Ever wished you were more efficient, effective and excellent in running your enterprise?
Welcome to the game-changing world of Virtual Assistants (VAs).
They’re a transformative force in our digital age, making the difference between success and failure.
Business owners and entrepreneurs are hiring VAs as the smart solution for everyday challenges.
But hold on, what actually is a “virtual assistant,” and why does your business definitely need one?
What exactly is a Virtual Assistant?
A VA is a “jack-of-all-trades,” which means he or she performs a wide array of tasks for an individual, business, or organization.
This includes:
- Administrative Tasks: Email management, calendar management, data entry & management, travel arrangements and document preparation
- Technical Tasks: Basic troubleshooting, website maintenance, and software upgrades
- Marketing Tasks: Social media management, SEO services, email marketing, etc.
- Specialized Tasks: Project management, bookkeeping, and research
- Personal Assistance: Lifestyle management, coordinating schedules, and arranging family activities
They’re the smart solution to time-consuming problems. Virtual assistants are the Swiss Army knives for businesses in that they do a little of everything.
These tasks are often digital in nature and can be performed with a trusty laptop and a good internet connection. Unlike office assistants who physically report to the office, virtual assistants can work anywhere.
As a busy business owner, your virtual assistant, living on the other side of the world, can manage your emails, schedule your calls, handle customer complaints, and even upload an engaging social media post.
In short, VAs help you run your business, so you can spend more time growing it.
Why Virtual Assistants Rock?
They were once curious novelties, but have now become absolute necessities.
According to Business Research Insights, the VA market size is expected to reach $8.61 billion by 2028—and growing at a rate of 22.3%.
Practically every industry —from real estate, retail, and travel, to finance, marketing, and IT—has wised up to the value of VAs.
The strategic benefits of hiring them are significant and enduring. In a highly competitive space, they spell the difference between failure and success.
The benefits include:
#1 Increased Productivity
Going at it alone will significantly disadvantage you because you will most definitely be competing against teams. These highly efficient crews will turn out more products and services than any “lone ranger” doing everything herself/himself.
Tasks like answering emails, data entry, or managing individual customers can eat up a large chunk of time. Yes, you will be busy, but you will have little to show for at the end of the day.
Having a virtual assistant is like having an extra pair of hands and an extra brain working for your cause, increasing productivity. By outsourcing routine, repetitive, and administrative tasks, you can focus on more strategic and high-value activities.
#2 Cost Savings
The decision to hire a VA is very cost-driven. Businesses want their budgets to go further.
In a time when every dollar spent must be intentional, businesses that can lower their costs become that much more competitive. Success is not just about churning out excellent products/services but doing so in the most cost-efficient manner.
By working with VAs, companies save, on average, 78% of their labor costs. This is an enormous advantage and becomes even more so when these savings are invested back into the company.
In addition to significantly lower rates, companies skip the costs of providing office spaces for their employees. As work is done virtually, rent, utilities, and other costs of maintaining a big and expensive office are dropped or greatly reduced.
#3 Access to World-class Talent
Technology has long broken the barriers of geography. There is now practically no difference between talking to your assistant in the next room or your virtual assistant living in another country.
Companies have the whole globe as their talent pool.
By hiring remotely, they can tap into a diverse range of skills and expertise that might not be available within their local supply. This access to global skills can be the competitive edge that other businesses relying on local talent will sorely miss.
So, with this triumvirate of benefits— providing cost-effective solutions while also enhancing productivity, and access to talent—VAs have revolutionized the competitive landscape.
What To Look For In A Virtual Assistant?
Now that we’ve seen how virtual assistants are vital for the success of any enterprise, the next question would then be, assuming that not all VAs are created equal, “What are the hallmarks of the good ones?”
Having the skills or experience required for the job, (or being a fast learner), are just minimum thresholds you should be looking for.
Considering the context and the challenges, here are 5 characteristics you should look for in a VA:
#1 Tech Savvy
Tech is a double-edged sword in that it can make a fluent user very productive while becoming a bottleneck for those unfamiliar. So you must get a sense of the ease and comfort with which a candidate handles tech.
