VA Glossary

Cost-Per-Useful-Hour

The real cost metric for VA services: total monthly spend divided by hours of work that required no rework or correction. Almost always higher than the headline hourly rate.

Dedicated VA Service

A virtual assistant model where one specific assistant works exclusively with you — not shared across a pool of clients. The basis for services like Belay, Time Etc, and Wishup.

Pool VA Service

A virtual assistant model where your requests go to whichever available assistant is free, not a single dedicated person. The basis for services like Fancy Hands and Magic.

Onboarding Period

The calibration period after hiring a VA where productivity is below steady-state. Typically 2–6 weeks for dedicated services. The hidden cost that marketing pages don't price in.

Replacement Guarantee

The policy that lets you swap your assigned VA without paying a new onboarding fee or losing service continuity. A critical feature evaluation criterion for dedicated VA services.