There has been a growing number of business owners recognizing the value of outsourcing. Today you can outsource anything from administrative tasks to marketing, HR, and IT solutions. Although studies have shown that outsourcing has evolved to be a more productive and cost efficient option, many business owners are still on the fence about it.
The Why
There are various reasons why business owners may be unsure about outsourcing or hiring a virtual assistant. These reasons may include:
- The lack knowledge on what a virtual assistant is, or what a virtual assistant does
- Unawareness of the long and short term benefits of outsourcing or hiring a virtual assistant
- Complacency on traditional in-house hiring and fear change
- Incognizant to business needs
- Uncertainty on what to delegate
Here are 12 common objections to hiring a virtual assistant.
- I have a small company, so I don’t think I’ll need a VA ~ Whether you run your company alone or with the help of a few others, truth is, you may still need just as much help as a larger company. The more tasks you have, the less time you’ll have actually running your business. If you decide to hire, you’ll still need to assess what it may cost you to hire in house (employee wages, taxes, training, benefits, insurance, regulatory compliance, workplace safety, turnover, job posting and screening, dead time, etc) versus outsourcing to someone who is skilled in the services you’ll need.
- My company is too big ~ As a larger or more established company, you are always looking for ways to improve your business processes and minimize costs. A virtual assistant will not only help minimize cost, but can reduce the potential risks of turnovers, unemployment claims, lawsuits, compliance issues, etc. Furthermore, you can avoid wasting payroll on dead time, and pay only for the hours used to complete tasks. Not only can virtual assistants serve as an alternative choice for in-house employees, they may also be an additional option assisting with the overflow of tasks during peak seasons.
- I’m not sure I can trust a virtual assistant with proprietary/confidential information ~ This is a valid concern, however a virtual assistant is able to provide you with a compliance/confidentiality agreement to protect all tangible and non-tangible information. You can also inquire about other security measures/software the virtual assistant has in place, or implement your own security framework such as RSA tokens (secure two factor authentication) for the VA.
- I can do it all myself ~ This may be true, and I’m sure you’ve also heard the saying “you can do anything, but not everything.” So the question is, what is ‘doing it yourself’ really costing you? Answer…….time, lack of productivity, and growth. At this point, you’ve become an employee of your own company and you’ve gotten caught up in working your business instead of running it. Pretty counterproductive huh? Just because you can do it yourself doesn’t mean that you should. Prioritize your tasks, then delegate them so you can use that time focusing on revenue generating activities. Collaboration will be key in your business growth.
- A virtual assistant may not be as connected ~ Virtual assisting is a business, so your virtual assistant should take complete ownership of the responsibilities delegated to them. Furthermore, you can schedule weekly or monthly calls, replicate face to face contact via Skype, Zoom WebEx, etc., invite them to join your company or team’s conference calls, and/or invite them to company events and team builders.
- How would I really know if my virtual assistant is actually doing the work ~ You can schedule status calls, ask for email updates, request weekly/monthly progress reports, or leverage productivity/project management tools like BaseCamp, Asana, Trello, Wrike, etc. You should be able to have access to this information at anytime.
- I don’t know what to delegate ~ The best thing to do is think about yourself first. Take out time to assess which tasks takes up the most time, and which tasks add the most value to your business. In addition, take into consideration the tasks that have not been implemented at all or on a consistent basis, but are more conducive to growing your business (i.e social media, marketing, website, etc.)
- I don’t know how many hours I will need ~ This is a common issue for those considering outsourcing. For some, they may revert to hiring full time employees per week because it appears to be the easier choice, but it may also be costly (overhead costs, unproductive time, etc.) One thing you can do is time yourself or someone else on completing a certain tasks so that you can get a general idea of how many hours you’ll need. Also keep in mind that pricing and packages are flexible. You can upgrade or downgrade at anytime, and here at VBDA, we offer the ability to rollover hours so that you can use unused hours within 30 days of the following month.
- I am too busy to hire and train a virtual assistant. I’m unable to slow down and delegate ~ Great news! Your virtual assistant is an expert in the area/s that you will need assistance in so they will need very little direction. The best thing for you to do is to know what you need, clearly communicate your needs and expectations, and maintain open lines of communication. Also, keep in mind that being busy doesn’t equate to productivity. Every business owner should make time to rest, reflect, align, and regroup for the next day/week in effort to avoid burn out and maintain focus. Utilize a small portion of that time to create a list of tasks you should assign, and keep adding to it until you’ve gradually achieved a full list of what to delegate. Take the time to think about what your lack of focus or loss of productivity is costing your business, and what you can be doing with your time if you weren’t so buried in administrative tasks.
- It’s too expensive ~ Hiring a virtual assistant may seem expensive on the surface. When you are focused on the pay per hour you tend to forget to factor in your blind costs of hiring traditional employees. These costs include advertisements and screening, training and on boarding, taxes, benefits, insurance, work equipment, worker’s comp, turnover and unemployment claims, office space, dead time, potential compliance issues, transitional and travel expenses, etc. The risk and cost factor in hiring a virtual assistant is considerably less because they cover their own training, costs, and benefits. I must include that there are typically no hidden or set up fees associated with VA prices. You can potentially save up to 60-70% per year by outsourcing.
- I’m open to giving it a try but I don’t want to have to commit to anything ~ No worries! Typically with most virtual assistants, there are no contracts involved. Outsourcing to a virtual assistant is designed to offer more flexibility in using services on an as needed basis. From one time use, to quarterly or ongoing needs you are able to utilize services as often as you’d like with no penalties or commitments involved. The only thing that may be requested is an adequate notice of your intentions to discontinue service if possible.
- I used a virtual assistant before and had a really bad experience ~ This is very unfortunate. There are a lot of excellent and experienced virtual assistants out there who have a passion for what they do and would love to help. Please do not be discourage. Also keep in mind that the character hired as a virtual assistant can have been the same character hired as a traditional employee. Please be sure to do your due diligence. Check for reviews, ask for testimonials, start with smaller tasks and gradually increase as needed, request a non-disclosure agreement, as for recommendations from other business owners who use or have used virtual assistants, etc.
As you can see, collaborating with a virtual assistant can be very beneficial to your business. Take the time to assess your business needs, as well as your goals and make an informed decision on if it would be best for you. Advanced technology puts us at an advantage to collaborate with anyone anywhere around the world, and strategically assist them in reaching their goals.
Recommended reading: Deloitte’s 2016 Global Outsourcing Survey