Considering that the position is virtual, a good VA should be comfortable using various software tools and project management platforms. They should also be quick to adopt new technologies and adapt to the software thrown their way.
You get a sense of an individual’s tech-savvy, for example, by asking them about a certain software, what features they like most, and what tasks they’re using it for. (They might even share with you some shortcuts, hacks, or tricks that would prove useful.)
#2 Proactive Problem-solver
You’re getting an assistant precisely because you want to outsource tasks.
Because the position is virtual, you won’t be able to personally supervise the completion of said tasks. It is essentially part of their job to independently handle issues, offer solutions, and take initiative without waiting for minute-by-minute instructions.
This is actually the trait that reduces your workload and helps things run smoothly. But if you have an assistant who runs to you for the smallest things, then you have just made things harder on yourself.
A proactive VA often has a track record of implementing improvements and taking initiative in their past roles. Unearth these during the interview with questions like:
- “Can you provide examples of processes or systems you have implemented to improve efficiency in your previous roles?”
- “How do you stay organized and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks?”
- “How do you approach a task that has vague instructions or incomplete information?”
- “What do you do when you need to learn something new quickly?”
- “How do you tackle a complex task?”
#3 Good Communicator
Businesses, regardless of size, are laboratories of collaboration. Nobody makes it alone.
Collaboration requires clear and crisp communication.
In the context of virtual assistants, clear communication is even more important, considering it takes place over Skype or Zoom.
A VA must be able to convey ideas clearly, both verbally and in writing. So look for someone articulate, responsive, and demonstrates good listening skills. These traits ensure that assigned tasks are understood and completed accurately.
Poor communication increases errors, creates misunderstandings, slows down workflow, and brings morale down. It increases workloads and decreases productivity.
In short, hiring the wrong one can do more harm than good.
#4 Good Cultural Fit
Not all companies have the same values. They can be as varied and as distinct as their founders. So find a VA who “fits” the kind of company you have made, or who “vibes” with you as a boss.
What does working for you look like? You need to explain it to your would-be partner. You need someone who’s onboard with things like your:
- Company values
- Work hours
- Work environment
- Team structure
- Management style
A VA who aligns with your company’s values, work style, and culture will likely be more productive and satisfied with their role. Ensure that they understand and agree with your business ethos and can work harmoniously with the existing team.
#5 Offshore Location
If you’re hiring a virtual assistant, look beyond the borders of your own country.
This is very important.
Otherwise, you can’t enjoy two of the advantages we talked about (cost-savings and access to global talent).
If you and your VA live in the same expensive city/country, you will be forking over the same expensive rates commensurate to the standard of living of the place.
Cost savings come from being able to take advantage of wage and currency differences in different regions of the world. What constitutes a “decent wage” in Southeast Asia, for example, is different from rich countries like the UK, Australia, or the United States.
Another way of looking at it is by comparing the price of the same item in different countries. We can, for example, look at “The Big Mac Index” and see how the same Big Mac is priced in various countries. A Big Mac in Switzerland costs about $8.17, while the same one costs only $2.39 in Taiwan.
That’s why if you’re going to be outsourcing a role, offshore it to a place that offers significant savings.
That said, you might be wondering, “If I’m going to hire professionals from other places, wouldn’t that affect the quality of the work I’m getting? The labor might be cheap for a reason.”
Good point!
Lower wages alone do not make a business competitive, it must be manned by highly competent and innovative people. The two, cost-savings and high-quality work, must go together. Having just one is no competitive advantage.
You must find a place where these two go hand-in-hand.
Fortunately, there is such a place.
Filipino Virtual Assistants
The Philippines has proven itself as a stable and consistent source of world-class professionals.
Filipino VAs populate a broad range of industries, from real estate to IT, and are a favorite hire for many companies around the world.
There are 5 solid reasons why business leaders tap the Philippines for their VAs.
#1 High Language Proficiency
World-class skills would not be very useful if the person on the other line could not understand the words you’re saying. This is not a problem in the Philippines. English is an official language, a medium of instruction, and is considered by many as their second tongue.
