--- title: "Virtual Assistant vs. Answering Service: Which Is Right for You?" description: Need help with your customer service? We’ll help you decide if you need to hire an answering service or a virtual assistant. image: https://www.abetteranswer.com/hubfs/AdobeStock_277502354.jpg --- [![A Better Answer Call Centers](https://www.abetteranswer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/optimized/ABA_Logo_-_June_Picture_Blue_Trademark%20(1).png?width=135&height=146&name=ABA_Logo_-_June_Picture_Blue_Trademark%20(1).png "A Better Answer Call Centers")](https://www.abetteranswer.com) We'd Love to Hear From You:[1-866-442-9500](tel:1-866-442-9500) [![GET A FREE QUOTE](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/131482/50344ecf-861c-4fe6-a146-a87233d09839.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/131482/50344ecf-861c-4fe6-a146-a87233d09839) [**search](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/virtual-assistant-vs.-answering-service-which-is-right-for-you#) # A Better Answer Blog ## Virtual Assistant vs. Answering Service: Which Is Right for You? by [Jessica Janosko](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/author/jessica-janosko), on Jun 22, 2021 9:00:00 AM ![AdobeStock_277502354](https://www.abetteranswer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AdobeStock_277502354.jpg?width=1000&name=AdobeStock_277502354.jpg) So you’ve finally decided to upgrade your customer service? Good choice, and congratulations! That means your business is growing and you need more help. When it comes to building a customer service team, there are many options. If you’ve chosen to forego hiring an in-house team member, two other options are hiring a virtual assistant or an answering service. Both solutions have their own set of pros and cons. In the end, choose the option best for your business and your customers. Key factors to consider when weighing the options of hiring a virtual assistant or an answering service to improve your customer service experience.   ## Determine Your Customer Service Needs Before you decide between hiring a virtual assistant or an answering service, you must first understand your customer service needs. Do you have an influx of calls you can’t handle right now? Do you need help cold calling and following up with leads? Maybe you require team members to have a specialized skill set. Figuring out your business needs will help you better serve your customers. When your customers are happy, your business will grow. Other factors to consider before hiring customer service help are: - How many inbound calls do you get per day? - Will you need someone who is bilingual? - Are you looking to implement automated messages? - Does your industry require specific knowledge and training? - Are you looking for extra help with mundane tasks?  - Do you need 24/7 customer service? Answering these questions will help you decide what the better answer is for you.   ## What Is a Virtual Assistant? A [virtual assistant](https://www.abetteranswer.com/virtual-assistant-services) (VA) is an individual or group of people who work closely with your business to provide support in various ways. First and foremost, a virtual assistant can help with customer service needs such as answering inbound calls and transferring them to the correct department. This is similar to what answering services do — but they also do much more. Typically, virtual assistants are used on a smaller scale for smaller companies and work the same hours your company does. VAs tend to be more integrated into your business processes than answering services. They will be trained as an in-house hire to learn your systems, processes and tasks you seek their help to complete. Virtual assistants can do much more than just answer incoming calls; they act more like personal assistants and have the ability to do almost anything you need. VAs can provide account updates to clients, schedule meetings with prospects and help with mundane tasks like data entry or updating CRM systems. Virtual assistants also gain more knowledge as they continue to work within your business. They receive ongoing training and act as an extension of your company. [Benefits of a virtual assistant](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/what-is-a-virtual-assistant-how-one-can-benefit-you) include: - **Virtually no overhead: **Virtual assistants will already have their equipment  - **Increased productivity and efficiency:** VAs are hyper-focused and able to accomplish tasks that your team can’t get to - **Ability to focus on scaling your business: **You’ll get the time-consuming tasks off your plate, enabling you to focus on business development and processes - **Gain specialty skills missing within your company:** Hire a virtual assistant to help with technical questions, marketing, or almost any other niche - **Hourly rates:** You only pay when work is being done and have no additional costs such as health insurance, PTO, or other benefits ![AdobeStock_337165493](https://www.abetteranswer.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AdobeStock_337165493.jpg?width=1000&name=AdobeStock_337165493.jpg) ## What Is an Answering Service? An [answering service](https://www.abetteranswer.com/) provides client-facing call agents to support your business with incoming calls, outgoing calls and transferring calls — similar to traditional receptionist duties. An answering service provides multiple agents, not one person as a virtual assistant solution does. For the most part, answering service responsibilities stick to phone support, meaning they don’t handle your CRM system, marketing tasks or other duties that a virtual assistant can manage. However, they can answer FAQs and help resolve immediate issues. Answering services usually charge a monthly or annual retainer based on your needs. Benefits of answering services include: - **Cost savings:** An [answering service cost](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/how-does-an-answering-service-work) less than hiring one in-house team member - **Improve customer acquisition and retention: **Always being available to answer questions and concerns will increase sales and customer satisfaction - **Customize your customer service experience:** An answering service will follow your script, guidelines, and brand voice so your customer experience is seamless  - **24/7 customer service:** Answering services provide support around the clock, even when your office is closed ## Choose the Best Solution for Your Needs Being aware of the differences between a virtual assistant and an answering service will ensure you pick the right choice for your business’ customer service needs. Remember that an answering service provides a team of support, 24/7 accessibility and can take on all of your phone support needs. A virtual assistant is one person who can help with tasks across the board, like data entry, marketing tasks and updating client information. Whichever solution you choose to implement, there’s more to consider before doing so. If you opt for a virtual assistant, [these are the main qualities to look for in one](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/the-main-qualities-to-look-for-in-a-virtual-assistant). If an answering service sounds best for you, we have [six questions you need to ask](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/6-questions-to-ask-when-hiring-an-answering-service) during the interview process. