Outsourcing a Virtual Assistant is the best option to free up your valuable time and let professional experts take charge of all the time-guzzling tasks. This handy guide leads you step-by-step through the entire process of how to leverage this exciting business opportunity.
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When the clock struck 9pm on Friday night, 39-year-old Chris looked up from his desk and grimaced. This whole week had been crushing. His small recruitment agency was growing, and he had never managed to leave his office before 10pm. As usual, his four-year old daughter must have gone to bed without hearing the promised bedtime story. He rubbed his tight neck muscles. This had to stop. He needed an assistant. And, fast.
Sounds like the story of your life, dear entrepreneur?
If yes, then, this guide is just what you need to turn your business and your life around.
In this all-encompassing guide, I am going to talk about how you can hire a Virtual Assistant, why you need one (although, no rocket science here), where to find one and how to ensure it is one of the smartest business move you have made.
As the name suggests, a Virtual Assistant is someone who takes all of the tiresome, tedious tasks off your hands and does them himself or herself quickly, efficiently (not that you can’t, but you know what I mean) and professionally. Leaving you free to do what you always wanted to – grow your business.
Hiring locally is, of course, the first thing you think of. But, a little searching and several phone calls and emails later, you probably realize that it is not as easy as you thought it was going to be. The salaries could be beyond budget, they may not be ready to work the graveyard shift, the skills may be lacking, and so on.
Enter remote hiring. I won’t call it outsourcing, because, thanks to the pandemic, the whole world has gone remote (yes, it’s now a hybrid model, but the remote working model is here to stay). Why limit yourself geographically when you have the world to choose from?
Hiring a remote virtual assistant instantly achieves two things: one, the costs come down dramatically; and, two, you can now handpick from a vast talent pool and be spoilt for choice.
A win-win situation all around. Or, is it?
Remote staff or resources are available everywhere online. Freelancing websites, established and the newbies, promise the cheapest options. But, my advice would be – don’t fall for the trap of low costs. It doesn’t always equate with quality. And, what you need is a quality player, a dependable and trusted vendor who will always have your back, no matter what.
First, chuck all assumptions out of the window.
And…also, let’s get the typical deciding factor out of the way.
Cost.
If you hinge all outsourcing decisions on the cost factor, then be prepared to be disappointed and let down.
Yes, India is a far cheaper destination than the US or the UK.
Yes, skills are available in plenty and extremely affordable.
But, it is a heavily saturated market with every vendor trying to woo you with the one handy differentiator – cost.
The really reputed and well-established companies never go down that rabbit hole.
They compete on quality, on timely delivery, on strong communication, on transparency.
Let’s dive in.
Research on the types of VAs
When you get down to the basics, there are more than one kind of a VA available for hire.
While a generic VA fits most requirements, if you happen to be in a very niche industry, then you are better off looking for VAs who boast proficiency in those domains.
For instance, a real estate VA would know how to create listings, be familiar with the real estate ‘language’, find property details, do data entry and management, cold calling and lead generation activities.
Need to Know
Here are the various types of tasks for which you can remotely hire VAs:
Personal Tasks
Real Estate Support
Content Writing
Social Media Management
Data Management
Data Presentations
Email Management
Social Tasks
Travel Research
Administrative Assistance
Customer Support
Transcription
Bookkeeping & Accounting
Online Research
Digital Marketing
Research on the destination
Survey after survey, year after year, has thrown up one name consistently when it comes to the #1 outsourcing destination – India. There are other players in this field, like the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, but the overall combination of all factors is what makes India the most preferred and attractive destination for outsourcing. India is also the second largest English-speaking nation in the world, just behind US.
Need to Know
Why India:
Research on the vendor types
Merely finalizing the destination is not enough though. You also need to identify the type of outsourcing company that best suits your need.
Need to Know
So, there are three types of outsourcing options:
These are large, well-established organizations that usually don’t work with solopreneurs or even Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs). Their clients are mostly large multinational corporations and the volume of outsourced work is also huge and often lasts for years.
