Key Takeaways

By delegating time-consuming tasks to virtual assistants from staffing agencies, business owners can focus on growth and strategy.

Zenius handles search, hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits and day-to-day management of your VAs.

One bad hire can cost employers nearly $17,000 on average! So while selecting an agency, it’s important to know exactly what you want, do thorough research, check client reviews, prioritize quality over cost and discuss post-hiring support.

In this hyper-competitive business environment, how does one ultimately keep up?

Entrepreneurs and business owners have to juggle multiple meetings, admin duties, critical projects, overflowing inboxes and so on. The result? Fatigue, burn out and missed timelines!

How wonderful it would have been to delegate these time-consuming, stressful responsibilities to skilled professionals? These skilled professionals exist and they are none other than virtual assistants.

VAs can manage all your routine, time-consuming tasks, streamline operations and clear out admin chaos. They help you reclaim your time so that all your focus can be on growth and strategy.

But in a sea of options, finding the right virtual assistant is difficult. How do you decide which VA staffing agency will meet your needs? What should you expect from their service? What mistakes should you avoid?

This article gives a detailed review of the top 10 staffing agencies to hire your next virtual assistant and to hire them right!

What Are Virtual Assistant Staffing Agencies?

Virtual assistant staffing agencies hire, train and build teams of remote professionals who can provide professional services for all your business needs. Data entry, research, marketing or bookkeeping—you say it, they have it.

All you have to do is explain your demands and sign an agreement. And voila! 

You get dedicated, skilled and experienced professionals working to help you tackle the various routine tasks for your business.

In this article, we list the best virtual assistant employment agencies that you can explore for your staffing needs.

What Can a Virtual Assistant Do for Your Business?

What would you do if you had more time in a day? Brainstorm better and scale higher? Us, all!

A virtual assistant (VA) is a remote worker who can transform your business by handling time-consuming admin tasks such as emails, appointments, customer inquiries, social media and much more.

Growing your business is easy with a virtual assistant. All you need to do is delegate the tasks that can be done by someone else to your VA. Tools like the Eisenhower matrix can help you prioritize core tasks and choose tasks your VA can do for you.

When time is money, VAs can be your secret weapon for efficiency, productivity and scale. But how exactly can hiring a VA benefit your business? 

Here are the top benefits of virtual assistants:

1. Cut admin stress by delegating repetitive tasks.
2. Leverage cost-effective support.
3. Get scalability and flexibility.
4. Access skilled, global talent.
5. Benefit from round-the-clock productivity.

Masters in the Game: Best Virtual Employment Agencies

When looking to outsource virtual assistants and specialized talents, you can choose from the following trusted staffing agencies.

1. Zenius

Many invisible tasks eat up big chunks of executives’ time. Zenius understands that.

So we take care of the search, hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits and day-to-day management of your virtual assistant. This enables you and your core employees to focus on strategic business tasks.

We handpick top talent that’s college-educated, English proficient, pre-vetted and has niche experience in their field. This means reliable, specialized and skilled talents adding hours to your day, every day.

Zenius can hire remote talents for 10+ industries like IT & software, marketing, e-commerce, sales, creative services, customer support and more.

Our hiring process is led by a team of experts, freeing you from headaches. Whether you participate in interviews or take a completely hands-off approach—the choice is yours. Depending on the team size, you can even customize the assessments to test the exact practical skills and proficiencies that you need. Our rigorous screening process is such that out of 100 promising candidates, only 1 makes it in.

We are committed to client-first service, delivered through reliable account managers who help you navigate uncertain waters whenever the need arises.

Here are some more reasons why Zenius is your answer to all things remote support:

1. Regular monitoring of team performance with screenshots.
2. Trainable workers you enjoy collaborating with.
3. No hidden costs, no confusion.

2. Ossisto

Ossisto is a virtual assistant company that provides versatile services for businesses across multiple industries. From real estate and property management to e-commerce and software development, their VAs have built a strong reputation.

Here’s a list of the promises they offer:

1. Prompt customer service, transparency and accountability.
2. Efficiency in completing tasks without compromising on quality.
3. Prioritizing the client’s needs and ensuring satisfaction.
4. Virtual assistants with knowledge and problem-solving skills.

3. Stealth Agents

Stealth Agents is a staffing agency that provides virtual assistants with 10+ years of experience. Their experienced VAs help boost productivity and drive overall success for businesses.

