Competitive strategy consulting firms operate in one of the most information-intensive sectors in professional services. Partners and senior consultants must synthesize vast amounts of market data, track competitor movements, and produce polished client deliverables — all while managing business development and client relationships. The administrative and research burden that comes with this work is enormous, and it is increasingly being offloaded to skilled virtual assistants.
The Operational Load Facing Strategy Consultants
According to McKinsey & Company, knowledge workers spend roughly 28 percent of their workweek managing email and nearly 20 percent searching for and gathering information. For competitive strategy consultants, that burden is even heavier. A single engagement may require tracking 10 to 20 competitors across multiple markets, compiling earnings summaries, monitoring trade press, and updating client-facing dashboards — tasks that are critical but do not require a senior consultant's hourly rate to execute.
The result is a growing gap between the high-value strategic work firms are hired to do and the operational drag that pulls their best people away from it. Virtual assistants are filling that gap at a fraction of the cost of a full-time employee.
What Virtual Assistants Do for Competitive Strategy Firms
VAs supporting competitive strategy consulting firms typically take on a wide range of tasks that accelerate delivery without compromising quality:
Competitive intelligence research. VAs monitor news feeds, regulatory filings, press releases, and industry publications to build running competitive profiles. They compile weekly briefings, track pricing moves, and flag emerging threats — giving consultants a ready-made intelligence layer to draw from.
Document and deliverable support. Strategy decks, memos, and client reports require consistent formatting, citation checking, and version control. VAs handle these production tasks so consultants can focus on the content itself rather than the mechanics of presentation.
Scheduling and client coordination. Interview logistics, working session scheduling, and follow-up communications are time-consuming but routine. VAs manage calendars, coordinate across time zones, and handle the back-and-forth that would otherwise consume hours each week.
CRM and pipeline management. Many boutique strategy firms operate with informal BD processes. VAs maintain contact records, log meeting notes, and track follow-up dates, keeping the pipeline active without adding headcount.
The Cost Case for Hiring a VA
A 2023 survey by Global Workplace Analytics found that companies save an average of $11,000 per year for each employee who works remotely half-time. For consulting firms, the savings are even more pronounced when comparing VA rates to the fully loaded cost of a research analyst or associate. Many experienced VAs specializing in business research charge $15 to $35 per hour, compared to $60,000 to $90,000 annually for an in-house junior analyst once benefits and overhead are factored in.
Beyond cost, there is a speed advantage. A VA focused exclusively on competitive tracking can turn around a competitor profile in hours rather than the days it might take an associate juggling multiple workstreams.
Building a VA-Enabled Strategy Practice
Firms getting the most from virtual assistants typically start with a clear scope. Rather than asking a VA to do everything, successful engagements define two or three core responsibilities — competitive monitoring, research compilation, and scheduling, for example — and build from there as trust develops.
Onboarding matters. Providing VAs with templates, a style guide, and access to the same databases and news sources used by the in-house team ensures output quality from day one. Regular check-ins, especially in the first 30 days, help align expectations and catch issues early.
Firms looking for experienced VAs with business research and consulting support backgrounds can explore options at Stealth Agents, which specializes in placing skilled virtual assistants with professional services firms.
Sources
- McKinsey & Company, "The Social Economy: Unlocking Value and Productivity Through Social Technologies," July 2012
- Global Workplace Analytics, "Latest Work-At-Home/Telecommuting/Mobile Work/Remote Work Statistics," 2023
- IBISWorld, "Management Consulting in the US — Industry Report," 2024