Outsourced sales teams for UK SMEs: What they do, what they cost and when to hire one
Read more
Hire the best Virtual Assistants
Save and hire remote Virtual Assistants
There’s only so much admin you can squeeze between meetings, client work and everything else on the list. A good Virtual Assistant takes that pressure off without needing a desk in your office.
Black Piano helps UK businesses hire dedicated Virtual Assistants for ongoing support across inboxes, diaries, research, reporting, CRM updates, travel, customer follow-ups and general business admin. Depending on the role, they can also use AI tools and automation to speed up repetitive work and keep everyday tasks moving.
Your VA works directly with your team. We handle recruitment, payroll, HR, compliance, equipment and ongoing employee support in the background.
Why pay £2,292 when you can pay £463?
If you need someone in your inbox, calendar and systems every day, paying UK rates can feel excessive very quickly. A remote Virtual Assistant in India can give you that same ongoing support for a fraction of the monthly cost. At Executive level, the difference is £2,292 versus £463 per month, which is an 80% saving.
That changes the kind of support you can realistically afford. Instead of buying a handful of freelance hours, you can bring in someone who knows your systems, works with the team every day and takes proper ownership of the admin.
Black Piano finds and vets the right VA. We then take care of the employment side, from payroll and HR to compliance, equipment and ongoing support.
UK Salary
India Salary
Saving
Executive
(1-4 years)
£2,292
£463
80%
Senior
(4-8 years)
£3,542
£741
79%
Manager
(8-12 years)
£5,000
£1,157
77%
Why hire a Virtual Assistant?
Take recurring work off your plate
A Virtual Assistant is most useful when the same admin keeps coming back every day. Inbox management, calendar updates, CRM housekeeping, follow-ups and reporting can all be handled remotely, which gives the rest of the team more room to focus.
A dedicated VA also gets faster over time because they learn your systems, preferences and priorities. That continuity is the real advantage. You are not re-explaining the same process every week to someone new.
Get full-time support without full UK salary pressure
Hiring a Virtual Assistant remotely can make ongoing support much more affordable. That matters when the workload is steady enough to justify someone working with you every day, but a UK salary still feels difficult to justify.
The savings can also give you more flexibility elsewhere in the team. Instead of spending most of the budget on one local support role, you can free up room for marketing, development or other hires that help the business grow.
Shape the role around what the business needs
Virtual Assistant roles do not have to look identical. One business may need strong diary and inbox support. Another may need help with research, CRM updates, customer follow-ups or light project coordination.
That makes the role easy to shape around your current workload. You can also expand the remit as the VA becomes more familiar with the business, instead of keeping them stuck in a narrow admin box.
Use AI for the repetitive parts, not the important judgement
Modern VAs can use AI and automation to speed up repetitive work such as meeting notes, research, data entry, document summaries and routine reporting.
That does not remove the need for a capable person. It makes the role more useful. An experienced VA knows when a tool can save time and when something needs a human decision, especially with clients, sensitive information or anything that could reflect badly on the business.
What does a Virtual Assistant do?
A Virtual Assistant handles work that can be managed remotely, giving the rest of the team more time for higher-value priorities. Depending on the role, they can take care of:
- Inbox and diary management
- Research and reporting
- CRM updates
- Customer or supplier follow-ups
- Travel and meeting coordination
- Document preparation
- Data entry and general admin
- Routine tasks using AI and automation
The role can stay purely administrative or grow into wider operational support as they get to know the business.
How can a Virtual Assistant support your business?
They can help you:
- Keep admin under control
- Respond to customers or suppliers faster
- Maintain accurate records and CRM data
- Prepare meetings and follow-ups
- Keep recurring processes moving
- Support several people across the business
- Use AI and automation to speed up routine work
Because a dedicated Virtual Assistant learns how your business operates, they can gradually take ownership of more rather than waiting for instructions every time.
How do you hire the right Virtual Assistant?
Start with the work you want to hand over. A VA managing a Founder’s inbox needs a different skill set from someone supporting customer service, research or operations.
