How To Choose The Best Virtual Assistant In Edinburgh
The best Edinburgh VA isn't the cheapest hourly rate — it's the one that doesn't drop the ball when you're on a job. Here's the 7-question checklist Jo Hannah uses.
Most Edinburgh business owners pick a VA on price, regret it within three months, and end up doing the admin again themselves. The 'best' Edinburgh virtual assistant isn't the cheapest hourly rate — it's the one that runs reliably when you're on a job site, in a chair, or with a customer.
Question 1: Is it one person or a team? A solo freelancer is fine until they get sick, take holiday or take on a bigger client. VA365 is a UK team — your work doesn't stop when one person does.
Question 2: Who supervises them? If the answer is 'no one — they're senior', that's a freelancer arrangement, not an outsourced office. VA365 every account has a senior office manager checking outputs.
Question 3: Are they based in the UK? Time zone matters less than business context. UK-based means they understand HMRC, GDPR, UK contracts, Scottish trades, your customers' accents on the phone.
Question 4: Fixed fee or hourly? Hourly billing rewards slowness. Fixed monthly billing aligns the VA's incentives with yours.
Question 5: Can they answer your phone in your business name? If not, you're still the bottleneck on every inbound enquiry.
Question 6: Have they actually run a business? VA365 is founded by Jo Hannah, an Edinburgh operator who has run trades, beauty, hospitality and retail. Most VAs have only ever been employees — they don't know what it feels like to lose a job because nobody answered the phone.
Question 7: What's the offboarding clause? Avoid 12-month tie-ins. VA365 is rolling monthly — if we're not earning our keep, you leave.
Score every Edinburgh VA you shortlist against those seven questions. Book a 15-minute call with Jo and we'll happily score ourselves on the call.