Offshore Virtual Assistants – Myths and Realities – Part 3

This is the last post in the 3-part series about myths and realities of competing with offshore virtual assistants. This time, I want to talk about not just one, but two myths since they go hand-in-hand. Both have to do wtih teamwork. Both are based in the fact that so many offshore virtual assistants are actually multi-VA firms. How can one VA compete with a team?

Myth: Offshore virtual assistants are available 24/7 and respond quickly to all inquiries

Actually, this is not a myth. It is pretty much the fact of life, the benefit of working as a team. With a multi-VA company, it is feasible to have someone dedicated solely to the task of responding to e-mails. One person can work 8-10 hours a day. A team can set up shifts and have 24/7 coverage for incoming e-mails.

But a fast response time can lead to “canned” responses that basically talk about what a particular firm does, not what it can do for a particular client in regards to his very specific inquiry. Also, while sales people might be available 24/7, virtual assistants assigned to each client will likely work only set hours. In this case, communicating changes or asking questions becomes an issue because of the time difference between client’s location and offshore team’s location.

Now, you see how a very strong point – 24/7 response – has at least a couple of weaknesses? Both can be used by virtual assistants as strong differentiating points:

Set up response policy

Set a “turn-around” time for responses and let potential clients know about it. Two- or even four-hour response time is not very practical for a one-person operation. But you can let your clients know that you will reply to their inquiry within 24 hours (better make it 24-48 hours if you want to have a day off). You can also explain that your response time is based in your belief that each client is unique and presents a unique set of requirements and you would like to carefully examine all the details before providing your answer.

Use autoresponders

Inform your clients of your response policy with help of autoresponders. Display your response policy on the Contact Us page of your site.

Check your e-mail regularly

Twice a day gives you plenty of time to work out a timely response.

Create a response template; then customize it for EACH request

It’s ok to use a template for the response – it saves time and helps your proposal look more professional. But a template needs to be customized. Don’t waste your or your client’s time repeating information that can easily be found on your website. Instead, talk about how you can solve your client’s specific problem and how they can benefit from your help in a particular situation.

Finally, here’s the last myth I want to talk about very briefly.

Myth – Offshore virtual assistant companies can do it all

Noone can do it all! As I mentioned in Parts 1 and 2, most offshore virtual assistants provide a very narrow range of services that concentrate on simple administrative tasks (such as data entry, phone support, scheduling, etc). Go beyond these and you will find a lot less competition in addition to higher rates.

Consider teaming up with VAs that offer services complimentary to yours. You can work out the details of such arrangements – whether it would be done through sub-contracting, a partnership or a referral. Just remember to let the client know that some of the work will be done by the partner virtual assistant or a sub-contractor.

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Related posts:

1. Offshore virtual assistants – Myths and Realities – Part 1
2. Offshore Virtual Assistants – Myths and Realities – Part 2
3. 4 Reasons Entrepreneurs Stop Using Virtual Assistants