Sorry if this is a repeat post. I did some searching on here and didn’t find what I’m asking. I keep hearing about virtual assistants used for service pros. I’m a 1 man show right now trying to delete and automate as much as possible to leave room for growth and expansion. I heard virtual assistants can help with a number of task. Does anyone have a company they refer or use? What has been the feed back?How has that helped utilizing a VA and Jobber together?
Thank you !
Worth adding one variable that has not come up here, because it changes the experience more than the hourly rate does.
Most of the well known VA companies staff from the Philippines. That works fine for back office work: data entry, invoicing, scheduling, follow up emails. Where it gets uneven is live phone coverage, because your business day is their 8 PM to 5 AM. People do it, and some do it well, but you are asking someone to be sharp with an upset customer in the middle of their night, every night, indefinitely. Turnover in those seats is high for that reason and not because of skill.
If the work is mostly admin behind the scenes, the time zone barely matters and the recommendations above are solid. If you want someone actually answering the phone live, look at where the person sleeps before you look at the rate.
BHS is doing the thing most people skip, which is hiring directly instead of through a layer. If you go that route, do the screening call yourself and put them under pressure. Give them an angry customer scenario on the spot and watch what happens. That single test tells you more than any resume, and it costs you fifteen minutes.
Disclosure: I recruit for these seats out of Latin America, so I have an obvious bias on the time zone point. The screening advice applies regardless.
