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3 Instances When You Should NOT Consider Outsourcing

12/31/2016

 
Outsourcing is in.

Whether you work from home, run a side business, or if you are a businessman or startup founder, there is definitely a reason for you to hire a virtual assistant to outsource tasks to. After all, by delegating work out to freelancers or consultants, you save a tremendous amount of time that you usually spend on menial (and often mundane) tasks.


Making the decision to hire someone off-site to take up your task is easy. Got something tough to handle? Outsource need? Need to fill a talent gap but can’t afford a full-time staff? A virtual assistant is your answer.

But are companies always ready to hire a VA?

As much as we at VA-SG would like to say yes, we make it a point to have one-to-one chats with prospective clients before closing any contracts. What we’ve identified over the years is that there are some companies that think they need to outsource tasks to get stuff done - but they’re not in the position to do so at the point of talking just yet.

Some of the instances we feel companies should not consider outsourcing include:
 
1. Not having a corporate culture in place
Early-stage businesses often make the mistake of jumping onto projects way before they set up a corporate culture. There must be a clear definition between the job scopes of full-time employees and assistants you outsource work to. Your culture and policies should explain how decision makers should vet the people they intend to hire for a specific duty. A company should establish basic ground rules on language competencies, technical skills, qualifications, compensation and payment methods. There’s no long-term benefit in picking any Tom, Dick or Harry to carry out work just because they are cheap labour. Go the extra mile to ensure the safety and integrity of your company is set up and adhered to. You don’t want to be stuck in a situation where someone releases highly confidential documents that are not meant to be seen by eyes outside of your office’s four walls. Set rules and standard operation procedures in place for everyone’s benefit.


2. Too many employees with core competencies
If you already have a team that consists of a marketing executive, a salesperson, a designer, an accountant, a writer, a secretary, you probably have all it takes to run a company’s operations smoothly already. In fact, you might have so many employees that you probably don’t remember all their names or may even forget if they have enough work or not. Revisit your team’s to-do list to identify if they have space to take on more tasks instead of wasting key resources and finances by outsourcing.


3. Facing tough times
Cashflow issues? Losing out to competitors? Difficulty closing deals? Then don’t outsource. The key to outsourcing is to delegate important work that you can’t afford to spend time on because you need to focus on making your business survive. However, if it has come to the point where your business is losing its edge, make use of your current strengths to carry out the work. The last thing you need to go through is hiring someone from the outside only to realise you cannot even make ends meet to pay your own staff first. Make the people who are already on a regular salary do the work (provide them with some additional compensation if it exceeds their regular workload).


When you think that you have the above items in place, then you might want to consider outsourcing again. Remember that when hiring a virtual assistant, you are building a long-term relationship with someone who you and your team can rely on.

Virtual assistants are not the lifeline of your business: but we are a helpline. We are here to help keep your business afloat alongside your core team.

Are you all fired up to get a virtual assistant to outsource your work to? Give us a buzz!

HOW A VA CAN HELP YOUR CONTENT MARKETING EFFORTS

12/23/2016

 
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Content marketing is the way to go these days. Marketing your brand online or offline using stories, images, and other crowd sourced information are just some of the efforts that you need to take to boost your business.

But all these things take a lot of time, effort and patience.

At VA-SG, we understand the need to look into content marketing not just as one task, but as an important arm of a business. We are aware of the ins-and-outs of the strategies, activities and reports needed to help your content marketing efforts.

Want to know how exactly we can help?

Here’s a list of the burdening tasks that we can assist you in order to have a hassle-free content marketing effort:

Blog
  • Proofreading blog posts
  • Formatting blog posts
  • Schedule or publishing blog posts
  • Monitor link-backs
  • Comment on other blogs

Email Marketing
  • Prepare newsletter template / design
  • Maintain your contact list
  • Send out newsletters
  • Monthly reports

Social Media Marketing
  • Schedule of posts / statuses
  • Replying to comments / messages
  • Keeping business information updated
  • Curate and share content based on your niche
  • Handle advertising campaigns on social media
  • Monitoring of social media accounts activities

Ad-Hoc Marketing Assistance:
  • Conduct research
  • Transcribing of notes (audio/video)
  • Namecard data entry
  • Collecting client feedback / testimonial
  • Sending birthday greetings to customers
  • Sending thank-you notes to patrons

Content marketing to-dos are endless, really. Get in touch with us to find out how we can help you boost your content marketing strategies, campaigns and efforts for a smooth business journey.

