Virtual assistants run their own business from home, support their own clients and are their own boss, it all sounds like the dream package.
What is a virtual assistant?
A virtual assistant provides administrative and secretarial services outwith the office environment. A virtual assistant often works from home or anywhere suitable, making them a useful, flexible resource for many companies.
The traditional PA set up is simulated using communication tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams and Skype, so you can have real-time conversations with your virtual assistant no matter where they are. Virtual assistants are particularly useful if a company is experiencing rapid growth, considerable change during peak times or requires project to project work – a virtual assistant working on a monthly package can be extremely useful.
This is how much a virtual assistant can make provide services to businesses:
Average Virtual Assistant Salary
A virtual assistant can make on average between £24,000 and £48,000 depending on the number of clients they provide services to. In some cases, virtual assistants can make upwards of £100,000.
How does a virtual assistant achieve this?
The potential earnings of a virtual assistant can vary a lot, this is mainly down to the number of clients a virtual assistant supports and whether they have a specialist skillset.
How a full-time virtual assistant can achieve these earnings:
- £24,000: Can be achieved by delivering 30 hours of support per week.
- £48,000: Can be achieved by supporting 12 clients with an average working week of 38.5 hours.
- £100,000 upwards: Can be achieved by 24 clients with an average working week of 38.5 hours and ‘insourcing’ work to other virtual assistants (this is unique to SmartPA).
Examples of a virtual assistant's salary
Jane White | Salary of £60,000
Average number of hours per week: 50 hours
Number of hours insourced to other SmartPAs: Currently insource around 20 hours a month
“This includes business development, I tend to work 7am to 4pm then work a couple of hours in evening if required and perhaps 4 or 5 hours over weekend. I do have regular breaks I don’t work 9 hours solid – I often fit a nap in too”.
Monthly Client Packages:
- 1 Client @ 30 hours
- 1 Client @ 20 hours
- 1 Client @ 10 hours
- 1 Client @ 70 hours
Rebecca Park | Salary of £24,000
Average number of hours per week: 19 to 25
Client Packages:
- 1 Client @ £250/ month
- 1 Client @ £500/ month
- 1 Client @ £750/ month + approximately
- £800-£1500 in excess support per month
What services does a virtual assistant provide?
- Data Entry
- Document Production
- Bookkeeping
- Email Management
- Diary Management
- Call Handling
- Travel Management
- Social Media Management
- CRM Management
- Transcription
- Secretarial Services
- Minute Taking
- HR Support
With all companies, there is financial risk and a time commitment when hiring a new full-time member of staff which cannot be ignored – especially for small companies who are not ready to hire a full-time member of staff and take this risk. With a virtual assistant, they can handle any tasks that a regular personal assistant would handle, such as answering emails, booking travel, managing payroll and handling social media. SmartPA has monthly packages that provide a convenient alternative for businesses, tailored to suit your needs. It is important to remember that any virtual assistant service should integrate seamlessly with your business, to avoid any downtime or snagging.
With a SmartPA, companies can guarantee their virtual assistant is trained, accredited and has unlimited resources available to them as a result of the SmartPA Community. Most importantly, however, SmartPA virtual assistants work on monthly packages that are dependent on clients’ needs. The choice of package can change at any time, which is particularly useful for seasonal companies.
Remember, your business mission and your vision should be crucial at all times, so make sure your virtual PA service completely supports and aligns with those goals. The right PA can make the difference between good admin support and smart admin support.
How to become a virtual assistant
Becoming a virtual assistant means starting your own virtual assistant business, but this doesn't have to be difficult. At SmartPA, we provide you with our tried and tested business-in-a-box model for launching your own virtual assistant business.
Find out more about becoming a virtual assistant here.