Running your own business is highly rewarding, but it can also be extremely hard. There’s so many things to take care of— marketing, operations, financials, customer service, product development, and so many other things. Sometimes, it feels like twenty-four hours a day just isn’t enough for a business owner!
The best way to overcome being overwhelmed is to build a team. In today’s job market, you’re no longer limited to hiring people from the same city or even the same country. You can now outsource virtual assistance to professionals from other parts of the world. One of the best countries to hire from, in our experience at Outsourcing Angel, is the Philippines. Why hire a Filipino Virtual Assistant? Watch the video below as our founder, Linh Podetti, shares why the retention rate and quality of Filipino virtual assistants are higher or keep reading to find out more.
Why the Philippines?
While many nationalities offer Virtual Assistant services, businesses return time and time again to the Philippines for their outsourcing needs because of their work ethic and loyalty to their employers. For many of these outsourcing companies, hiring a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines is a proven and tested strategy to grow their companies.
Any company that would hire Virtual Assistants would want to get the most out of their service. That is why Filipino Virtual Assistants stand out from others, Filipinos are known for their hospitality and service.
Here are the reasons why retention rates with Filipino Virtual Assistants are usually higher and why you too should hire filipino Virtual Assistants:
- Talent
With a country literacy rate at 95%, the Philippines offers a well-educated and trainable workforce that is very fluent in English. This makes it easier for Virtual Assistants to adapt to international businesses and even work in customer-facing roles. This also means that Filipino Virtual Assistants are very competent Virtual Assistants. Hiring a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines would add more value to your business simply because they can excellently deliver that is asked of them.
Another reason to hire a Filipino Virtual Assistant is that they can work for many different sectors and industries including real estate, health care, marketing, financial, legal and consultancies too.
- Cultural Compatibility
One of the factors to consider in hiring Virtual Assistants is their compatibility to your company culture. Any company that wants to hire Virtual Assistants must be able to determine if the applicant is a good fit for their company. Hiring a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines minimises the problem of hiring an applicant that is not compatible with your company culture.
This is because the Philippines is very in tune with Western cultures and their people are known to be very loyal and ambitious. Respect is also deeply ingrained in their culture and values. When you have Filipino Virtual Assistants in your company, you can be assured that they do not just give excellent outsource virtual assistance but also bring the company to the next level and be very versatile to foreign cultures.
- Location
Another reason why you should hire a Filipino Virtual Assistant is their high adaptability. With only a 2 to 3 hour time zone difference to Australia, their location allows them to work easily in Australian time zones. Although, we also hire many Virtual Assistants for international companies located in places like the US and UK too. It is just a matter of finding a Virtual Assistant that is happy to take the time shift that you need them to work in. Hiring a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines is very strategic to your company because it has a minimal time difference from Australia.
- Cost
The cost of hiring a local staff member is much higher in comparison to outsourcing work to a Virtual Assistant that is just as educated and dedicated to your business. Most of the clients we work with, want their local staff members to focus on higher-value work.
For example, when you hire Virtual Assistants to take on functional admin work like emailing and drafting proposals, they allow your team to focus on more high-value tasks, such as sales strategies, business development and optimising client experiences. Your Virtual Assistant will look after all that tiresome admin without burning through your budget.
- Opportunities
And remote job opportunities offer a very comfortable salary to Virtual Assistants and it’s a huge incentive for those looking for a work life balance or those who just want to avoid the crazy traffic conditions in the Philippines! Hiring a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines is a win-win situation between the outsourcing company and Filipino Virtual Assistants.
We find that Filipino Virtual Assistants are grateful for their job opportunities and are the ones that stick by you for the long haul!
Looking for an experienced and reliable Virtual Assistant?
Our Outsourcing Specialist is here to talk about all your business needs so that we can find you a Virtual Assistant that meets your expectations and fits seamlessly into your business.
But why are businesses still hesitant?
While many established businesses are already way ahead of the game, we often see emerging businesses hold themselves back from outsourcing Filipino Virtual Assistants because they’re worried about:
- Language barriers
- Cultural differences
- Being stuck training unqualified hires
- Not having enough work to give to VAs
But with the support of an outsourcing company like us, we can help you get it. This is because we look after everything from HR, payroll and ongoing support for both Virtual Assistants and our clients.
Here’s how we get our Virtual Assistants at their top performance:
- Recruitment
From the moment you have your first Discovery Call with our Outsourcing Specialist, we get to know all about your business goals and all the professional qualities and personality traits that you look for in a VA.