Do you need help with your content marketing efforts? Looking to outsource your entire campaign or a specific task to a virtual assistant? Talk to us today.

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QUESTIONS I ASKED BEFORE HIRING MY VA

10/5/2016

 

by Manisha Dhalani

Let’s face it – there is an increasing supply of virtual assistants (VA) across the world. And why shouldn’t there be? Big bosses and freelancers alike are tapping on the power of outsourcing – all in the name of focusing on the bigger things.

So why did I choose to go to VA-SG?

Because they answered the questions in my favour and even asked me the right questions back.

Here listed, in my opinion, are the three key questions to ask before making your decision:

1. How many clients of my nature have you worked with before?

As a writer, I needed to be sure that the VA I go for has an idea of how writers operate. We’re an eccentric bunch of people that can go completely quiet at one point and have odd requirements from proofreading to formatting a Kindle e-book at another.

I checked with the VAs I spoke to if they had worked with writers before. Some of the associated questions included:
  • What were the services you provided the writers with?
  • Did you work with them on a project or retainer basis?
  • How fast did you usually deliver the tasks required by the previous writers?
  • What tasks for writers, in your experience, take a longer time than others?

To summarise, I wanted to know if they knew what they were getting into if I hired them. Would they know what I mean by proofreading? Would they take one hour or one week to help me format a document? What would they need more time to do so I could adjust my schedules accordingly?

Ask task-related questions based on the nature of your work. That way, you will be able to manage the expectations of both parties upfront.

 2. Can you run me through your daily work process?

The reason for asking this question is to get an idea of how overwhelmed your virtual assistant is. Is he/she drowning in a pile of tasks, won’t it in turn make it difficult for them to complete yours?

This question should also answer another vital point: what are your VA’s operating hours? They are human too, so 24 hours is crazy, but you need to know when they are in front of their computers and when they aren’t. It’s even more important to know this if your VA lives in a different time zone. You don’t want to be waiting impatiently for a task to be completed at 3 p.m. your time, when it’s actually 3 in the morning for them and they’re probably fast asleep.

With VA-SG, I get the comfort of knowing that they operate in the same time zone and hours that I do. This way, I manage my anxiety of having to wait on someone for a task that is too daunting to be done myself but needs to be completed anyway.

3. What is your preferred mode of communication?

Newsflash: A virtual assistant is not going to meet with you to go through every single one of your project briefs. That’s why they’re “virtual”.

What you do need to check is how they communicate – do they have their own communication tool? Do they prefer black and white discussion via emails? How often should you Skype them for progress check-ins?

I am personally not a phone person so I prefer email communication best. For urgent requests, I send my allocated VA a message on her phone to warn her of incoming work that needs to be seen to ASAP. This way, we give each other ample warning of to-dos and deliverables.

Read: Ease Communication With Your VA

The three questions above are great benchmarks to begin with. Go with the VA you are most comfortable it. However, bear in mind that, over time, as your nature of work and relationship with your chosen VA progresses, you may have to tweak your expectations and manage your schedules accordingly. Keep communication open yet recorded to avoid misunderstandings.

Want to know how VA-SG can operate to suit your business needs? Email us today.

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About The Author
Manisha Dhalani is a freelance content manager who, if not found with her head buried in a book, is usually busy trying to find ways to better the world with words that tug on the heart’s strings. Thanks to years of experience as a writer, editor and entrepreneur, she is also capable of using content to boost your business awareness and help you gain a competitive edge. 
Visit her website at www.manishadhalani.com for more information.

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Want To Create A Lucrative Business That You Love? Outsource!

9/13/2016

 
Thanks to online platforms, it is now possible for anyone to transform a passion and hobby into a lucrative career. But that does not mean it is always an easy process. Running a business inevitably leads to challenges and tricky decisions. - via From Passion To Profit
In the aforementioned article, author Elizabeth Segran touches base on cashing in on the hobbies that you are passionate about. The article offers success stories from six small business entrepreneurs who have done just that.

But why are we bringing this up?

Throughout the article, we notice a trend - the entrepreneurs make a conscious effort to make their business pleasurable for them. They don't focus on the nitty-gritty aspects of business that they are not interested in or do not enjoy - rather they focus on solving their customer's problems with their product or services.

Hold on. Don't focus on the nitty-gritty? But administrative work, accounts, and human resources are a part of any business. Even if you're a one-person business, there will also be customer service that you need to think of.

How do you tackle all that then?

