The “virtual assistant” services are the future of the business now. Some decades ago we started delegating our health and physical state to the fitness coach. Now it is a time when we are delegating the administrative tasks such as sending e-mails, newsletters, calling the clients and doing such things as coordinating travel itineraries and even buying the products in grocery shops or taking your kids from school. The offshore or nearshore virtual assistant can offer any type of work for you and really simplify your life. Because when hiring such a professional you become free of many routine tasks which were preventing you from your primary goals. Now more time to focus on the initial plans, for dedicating your energy to the most important things and simply for living!
1. Offshore assistance: the advantages and drawbacks
When it comes to outsourcing, you have many options to choose from. When you want to delegate the responsibilities, many questions can come to your mind: who are the best professionals, where to find the right virtual assistant, what is the adequate price for the services and how to find more security and the least hassle? But one of the most frequently asked questions is if you should hire an offshore or nearshore virtual assistant for your business.
It often happens that the level of fulfilling your expectations depends on the location of the company which is providing you with the assistance services.
If you are thinking about offshore services, it means you will search for a colleague from India, China, Philippines, Ukraine or some other far-away country.
The advantage of hiring an offshore virtual assistant is the price, because the rates are usually lower than in US.
Working with the offshore companions can vary from country to country and has many particular features. But anyway, it goes without saying, that you will reduce the overhead and the expenses on such things as insurance and so on.
The drawback can be the different time zone, which can complicate the communication, which is the main key for mutual understanding and, as a result, for a quality results. There can be the language barriers and also cultural differences. But it does not influence the quality of service if you are bringing in a real professional, recommended by the certified and well-tried virtual assistant companies. Then, obviously, this person can do a wide range of services for you, even while living thousand kilometers away.
2. Nearshore assistant: when it is better to hire this professional?
These assistants work in the same time zone which makes your communication and staying in touch easier but at the same time the hourly rates are higher. The travel times are shorter and it makes possible for you to delegate the tasks which cannot be done virtually: like sending the packages by post, doing shopping, the checks at your house, taking your kids from school when you do not have time and even watering your flowers or feeding your fish. The nearshore assistant services are preferable when you need face-to-face communication and better response time.
When it comes to hiring a “virtual assistant” it all depends on the priorities of your company. You are the one who knows what is important for your business. After weighting all pros and cons, the choice is yours.
