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Success with Virtual Assistants?

by jamesstinson
8 replies
I've been a member of the warrior forum for a while now and I've learned more than I could ever apply in a single lifetime. Information overload anyone?

That's why I've decided to hire a team of Virtual Assistants out of the Philippines to do it for me and I'm setting up a VA agency to do it for clients.

What I'd love to know is this - if you've had good success working with a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines or any other country, would you mind sharing what your experience was like and if you'd do it again why or why not?

Include your name and web site if you'd like us to use it in our promo video (free exposure for you!).
#assistants #success #virtual
  • Profile picture of the author Baadier Sydow
    I havent had good experiences thus far out of the Phillipines. The guy just pulled a ducker on me. I am interested however in a managed service, especially if its competitive on price and quality. Though you dont often get the 2 together.
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    Baadier Sydow
    Budget Furniture

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  • Profile picture of the author jamesstinson
    I suppose by ducker you mean he flaked out ha.. have you had any other experience with a VA? We actually run a managed solution for outbound telemarketing right now and we're over 50 agents working from home. One of our secrets? Going in with the expectation that for every person you want to hire, hire 3.. and whoever is left standing at the end of the week or two is probably going to stick with you longer term. And if you have more than one still standing you could hire them all or pick the best one.
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  • Profile picture of the author jamesstinson
    Once you set the right expectations for hiring you can actually build a nice virtual team. Its when you try to hire just one person and have one person flake out that you think "This just isn't working for me."

    Great point here: "Going out of your way to make your people feel like part of a team effort, and making them feel appreciated goes a long way toward reducing that ratio." Creating a sense of community, even if it's just sharing a skype thread and a weekly meeting are HUGE factors for holding a large team together.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    It takes dozens of tests before you can get a reliable VA. I think I tested more than a hundred writers and retains just 13 of them until now. Since last 2 months, I never hired a good writer that I can add to my current rooster.
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  • Profile picture of the author OutsourceFactor
    I've had (and been having) a really easy time working with my VA from the Philippines. I guess the main thing for them is to give them security. I found that if you give them steady amount of work with specific instructions you could just leave them alone and maybe check up on them after 2 days or so. I know that there are VAs or freelancers in general from a country like the Philippines that flake, but most of my experience with the ones I hire are really great. They're industrious and independent and I think that's because I let them know exactly what I want, when I want. You know what I mean..

    Good luck with your service!
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    • Profile picture of the author John Jonas Phil VA
      Originally Posted by OutsourceFactor View Post

      I've had (and been having) a really easy time working with my VA from the Philippines. I guess the main thing for them is to give them security. I found that if you give them steady amount of work with specific instructions you could just leave them alone and maybe check up on them after 2 days or so. I know that there are VAs or freelancers in general from a country like the Philippines that flake, but most of my experience with the ones I hire are really great. They're industrious and independent and I think that's because I let them know exactly what I want, when I want. You know what I mean..

      Good luck with your service!
      One thing I wanna add to the advice given above is to always provide feedback and to be sensitive when giving criticism. Those who love their jobs take it seriously and can get hurt when you're not tactful when giving criticism. The best way to do it would be to sandwich criticisms between two good comments. It'll soften the blow and they'll strive to get more good feedback from you.

      Also, respect the 13th month and the religious family holidays. Filipinos expect the 13th month from all employers. If you don't give out this bonus, you'll like look a bad employer. And Filipinos are predominantly Catholic and the Catholic holidays like Holy Week, All Saints Day, Christmas and Easter are a big deal for them.

      You can visit my boss' blog, jonasblog.com, for more tips on how to outsource and do business in the Philippines. He understands our culture so well, he's an honorary Filipino of sorts. He can also give you advice on how to look for reliable Filipino VAs to avoid "duckers".
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      Hire a Filipino virtual assistant and make your business better through outsourcing.
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  • Profile picture of the author smartdept
    There are really amazing people on oDesk, but they're tough to find. In my experience, you have to go through 20 people to find that diamond in the rough. But once you find them, it's really wonderful.
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    It's A Database For Your Content With SERIOUS Distribution Power...

    It's called a SERVANT
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