Time etc vs HireHarbour: Which One Is Better?

Time etc vs HireHarbour: Which Virtual Assistant Agency Is Better?

Virtual executive assistants have helped businesses manage administrative tasks by providing executives with support that is tailored to their needs. This allows them to improve their productivity and focus on their core business activities.

Since 2020, a growing number of executives and business leaders have needed virtual executive assistants. According to Virtual Assistant Statistics, the use of offshore agencies to recruit virtual assistants surged by 41%.

Time etc and HireHarbour are both virtual executive assistant providers that offer a premium level of assistance to entrepreneurs, executives, high performers, and business leaders. Now the question is, which should you choose between the two?

In this article, we are going to compare Time etc and HireHarbour to help you decide which one is more suitable for you.

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What Is a Virtual Executive Assistant?

A virtual executive assistant is an individual who specialises in providing administrative support, such as inbox management, travel management, project management, calendar management, task delegation, and executive-level responsibilities.

This can greatly benefit executives, entrepreneurs, and startups with limited resources because they can achieve a better work-life balance, improve work productivity, and focus on strategic decision-making and business growth.

Time etc vs. HireHarbour: What’s the Difference Between the Two?

Cost Efficiency

Time etc. According to their website, Time etc's price plans start at $380 for 10 hours of support monthly, which is $38 per hour; $740 for 20 hours of support monthly, which is $37 per hour; $1440 for 40 hours of support monthly, which is $36 per hour; and $2100 for 60 hours of support monthly, which is $35 per hour. They also offer bigger plans upon request.

HireHarbour. HireHarbour offers fractional plans with prices ranging from $300 for 20 hours of support per month, $785 for 80 hours of support per month, and $1600 for 160 hours of support per month, implying an hourly rate of approximately $10. Keep in mind that these prices are for an annual subscription. If you want to subscribe from month to month, the monthly roll is roughly 15% higher. You have the option to hire someone full-time or on a fractional basis. You can refer to this pricing page for further details, as they also have it in GBP.

Winner: HireHarbour

In terms of cost efficiency and the number of hours they will provide support, HireHarbour clearly won. You can save both time and money with their support.  

Time, etc's service packages are more costly compared to HireHarbour due to the high cost of living in the US and UK, as well as the years of experience of their virtual executive assistants, because they only hire people with 5-8 years of experience, and HireHarbour can do the same if the client requests it since they are not limiting themselves to individuals with 3 years of experience.

This does not imply that HireHarbour's virtual executive assistants are inferior because the only difference is that the HireHarbour team is offshore, but they value hiring the best of the best. HireHarbour accepts professionals who have at least 1–3 years of experience.  

According to virtual assistant statistics, companies find it easy to work with Philippine-based virtual assistants. In addition to being the most inexpensive virtual assistants globally, they have the highest literacy rate of 96.2%. This means that you won't have to compromise on quality, despite its affordable price.

Services Offered

Time etc. They offer different services such as virtual assistance, credit controllers, virtual receptionists, social media assistance, marketing assistance, HR administrators, customer service assistance, administrators, blog writing, transcribers, content writing, and sales administrators, depending on what you need and who perfectly matches you.

HireHarbour. They offer services such as calendar management, travel arrangements, shopping and errands, support for health and fitness, information research, email management, expense tracking, home management support, customer support, meeting preparation, event planning, social media support, graphic design support, copywriting support, and bespoke creative services, depending on your needs.  

HireHarbour's virtual executive assistants are proficient in all of the services listed here, but their sole focus is to provide virtual executive assistants for high-performing individuals and businesses.  

Additionally, specialised services are usually beyond the traditional virtual executive assistant scope of work. However, at HireHarbour, their virtual executive assistants can reach out to their in-house specialist team. You can also speak to the sales if you want other services, as HireHarbour may be able to provide them.

Winner: Time etc

When it comes to the services offered, Time etc won. Time etc can cater to a broader skill set, while HireHarbour focuses solely on administrative support.

However, despite HireHarbour being a new company compared to Time etc, the services they provide are already extensive.  

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Flexibility

Time etc. They provide a wide range of service packages on a fractional basis that can be customised to meet the specific requirements of the client, ranging from a few hours per month to full-time support.

HireHarbour. Their core offering is a fractional model, which means that clients can have 20 to 160 hours of support monthly on administrative and marketing tasks, depending on the service package they avail of, but only when they require it. This allows businesses to scale their support up or down based on their current workload and needs.  

Virtual executive assistants at HireHarbour have access to in-house specialists, which allows clients to tailor the support they need to meet their business needs and preferences.

Winner: It is a draw!

In terms of flexibility, HireHarbour and Time etc both came out on top. Both HireHarbour and Time etc offer fractional plans, giving you more flexibility.  

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Time etc Pro and Cons

Time etc provides administrative and business support to professionals and entrepreneurs, and they specialise in providing their clients with experienced virtual assistants with at least 5–8 years of relevant experience who are based in the US.

Pros

• More experienced virtual executive assistants. They only accept professionals with 5-8 years of experience and an extensive background, and this helps them anticipate the needs of executives and deal with potential problems before they happen, leading to improved productivity and efficiency.

• Great Place to Work-Certified™ organisation. This certification gives employers a competitive advantage when hiring because it is internationally recognised and research-backed proof of a positive employee experience. This gives Time etc more credibility in terms of recruiting, as it confirms that at least 65% of employees have a consistently positive experience.

• US and UK-based talent pools. Virtual executive assistants that are based in the US and UK are well-versed in the cultural traits and business etiquette specific to the US and UK markets, which can be crucial for effective communication and relationship-building with clients and partners.

Additionally, real-time collaboration and responsiveness are greatly enhanced when people are in the same time zone or have overlapping working hours, which speeds up decision-making and problem-solving.

Cons

• More costly than others. Time etc service packages may come at a steep price since their virtual executive assistants are based in the US and the UK. The cost of living in these countries is relatively high, which results in higher salary expectations for professionals.

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HireHarbour Pros and Cons  

The business model and service quality that HireHarbour offers are exceptional, despite the fact that the company is relatively new.

HireHarbour offers premium-level assistance to business leaders, executives, personal brands, and other high-performing individuals on a fractional basis, which means that you can receive the appropriate level of support immediately when you require it.

Pros

• Fully trained and vetted virtual executive assistants. HireHarbour considers not only the years of experience but also the potential that an individual has. They train their virtual executive assistants based on the client's preferences. This ensures that the virtual executive assistants you need possess the right skills to handle tasks efficiently.  

Additionally, HireHarbour trains their executive assistants on the proper use of AI tools to ensure that the clients can utilise them to the fullest.

• Virtual executive assistants have access to corporate in-house support, such as copywriters, graphic designers, and social strategists.  If you want to delegate specialised tasks to your virtual executive assistants, they can ask for help from the in-house team of specialists at HireHarbour, ensuring that each aspect of a project is handled with a high level of proficiency and creativity.

• Expertise and rigorous standards from founders. The three founders of HireHarbour come from investment banking and private equity backgrounds, and they instill the same high rigour and quality assurance that are done in those industries.

Cons

• Young company. HireHarbour has a less established track record and lacks the extensive experience that other companies possess. However, we have already placed virtual executive assistants to founders of companies who had previously worked at companies like Morgan Stanley, Blackstone, McKinsey, and so on.