office, Philippines. The marketing, project success and consulting is operated in the USA, and VA Staffer has also […]

Overall Rating4.624.624.624.624.62
Quality of Work4.674.674.674.674.67
Communication4.594.594.594.594.59
Value4.564.564.564.564.56
LongerDays

LongerDays is a team-based virtual assistant company located in Michigan. LongerDays’ business clients communicate with a Team Lead who delegates tasks seamlessly with specialist VAs on the team. LongerDays unique model allows them to deliver a broader array of services […]

Overall Rating4.474.474.474.474.47
Quality of Work4.434.434.434.434.43
Communication4.484.484.484.484.48
Value4.544.544.544.544.54
TaskBullet

TaskBullet was founded in 2013 and has quickly become a leader in the virtual assistant industry. The company is owned and operated in the United States with the staff based in the Philippines. TaskBullet uses a unique “Bucket System” of […]

Overall Rating4.494.494.494.494.49
Quality of Work4.484.484.484.484.48
Communication4.494.494.494.494.49
Value4.624.624.624.624.62
Uassist.ME

Uassist.ME is a virtual assistant company and business process outsourcing company (BPO) with offices in Miami and El Salvador. The company was founded in 2009 with the idea of providing remote administrative services to clients in the US and around […]

Overall Rating55555
Quality of Work55555
Communication55555
Value55555
Digi Media Infotech

Digi Media Infotech is a virtual back office solution for businesses and entrepreneurs worldwide. The company is headquartered in Udaipur, India, and has been in operation since 2010. Today, dozens of Digi Media virtual assistants serve hundreds of clients from their […]

Overall Rating55555
Quality of Work55555
Communication55555
Value55555
VAFromEurope

VAFromEurope is a virtual assistant company with their headquarters in Austin, Texas, and their team of virtual assistants are based in Lviv, Ukraine. Alternatively, you may see or hear the company referred to as European Virtual Assistant Agency or EVAA. […]

Overall Rating4.54.54.54.54.5
Quality of Work4.424.424.424.424.42
Communication4.354.354.354.354.35
Value4.494.494.494.494.49
OnlineJobs.ph

OnlineJobs.ph is a Filipino job board that caters exclusively to remote online work opportunities. It was created in 2009 by Utah-based entrepreneur John Jonas as a way to connect the affordable Filipino workforce with business owners in North America and […]

Overall Rating4.734.734.734.734.73
Quality of Work4.674.674.674.674.67
Communication4.734.734.734.734.73
Value4.674.674.674.674.67
Equivity

Equivity offers virtual assistants who provide administrative, marketing, and paralegal services. Clients work with a dedicated virtual assistant or team of virtual assistants.  Each virtual assistant has specialized experience in their area of expertise and holds a bachelor’s degree.  In […]

Overall Rating4.694.694.694.694.69
Quality of Work4.624.624.624.624.62
Communication4.624.624.624.624.62
Value4.624.624.624.624.62
Virtual Staff Finder

Virtual Staff Finder is more of headhunting service than a true virtual assistant company. Founded in 2010 by entrepreneur Chris Ducker, the firm promises to match you up with qualified workers in the Philippines. In my mind, Chris is right […]