Susmita Asad
May 22, 20234 min
Updated: Aug 23, 2023
Offshoring began to gain traction in the late 20th century. The advancements in technology have made it easier for businesses to move across borders and find business solutions in cost-effective localities.
There are numerous offshore virtual assistant service providers available, particularly in countries such as India, the Philippines, Bangladesh and other parts of Asia.
Benefits of Offshoring VAs over Onshoring VAs
How to Find Offshore VAs?
Checklist: Questions to Ask an Offshore Virtual Assistant Service Provider
The Cost of Offshore VA Services
Tasks to Delegate to Offshore Virtual Assistant Services
Challenges of Working with Offshore Virtual Assistants
10 Tips for Managing Offshore Virtual Assistants
Wrapping Up
Virtual assistant services take place both offshore and onshore. Between these two, which one is more beneficial depends on particular business priorities. For example if the cost of a virtual assistant is your top priority, offshoring is your solution. Offshore VAs can offer competitive rates due to lower labor costs in their respective countries.
On the other hand, if you prefer real time communication, onshoring VAs in your country may be the better option. Some more benefits of offshore VAs follow,
Availability: Due to the time zone differences, offshore VAs can provide 24/7 availability. This can be helpful for businesses in need of round the clock coverage.
Wide set of expertise: Offshore VA providers often have a diverse talent pool with a wide range of skills. This allows businesses to access specialized services that may be difficult to find locally.
Flexibility: Offshore VA services provide businesses hiring flexibility. As businesses grow or experience seasonal variations, they can easily adjust the number of VAs.
Cultural diversity: Cultural diversity is important for businesses who plan to expand globally. Offshore VA services enable businesses to tap into a global talent pool. They can work with professionals from different cultural backgrounds. They are highly adaptive from their diverse experiences.
Google is the first place you will probably reach to learn about virtual assistance service providers. Thus, you are here! The Internet is so deceiving these days that the search engines are no longer efficient.
Please find below a set of guidelines to consider when searching for an offshore personal assistant:
Having a clear understanding of your needs will help you narrow down your options and find a provider that can meet your specific requirements.
Start by defining how much you are willing to allocate for virtual assistant services. Consider the value you expect to gain from outsourcing tasks to offshore VAs.
Once you have a clear understanding of your business needs and budget, it's time to start researching potential offshore virtual assistant providers. Make sure you keep more than three options while conducting market research.
Any provider with ample knowledge would be able to answer the given query professionally. Contact ASL BPO to find what we have for your business.
The free trial period allows you to assess the performance of the VA in real-world scenarios. Hiring an offshore VA involves a certain level of risk. A free trial period mitigates the risk by allowing you to taste the service beforehand.
ASL BPO Offers a 7-day Free Trial for Virtual Assistant Services.
A few factors like country of operation, working hours, skills and complexity determine how much you should pay for a virtual assistant. For example, Countries with lower labor costs may offer more competitive pricing compared to countries with higher labor costs.
An offshore virtual assistant from ASL BPO costs only $6/ per hour.
The range of tasks you can delegate to Offshore VA Services is vast. From administrative tasks like managing emails and calendars to 24/7 Call Center Services, social media management, content creation, accounting, customer support, a VA can handle various responsibilities, tailored to your business needs.
Besides all the benefits you can think of, there are also some challenges of working with offshore VAs. However, a streamlined management system can always eliminate the challenges.
Cultural Differences: Different cultures have unique ways of approaching tasks. It often comes as a barrier to work with someone from another shore. Cultural differences create misunderstanding and the entire work gets destroyed eventually.
Technology Limitations: Offshore locations may have varying levels of technological infrastructure and internet connectivity. This can impact the virtual assistant's ability to access tools that are crucial for your work.
Quality Control: Monitoring the quality of work is another challenge when you are not physically present with your virtual assistant.
Training: Remote training takes longer than physical training. It may require additional time to ensure they understand your work processes. The simpler way is to hire an outsourcing agency that provides fully trained VAs.
In the interconnected world, no borders can prevent you from accessing the talent your organization requires. Embrace the power of Offshore virtual assistant services today and experience the transformative impact they can have on your organization.