According to a study carried out by Sage, small and medium-sized businesses spend an average of 142 days a year managing administrative tasks. What’s more, in the smallest structures, it’s often the manager who does it! Except that, as a company director, you have far more strategic matters to manage. And accumulating time-consuming and repetitive tasks not only wastes your time, it also generates stress and has a major impact on your productivity. The solution? Delegate these tasks to an administrative professional! But how do you choose the right profile? Should you hire in-house or outsource? To help you find the option best suited to your organization, here’s a comparison of theadministrative support solutionsavailable to companies, and our advice on how to make your decision.
Why delegate or outsource administrative tasks?
As a manager, your days are already full. And juggling strategic missions and administrative tasks isn’t always easy. Worse, it can even reduce your productivity. Wasted time, mistakes, stress… Administrative management is the bane of many small and medium-sized businesses.
Feeling like you can’t manage everything on your own? Perhaps it’s time to call on an administrative assistant to support you. Their role? To save you time on a day-to-day basis by taking on time-consuming, repetitive tasks. But that’s not all! Using a company administrative assistant can also reduce the risk of errors andimprove your internal organization.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of tasks to be entrusted to an administrative support :
- organization, filing, archiving ;
- e-mail follow-up ;
- invoicing and reminders ;
- secretariat ;
- organizing diaries and schedules ;
- order supplies ;
- accounting…
Who can take care of the company’s administrative procedures?
There are a number of administrative support solutions available to companies. Administrative assistant, executive assistant, office manager… Let’s explore your options in a little more detail.
Option 1: Hire an in-house administrative assistant
Integrating an administrative assistant into your team is ideal if you need someone to help with day-to-day management. E-mail follow-up, secretarial work, invoicing… They can take on a wide range of tasks to optimize your internal administrative management.
However, hiring a new employee involves significant costs (recruitment, salary, training, etc.). So make sure beforehand that your needs require this financial commitment over time.
Option 2: Use a freelance secretary or virtual assistant
You don’t need someone full-time? By outsourcing your administrative management, you can define a working time according to your real needs. You can even hire an outside service provider for just a few hours a week.
The advantage? Better cost control, cutting-edge expertise and an efficient professional right away! Perfect for delegating specific administrative tasks such as bookkeeping, debt collection, payroll management, etc.
Option 3: Work with a freelance office manager
Unlike a virtual administrative assistant or freelance secretary, an office manager has more strategic expertise. So, as well as taking charge of your administrative tasks, he or she can also support you in more demanding missions: HR, financial management, steering, process optimization, etc.
Administrative assistance for companies: comparison
| Benefits | Disadvantages | |
| Salaried administrative assistant | – Full-time presence on your premises – Strong involvement in your company – Good integration into the existing team | – Significant costs – Long-term financial commitment – Time required for training and supervision |
| Freelance secretary | – Costs adapted to your needs – No need for training or supervision – Specialized expertise depending on the task – Time savings thanks to autonomous professionals | – Less integration with the internal team – Less direct control over assignments – Dependence on an external service provider for key tasks |
| Freelance office manager | – Broader expertise – Strategic vision to optimize processes – Flexibility for one-off or recurring assignments – Costs adapted to needs | – Less availability than a full-time employee – Less integration into the corporate culture |
Administrative support for companies: how to choose the right option and the best profile?
Here are a few tips to help you choose the right administrative support solution.
Define your administrative management needs
To begin with, it’s important to define your expectations precisely. To do this, a number of criteria need to be taken into account, including :
- the nature of the tasks to be delegated ;
- the volume of these tasks ;
- your budget ;
- the size of your company ;
- whether or not a physical presence is required.
Just want to save time? A virtual assistant takes care of all your recurring, time-consuming tasks on a limited budget.
Are you looking for a true strategic partner? Working with an office manager may be just what you’re looking for. They’re the ideal partner for fast-growing start-ups!
Finally, in a more established company such as an SME, a substantial administrative volume may justify hiring a full-time employee.
Target essential soft and hard skills
Managing administrative tasks requires a great deal of rigor and organization, but that’s not all! Autonomy, adaptability, initiative, interpersonal skills, mastery of specific software… List the skills you’re looking for in your future employee’s profile to help you find the right person.
Choose between hiring or outsourcing your administrative management
Working with a freelance service provider has the advantage of giving you greater flexibility in your collaboration. In contrast, hiring an employee on a permanent or fixed-term contract involves higher fixed costs, as well as a long-term commitment.
| Benefits | Disadvantages | |
| CDI | Stability Reliability | Fixed costs Payroll costs |
| CDD | Short-term flexibility | Lack of continuity |
| Freelance | Flexibility Targeted expertise Better cost control | No full-time presence Less control over work performed |
Find the best candidates to delegate your administrative tasks
Whether you’re recruiting in-house or outsourcing, there are several solutions to help you find the right profile:
- recruitment agencies: true headhunters, they offer you qualified profiles that perfectly match your expectations;
- professional social networks: with LinkedIn, you can search by profile type, location or business sector;
- the job boards Platforms such as Indeed, HelloWork or Welcome To The Jungle allow you to publish a job offer containing all the specific criteria of your search;
- freelance platforms: if you’re looking for a freelance service provider, these platforms list hundreds of freelance profiles(Malt, Upwork or Fiverr are the best-known).
How much does administrative assistance cost?
Here is a price range for the different solutions:
- Salary for an in-house administrative assistant: between €1,800 and €2,500 gross per month;
- Cost of a freelance secretary or virtual assistant: from €200 per month for a recurring subscription and depending on the service;
- Freelance office manager rates: between €300 and €800 per day, depending on the assignment.
While all these solutions can represent a substantial cost for your company, keep in mind that they are a real investment in terms of time savings, efficiency and growth.
5 steps to successful administrative delegation
To make sure your collaboration is effective, we recommend you follow these 5 steps.
1. Clearly identify your priorities
List precisely the tasks you want to delegate (invoicing, HR management, process optimization…). This first step is essential to help you target the right profile. What’s more, it will help you get your collaboration off to a good start.
2. Test before you commit
If you use an external service provider, start with a one-off assignment before opting for regular collaboration. This will enable you to check that your new partner has the skills you need, and that their working methods are suitable for you.
3. Take care of your employee’s onboarding
Whether you’re an employee or a freelancer, take the time to welcome your new collaborator. Whether in person or virtually, make sure you give them all the information they need about your company and your values , so that they can quickly become effective.
4. Use the right tools for efficient administrative management
Many project management tools help you assign the tasks you want to delegate and track their progress. You can use online collaborative tools like Trello, Notion or Slack, for example.
5. Evaluate and adjust as the business evolves
After a few months, it’s time to take stock of the benefits you’ve gained, and the areas where you can still improve.
Conclusion: which administrative support solution for your company?
While recruiting an in-house employee ensures a daily presence and total immersion in your corporate culture, working with a freelance service provider gives you greater flexibility throughout your collaboration. Whether you’re a start-up, a small business or an SME, don’t take this choice lightly – it can have a real impact on your productivity and profitability!
At CHO Digital, our freelance office managers can help you with all your administrative and strategic needs. Contact us to discuss your needs!
