Is it possible to get a quality, cost effective virtual assistant?

My knee-jerk reaction to this question is, “Of course! All Virtual Assistants are cost effective!”

But let me go a little deeper than that.

First you have to decide what quality means to you. Do you mean fast turn around time? Do you mean a short learning-curve? Do you mean perfection in all things? What do you want your virtual assistant to do for your company? Is it something relatively easy like data entry or customer service functions? Is it something more complicated like web pages and brainstorming sessions?

All of the above questions are vitally important to determining what you want and in what way you perceive quality. Only then can you move on to the next all-important question.

What is cost-effective for your company? It is possible to acquire a virtual assistant at a rate of $25/hr or lower if you sign on with a retainer agreement. Depending on the answer to the previous question, this may be enough for you. If you desire speed in your virtual assistant, four hours a month may be all you need. Think about how much you can get done in four hours and how much more you could be doing if you have that four hours free. The VA you want to work with may not have a 4-hour a month retainer plan, but you can always ask.

If you’re a more visual person, here is a picture that illustrates the point of this post perfectly.

• If you want Speed and Cost taken into consideration, you will sacrifice Quality
• If you take Quality and Cost into consideration, you will sacrifice Speed
• If you take Quality and Speed into consideration, you will sacrifice Cost