As a small business owner, do you find yourself in a time crunch? Are you able to focus on the quality of your product/service amid sales calls, administrative hassles, and back-to-back meetings with stakeholders and employees?
This situation is not uncommon in the slightest. That's where virtual assistants (VAs) come in.
Imagine having a personal assistant who can handle everything from scheduling meetings to managing your social media – without actually being in the same room!
The demand for virtual assistants is skyrocketing! Small business owners are increasingly realizing the incredible benefits of outsourcing tasks.
Choosing the right VA can be a game-changer. We've scoured the internet to find the best platforms for hiring top-notch virtual assistants. We looked for websites with a proven track record, happy clients, a variety of skills, and flexible pricing options.
Read on for our list of the top places to find your ideal virtual assistant ideally suited for small businesses!
Leverage Assistants is a white-glove virtual assistant staffing company. The company was founded by Stephen Turban, a serial entrepreneur and McKinsey alum (his last company was bootstrapped to 8-digits revenue) and it focuses on picking 1% talent globally and then training you to delegate to them effectively. Leverage is highly selective for applicants - selecting less than .2% of its applicants who apply.
Leverage Assistants match businesses with flexible, college-educated competent offshore talent. Most of Leverage’s talent is in the Philippines or South Africa. Leverage is known for its high quality of talent and its delegation training for founders.
The service however is not as on-demand as other virtual assistant companies like Upwork (placement times are 2-4 weeks), and the service often includes a waitlist for interested founders. Leverage only provides full-time virtual assistants.
For large organizations seeking exceptional virtual executive assistants, Boldly (formerly Worldwide101) is a premier choice. Their stringent screening process ensures that their VAs possess exceptional skills in scheduling, project management, communication, and administrative support.
We chose this website because of Boldly's commitment to quality and its team-based approach.
Although Boldly's VAs are highly skilled, they may require additional training to gain a deep understanding of your industry's specific nuances. This investment in training could be necessary to maximize their effectiveness.
Zirtual is a leading platform offering dedicated virtual assistants tailored to diverse professional needs. Their extensive pool of administrative VAs ensures businesses can find the perfect fit for their specific requirements.
We selected Zirtual for its proven track record in providing reliable administrative support. Their VAs excel at managing scheduling, data entry, email management, data entry, customer support, social media management, marketing support, and other essential tasks, streamlining operations and enhancing productivity.
Zirtual offers several advantages, including a wide range of skilled VAs, personalized service, and a strong focus on client satisfaction. However, businesses seeking occasional or one-time administrative support may find Zirtual's emphasis on ongoing partnerships less suitable for their needs.
MyVA360 offers a comprehensive range of virtual assistant services, providing ongoing support for a variety of administrative tasks. Their skilled VAs can assist with scheduling, data entry, email management, internet research, and project coordination which are all tasks essential to smaller businesses, that are just starting.
We selected MyVA360 due to its time zone-matching feature, ensuring seamless communication and collaboration. This platform offers a 4-hour free trial to allow businesses to experience their services firsthand.
While MyVA360 provides a valuable resource, it's important to note that it acts as a matching platform, not directly managing the working relationship between the client and the VA. This might be less suitable for businesses seeking a more hands-on approach.
Delegated virtual assistants are experts in handling essential administrative tasks, including scheduling, email management, data entry, and CRM maintenance.
For businesses seeking US-based assistants, Delegated is a strong choice. Their VAs are college-educated and located within the United States, ensuring cultural familiarity and effective communication.
While Delegated offers a wide range of skilled VAs, the remote nature of the work and individual differences among assistants may occasionally lead to variations in quality and communication.
Wishup is a leading platform for small businesses seeking versatile virtual assistants. They offer comprehensive recruitment services, administrative tasks, social media management, marketing management, customer service, and many other general services, ensuring businesses find the perfect talent for their needs.
We selected Wishup for its industry expertise and global reach. With a proven track record of serving over 50 industries and a global network of virtual assistants in 15 cities, Wishup can cater to diverse business requirements.
While Wishup offers a wide range of skilled virtual assistants, their matching platform approach may lead to varying levels of compatibility between clients and their assigned assistants.
Fiverr is a global online marketplace that connects businesses with a diverse pool of freelancers specializing in many virtual assistant services. VAs on Fiverr can manage a variety of tasks including customer support, graphics & design, programming & tech, digital Marketing, video & animation, and writing & translation.
We recommend Fiverr for its extensive network of freelancers and flexible pricing options. Small businesses can benefit greatly from being connected to such freelance VAs that can provide multiple services as per the needs and requirements of the smaller business.
However, while it offers a broad range of skills and multilingual support, potential drawbacks include variability in the quality of freelancers and possible communication challenges.
Upwork offers a diverse range of skilled virtual assistants who can handle a variety of tasks to support small businesses. These tasks include administrative services, call center and calling services, customer support services, research services, file conversion services, support and IT services, online tutoring services, and more.
We chose Upwork for its diverse range of skilled VAs and flexible pricing options, making it suitable for various budgets.
However, the vast selection can be overwhelming, and finding the right VA may require some time, effort, and thorough checks.
Global Hola offers outsourced staff solutions for businesses in the USA and EU. The outsourcing is primarily in the Philippines. While the exact number of virtual assistants isn’t specified, they provide comprehensive services, including administration and specialized tasks. They offer a two-week risk-free trial and do bulk placements for BPOs.
Global Hola offers a comprehensive range of virtual assistant services, including Executive Virtual Assistants and Virtual Assistants. This allows businesses to effectively divide tasks between company operations and personal executive responsibilities.
However, it's important to note that the complete absence of any Trustpilot reviews highlights concerns that should be considered before hiring.
Taskrabbit focuses on delivering skilled virtual assistants who are proficient in various tasks, including administrative services, scheduling work, social media management, etc. This service is especially advantageous for small businesses, as the model of Task Rabbit is sending ‘Taskers’ as virtual assistants who can provide one-time help with a task or ongoing help as per the business needs.
We opted for Taskrabbit due to its unique Tasker service which prioritizes one-time services, which may be ideal for a small business, providing a cost-effective option without lowering standards. However, one possible downside is that it functions mostly as a task-based service, which means a specialization in short-term work, therefore you are recommended to look elsewhere if long-term engagement is needed.
Elite Virtual Assistant is an excellent choice for small businesses seeking general virtual assistants to support a wide range of tasks. Their VAs can assist with various essential functions such as content creation, scheduling, customer engagement, research, and performance audits. They also provide analytics tracking and implement strategies to help your business grow. Additionally, their VAs can handle community management and optimize your business operations for greater visibility and success.
However, the starting cost of $900 per month for 20 hours may be considered steep for some users.
Byron’s VAs are skilled in tools like Instagram, Eventbrite, Google Analytics, Excel, and Mailchimp, offering the expertise needed to enhance your Instagram reach and improve overall marketing performance.
On their website, they also provide free blueprints for businesses on how to offload time-consuming tasks or how to automate them. You can schedule a demo by clicking here.
One potential drawback is that websites like Trustpilot do not have any reviews for this service, so it's advisable to exercise caution when hiring them.
Founded by serial entrepreneurs, Leverage Assistants is a white-glove service that helps you find 1% assistants and then teaches you how to build leverage with them.
If you’re interested in a strategy session to learn how to use an assistant, click here.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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