Desk vs hiring locally: offshore assistant or local admin?
A trained offshore assistant like Desk covers more hours for less money and handles the inbox, listings and paperwork well. A local admin is the better choice for anything that needs someone on the yard. Here’s how the options compare, an AI voice agent included.
| Desk | Local admin | General VA agency | AI voice agent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost a week | $346 shared, $692 dedicated, + GST | About $1,451 at the average salary, with super | Varies by agency and hours | Varies; often per minute or per call |
| Hours covered | Mon to Sat, 8am to 6pm | Usually Mon to Fri | As agreed | 24/7 on the phone |
| Answers enquiries | Within 5 minutes, by message or call | When they’re free | Depends on setup | Phone calls only |
| Listings and photos | Yes | Yes | If trained | No |
| Paperwork and PPSR | Prepared for you to sign | Yes | Rarely dealer-trained | No |
| Consignor updates | Weekly, from the app | If they remember | If trained | No |
| Works inside your DMS | Yes, with permissions per task | Yes | Needs logins | Separate system |
| Leave and turnover | Backup same day, replacement in 5 business days | You cover it | Varies | Not applicable |
| Can be on the yard | No | Yes | No | No |
Local cost is the Australian average administrative assistant salary ($66,500, Glassdoor June 2026) plus 12% super and an assumed 1.5% workers comp, per 38-hour week. Work out your own on the Desk cost calculator.
Choose Desk if
Enquiries wait while you’re busy, listings and consignor updates slip, and you want Saturday covered without a second hire.
Choose a local admin if
You need someone physically on the yard: moving cars, greeting customers, running to the bank or the registry.
Use both if
You’re busy enough for a yard hand and an inbox. Desk takes the screen work so your local person can stay on the cars.
Questions dealers ask
Is a virtual assistant better than hiring a local admin for a car yard?
For inbox, listings, follow-ups and paperwork prep, a trained virtual assistant usually costs less and covers more hours: Desk dedicated is about $692 a week for Monday to Saturday, against roughly $1,451 a week for an average local admin. A local hire is better for anything physical: moving cars, meeting customers, the bank and the registry.
Should I use an AI voice agent instead?
An AI voice agent answers the phone at any hour, which is useful. It doesn’t list cars, update consignors, prepare paperwork or chase follow-ups by message. carassessments.com.au includes an AI first reply to new enquiries, and Desk picks up from there.
What about an outsourced BDC?
A BDC is a team that handles enquiries and appointments for big franchise dealers. Desk does that job for independent and consignment yards, plus listings, consignor updates and paperwork prep.
Can I start with Desk and hire locally later?
Yes. Desk is month to month. Many yards use Desk for the desk work and keep or hire someone on the yard for the physical jobs.
Try Desk for a month.
No lock-in. Most yards start within 2 weeks, and we’ll call within 1 business hour.