Virtual assistants in Stealth Agents provide services in the following areas:

1. Lead generation
2. Manual data entry
3. Blogging and SEO tasks
4. Phone support
5. Administrative tasks
6. Order fulfillment
7. Email support
8. Graphic design

They use a cloud app to communicate with their virtual assistants and campaign managers. They also use cloud project management to organize their various tasks. This helps Stealth Agents manage everything in a more streamlined manner.

4. Time Etc

Time Etc is a US-based VA company providing services since 2007. With their dedicated assistants, businesses can save up to 90% of their costs compared to hiring full-time employees.

Their virtual assistants can help you with:

1. Email management
2. Scheduling and meetings
3. Administration and red tape
4. Social media and content
5. Expenses and billing
6. Travel arrangements

By outsourcing these energy-consuming tasks, Time Etc allows you to focus on critical business tasks.

5. Belay

Belay’s pre-vetted professionals are available at flexible service plans. With no overhead costs, they fully handle VA onboarding and other daily management responsibilities.

They only offer virtual assistant services in administrative tasks, marketing and accounting. Delegating such time-consuming tasks will help you focus on scaling your business.

Here are the steps involved in their hiring process:

1. Sales call
2. Discovery call
3. Placement process
4. Kickoff call
5. Onboarding
6. Nurturing

6. Boldly

Boldly is a premium subscription staffing company that offers skilled remote executive assistants. Their professionals are based in the US, with 10+ years of experience.

Here are the values Boldly practices:

1. Hiring people with a sense of service and corporate experience.
2. Offering a lifetime satisfaction guarantee to clients.
3. Building long-lasting partnerships.
4. Ensuring positive interactions and collaborations.

7. Prialto

Prialto is a virtual assistant company providing business solutions for individuals, organizations and enterprises.

Launched in 2009 in the Silicon Valley, they offer:

1. Fractional dedicated assistant for 55+ hours of monthly support.
2. Full-time dedicated assistant for 165+ hours of monthly support.
3. Custom enterprise solutions for 550+ hours of monthly support.

Prialto VAs serve across multiple industries ranging from insurance, venture capital, real estate, non-profits and more.

8. Wishup

Wishup enables remote collaboration between entrepreneurs and global talent. 

They provide assistance in project management, inbox management, calendar management and other services.

Here are the benefits of hiring from Wishup: 

1. Pre-vetted professionals
2. 6-step screening process
3. Full-time assistants
4. Aptitude tests

9. MyTasker

MyTasker is a premier VA company that offers support to businesses across all industries.

This VA company started in 2012 and now offers services such as:

1. Administrative assistance
2. Accounting assistance
3. Writing and editing
4. Web design and development
5. Digital marketing
6. IT support
7. Video editing
8. AI assistance
9. Sales and CS support

With a wide range of pricing models, VAs from MyTasker provide round-the-clock service.

10. Zirtual

Zirtual provides virtual assistants, virtual paralegals and virtual agents. They offer fully-managed services, delivering exceptional service to clients across multiple US time zones.

Here are the perks of recruiting virtual assistants from Zirtual.

1. The VAs are college-educated.
2. They undergo a rigorous screening process.
3. Dedicated VAs are reachable via phone, SMS, and email.

They provide legal support to attorneys and law firms in a flexible, subscription-based model.

Watch Out for These Mistakes Before Signing Up

Why is it important to be careful while hiring virtual assistants? One bad hire can cost employers nearly $17,000 on average!

Some more direct costs of a bad hire can include agency fees, training and onboarding costs and ultimately, replacement costs.

On top of the monetary losses, companies end up wasting the hours spent discussing requirements with agencies, assessing candidates, onboarding new joiners, providing guidance and giving feedback.

Here are some mistakes that might lead you to onboard a bad hire:

1. Not Knowing Your Own Requirements Clearly.

Note down the problems you currently face in your business. What will help solve each of these? Use this information to draft a detailed job description.

Refer to this JD while searching for staffing agencies. For instance, if you want to build a remote marketing team, who can help you find content writers, graphic designers, social media assistants, lead generation assistants and more?

It’s also useful to keep this JD handy throughout the hiring process.

2. Not Researching the Agency Properly.

No one likes hidden costs that sneak up on you as you’re about to sign the contract. And what if you find out very late in the process that your agency VA is not college-educated?

To avoid shocking disappointments, always research your agency thoroughly. Read their service pages and don’t miss out on the details. Ask questions to clearly understand their pricing model and enquire about hidden costs. Overcommunication has more pros than cons!