Look for:
- Experience with similar responsibilities
- Strong written communication
- Good organisation and judgement
- Confidence working independently
- Familiarity with your software
- Discretion with sensitive information
- Sensible use of AI and automation tools
- Clear remote communication
What is the difference between a Virtual Assistant, Virtual Personal Assistant and Virtual Executive Assistant?
A Virtual Assistant often handles general business admin and recurring operational tasks. A Virtual Personal Assistant works more closely with one person, managing areas such as diaries, travel and correspondence. A Virtual Executive Assistant usually supports senior leaders and takes on more complex coordination, stakeholder communication and decision support.
The best title is the one that reflects the work and level of responsibility you really need. Once you’ve decided that, Black Piano experts are here to find you the right person for the job!
We handle it all
A dedicated Virtual Assistant should make your working day lighter, not give you a new hiring process to manage. Black Piano finds the right person, employs them on your behalf and handles the practical employment side once they join.
Find
We start with the kind of support you actually need. That might be diary and inbox management, research, CRM updates, reporting, customer follow-ups or wider operational admin. Then we look for Virtual Assistants or Virtual PAs with the right experience, communication style and level of independence, so the shortlist feels relevant from the start.
Remote Recruitment
Hire
Once the strongest candidates are identified, we arrange interviews and help you compare them properly. You choose who fits your team best. We then handle contracts, employment setup and local compliance, making the move from interview to start date much easier.
Employer of Record
Manage
The support does not stop once your VA joins. We continue to handle payroll, HR, benefits, equipment and employee support, with help around retention and performance where needed. Your Virtual Assistant stays focused on keeping the day-to-day work moving, and we keep the employment admin off your plate.
Remote HR
Explore our pricing
We’re all about simple, transparent pricing. All employment compensation and overheads are covered. No up-front fees. No ‘starting’ fees. No hidden fees.
Quick fix
£ - - -
(custom pricing)
Start small
£ 550
(per month + TCOE)
Grow big
10% off
Related posts...
.jpg)
.webp)
Similar roles...
Can’t find what you’re looking for?
Don’t panic. These are just some of our popular roles. At Black Piano, we’re pretty good at finding pretty much any remote role you can imagine. Find more roles and build your team below.
FAQs
How much does it cost to hire a Virtual Assistant?
The cost depends on experience, responsibilities, working hours and where the VA is based. A dedicated remote Virtual Assistant in India can cost considerably less than a comparable UK hire, particularly for ongoing support. With Black Piano, that can be as much as 80%! The role itself also matters. Someone handling straightforward admin will usually cost less than a Virtual Executive Assistant managing senior stakeholders, complex diaries or wider operational responsibilities.
How many hours do Virtual Assistants work?
There is no fixed number. Some Virtual Assistants work a few hours each week, while others work full time as dedicated members of the business. The right setup depends on how much recurring work you have and how quickly you need support available. If the workload is consistent, hiring a full-time Virtual Assistant often gives you better continuity because they become familiar with your systems, team and priorities.
What is a dedicated Virtual Assistant?
A dedicated Virtual Assistant works consistently with your business rather than splitting their time across several unrelated clients. They use your systems, learn your processes and become familiar with the people and priorities that matter. This model works particularly well when you need regular support rather than occasional help. Black Piano can find and employ a dedicated VA on your behalf, with payroll, HR, compliance and ongoing support handled by us.
Should I hire a full-time, part-time or freelance Virtual Assistant?
It comes down to workload and continuity. Freelance support can work well for one-off projects or a few hours of admin each week. Part-time suits businesses with a steady but smaller workload. A full-time Virtual Assistant makes more sense when support is needed every day and you want someone embedded in the team. We can help with different hiring models depending on how much support you actually need.
Can a Virtual Assistant work UK business hours?
Yes. Working hours can be agreed around the needs of the role. A remote Virtual Assistant in India can work hours that overlap with the UK working day, which makes real-time meetings, customer follow-ups and team communication much easier. For roles that do not need constant live contact, some businesses also use a mix of overlapping and asynchronous working hours to keep work moving beyond the usual office day.