1. Keep It Simple

Focus on only important tasks that are vital to your business operation – hiring, accounts, product creation, marketing and distribution. Strategise how you want to work on each aspect before you jump the gun into expansion. If your foundations are not concrete and too complicated, then you’re going to lose control of it sooner than you think.

Included in this “start simple” strategy is to remove complication that comes from selling your product or service to middlemen. What I mean is, you should avoid, at least at the beginning, from overcomplicating your sales pipeline with wholesale or retail scenarios and instead focus on taking your product direct to the consumer. This will ensure that you control the brand and voice early on, will have a direct communication with your customers for super important feedback and will retain full margin on your sales -- allowing you to reinvest and grow faster without taking on the liability of outside funds or debt. - via The Basics of How I Built a Seven-Figure Business Without Employees

2. Outsource

Don't like handling payroll? Outsource it.

Not comfortable with writing sales copy to promote your products? Hire a writer.

We cannot possibly emphasise this point more than we already have.

Never bog yourself down with tasks you are not enjoying. The feeling of doing things you don't love has overwhelmed many entrepreneurs. Some even to the point where their minds become block leading to a complete failure of their start-ups.

Read: 25 Tasks You Can Outsource to A Virtual Assistant (VA)

3. Automate

In other words: rely on technology.

If you sell a product, technology can help you market and distribute it with ease. Imagine managing inventory manually in today’s world. Why bother when software and online applications can do that for you?

However, keep in mind though that technology is evolving at the speed of lightning. You need to be on your tippy toes. Identify the platforms that are best-suited for you and start with those first. It's never just one platform anymore.

Whether you want to do it in-house or outsource, is definitely your choice, but think about how much time it would take for you to learn everything you need to know.

Technology also plays a key role in delegating tasks. When you outsource, you make use of technology to communicate with your virtual assistant to optimise processes. This way, you can focus on doing things you love without losing control of mandatory to-dos for your business.

Are you starting to lose passion in your business? Contact us to see how we can help before it’s too late! Reach us via this link - http://www.va-sg.com/contact-us.html.

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About The Author
A social butterfly whom specializes in small business productivity and management. Liyana Dhamirah has been a virtual assistant since 2009, founded VA-SG in 2011 and have been spearheading it eversince. Liyana is zealous about lean startups, online community building and work-life balance. ​

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What your virtual assistant wants from you

8/29/2016

 
We’ve covered so much on what a virtual assistant (VA) can do for you. By now, we’ve established that the list goes for as long as you can imagine it to.

But we’ve decided to give you a perspective from the other side of the coin.

As a company that runs on assisting individuals and companies on a daily basis, we want to give you a glimpse of what we want in return from the clients we work with.

Before you say money, know that that’s not what we are focusing on right now. At VA-SG, we offer a paid service that runs on trust and commitment. We believe in building long-term relationships with our clients and truly wish that, with our assistance, they can go far in their professional development.

So what is it that we want?


  1. A comprehensive overview of your work
    It’s not unlikely that first-time business owners are a little skeptical of sharing their business processes with us. As much as we understand the concerns about confidentiality, we at VA-SG swear by a non-disclosure that safeguards your information from reaching the wrong hands or ears.

    But why are we even asking of this in the first place? The reason is basic - if we don’t understand what you’re doing, what your tasks are and where you need help - it’s going to be hard for us to identify where we can step in. Plus, we have encountered several difficulties where clients restrain from giving us the green light to handle some processes from them. These then become a roadblock in the future and work is often stalled or delayed due to confusion or simply a lack of trust.

    Know that we’re here to help you grow your business. Our main agenda is to assist you in handling tasks that you otherwise don’t have time for. You have to let go of your reins a little, but rest assured, VA-SG assistants are always communicating with our clients for any clarifications and approvals.

  2. A confirmation of the tasks you are delegating to us
    So we’ve gone through what your business processes are and where you need help. Once we have established what you need, we send you a confirmation on what we have discussed and how we can move forward.

    What we need from you is a green light. New clients hesitate to understand the importance of an assistant so we can understand that some thought is needed before you sign on the dotted line.

    The point is - we need you to sign. VA-SG is an established business and not only does a confirmation of our services keep you safeguarded, it also keeps us in check of what we should be doing for you. It will be the benchmark for us to hand over the deliverable you need and a way for you to check if we are accomplishing certain milestones.

  3. An open line of communication
    Things change. Business progress. People come and go. What was agreed yesterday may need to see some tweaking today.

