Hiring an employee, be it an independent freelancer or a virtual assistant can sometimes prove to be a herculean task. This is a derivative of the overwhelming options available to us today which makes it hard to filter and choose the right candidate. Hence, to reduce your hiring woes, below is a list of pros, cons, and differences between the two, to give you a better idea.
Differences Between a Virtual Assistant and a Freelancer
Security and Confidentiality
In a typical corporate or office setup, employees are usually made to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements or most commonly known as NDA’s, since it is important to keep any of your personal information away from prying eyes. Certain, virtual assistance companies, in this case, offer secure sharing services that help keep your credentials and information secure. With independent freelancers, however, no such services or agreements aren’t guaranteed.
Quality over Costs
Compared to a virtual assistant a freelancer might be a good alternative for those who are eager to save some money. But, with respect to quality, then, hiring a VA is the former and undoubtedly a better option. The experience and expertise that the virtual assistant’s process is considered to be far greater than that of an independent freelancer.
Matter of Urgency
Let’s suppose that you’ve got a high-priority task that needs to go out immediately. In this case, a virtual assistant would tend to it quicker than a freelancer. Since a freelancer would be mired with the work of other clients on their schedule, one would have to wait until they have time for them, which would result in the loss of precious time.
Scalability Issues
Virtual assistant companies have the capacity to adapt to the size of an enterprise’s growth and cater to it accordingly. For instance, if a firm starts to expand faster than usual, then, the company will be able to procure the necessary assistants to compensate for its ever-growing need for human resources. A freelancer would instead, be limited by the nature of his working mechanism and hence would not be able to do this.
Replacements and Quitting
There are two different ways in which a virtual assistant or a freelancer would function here. While a freelancer would have to work harder to make up for the replaced employee, he/she will still have certain shortcomings as well. During times of need such as this, virtual assistant companies will immediately replace the assistant who has quit on you.
Trials
In order to judge the services of the virtual assistant, companies will offer free trials for a month or two. This helps you get accustomed to the working style of the said assistant and deduce if it will be a right fit for you. A freelancer will not come with such added benefits
An Expert’s Perspective
Though freelancers and virtual assistants are both experts in their relative field, a virtual assistant company would give access to a team of experts in various fields whereas, a freelancer would be an expert in a single subject matter.
With freelancing services being affordable, many people tend to choose them but have often found themselves to be dissatisfied. Hence, individuals are slowly moving towards hiring a virtual assistant to get better and optimal results instead.
