Virtual Employee - Can You Afford It?

Spurred by hearing all the success stories of outsourcing, there are many companies who decide to outsource often on the basis of flimsy research, and unrealistic expectations or hearsay. However, being well-informed is of paramount importance here because the wrong choice of an outsourcing partner can not just lead to disillusion but also considerably upset the financial equations. Having said that, it pays to remember that outsourcing takes on at least three distinct forms – freelancing, project outsourcing and the virtual employee. Which one suits you the most and which one can you actually afford? Can you afford a virtual employee?

First, let's understand what, or rather who, is a virtual employee. A virtual employee is an employee who works for you in a dedicated, full-time manner just like any other employee, with the only difference being that this particular employee works remotely from an outsourcing vendor's office some halfway across the globe from you.

Without doubt, the virtual employee model of outsourcing is possibly the best form of all the three, more so when complex and long-term projects are involved and when intensive and close collaboration between client and their virtual employees are required.

So, if you have decided to employ the services of a remote employee, it pays to keep the
bigger picture in mind. In other words, you expectations from the outsourcing process on the whole.

All virtual employees – just like normal employees – do not come at the same price. The cost varies and you should be aware of this. True, outsourcing is famed for its cost-effective benefits but being realistic about the different rates that are associated with different categories of remote employees always lessens the shock of false expectations. So, if you wish to hire a simple virtual assistant the cost would be understandably low, since the work involved would not be complex or technical or high skill. On the other hand, an iPhone developer or someone with rare skills such as complex coding or intricate software development, will definitely cost more. Just like in any job market.

So, it may be that for a short-term content writing project you may actually be better off if you hire a freelancer rather than a virtual employee. Similarly, if you have need mobile application development, then maybe project outsourcing is a better option.

The basic point here is that the RoI (Return on Investment) needs to be encouraging. If you have a hired a virtual employee but your RoI continues to show a downward trend then you probably need to evaluate the nature of work that you have outsourced and whether it may be better to let a freelancer handle it.

A virtual employee is a permanent dedicated resource. Unlike project outsourcing or freelancing, where the focus is purely on the work and the output, remote employment takes in the larger picture. A client can assign any work to their remote employee – work that covers their skills and expertise in every possible way. So, let's say that if the virtual employee has been working on SEO for a week, they can also be utilised for content writing the following week. The idea is to optimize the potential of the virtual employee to the fullest.

So, when you employ a virtual employee, you really do need to ask yourself – can I really afford a remote employee?