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Why Outsourcing Services to Virtual Assistants is a Good Business Strategy

 

Why Outsourcing Services to Virtual Assistants is a Good Business Strategy

More businesses around the world are outsourcing services to virtual assistants. From small-scale businesses to Fortune 500 companies, many have discovered and acknowledged why contracting VAs is a good strategy for small businesses.

VAs are Internet-based professionals contracted to handle a specific task or set of responsibilities. They work from a remote location, usually from home, and are generally considered self-employed or proprietors of private companies that offer virtual assistance services.

The demand for virtual assistance work has increased to the point that the industry has opened up opportunities for those with diverse skill sets and competencies.

Today you can find ideal candidates for virtual assistance work on any job or project. They are no longer limited to administrative or personal admin work.

The diversity in the industry has led to new terminologies for the VA. These include “telecommuter,” “home-based worker,” and “freelancer.” Regardless of the terminology, the definition and function essentially remain the same.

If the big corporations in the United States and the United Kingdom see the value of contracting VAs, so should you!

What Is Offshore Outsourcing?

Offshore outsourcing is the process of delegating or transferring tasks or specific work to a qualified third-party service provider. It is a process that has been in practice since the 1970s, primarily to reduce business expenses.

However, steady demand for business process outsourcing has led to its discovery as an effective strategy for business development.

The growth of the global business and information technology outsourcing industry runs parallel to that of the virtual assistance industry. Since the year 2000, outsourcing has had 15 years of steady growth.

From a US$ 45 Billion industry, foreign and domestic outsourcing reached a high of US$ 105 Billion in 2014. The entire industry is estimated to be worth US$584 Billion.

Knowledge process outsourcing remains to be seen as a viable business development strategy in 2017 and beyond. You can outsource on a large scale by contracting the services of an outsourcer to manage departments or on a smaller scale by delegating measured tasks to VAs.

In the United States, companies such as United Health Group, AETNA, Dell, IBM, and SAP are outsourcing work to VAs by integrating them into their workforce.

Either way, a client company will reap the benefits of outsourcing efforts in terms of cost reduction, increasing productivity, and gaining a competitive advantage.

6 Benefits of Business Process Outsourcing

1. Lower Costs Of Business

If you’re planning to expand your business or need help in managing certain areas, contracting the non-core business activities of a Virtual Staff will achieve your goals without breaking the budget.

Remember that online assistants are generally self-employed. They are accountable for their business costs and are not entitled to receive benefits, unlike Full Time Employees or FTEs.

You are estimated to save up to 40% by contracting virtual employees rather than hiring FTEs.

2. Increase Productivity

By delegating other tasks to remote employees or an outsourcing company, you can free up more time for you to focus on the core functions of your small business.

The cost efficiency realized from an outsourcing arrangement to VAs can also fund revenue-generating activities such as marketing and promotion.

3. Improve Quality Of Products And Services

If your business needs help in specialized work that falls outside your core competencies and internal processes, you can easily find a virtual employee to do the job.

Many professionals who have had experience working in the 9-to-5 office world have crossed over to the virtual world. They have the training, certification, and credentials to get the job done right and ensure top-level quality.

4. Introduce Business Continuity And Flexibility

To maximize the cost-saving capacity of an outsourcing strategy to VAs, consider remote workers from regions like the Philippines and India.

These countries are the consensus top 2 picks for global business outsourcing and have built a solid reputation for providing top-notch virtual staff.

The cost of hiring remote workers from the Philippines and India is much lower and will give you more flexibility in your budget.

You can also capitalize on the time differential. For example, you can contract remote VAs to manage your after-office hours. You will not incur additional costs for overtime, night differential, or hazard pay.

5. Reduce Risk Of Expansion

An expansion plan involves adding personnel to accommodate expected increases in work volume.

But what if the work volume is not sustainable? Terminating FTEs will become a problem because there are legal issues to consider.

You can terminate the contract with online workers due to business losses or redundancy. There will be no need for payment of separation pay.

6. Relieve Stress

Ever thought about taking the vacation you’ve put off for the past five years? Contract the services of a VA and start packing your bags for your new travel destination.

With a VA, you can be assured your business processes will be in good hands while you are away. They can update you once or twice a week or if some developments need your attention.

You can also have more time for your family, friends and yourself. Taking a few hours a day or a few days a week to recharge is good for the mind and the body. A healthier you will always be good for your business practice!

What Services Should You Outsource to a VA?

If you are trying to come up with outsourcing models for the first time, start with non-essential tasks or non-core business functions.

These include:

  • E-mail Filtering
  • Calendar Management
  • Appointment Setting
  • Phone Handling
  • Market Research
  • Lead Generation
  • Preparation of Presentation Materials
  • Update of Customer Records
  • Organizing Files and Documents
  • Human Resources Admin Work
  • Personal Tasks

The idea is to get a feel for outsourcing relationships and assess your candidate’s performance.

Once you are more confident of the remote employee’s abilities, you can delegate more specific tasks in line with their core competencies.

Another option would be to hire additional VAs with the skills to handle more specialized tasks, including database and software development. This way, you will not over-work your outsourced worker or push them to the boundaries of their skill levels.

The Challenge Of Finding The Right VA

If you’ve ever heard business owners say that working with a VA didn’t work out for them, then the chances are that they made some mistakes in the process and then gave up after one attempt.

In reality, finding the right VA is just like hiring employees, and you need to invest as much time and effort into the process to reap benefits in the long-term.

Defining and posting a VA job, screening the applicants, going through multiple rounds of interviews can easily take a month. And then you need to start the onboarding process.

But there is an alternative.

Here at Real Estate Virtual Assistant, we have a pool of qualified and fully trained VAs including those with specialized skills that are ready to work for you. You could be up and running with a VA in less than a week and fully appreciate the benefits for your business.

Contact Us Today

Consider outsourcing contracts to VAs if you want to take your business to the next level. It will provide you with a double–edged sword that will protect you from the uncertainties that lie ahead.

As an outsourcing vendor Real Estate Virtual Assistant has extensive experience in providing the best VAs for all of the typical tasks of a real estate business.

We will either find a suitable VA for your outsourced services in our existing talent pool, or we’ll take care of all the hiring and training so that you have a hands-off experience.

As one of the leading outsourcing providers, our team will give you all the advice you need to be up and running with a dedicated full or part-time VA in a matter of days.

Call us today to find out how quickly we can have you up and running and what your cost savings could be.

Take your business to the next level today! ENQUIRE NOW

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