An assistant can be worth the cost
When my chiropractor told me he has a new assistant I had to do everything in my power to try and hold in my laughter. My first thought was why does a chiropractor need an assistant if he has a receptionist? Then upon further thought I decided it’s actually a good idea.
She’s not really a personal assistant, she’s more of an office helper. She prepares the rooms and cleans up after the clients, she also brings clients into their rooms so they don’t have to sit in the waiting room. All in all I think she helps the flow of traffic which allows the doctor to see more patients in a day. More clients means more money and therefore this is definitely an assistant who’s worth the cost.
When an assistant isn’t worth it
If you aren’t busy, just unorganized than an assistant may not be worth the cost. However if your assistant brings added value to the business in the form of efficiency then bring an assistant on board. This is the dilemma I’m having with the freelance client. I’m not sure if he’s extremely busy or just unorganized.
The way I see it an assistant can help out in one of two ways: they can free up time in your personal life so you can dedicate more time to your business or they can help organize your business life to make your time more profitable.
A big misconception is that assistants are only for CEOs and really important people, but the truth is anyone can have an assistant. If you’re unorganized and inefficient an assistant can help get you on track or an assistant can get you coffee and wash your dog, it can really go either way.
Virtual vs. in house assistants
If the added benefit of having an assistant is to organize your schedule, book events, and keep you on time for everything then a virtual assistant will do. However if you need someone to prepare documents for meetings, set up board rooms and take notes those meetings than you may need to hire someone in house.
The benefit of hiring a virtual assistant is they can work from anywhere and you don’t actually have to pay them to come into the office. It’s usually cheaper to hire a virtual assistant because they work on contract as oppose to being a full time employee with office space and benefits. I know some of my blogging friends have virtual assistants and they swear they couldn’t run their business without one.
Kristina Tahnyak
Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.
I think the term assistant is being used more than in the past in an effort to make people on the lower rung of the office ladder feel better about their position. Office clerk has been changed to administrative assistant which has been changed to administrative professional. Apparently receptionist or secretary is somehow a derogatory title but assistant is not. Because I am retired, I certainly don’t need an assistant but if I were in business I wouldn’t hesitate to hire one if it would make my work life more productive and profitable.
yep…the internet has made virtual assistants possible.
Hi Kathy, yes I get that same feeling about the word secretary. My mother was an executive assistant for many years and she would always be offended when my dad bought her flowers on Secretary’s Day. They’re now divorced.
@James – I think virtual assistants are a great way to hire help and save on the costs. Especially if you run an online business, it could be a perfect fit.