The Philippines has a literacy rate of 99.27% (2021).
In Asia, the country is second only to Singapore in the English Proficiency Index—an important international benchmark for adult English proficiency.
Many large BPO companies have relocated their call center operations to the Philippines.
This should alleviate any concerns employers might have about effectively collaborating with their Filipino VAs.
#2 A Close Cultural Fit
Filipinos are steeped in Western culture. Not only do they share the same language with countries like America, Australia, or the UK, but they also watch the same TV shows and movies, read the same books, and follow the same influencers.
Historically, the country came under American rule and adopted its educational system, form of government, and cultural tastes.
With this cultural affinity, employers from Western nations can expect smooth working relationships with their Filipino assistants. They have a good, intuitive grasp of Western business practices and customer service expectations.
#3 A Highly-skilled Workforce
The Philippines has a well-educated workforce, with many VAs possessing college degrees and specialized skills in areas such as customer service, IT, marketing, and content creation.
The culture has ingrained the importance of education, so you have a very well-trained professional class that can hit the ground running and be a valuable asset to any company.
Quite simply, you will never run out of competent professionals to partner with, who can help take your business to the next level.
#4 Tech-savvy & Open to Innovation
Tech start-ups had already had a head start and had flocked to the Asian nation to find talented mobile app developers, software engineers, data analysts, etc.
The country has high mobile penetration rates and social media engagement, pointing to an openness to adopting novel digital products and services.
As professionals, Filipinos have generally exhibited a positive attitude toward new platforms and solutions, enabling them to quickly adapt to client needs.
You will be pleased to find that Filipino VAs are generally tech-savvy and familiar with software tools commonly used in virtual work environments, needing very little training, if at all.
#4 Cost-efficient
The cost of living in the Philippines is lower than in many Western countries. The cost of rent, food, and other living expenses are significantly lower when compared to countries like America
This means Philippine labor rates are also more affordable than other countries, making it a very attractive offshoring destination.
On average, a Filipino virtual assistant costs $19,500 annually. By comparison, a local American hire will cost $40,000 a year–a savings of around 51%!
But that 51% savings still means you’re paying very competitive rates.
For all the savings you enjoy, you are also getting the cream of the crop of Filipino workers.
So when you hire Filipino virtual assistants, you’re hitting two birds with one stone. You’re getting not only highly-trained and highly-educated partners for your business, but you’re also enjoying significant savings month after month.
#5 Unequaled Work Ethic
Filipinos are some of the most sought-after workers in the world. From medicine, education, entertainment, production, service, retail, etc.—Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), have proven time and again the value a Filipino brings to the table.
In every field, Filipinos give you a job well done.
Filipino VAs are no exception. They’re known for their dedication, reliability, and strong work ethic—often going the extra mile to ensure that tasks are completed accurately and on time.
They’re willing to work flexible hours, including night shifts, to align with clients’ time zones, making it easier for businesses to find support during their operating hours.
With this perfect mix of advantages, it is little wonder why the Philippines is the best place to source your virtual assistant.
The Kinetic Edge
Kinetic Innovative Staffing has a proven track record of helping companies around the world find Filipino remote professionals.
We help employers, big and small, hire not just virtual assistants, but a broad range of remote roles, from software developers, systems engineers, and social media managers, to accountants, paralegals, and project managers.
With Kinetic, you gain access to:
- a database of over 4 million highly skilled and highly-trained Filipino remote professionals
- the experts in finding and hiring the best candidates
- a full suite of software tools that can help you monitor and manage your remote team
- a proven hiring system with thousands of clients since 2013
Kinetic has no lock-in contracts or recruitment fees.
What you have instead is the opportunity to enjoy up to 70% savings in operational costs.
So if this is something you would like to explore for your business, do not hesitate to contact us and we’ll get you the help you need.
Kinetic Innovative Staffing has been providing hundreds of companies in the Asia Pacific, North America, the Middle East, and Europe with professionals working remotely from the Philippines since 2013. Get in touch to know more.