This helps us create a Virtual Assistant strategy and shortlist candidates based on your specific business requirements to make sure we find someone that fits seamlessly and quickly into your business. This is a very effective way to hire Virtual Assistants to your company.
In fact, our recruitment process involves multiple steps including:
- An interview with our HR Manager, General Manager and Subject Matter Expert
- Completion of test tasks, personality tests and technology tests
- Video submission
- 1-on-1 interview with you facilitated by our HR manager
We would never hire Virtual Assistants without thoroughly vetting them through our process and without your approval too.
- On-boarding
During the on-boarding period, we assign a Team Leader who is an experienced staff member that is specifically trained to oversee your VAs work and ensure that they’re meeting your expectations. Proper on-boarding is one of the factors that contribute to an excellent outsource virtual assistance. Filipino Virtual Assistants have the reputation to adjust well and have a clear understanding of the job at hand.
Our goal here as an outsourcing company is to minimise miscommunication and errors as much as possible so that you both get started on the right foot.
- Systems and processes
We take a very holistic approach when it comes to working with businesses because we want to set you up with a successful long-term relationship with your VA. We hire Virtual Assistants or outsource virtual assistance for productivity and longevity.
For this to work, it is important that you have the right systems and processes to work effectively with your VA. Whether it’s a project management tool or SOPs, we’ll guide you through the best way and clearly map out the first 3 to 6 months with your VA.
- Ongoing support
And while you’re working with us, you’ll always have access to our team members! You’ll have regular catch-ups with our Operations Manager to check that things are running smoothly and you can even ask for assistance from our Marketing Manager or Outsourcing Specialist if you need specialised advice for your business.
Filipino Virtual Assistants are very adaptive. This means that if you need some adjustment with your operations or other mundane tasks, they can easily adjust to your needs. Hiring Virtual Assistants or outsourcing virtual assistance may be new to you but rest assured that our outsourcing company will be with you every step of the way.
- Keeping your VAs motivated and happy
While your Virtual Assistants are working for you, we give them extra incentives with monthly games and prizes, surprise employee bonuses, gifts on special occasions and we have regular catch-ups outside of work including annual company trips or virtual games. We believe that to hire Virtual Assistants is just the first step in helping your company grow and that is why we make sure that the Virtual Assistants that we will provide to you are receiving excellent care as well. While Filipino Virtual Assistants are known to have a high-level of commitment and passion, they are also looking for a work environment that keeps them motivated and happy.
In addition to all the fun stuff, we make sure we invest in your VA’s education too which is why we provide workshops and skills training to upskill your VAs.
- Giving back
And last but not least, giving back to the community is the heart of everything that we do. Beyond providing employment opportunities to our Filipino Virtual Assistants, we only hire VAs that are passionate about giving back and we allow them to participate in our charity initiatives and programs too. This is a major reason why hiring a Virtual Assistant in the Philippines is one of the best decisions that you will make for your company.
We also donate 10% of our company profits to fund livelihood projects such as solar energy, clean water and agricultural crops to communities in need in the Philippines.
By working with us, you get to be a part of our mission to create a better world.
What can you ask a Virtual Assistant to do?
When it comes to taking mundane tasks off your plate, you can trust your Filipino Virtual Assistant to take charge of repetitive tasks that you don’t have time for. That might be managing your calendar, sorting your emails or uploading videos to YouTube.
Having a brilliant Virtual Assistant is like having an extra set of hands. And there’s no need for you to micromanage. Filipino VAs with the right experience don’t need constant supervision — we can help you make sure your Virtual Assistant has the right attitude. Filipino Virtual Assistants are known for their commitment and extra mile in doing a particular task.
While your team is serving clients and crafting plans, your Virtual Assistant will be running the business on greased tracks. You can deliver high-value work knowing that everything is being taken care of behind the scenes.
As your business needs evolve over time, your Filipino Virtual Assistant can be trained to take on more responsibilities and grow alongside your business. We can help with that too.
What are the next steps?
If you’re ready to start outsourcing to reliable, educated and highly motivated Virtual Assistants then we highly recommend booking a FREE Discovery Call with our Outsourcing Specialist today. We can’t wait to find you the perfect Virtual Assistant and help you change the way you do business!
Ready to transform your business workflow with systemic geniuses and a virtual team?
Book a FREE Discovery Call with our Outsourcing Specialist today and Let’s chat about how we can reduce your manual workload.