    We understand all this. Which is why the third and probably one of the most important things that we need from you as a client is an open line of communication. VA-SG assistants are able to discuss matters via phone, Skype, message and if you live in the same country as we do - then we don’t even mind meeting you over a cuppa.


Having said all this, we really hope that VA-SG can be the choice for your business needs. We have worked with freelancers, managers and even CEOs from many industries across many countries. We understand the work and understand the effort that we need to put to make business operation run smoothly.

We look forward to working with you!

Interested in getting a VA to streamline your business processes? Contact us today!

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CASE STUDY: Wedrock Weddings

4/6/2016

 
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Jessica Claire Chew, founder and owner of Wedrock Weddings contacted VA-SG in May 2015 with a need for a solution to the daunting tasks she faced as a one-woman show.

After several discussions and a signed agreement later, VA-SG was officially on board to assist her on her entrepreneurial journey. We worked together from the ground-up, by first helping her restructure her virtual office and systems workflow. As the project continues, we now focus more on managing her daily administrative and email requirements and providing her with constructive reports and feedback for further growth. 

For a project of this nature, VA-SG allocates not one but two virtual assistants on rotation. Some of the regular activities that they work on include:
  • Responding to general enquiries on behalf of client;
  • Appointment scheduling and providing reminders of events/appointments;
  • Various email liaison with direct clients, partners and HR respondents;
  • Follow-up with potential enquiries;
  • Assistance with monthly sales target;
  • Any other administrative or ad-hoc tasks required, e.g. suggesting of online productivity tools; creative works like choosing client's portfolio photos, etc.

Almost a year into working with us, things have picked up pace. Read on as our client – a Singaporean-based wedding planner – tells us how her experience working with us has been like.

Give us a bit of background of yourself/your company.

I'm Jessica, a certified Singapore wedding planner and founder of Wedrock Weddings, which started in 2012. I've been in the events industry since I was 18 years old and have always wanted wedding planning to be my life's vocation and to make it affordable and accessible to more wedding couples in the 21st century. 

What’s your favourite motivational quote?

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." by Eleanor Roosevelt - it is an inspiring quote that exudes quiet strength and hopefulness to me.

Tell us why you chose to outsource particular tasks.

As the business grows, I find it very taxing to be a 'one-man show'. I knew eventually, I have to focus on my core value as a wedding planner and that is to service the wedding projects. I felt that certain administrative tasks should be delegated or outsourced to another individual so that I can dedicate my time, my focus and my energy to the tasks that truly require and utilise my expertise. 

How did you find out about VA-SG?

I simply searched on Google - "virtual assistant Singapore" and found VA-SG. I remember that it was virtually the only option that seemed credible.

Why did you choose VA-SG over other companies?

Firstly, I don't believe in freelance VAs because I have tried that and it was horrible. I needed a company with VAs, team structure and a credible and professional approach. VA-SG gave me that impression. 

After hiring us, do you find outsourcing to be beneficial?

I believe outsourcing is extremely beneficial because of these main but not exhaustive reasons: 
  1. The work doesn't warrant an internal full-timer or permanent part-timer and so it is logical and economical to outsource, 
  2. I don't have to worry about CPF and other HR stuff, 
  3. Work gets done more professionally because the outsource company's reputation is at stake,
  4. The monthly service has space for flexibility and holidays.

Does having a VA to handle your tasks help with your work-life balance?

It definitely helps! Time is extremely valuable and when my VA assists me, it means together, we generate more output in a lesser amount time with lesser strain on any individual due to division of labour.

How do you prefer communicating with your VA, and why?

WhatsApp is the best for me. At this day and age, who doesn't use WhatsApp? It is fast, convenient and free. It is often used on smart phones and so reaction time is faster too. 

What are the three things, in your opinion, businesses should look out for in a VA?

I would say the same things I would look for in a partner – 
  1. Thoughtful (a thoughtful VA would think and act with your interest at heart at all times, relieving you from stress rather than add to your stress, be highly responsible and take initiative, etc.), 
  2. Communicative (open, honest and timely communication is very important to me), 
  3. Aptitude (aptitude is as important as attitude and it means that the VA needs to be competent and know how to be a good face of the company).
“Throughout VA-SG’s journey in working with Jessica, we have learnt a valuable lesson that honest and open communication is vital. Our clients have the flexibility of explaining their requirements to us in their preferred manner and we hold constructive discussions to manage expectations on both sides.”
​– Liyana Dhamirah, Founder VA-SG
What is your feedback on our services?

