Hiring Virtual vs. In-House Assistants

As many interior designers are growing their businesses, I’m seeing the need for quality help increase significantly. Many designers are moving towards hiring virtual help for a number of factors but I do still see some designers who desire in-house help. I decided to highlight the differences between hiring virtual vs. in-house assistants as well as the pros and cons of each.

Virtual

Due to technology, virtual assistants are becoming more and more popular. They are often skilled in specific areas of business and are able to do a wide variety of tasks. Specifically for the interior design industry a skilled virtual design assistant can offer services such as 3d renders, floor plans, construction documents and specs, concept boards, presentations, invoicing, vendor management, client management, product selection and sourcing, bookkeeping, social media management, copyrighting, marketing and SEO and so much more!

Many clients work with their virtual design assistant through Trello, Asana or email and find that even if they are needing help with staying organized, scheduling and/or creating and implementing their processes a virtual design assistant can be a huge asset in terms of business growth.

So what are the pros and cons of working with a virtual design assistant?

PROS

·         Typically work on a 1099, as-needed basis.

·         You don’t have to worry about taxes, benefits or layoffs.

·         They provide their own office equipment, software and workspace.

·         During COVID times, there is no need to worry about social distancing since they work from their own home.

·         The great ones require no training.

·         They can do a wide variety of tasks including some tasks you may think only in-house people can do such as put together material binders, schedule appointments, answer phones or attend meetings.

CONS

·         They are not in-house to run errands – however, I have found some of my clients local virtual assistants that are open to running local errands and doing in-house tasks on an as-needed basis.

·         Not able to communicate face-to-face.

·         May work for more than one interior designer and not have the ability to work with you full-time if that’s what you desire.

In-House

In-house assistants are still desirable to those designers who need a face to welcome clients into a studio or prefer to work with their assistants in person. The most common struggle I see among designers today regarding hiring an in-house assistant is finding quality local candidates. Many designers have to train college interns or people with little industry experience and most designers don’t have time for taking on that type of commitment.

However, there are obviously some positives to hiring in-house if that’s what you prefer.

PROS

·         Able to run errands.

·         Able to communicate face-to-face.

·         You have more control over their time, especially if you are hiring a full-time employee.

·         Able to train an intern or inexperienced assistant if that’s what you desire.

CONS

·         Must provide a workspace, office equipment and supplies.

·         In most cases, must guarantee a certain number of hours per week whether they are part-time or full-time.

·         In most cases, they are hired as an employee and provided benefits.

·         Increased worry about layoffs during our current climate of uncertainty.

·         Is often difficult to find quality local candidates with industry experience.

As you can see there are a variety or pros and cons no matter which route you decide to take. I suggest you take a good look and your business and your goals in order to determine what type of assistant will be best for your business.

As always, feel free to reach out with any questions you may have regarding the subject. I’m always happy to help!

Danae