It is a known fact that an increase in revenue means an increase in workload. While newer and smaller businesses might not demand too much from their owners, growth of business means higher demand and things to do. This is true especially if your company was founded just recently. Can one person handle all tasks, from production to customer service alone? If your answer to this is no, then it’s time for you to think about getting virtual assistance. Maybe it will be easier for you to handle tasks with a virtual assistant instead of doing everything on your own.
Contrary to what you may think, there is no shame in assigning tasks to others. Many small business owners take pride in being self-sufficient. Although this is not at all wrong, this can also make them actively avoid asking for help from their team members. It may become a problem for small business owners and entrepreneurs when they are understaffed. Simple tasks may take up much time and energy, and eventually income. Having a dedicated assistant for these tasks can definitely make things easier. In any case, it is true that one must work smarter rather than harder. Ultimately, it is not about delegating, but instead to whom something is delegated. Virtual assistants can help in your day-to-day operations, and you won’t regret having someone to share the workload with.
In fact, fortune 500 companies like Apple hire virtual assistants for smooth-sailing operations. Companies such as OkayRelax offers virtual assistant services to take some weight off your shoulders.
There are many things to consider in choosing the right virtual assistant. One of the crucial factors to consider is location. In today’s globalized world of remote jobs, the Philippines has risen to be one of the most, promising sources of outsourced labor. They have a large population of educated, diligent, and English-speaking workers ready and waiting to be hired. So, with these promising opportunities from far away in mind, it’s worth asking: do you really need a US-based virtual assistant?
Philippines vs. US-based virtual assistants
Time Zones
In 2023, physical distance and time zones no longer stop people from working remotely. The internet has progressed so much that hiring someone an ocean away isn’t as impossible as it once might have sounded.
The time difference between Manila and New York is 12 hours. What this means is that your breakfast is your virtual assistant’s dinner, and your lunch is their midnight snack. And even though the Internet removes the physical distance, it may be hard to coordinate with such different time zones. Thankfully, the Philippines has developed a strong culture of graveyard shifts. Many Filipinos work during the night, some more than 10 hours per night. Because of this, at least a quarter of all those employed in the manufacturing industry now take graveyard shifts. This percentage is even larger for freelancers and others who make their living off the Internet. The Philippines has adapted to letting night owls work when they are most productive.
And so while it may look simpler and more straightforward to just get a virtual assistant based in the United States, in practice it would be hard to notice any major differences between the two. Plain statistics aside, our experience here at OkayRelax actually attests to this. The various reviews of our top virtual assistants over the years show how grateful our clients are for their virtual assistants’ uncanny ability to meet, and often precede, deadlines. In the end, working with a US-based virtual assistant is not at all that different from a Filipino VA.
Language
Another important consideration is the language you’ll both be speaking. With a US-based virtual assistant, you’ll be getting someone who either grew up speaking English their entire life, or have been around native English speakers long enough to have similar level of fluency. And while this is a definite advantage for your business, the U. S. and the Philippines aren’t much different in this case.
Ever since the start of the 20th-century, the principal language of education, government, commerce, and polite society in the Philippines has been English. This is a result of decades of American influence. Today, English, according to the 1987 Constitution, is the official language alongside Filipino. Nearly a hundred million Filipinos have at least a basic grasp of the language and more than half of the population can read, write, and speak it.
The Philippines is so proficient in English that it has been labeled the “budget English teacher of the world”. Many students from all countries visit in order to further their skills in the language. The Philippines is also one of the largest English-speaking countries in the world. By some accounts, the Philippines has even surpassed the U. S. in terms of business-oriented English. This is not surprising as Filipinos are taught formal English from a young age, and a majority consider English as their second language.
What this basically means is that VA that you’ll get, even if they are based in the Philippines, will surely be eloquent, if not fluent in English. You don’t have to worry about miscommunication when you hire a Filipino virtual assistant.
Culture
With culture as well, the US definitely has made its mark on the Philippines. There are definite differences in work culture and culture in general between the two. But, not much adjustment is needed for an American to work with a Filipino. Furthermore, globalization and the Internet has helped fill the gaps in Filipinos’ knowledge of American culture. Filipinos learn more about American culture through popular media and education. So much so that an executive assistant based in the U.S. is hardly any different from one based in the Philippines.
There are also those attitudes and dispositions that are universal to all cultures. Filipinos, like Americans, are hardworking, and they make sure to present only the best products within a short period of time. Filipinos are customer service oriented and strive to do well in their jobs. Both are more-or-less the same in terms of politeness, ease of conversation, work ethic and other such generic traits. It would all really boil down to the individual rather than the culture to which they belong. This shows that work ethic won’t be a problem for you in hiring virtual assistants based in the Philippines.