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ### About this blog A Better Blog is your number one resource for what’s trending in the call center industry. Stay tuned to this page for articles, blog posts and other insights from a company that’s been the best in the business for almost half a century. ### Subscribe to get more great content! ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Topic - [Blog (57)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/blog) - [Better Service (52)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/better-service) - [News (36)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/news) - [Better Business (33)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/better-business) - [Call Handling Heroes (33)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/call-handling-heroes) - [Awards (29)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/awards) - [Testimonials (21)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/testimonials) - [ATSI (19)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/atsi) - [Answering Service (17)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/answering-service) - [Better Communications (15)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/better-communications) - [Customer Service (15)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/customer-service) - [Articles (12)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/articles) - [Customer Experience (6)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/customer-experience) - [Charities (5)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/charities) - [Certifications (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/certifications) - [Small Business (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/small-business) - [CAM-X (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/cam-x) - [DBJ (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/dbj) - [call answering services (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/call-answering-services) - [medical answering services (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/medical-answering-services) - [Call Center (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/call-center) - [HIPAA Compliance (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/hipaa-compliance) - [answering service benefits (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/answering-service-benefits) - [answering service outsourcing (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/answering-service-outsourcing) - [call recording benefits (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/call-recording-benefits) - [call recording for business (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/call-recording-for-business) - [ecommerce answering service (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/ecommerce-answering-service) - [enhancing customer experience (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/enhancing-customer-experience) - [hiring an answering service (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/hiring-an-answering-service) - [outsourcing during recession (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/outsourcing-during-recession) - [startups (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/startups) - [streamline business (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/topic/streamline-business) [see all](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/virtual-assistant-vs.-answering-service-which-is-right-for-you#) ### Blog Archive - [January 2026 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2026/01) - [October 2025 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2025/10) - [April 2025 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2025/04) - [January 2025 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2025/01) - [May 2024 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2024/05) - [April 2024 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2024/04) - [September 2023 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2023/09) - [June 2023 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2023/06) - [April 2023 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2023/04) - [March 2023 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2023/03) - [February 2023 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2023/02) - [December 2022 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2022/12) - [November 2022 (5)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2022/11) - [June 2022 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2022/06) - [May 2022 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2022/05) - [March 2022 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2022/03) - [February 2022 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2022/02) - [November 2021 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2021/11) - [October 2021 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2021/10) - [August 2021 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2021/08) - [July 2021 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2021/07) - [June 2021 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2021/06) - [May 2021 (5)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2021/05) - [April 2021 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2021/04) - [March 2021 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2021/03) - [February 2021 (5)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2021/02) - [January 2021 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2021/01) - [December 2020 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/12) - [November 2020 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/11) - [October 2020 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/10) - [September 2020 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/09) - [August 2020 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/08) - [July 2020 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/07) - [June 2020 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/06) - [May 2020 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/05) - [April 2020 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/04) - [March 2020 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/03) - [February 2020 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/02) - [January 2020 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2020/01) - [December 2019 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2019/12) - [November 2019 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2019/11) - [October 2019 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2019/10) - [September 2019 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2019/09) - [August 2019 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2019/08) - [July 2019 