Consulting and professional services companies evaluating executive assistant support encounter a market structured around packages: defined bundles of hours, capabilities, and service features offered at specific price points. Understanding how these packages are constructed, what they include, and how to match them to your firm’s actual needs is the foundation of a sound purchasing decision.
This guide walks through the major package structures available, what each typically includes, and how consulting firms should approach the package selection process.
How EA Service Packages Are Structured
EA service providers build packages around several core variables. Understanding these variables is essential before evaluating any specific package offering.
Hours of Support
The most fundamental variable in any EA package is hours: how many hours of active EA work are included per week or month. Packages typically range from entry-level arrangements (10 to 20 hours per month) to full-time equivalent engagement (160+ hours per month).
Hours are not always equivalent across providers. Some providers count only active task time. Others include availability time, even when no tasks are in progress. Clarify how hours are measured before comparing packages across providers.
Dedicated vs. Shared EA
Some packages include a dedicated EA who works primarily or exclusively for your firm. Others assign work to a shared pool of assistants, with availability and continuity varying.
For consulting firms, the dedicated model is almost always preferable. The institutional knowledge, relationship depth, and proactive support that define high-quality EA engagement require a consistent, dedicated relationship. Shared pool packages are generally appropriate only for simple, task-based, low-volume work.
EA Quality Level
Within the same hours and price range, there is significant variation in EA quality. Providers differentiate packages by the experience level, professional background, and expertise of the assigned EA.
Entry packages typically use assistants with general administrative experience. Professional or standard packages use experienced EAs with strong business communication and organizational skills. Premium or executive packages use senior EAs with specific professional services or consulting firm backgrounds.
Scope of Capabilities
Packages vary in what task categories are included. A basic package might cover calendar management and travel booking. A comprehensive package adds email management, meeting preparation, BD administration, client coordination, and operational problem-solving.
Read the scope definition carefully. “Calendar management” can mean anything from blocking time when asked to actively managing and optimizing a complex, multi-stakeholder calendar.
Support Hours and Response Time
Some packages provide business-hours support (9 to 5 in a defined time zone). Others extend to extended hours or provide asynchronous coverage across multiple time zones. Response time commitments range from same-day to within hours to near-real-time for premium packages.
For consulting executives with client relationships across time zones or with early-morning or evening commitments, the support hours dimension matters significantly.
Common Package Structures in the Market
Starter or Essential Packages
Typical scope: 10 to 20 hours per month of support
What’s included:
- Basic calendar management (scheduling meetings when requested)
- Email triage (flagging priority messages)
- Simple travel booking (flights, hotels for straightforward trips)
- Basic document management
- Routine follow-up tracking
EA quality: Professional, but not necessarily senior or consulting-specialized
Monthly pricing: $500 to $1,500
Who it suits: Independent consultants or early-stage advisory practices with light administrative loads who want to establish the delegation habit before investing in a fuller arrangement.
Limitations for consulting firms: At 10 to 20 hours per month, there is not enough capacity for proactive, anticipatory support. This tier serves reactive, task-based needs only. Consulting CEOs managing active client relationships and business development will find this tier insufficient quickly.
Professional or Standard Packages
Typical scope: 40 to 80 hours per month (10 to 20 hours per week)
What’s included:
- Full calendar management and optimization
- Substantive email management with drafting
- Comprehensive travel coordination (complex multi-leg trips, itineraries, expenses)
- Meeting preparation and briefing documents
- BD pipeline tracking and CRM administration
- Vendor and operational coordination
- Internal communications management
EA quality: Experienced professional EA, often with business or professional services background
Monthly pricing: $1,500 to $3,500 (US-based) or $800 to $1,800 (near-shore)
Who it suits: Managing partners at boutique consulting firms, consulting CEOs with moderate to significant support needs, executives who have confirmed the value of EA support and want comprehensive coverage.
Consulting fit: This is the most common tier for consulting CEOs. It provides enough hours for proactive support and relationship depth while remaining cost-efficient. Most active consulting executives find this range adequate for their primary needs.
Executive or Premium Packages
Typical scope: 80 to 120 hours per month (20 to 30 hours per week)
What’s included:
- All Professional tier capabilities
- Client-facing communication management
- Complex multi-stakeholder scheduling
- Comprehensive relationship management support
- Internal team coordination on the CEO’s behalf
- Operational problem-solving without requiring direction
- Strategic calendar blocking aligned to priority goals
EA quality: Senior, experienced EA with consulting or professional services background; capable of independent judgment and client-facing interaction
Monthly pricing: $3,000 to $5,500 (US-based) or $1,500 to $3,000 (near-shore)
Who it suits: CEOs of mid-size consulting firms with complex operational loads, executives managing seven or more active client relationships, managing partners with active business development and thought leadership commitments.
