Hiring and working with virtual assistants is becoming a popular option for many companies today. But, there are some challenges that can arise when working with a remote team. There are, however, ways to overcome challenges and strategies that you can implement to manage your remote team effectively.
At Outsourcing Angel, we’ve been working with remote staff from the very beginning. Our team consists of staff from all over the globe – from Bulgaria, Singapore, Australia, the Philippines and many other countries. One question we get asked a lot is how we deal with unreliable offshore staff.
You might have experienced this at some point: You hire someone off a website like Fiverr or Upwork, but then suddenly halfway through the project, they fall off the grid and leave you hanging. This is a huge challenge when working with remote staff since you aren’t in the same place. But there is definitely a way to work with reliable remote staff. In this video, founder of Outsourcing Angel, Linh Podetti, interviews our Marketing Manager, Annie Nguyen and shares some of the key strategies you can employ to find and work with a reliable offshore team.
1. Look in the right places
There’s a common misconception that most freelancers can just disappear on you. But that’s not necessarily true. Many companies experience this often simply because they’re looking in the wrong places.
That’s why we find so much value in what we provide as a service to our clients here at Outsourcing Angel. We find people offshore whom business owners and executives can trust fully. Hire talent from unreliable sources and you’re sure to have headaches. But if you go through the right channels, like an outsourcing agency like us, and you’ll find reliable remote staff.
2. Build loyalty
One of the best ways to find and retain staff is to give them a compelling reason to stay. One of the reasons that offshore staff leave a company is because they aren’t given enough value to stick around. Incentives like bonuses, rewards or even constant words of affirmation can really go a long way.
When we aren’t investing and taking care of our people, it’s easy for other companies to snatch them away from us. Take care of your employees. Treat them like family. And rest assured, they will be loyal and reliable.
3. Build a team
Working online can sometimes get lonely. Since most offshore staff work from their homes, they have very minimal interactions with other people. So building a team or a community can really add value to remote workers.
In our company, we try to find ways to build camaraderie amongst our people. We have company trips, virtual catch-ups and chat groups where our team members can build bonds with one another.
4. Communicate clearly
Communication is the backbone of any solid working relationship. We can easily rely on others who constantly communicate with us. That’s why it’s essential to be clear about communication channels. There are so many tools that you can use online to keep those lines open.
You can use tools like Slack, Whatsapp, Skype, Zoom, Google Suite and a host of other chat, call and video conference apps that enable you to constantly talk with your staff.
Save Time and Money
Working with someone reliable helps save time and money. It removes the hassle of having to go back and forth on projects that matter to our organisations. When you find reliable people, you set your business up for greater success. So make sure that you put out as much effort as you can to find the right remote staff for your company. Don’t just look for talent. Look for talent that you can trust. Feel free to have a chat with us, at Outsourcing Angel, we only find the best and more reliable virtual assistants to help you grow your business quickly and profitably!
