« Making the most of your Virtual Assitant (VA) | Main | When should Start-Ups consider Outsourcing? »
I’ll be there for you- your Virtual Asssitant
By Admin | May 23, 2008 -->486 views
Even if I’m miles away
I’ll make sure that
Things go your wayLiterally ….! Yes, why not? Once you’ve teamed up, your VA is always there for you, well, almost always! Virtual Assistants needn’t specify more accurately. There’s been a clear trickle-down effect over the past few years in the way business is done all over the world. First it was the lofty group of corporate giants from the developed world who took a shot at outsourcing low-end services from the semi-skilled across the oceans. Time and cost saving were the perceived benefits. As the internet spread its tentacles and cultural and social boundaries became fuzzier, the budding population of developing economies upgraded and pushed forward their large array of diversified skills that tempted a tiring and aging west with swift solutions. All at once, outsourcing caught on as the new fuel for pumping up productivity.
Your VA today, is a well grounded professional who is probably multi-lingual. Those who still wonder how English learned as a second language could be used just as effectively, are often pleasantly surprised. Most VA’s trained as executive or administrative assistants go through the grind and pick up American and British accents almost accurately. Many others have immaculate English language skills along with other certified talents. Although there may be others who retain local accents, the fervour of having your own assistant who is very skilled, efficient and available on demand is too heady to give up. Apart from trained VA’s many others with diversified skills work on freelance projects from home.
Look up any of these outsourcing sites and you know you have a winner. http://outsorcerer.com/services.htm has a large database of skilled VA’s with specialised domain expertise for a whole gamut of services to run your business better. From technical to financial and legal to personal, outsourcing a VA can help you in unlimited ways. Rowan Perkins belonged to the diminishing group of sceptics who wondered how he could untangle his business from a lawsuit pressed on him by a rival firm that threatened to take away his patents. Despite initial misgivings, once he had hired a legal VA firm , he not only succeeded in winning back his patents, but also went on to sign a contract for further lucrative associations with the same firm. The professional manner in which misunderstandings and grievances were dealt with clearly sat well with the rival firm who were quick to realise the benefit of associating with Rowan.
Experiences like these are becoming quite common as the outsourcing industry gradually gathers momentum. Besides, offshore service providers today realise that in order to stay in demand and increase their clientele, they need to build up on domain expertise and propagate best practices in outsourcing. Typically, these would entail an adherence to good in-house work ethics, training and development of VA’s and ensuring an overall up- gradation of their services. If your VA belongs to a different time zone, remember, he/she is a global professional with whom you can work out time schedules that match the requirements of your business. Kelly, who made a series of documentaries on marine life in Hudson Bay, Canada, found invaluable assistance from her VA from overseas. Her VA provided specialised inputs for making her documentary film that included voice editing, 3D animation and digital imaging. Once the details of the contract were worked out, Kelly found it very reassuring to work with a VA who understood her commitments and was available even at hours which were odd in the time zone of her VA.
Now, isn’t it wonderful that you can outsource complex and diverse frontline tasks like video editing, strategic acquisitions, negotiating contracts and even legal research from offshore locations like India, Brazil, China and Canada at your convenience?
Little wonder that professionals like A.J. Jacobs express their sentiments in My Outsourced Life. The author of this article emphatically asserts that he simply cannot do without his VA’s and goes on to describe how effectively he has been able to outsource both professional as well as personal tasks.
Other readings :
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/iw/2002/02/24/stories/2002022400770600.htm
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/769493.cms
http://www.outsource2india.com/why_outsource/article_index.asp
Topics: Working with VA |
RELATED POSTS :- Making the most of your Virtual Assitant (VA)
- Tips on Outsourcing Personal Tasks
- When should Start-Ups consider Outsourcing?
- Work Life Balance
- Insurance OutSourcing