Consulting fit: This tier is appropriate when the CEO’s support needs are genuinely complex and when the EA role extends beyond task execution into operational partnership.
Full-Time Equivalent Packages
Typical scope: 160 hours per month (full-time equivalent)
What’s included:
- Complete operational coverage, all capabilities of the Executive tier
- Real-time availability during business hours
- Full communication ownership
- Proactive operational management
- Strategic scheduling and planning support
- Backup coverage during EA absence
EA quality: Senior, highly experienced EA with established consulting environment background
Monthly pricing: $4,500 to $8,000 (US-based) or $2,000 to $4,500 (near-shore)
Who it suits: Senior consulting CEOs and managing partners at larger firms, executives whose operational demands require full-time dedicated support.
Consulting fit: When the volume and complexity of support needs require full-time coverage, this tier provides the depth and consistency of relationship that a full-time in-house hire would provide, at a lower total cost and with managed service infrastructure.
White-Glove or Premium Executive Packages
Typical scope: Full-time equivalent with expanded capabilities and management oversight
What’s included:
- All Full-Time Equivalent tier capabilities
- Proactive intelligence: monitoring industry news, flagging relevant developments, preparing unprompted briefings
- Highest professional communication standards across all client-facing outputs
- Priority access to provider management and support
- Extended backup coverage and continuity guarantees
- Personalized EA matching with extended calibration process
Monthly pricing: $6,000 to $15,000+ depending on provider and scope
Who it suits: Senior consulting CEOs at major strategy or management consulting firms, global managing partners, executives with the highest levels of client relationship complexity and commercial stakes.
Package Add-Ons Common in the Consulting Market
Beyond base packages, many providers offer add-on capabilities that consulting firms use to customize their engagement:
Additional hours blocks: Purchasing extra hours at the same rate structure when project demands exceed the base package.
Priority response upgrades: Guaranteeing faster response times for an additional monthly fee.
Specialist capabilities: Adding capabilities such as financial management support, presentation design, or research services that are not included in standard packages.
Multi-executive coverage: Extending the EA’s support to cover multiple executives at the firm (two partners sharing one EA, for example).
Extended hours coverage: Adding evening or weekend coverage for executives with commitments outside standard business hours.
Matching Package to Consulting Firm Profile
For Independent Consultants
A Starter or Professional package at the lower end of hours is typically appropriate. The focus should be on calendar management, email oversight, and travel coordination for client visits. The most important variable is EA quality, not hours volume.
For Boutique Consulting Firms (5 to 20 People)
The Professional or Executive tier is typically the right starting point. Managing partners at boutique firms typically need 15 to 25 hours per week of support, with full-service capabilities including client communication support, BD administration, and team coordination.
For Mid-Size Consulting Firms (20 to 100 People)
The Executive or Full-Time Equivalent tier is typically appropriate for the CEO or managing partner. The complexity of managing multiple client relationships, an active BD pipeline, a leadership team, and thought leadership commitments exceeds what lower tiers can handle effectively.
For Large or Global Consulting Organizations
The Full-Time Equivalent or White-Glove tier is typically required. At this level, the EA functions as a genuine operational partner, and the quality, experience, and proactive capabilities of the EA are as important as the hours provided.
For a comprehensive comparison across all package tiers, see consulting EA pricing.
For guidance on evaluating whether the investment is justified, see is EA worth it.
According to McKinsey, the most impactful investments in executive support are those precisely calibrated to leadership complexity, neither over-provisioning for simple needs nor under-investing for complex roles.
Evaluating Package Value: What to Look For
Clarity of scope: Can the provider articulate exactly what is and is not included? Vague scope descriptions lead to disputes and unmet expectations.
Hours measurement: How are hours counted? Active task time only, or availability time as well?
EA continuity: Does the package guarantee a named, dedicated EA, or is work distributed across a pool?
Quality verification: What is the process for matching the EA to your specific needs? How is EA quality assessed and maintained?
Upgrade flexibility: Can you move to a higher tier without significant disruption or renegotiation?
Trial or evaluation period: Does the provider offer a trial period during which you can assess fit before committing to a longer engagement?
Conclusion
Executive assistant service packages for consulting and professional services companies are built around hours, EA quality, scope, and service model. Matching the right package to your firm’s profile requires honest assessment of your actual support volume, the quality of EA you need for client-facing consulting work, and the commercial value of the time being recaptured.
For most consulting executives, the Professional to Executive tier represents the best combination of capability and cost efficiency. Starter packages are appropriate entry points; Full-Time and White-Glove packages are warranted when operational complexity demands it. In all cases, prioritize EA quality and scope clarity over price optimization.
Related Reading
For further context, explore Executive Assistant Packages for Automotive Companies and Executive Assistant Packages for Construction & Architecture Companies.