Just within a short frame of time, I can observe that the VAs delegated to me take the initiative, are self-motivated, professional, responsible, effective and efficient. I have an eye for detail and you have not failed to satisfy my need for perfection. I feel a sense of relief after hiring VA-SG. Your assistance is a breath of fresh air from the previous freelance assistants I’ve hired prior to this. Your work is more important that some may credit it, and I see and appreciate its precious value. 

Want to know more about what it’s like working with us? Contact us today for a quick chat.

EASE COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR VA

3/29/2016

 
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Virtual assistants work with you on a, you guessed it, virtual manner.

Meet-ups are kept to the bare minimum, if any at all, and communication is often limited to the internet or phone lines. Whilst they are countless tools and applications to get in touch with each other, here at VA-SG, we have a few known favourites.

Emails

Our most preferred method of communication is emails. Why?
  • Allows us get in touch with clients at any time of the day without disrupting their routine
  • Helps keep a good track of points discussed
  • Facilities such as transferring documents via attachments
  • Ability to track time of communication
  • Mitigates miscommunication and misunderstanding of tasks to be completed

Skype

For weekly or monthly progress updates, most clients opt to use Skype. With Skype, we can hold longer conversations, brainstorm and discuss key points that are valuable for our clients.

Skype keeps us connected to clients who are further away from us. Plus, its conference settings also allows our team of VAs to connect and join in the discussions at the same time.

Whatsapp

Phone communication is often left for urgent matters only. Long-time clients are given access to their allocated virtual assistant’s number in case of pressing deadlines. Our VAs are trained to take up tasks via Whatsapp, however, confirmations and scheduled updates are still sent via emails.

At VA-SG, we are constantly adapting to new ways to serve our clients better. Some of the alternative tools that we used before include Facebook Messenger, Google Drive, Google Calendar and even Dropbox.

Let us know if you need to outsource any of your tasks for us. Get in touch with us via our website or Facebook page.

VA-SG communicates using most of the ways above. We even have an internal system that controls tasks to be handled by our VAs. Want to know more? Contact us today.

How Much Should You Pay Your VA?

3/1/2016

 
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Virtual Assistants Singapore (VA-SG) has a set of pricing list, rates, and packages that we offer to customers according to their immediate needs.

We’ve mentioned umpteenth times how hiring us will save you time, effort and money in running your daily operations. We help you check off menial tasks off your list. This way, you can allocate time to do things that require your expertise instead of running around doing things you don't want to. Plus, you can save money by making us do work only when you need to. There is no need to hire a full-time person on payroll that will add extra expenses such as purchase of computer, stationery, namecards, etc.

As business owners though, we understand how, often times, it can be hard to justify forking out money to outsource. One-man shows such as freelancers often don’t have the budget to hire virtual assistants; although in retrospect if they did hire us, they could spend more time doing things that double their revenue and not waste their time on things that would suck the energy out of them.

For folks like that, it becomes more difficult to change their set routine and mindset.

On top of that, the ever-prominent, “how much is a VA really worth?” question often pops up.

We can’t tell you how much we’re worth. Like we mentioned above, we have our rates that are competitive amongst the marketplace. Yet, we’ll be lying if we said you can’t find anyone who can do the same work for you cheaper.

The question is – can they give you what you want? Meet your expectations?

It takes effort to find the right VA for you. It may even feel akin to finding the right partner to settle down with for life. It takes trial and error. You cannot get swayed by sweet-talk. You need to go deeper into the relationship to see if this person understands and can cater to what you need.

Sounds a lot like love, no?

With VAs though, you have to think of the financial gains. Will paying us XX amount for XX hours give you enough time to work tasks that create the income to pay for everything else?

Here’s a good formula one of our clients explained to us, on how much he thinks VAs should get paid. It might give you an idea of whether or not you can afford to hire a VA at all.
  1. Figure out the market rate for a VA in your industry is;
  2. Figure out how much time you currently spend on the tasks you now want to outsource;
  3. Multiply those hours by your own out your hourly/daily pay;
  4. Once calculated, see if that matches the VA’s rates.

There may be times where your VA’s charges might be too high for you to consider. Fret not; they are always options that can get you started. Consider discussing project-based profits, or even a three-month trial.

Read: I Just Started A Business; Why Do I Need A VA?

Figure out the formula that works best for you and your VA to achieve a seamless business operations for your organisation.

There’s a new saying in town, if there’s a will, there’s a VA!


Want to outsource tasks to a VA to manage your workload? Contact us today for a non-obligatory quote!
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