A moving company's revenue starts on the phone. The first remote hire most movers need is one dedicated person who answers calls, works new leads, books surveys, follows up on open estimates and confirms booked moves, all inside your own CRM. VirtuHire US places pre-vetted South African staff in that seat at $1,200 to $2,200 per month full-time, all-in, which is 60 to 85% below the cost of a US hire. They are recruited for your hours, West Coast and Saturdays included, and they work only for you.
Why the office is where moving companies lose jobs
Crews and trucks are the visible part of a moving business. The work that decides whether the trucks are full happens in the office, and it is almost all remote-friendly:
- Leads shop several movers at once. Someone planning a move usually requests quotes from more than one company in the same hour. The mover who calls back first, asks good questions and books the survey tends to win the job. When the owner or the ops manager is also answering the phone, callbacks slip to the evening, and by then the customer has booked elsewhere.
- Estimates go cold without follow-up. A written estimate costs you a survey and someone's time to produce. If nobody calls back a few days later to answer questions and ask for the deposit, a large share of them simply expire.
- Peak season arrives all at once. Summer volume does not give you time to recruit, train and trust a new office hire. A dedicated person who has worked your CRM since spring is ready for it.
- The software already runs in a browser. SmartMoving, Supermove, Elromco and MoversSuite, plus cloud phone systems like Nextiva, RingCentral and Dialpad, mean nobody needs to sit in your office to run the board.
The seat most moving companies hire first
Most movers do not need six specialists. They need one strong person in a blended seat: customer service, sales follow-up and admin. In a typical week that person:
- Answers inbound calls and takes the move details your estimator needs: dates, home size, stairs and elevators, long carries, packing, storage and specialty items.
- Calls back every web and marketplace lead while the customer is still deciding, and books the in-home or video survey.
- Follows up on open estimates, answers questions about what is and is not included, and collects the deposit to lock the date.
- Confirms booked moves a few days out and again the day before, sends the paperwork your office already sends, and flags anything that changes the crew or truck plan.
- Keeps the CRM accurate, so your sales numbers and your calendar reflect what actually happened.
Over time the same person can take on quotes and booking ownership, working alongside your manager. Screening for this seat focuses on what matters on the phone: clear communication, judgment, initiative and customer rapport.
Pricing
| Moving company role | VirtuHire US rate (full-time, all-in) | US in-house reference, loaded per month |
|---|---|---|
| Review & reputation coordinator | $1,200 to $1,700/mo | About $5,360 (general office clerks) |
| Claims & customer care admin | $1,300 to $1,800/mo | About $5,330 (customer service representatives) |
| Sales & customer service coordinator | $1,300 to $1,900/mo | About $5,330 (customer service representatives) |
| Estimate follow-up specialist | $1,400 to $2,000/mo | About $5,330 (customer service representatives) |
| Move coordinator | $1,400 to $2,000/mo | About $5,360 (general office clerks) |
| Billing & AR | $1,500 to $2,200/mo | About $6,030 (bookkeeping clerks) |
Where the US figures come from. Median annual pay from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 data: customer service representatives $44,770, general office clerks $45,010, bookkeeping clerks $50,670. Benefits make up 30.0% of total compensation for US workers (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026), so each median is divided by 0.70 and then by 12 to give a loaded monthly cost. These are national medians for the closest occupation, not moving-industry pay, and wages in your metro may run higher or lower. VirtuHire US rates are our own current bands. Try your own numbers in the VA cost calculator.
Dedicated coordinator vs answering service vs AI receptionist
All three answer the phone. Only one of them turns a call into a booked move without someone in your office touching it again.
| Option | Who answers | Works inside your moving CRM | Follows up on estimates | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated remote coordinator (what VirtuHire US places) | One full-time person who works only for your company | Yes, logs leads, books surveys and moves | Yes, works every open estimate to booked or lost | Movers with steady daily lead volume who want every inquiry worked to a decision |
| Answering service | Shared agents working for many companies | Sometimes, from a script | No, takes a message | Overflow and after-hours calls |
| AI receptionist | Software | Simple bookings | No | Routine calls at high volume, nights |
For call-based pricing on answering services and the volume where a dedicated person costs less, see Smith.ai vs Ruby vs VirtuHire US.
Hours, Saturdays and West Coast coverage
Staff are recruited for your schedule, and hours are confirmed in writing before you interview anyone. Moving companies usually need two things other businesses do not: late-afternoon coverage when customers call after work, and Saturdays.
- East Coast movers. A South African afternoon and evening shift lands on your full business day, at the same flat monthly rate.
- West Coast movers. South Africa is 9 to 10 hours ahead of Pacific time, so the shift is set later in the South African day. A roughly 5pm to 2am South African shift covers 8am to 5pm Pacific. Afternoon-only or split schedules work the same way.