Unique Filipino cultural traits can even help enrich your working environment instead of injuring it. Filipinos are known to be loyal and warm. This can help if your company leans more into customer service and communications.
Research also shows that those exposed to multiple cultures are more likely to be better in communication and problem-solving. Most Filipinos multilingual. They speak English, Tagalog and one of the more than 120 other native tongues. This also makes them multicultural because Filipinos are scattered across the many different provinces in the Philippines. This ensures that your VAs can greatly help your business. Because of these skills, it would be easier to communicate and build relationships with business clients.
Education and value
The label of “cheap labor” usually tacked onto Filipinos is true only in the technical sense. Yes, hiring Filipinos will be cheaper than hiring Americans, but the work done by the former is far from being cheap. VAs from the Philippines are overwhelmingly college-educated, intelligent, and economical to employ. Many Filipinos strive to finish their college degrees before becoming a part of the workforce. Likewise, there are also students who work while juggling their schoolworks. This ensures that the employees that you’ll hire have the skills and smarts from university.
Because of this education, Filipino VAs are skilled in data entry, administrative support, calendar management, and digital marketing. These are only a few examples of the many things that they can use from their skill set. Virtual assistants work on tasks like social media management, administrative tasks, travel arrangements, and even technical support. VA companies can match you with a virtual assistant for your specific needs.
Do you have a technology company or a subscription staffing company, or perhaps even a US based virtual assistant company? No worries then because Filipino VAs are flexible in their VA services. Their array of skills will definitely help you in managing your company wherever it may be, even if you’re a US-based company.
As regards to pricing, a fully-committed degree-holder from the U. S. who can handle general administrative and social media duties might demand from you anywhere from $2,500 a month to over $3,000. In contrast, our most expensive plan costs just $299.95 a month when paid annually. The packages of course vary based on the services and solutions you need. In virtual staffing, you need to know if you are hiring full-time or part-time virtual assistants. VA payment could be based on hours per week, task, time, etc.
What you need to remember in looking for the best virtual assistant services of 2023
From all these, you’ll see that hiring US virtual assistants and subscribing to US-based virtual assistant services is not at all that different from having a Philippines based one. The time zone, language, culture, and education are not hindrances to quality work. Who knows, maybe there are Filipino VAs out there that are even better than the best US-based VAs. Whether you go hiring a US based virtual assistant or a Philippines based one, you’ll inevitably have to deal with how you’ll be employing them. Freelancers on Upwork and other related sites are popular nowadays. However, there are a few downsides to going that route. Freelancers tend to rush through their projects which they are charged to get onto the next client, and thus the next paycheck, as soon as possible. This approach is profitable for the freelancer. But this can harm you, the client, who has to deal with petty mistakes, misunderstandings, and much more.
Moreover, in dealing and outsourcing independent freelancers, you can run into the issues of quality control. This is something that’s difficult to do on your own. After all, not everyone has the time to check the credentials or certificates of your employees. A mistaken first impression can easily lead to you getting stuck in an undesirable and money-leeching deal. In the worst case scenario, the freelancer might even run off with the money without a word written or an email answered.
Not all errors are malicious. A freelancer may be burnt out but not have the guts or the self-awareness to actively recognize that. Alternatively, their virtual assistant skills and talents might just not be up for the task or at all suited for it. Whatever the case, a freelance virtual assistant leaving a task unfulfilled or otherwise poorly-done can spell doom for a particular project.
Advantages of working with us
Virtual assistant companies like OkayRelax remove all these anxiety-inducing prospects. The experienced virtual assistants in our team are screened and continually trained. This is to ensure the perfect assistants according to the direction of the market, the standards and consumers, and the skills required. The virtual assistant services offered in OkayRelax provides the best virtual assistants that can help you and your company grow. The advantages of working with us is that there’s no need to worry about finding the right fit. We’ll match you with the best virtual assistant services based and tailored to your business. We’ll find you the perfect assistant for your time management and virtual administrative work needs and ensure that only the best for you. And all of these for a very affordable price!
At the end of the day, it’s in the best interest of a virtual assistant to do their job well and maintain their loyalty to those they work with. Through this, they’ll gain the security of long-term employment. Entrepreneurs need personal assistants, administrative assistants, and the like for a smooth-running company. Valuable time and money may be lost in trying to do time-consuming tasks that can be done by others. Hiring a virtual assistant to help save time is surely an investment your company needs.
Hiring VAs requires trust that they can effectively do their tasks. Although it’s a gamble, the result of getting a dedicated virtual assistant is well worth the risk. Businesses need virtual assistants to flourish, just as much as VAs need companies. It is a two-way street, and it’s in their employer’s best interest to treat them justly, thereby gaining the comfort and peace brought by their assistance.