It’s best to shortlist your favourites and compare features by yourself before signing up.

3. Ignoring Negative Reviews.

Platforms like Glassdoor and Trustpilot provide authentic reviews on companies. These reviews can come from clients as well as previous employees, giving rich insights into the company’s service quality, work culture, etc.

Search your shortlisted agencies on these platforms and arm yourself with all the inside information you need to make a decision. Avoid companies with multiple negative reviews.

4. Prioritizing Cost Above Quality.

Outsourcing is clearly more affordable than in-house hiring. But while outsourcing, you must prioritize trusted, reliable agencies that provide pre-vetted, skilled candidates. If you can assess the candidate personally before signing up, that’s the best.

Remember, you’re not just investing money. You are investing time and effort. You deserve enhanced productivity and tangible results as ROI. High-quality service gets you just that.

5. Not Discussing Post-Hiring Support.

Will the agency you choose come to your rescue when things go sideways? For 90% of consumers, the post-purchase experience is just as important as the product or service they paid for!

Check if the staffing agency provides reliable account managers who can support you in case of performance issues, future scaling requirements, replacements, bonuses, etc.

6. Harboring Cultural Biases.

Leading cross-cultural teams comes with certain responsibilities. For maximum collaboration and productivity, you must overcome differences and acknowledge that diversity only adds value to your business.

Mistakes with long-term consequences can be avoided. Just remember to research thoroughly, stay mindful during the hiring process, ask in-depth, custom interview questions and communicate openly with your staffing provider!

How Is Virtual Assistant Staffing Changing in 2025?

While the shift to remote work during the pandemic was sudden, businesses have embraced the new paradigm. According to a Gartner report, 74% of companies plan to work remotely permanently.

This can be attributed to various factors like lower overhead charges, higher flexibility and greater work-life balance.

Remote employees don’t just save businesses money on office space, equipment and utilities, but they’re also reported to be more productive than in-office workers.

For businesses looking to boost productivity and reduce costs even further, virtual assistants are an excellent option.

Unlike full-time employees, VAs don’t come with long-term commitments, allowing businesses to scale their workforce as per demand. By delegating time-consuming tasks to virtual assistants, organizations can also boost efficiency across the board.

Virtual staffing agencies are one of the most reliable ways to hire VAs for your business. They take care of everything from screening candidates to interviewing and recruiting, saving you hours of trouble.

Thorough Candidate Vetting With One-on-One Interviews

Virtual assistant staffing agencies put candidates through a stringent, multi-step process to ensure every talent fits your organization like a glove. From technical skills, industry knowledge and previous work experience to communication skills and behavioral evaluations, everything is thoroughly assessed.

This allows a way stricter screening than traditional hiring.

For instance, due to time constraints and lack of resources, companies often resort to hiring through one-way interviews, which create a negative, isolated and mechanical candidate experience. It bars you from knowing potential employees on a deeper level and checking compatibility in real time.

On the other hand, staffing agencies conduct personalized interviews and give individual attention to each candidate. They make sure candidates have both the necessary hard and soft skills needed to make an impact in your organization.

Diverse Tech-Savvy Talents With Niche Skills

In the current job landscape, diversity is of great importance. 51% of employers believe that choosing from a wider talent pool gives you access to niche skills and unique talents.

Employing an inclusive workforce can also help you venture into new markets, strengthen your brand reputation and improve staff retention.

Virtual staffing agencies are experts at finding diverse talents from around the world. Through them, you can find professionals with specialized expertise otherwise unavailable among local candidates.

Many businesses have begun outsourcing VAs for this reason. IT and software development are among the most popularly outsourced services. By hiring tech support VAs, businesses can ensure proactive bug fixing, timely system updates and high-performing apps.

Other commonly outsourced tasks include back-office work, customer service, marketing, sales and e-commerce support. Your routine tasks get done on time while you redirect your time to core business processes—it’s a win all around!

Due to the popularity of social media in recent years, organizations can also benefit from hiring VAs for social media management. These VAs can help you execute impactful marketing campaigns, making sure you keep up with the latest trends and entice more customers.

Wrapping Up

In this day and age, delegation is no longer a luxury. It has become a necessity. And virtual assistant staffing agencies are here to help you with that.

These top VA companies give you a diverse selection of skilled virtual assistants. But ensuring the agency’s values and the candidate’s skills align with your requirements is your responsibility.

Success starts with the right support. Take some time out to find an agency that can do the heavy lifting for you.

Build your team with Zenius today!