- Saturdays. A Saturday shift can be part of the 40-hour week from the start. Tell us the exact schedule on the call and the team recruits for it.
What stays with your team
A remote coordinator runs the office side of the business. Some things should stay with you:
- Pricing authority. They quote from your rate sheet and your estimator's survey. Discounts and exceptions stay with the owner or sales manager.
- Claim decisions. They document and track claims. Settlement amounts and liability decisions stay with you.
- Licensing and compliance calls. They send the paperwork your office already uses, such as estimates, order for service and, for interstate moves, the FMCSA booklet "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move". Decisions about your authority, tariffs or compliance stay in-house.
- Crews and trucks. They update the calendar. Your operations manager decides who goes where.
How it works
- Book a 15-minute call. We learn your CRM, phone system, lead volume, schedule (including Saturdays) and what good looks like in the seat.
- Sign a simple zero-obligation agreement so the team can start recruiting for you.
- Get a shortlist in about a week. Your top three candidates come with resumes and short video introductions, so you can judge communication before any interview.
- Interview and choose. You review and interview before you pay anything or commit to anyone.
- Confirm the hire. A one-month deposit confirms it, and the monthly retainer starts only when your new coordinator begins.
- Onboarding. Role-based access to your CRM and phone system, 2FA on every account, and your scripts and SOPs handed over before day one.
- 30-day replacement guarantee. If the fit is wrong in the first month, we replace at no extra cost.
Related reading
- Pricing: the full rate card by role, and how the deposit and monthly retainer work.
- VA cost calculator: compare a US hire against a South African placement for your role.
- Virtual assistant for home services: the same office playbook for plumbers, electricians and roofers.
- Receptionist and scheduling for home services: a dedicated person on calls, bookings and confirmations.
- Customer support outsourcing: dedicated support staff on US hours, including Pacific.
- South African virtual assistants: why South Africa for customer-facing work.
- All industries and roles we staff: the full hub of VirtuHire US industry and role pages.
Frequently asked questions
What does a virtual assistant do for a moving company?
They run the office side of the business remotely: answering inbound calls, working web and marketplace leads, booking in-home or video surveys, following up on open estimates, collecting deposits, confirming booked moves, sending pre-move paperwork, taking in damage claims, requesting reviews and handling billing. They work inside your own CRM and phone system. They do not load trucks or make pricing and claim decisions, which stay with your team.
Can a remote assistant handle sales calls and book moves?
Yes. The blended sales and customer service seat is the role most moving companies hire first. The coordinator takes the move details, calls new leads back quickly, books the survey, follows up on the estimate and collects the deposit to lock the date, quoting from your rate sheet and your estimator's survey. Discounts and exceptions stay with the owner or sales manager.
How much does a moving company virtual assistant cost?
A dedicated South African coordinator through VirtuHire US runs $1,200 to $2,200 per month full-time, all-in, depending on the role and experience. Review and admin seats sit at the lower end, billing and AR at the top. A US customer service representative has a median pay of $44,770 a year (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025), about $5,330 a month once benefits are loaded, so the placement typically costs 60 to 85% less.
Do your staff know SmartMoving and other moving CRMs?
Moving software such as SmartMoving, Supermove, Elromco and MoversSuite runs in the browser, and so do cloud phone systems like Nextiva and RingCentral. Name your CRM and phone system on the intro call and the team screens for CRM and phone-system experience, and for your specific platform where candidates have it. Your own workflows, scripts and pricing rules are covered in onboarding before day one.
Can they work Saturdays and West Coast hours?
Yes. Staff are recruited for your schedule and the hours are confirmed in writing before you interview. A roughly 5pm to 2am South African shift covers 8am to 5pm Pacific, and a Saturday shift can be part of the 40-hour week from the start, at the same flat monthly rate.
Is this a shared call center seat?
No. Every placement is one dedicated full-time person who works only for your company, learns your business and stays in the seat. VirtuHire US is the Employer of Record, so contracts, payroll, compliance and HR in South Africa are handled for you.
Can a virtual assistant handle moving damage claims?
They can run the claims admin: logging the claim, acknowledging it, collecting photos and inventory notes, tracking status, scheduling repair vendors and keeping the customer updated. Settlement amounts and liability decisions stay with you.
Can I interview candidates before paying anything?
Yes. You sign a zero-obligation agreement so recruiting can start, then review and interview your shortlist before you pay anything or commit to anyone. Payment starts only when you confirm a hire, with a one-month deposit, and the monthly retainer begins when your new coordinator starts.
How quickly can we get a shortlist?
Your top three candidates, with resumes and short video introductions, usually arrive in about a week after the brief. Start dates depend on interviews and the candidate's notice period, so we confirm them once you have chosen someone.