By Dana Wallert

In reality, virtual assistants are becoming a very real alternative to on-site employees in the present. Why would someone choose to work with a virtual assistant instead of an assistant in their office?

One of the major reasons to consider hiring a virtual assistant is the cost factor. Virtual employees equal big savings to small businesses.

When first looking into virtual assistants, a lot of people see that the average hourly wage can be higher than what they would pay their own in-office assistant. Without further exploration, they dismiss the virtual option as too costly and move on.

The savings in hiring a virtual assistant do exist. However, you do have to look beyond just the hourly rates. If you do, you will see that money is saved on so many levels, that it’s impossible to ignore this option.

First, think about the last employee you hired. Did you ever think about how much you spent on just hiring that person? You have to spend money to advertise the position. You or your other employees must spend valuable time in the hiring process. It can be a costly endeavor.

Next, you’ve got to consider the actual capital you invest into each employee you hire. There’s more than you might think. As a small business, office space is usually a pricy commodity. And did you consider all of the “stuff” that you’ll need to acquire. You’ll have to have another desk, another computer, an additional phone and line, additional internet service, another license for all of the software that you use, etc. This list can go on and on.

The last area we’ll look at today is human resource. For each employee, you’ve got to determine wages, benefits, insurance, time off, etc. You’ve also got to shell out for payroll taxes, unemployment and all of those fun ways the government likes to get involved in your business!

Would hiring a virtual assistant alleviate these costs? In short, yes!

First, you will find your virtual assistant on the internet. There are thousands of us out there, you simply research and find the assistance provider who best suits your needs and with whom you are most comfortable working.

Secondly, every virtual assistant should have their own complete home office. They have already taken on the costs of all of the equipment needed to complete their work. You do not have to invest any of your capital into their work space.

As for the human resource issues, with most virtual assistants there aren’t any. The majority of us work as independent contractors. Therefore, you aren’t responsible for any of our tax paperwork, insurance, time off, or any costs that accompany an employee of your company.

As you can see, hiring a virtual assistant can definitely increase your bottom line. Increasing the amount of work you can accomplish without greatly increasing your budget. Also, in most cases, you are only committing your cash on a project to project basis.

Virtual assistants can save your small business a lot of your hard-earned funds. This is one option definitely worth considering!

Dana Wallert is the owner of DW Office Solutions, an online virtual assistance company. She has many years experience in sales, non-profit fundraising, as well as office management. Find out more about Dana and sign up to receive her free monthly newsletter at http://www.dwofficesolutions.com