These companies provide dedicated remote staff to work for their global clients just like an inhouse resource. Such outsourcing companies are ideal for solopreneurs and SMBs, who want a more cosy, one-on-one relationship with their outsourced partners and remote employees.
No introduction needed here. These are individuals who work for multiple clients, usually from their homes, and are basically lone players. The security and data protection of the outsourced work can be circumspect as can the delivery and quality since there is no supervision or monitoring involved.
You need to be very clear about which option best suits your requirements and budget.
This also depends upon the next factor.
How involved do you wish to be?
This is a key factor that can influence your choice of vendor. Do you want the outsourcing partner to take over fully while you just send the task and await the results in the mutually agreed stipulated time? Or do you want to know exactly what is happening on a very regular basis?
Need to Know
So, if you are a solopreneur or an SMB, then choosing the right outsourcing vendor is half the battle won. An incompatible outsourcing partner can actually turn the entire experience into a less than rewarding one.
Need to know
Check the pedigree
How many years in business has this vendor been? 1 year, 2 years, 14 years? If they’ve lasted that long, they’ve got to be doing something right, right?
Check the client testimonials
Well-established remote staffing companies have an impressive line-up of client testimonials and the real top-notch ones have a ton of video testimonials too. Real names, real companies.
Check their expertise
What is their staff strength, number of offices, domains covered? Certifications, awards, recognition – everything matter.
Check the About Us and Contact pages
Fly-by-night vendors usually have a very generic About Us section. No images of the directors, the CEO, top management or employees.
The Contact Us page holds the key to authenticity and credibility. Is there a vague physical location with no actual details, just a Gmail email address and no telephone numbers? That’s a huge red flag!
Check for actual site images
Reputed virtual staffing companies are proud to show their offices, infrastructure, client onsite visits and company culture and activities. It is a vital part of their ecosystem.
Check their response time
How quickly are your queries being answered? Are they offering support 24×7?
Once you have shortlisted a few suitable offshore companies, the next step is to know how to hire a Virtual Assistant from them.
Setting the right expectations
Clarity is key to success here. Avoid creating a haphazard bunch of tasks you think should be outsourced to a VA. Set aside time and start documenting all the processes, tasks and responsibilities that you plan to delegate to your Virtual Assistant. If there are some tasks that you are already doing yourself but which are also gobbling up a lot of your time, then these are obvious contenders for outsourcing. But, to ensure the transition is seamless and the difference barely perceptible, make sure you create training documents (or Standard Operating Procedures) for these tasks. For specialist and niche tasks, focus on the outcomes you want them to accomplish rather than just a set of specific tasks or procedures.
Next, be very clear and detailed in the job description that you plan to share with the chosen outsourcing vendor. Many times clients send vague job descriptions, often just a couple of lines. This mismatch between the real requirement and the job description not just wastes time for the recruitment team who have to rely on general profiles but also does not help meet the actual client needs. Specialist skills need specific details while the generic VA profiles can get by with an overall general outline.
So, what should your job description include?
Once you have zeroed in a few good candidates, don’t jump straightaway into hiring them. No matter how good a candidate appears on paper, always try them out before you commit to hiring. All reputed outsourcing companies always offer a free trial instead of compelling you to hire straightaway. In the free trial, you can assign any task to complete as a test. Ideally, choose a task that they would be doing on a regular, ongoing basis to see how they fare at it. That way, you’ll be spared any nasty surprises after you have hired.
Outsourcing a Virtual Assistant could be the best business decision ever. But, only if you do it right. Having an expert professional take care of the routine, tedious stuff for you can really work wonders for your morale, and enthusiasm levels as you now have more time and energy to put back into your business.
Look forward to restful weekends and vacations while staying in the loop for any unprecedented emergencies.
Need to Know
What to Do
Key Points
