How much of a Virtual Assistant's time will I need?

When you hire a Virtual Assistant, this is probably one of the most difficult questions to answer. It usually has both parties scratching their heads, trying to predict the unpredictable and in the end it's a guess. Or is it?

If you are extremely organised and track the time it takes you to do various tasks, then you may be able to answer that question. But, who do you know like that? ... no-one springs immediately to my mind. Yet, we all want to be precise from the start. If it's difficult to agree an initial retainer fee or establish your budget, then what can you do to get a feel for the potential size of the job and the cost of using a Virtual Assistant?

Here are my top five suggestions for approaching this issue:

1. Agree to pay-as-you-go for the first three months and review the VAs time records to set the right level of retainer fee or simply adjust how much you delegate
2. Write down the list of tasks, with quantities and frequencies, and ask the VA to provide a considered estimate based on her experience, stating any assumptions 
3. Select a few tasks that you know inside-out, and estimate the time you would expect someone to take, then start with these and review the VAs time recording
4. Ask your VA for her standard unit costs, which she should have for regular tasks such as Audio Typing, Booking Meetings, Updating Records, Data Entry, etc
5. Use a benchmark, such as an existing or similar Administrator role, because VAs take much less time and usually cost half that of a full time employee.

I have put a calculation on our website showing the comparable cost of hiring a VA verses a permanent employee, which explains how a VA can be half the cost of hiring a permanent employee.


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