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2019/07) - [May 2019 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2019/05) - [April 2019 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2019/04) - [March 2019 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2019/03) - [February 2019 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2019/02) - [January 2019 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2019/01) - [December 2018 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2018/12) - [October 2018 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2018/10) - [September 2018 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2018/09) - [August 2018 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2018/08) - [July 2018 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2018/07) - [June 2018 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2018/06) - [April 2018 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2018/04) - [March 2018 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2018/03) - [February 2018 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2018/02) - [October 2017 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2017/10) - [September 2017 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2017/09) - [August 2017 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2017/08) - [July 2017 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2017/07) - [June 2017 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2017/06) - [May 2017 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2017/05) - [April 2017 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2017/04) - [March 2017 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2017/03) - [February 2017 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2017/02) - [December 2016 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/12) - [November 2016 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/11) - [October 2016 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/10) - [September 2016 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/09) - [August 2016 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/08) - [July 2016 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/07) - [June 2016 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/06) - [May 2016 (5)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/05) - [April 2016 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/04) - [March 2016 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/03) - [February 2016 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/02) - [January 2016 (5)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2016/01) - [December 2015 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/12) - [November 2015 (5)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/11) - [October 2015 (6)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/10) - [September 2015 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/09) - [August 2015 (6)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/08) - [July 2015 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/07) - [June 2015 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/06) - [May 2015 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/05) - [April 2015 (6)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/04) - [March 2015 (6)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/03) - [February 2015 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/02) - [January 2015 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2015/01) - [December 2014 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2014/12) - [November 2014 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2014/11) - [October 2014 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2014/10) - [September 2014 (4)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2014/09) - [August 2014 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2014/08) - [July 2014 (5)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2014/07) - [June 2014 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2014/06) - [May 2014 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2014/05) - [April 2014 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2014/04) - [February 2014 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2014/02) - [January 2014 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2014/01) - [December 2013 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2013/12) - [October 2013 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2013/10) - [August 2013 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2013/08) - [December 2012 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2012/12) - [November 2012 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2012/11) - [October 2012 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2012/10) - [September 2012 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2012/09) - [July 2012 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2012/07) - [June 2012 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2012/06) - [May 2012 (21)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2012/05) - [April 2012 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2012/04) - [March 2012 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2012/03) - [February 2012 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2012/02) - [January 2012 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2012/01) - [December 2011 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2011/12) - [November 2011 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2011/11) - [October 2011 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2011/10) - [August 2011 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2011/08) - [July 2011 (2)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2011/07) - [May 2011 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2011/05) - [April 2011 (26)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2011/04) - [March 2011 (3)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2011/03) - [November 2010 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2010/11) - [October 2010 (1)](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/archive/2010/10) [see all](https://www.abetteranswer.com/blog/virtual-assistant-vs.-answering-service-which-is-right-for-you#) [![New call-to-action](https://hubspot-no-cache-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/131482/cbf52556-bdda-4454-845b-4e58dac2452d.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-na2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/131482/cbf52556-bdda-4454-845b-4e58dac2452d) ### Contact Us ### Subscribe To Newsletter ### Connect With Us [**](https://www.facebook.com/ABetterAnswer/) [**](https://twitter.com/ABetterAnswer) [**](https://www.instagram.com/abetteranswer/) [**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-better-answer/) ### Want to work for A Better Answer? Fill out our online [Job Application Form](https://www.abetteranswer.com/jobs) and become a Call Handling Hero®! ©2026 A BETTER ANSWER [ Request a Quote Now! ](https://www.abetteranswer.com/get-a-quote) ```json "@context" ```