How to decide whether Onshore VAs or Offshore VAs are right for your current business problem.

It's easier than you might think!

For years, we have been talking about how Virtual Assistants here in Australia are different from our cheaper offshore counterparts. It’s always a topic that I want to educate people about, but I do struggle with the idea that we are so different. We are all human, showing up in our best way to support other business owners. And as with humans, we cannot put everyone in the same basket. There are good eggs and bad eggs everywhere.

There are VAs worldwide, and I think there are a lot of similarities across the board, with the main difference simply being culture and how it affects their approach to work and their communication styles.

Culture is important. It impacts how we show up and how we communicate with each other. In the Virtual Assistant industry, this is the most telling factor when it comes to selecting the right VA for the task.

Aussie VAs are most often compared to the cheaper VAs who come from places like India and the Philippines - so that’s what I will focus on today.

Recently, it dawned on me that there is one significant difference between Aussie VAs and our cheaper offshore counterparts that can make the challenge of choosing the right option for you a little easier.

What I’ve realised is that when you work directly with a cheaper offshore VA, you will approach them with a problem, and you will also supply the solution. You need to know how to solve that problem and it needs to be a solution that doesn’t leave much room for interpretation.

However, when you work directly with an Aussie VA, you approach them with a problem, and they provide you with the solution.

This is a key difference between the two service offerings.

If the help you need is something you already know how to solve but want someone else to do, then maybe a cheaper solution will work for you. You’ll need to be able to show them the steps you want them to take, and of course, make sure they are following those steps to the letter. This means having your policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place before bringing anyone on board.

However, if you have an issue in your business that you don’t know how to solve or that has room for interpretation, you’d be better off finding an Aussie VA contractor who specialises in solving that problem.

Someone who understands how the solution can be applied and/or tweaked to your unique situation.

Someone who will be able to assess the situation and let you know up front whether their solution will work for you or not.

For me, the most frustrating element of working with cheaper offshore VAs is that they will say they can do tasks that they cannot do. They will say they will do the task, but, if they can’t, they will not show up.

They aren’t deliberately being rude, but this is a cultural block that has really impacted a lot of clients negatively. For these VAs, it’s simply unheard of to say ‘no’ to their client. In their culture, it’s considered very rude. It’s better for them to say ‘yes’ even if it isn’t in their toolbox to offer.

But for Aussie clients, the opposite is true. To say you can do something you can’t, or to just walk away from the job without communicating why, is considered extremely rude.

I think that without this cultural difference, the offshore VA market would be a lot stronger than it is.

This is why you need to provide the solution for cheaper offshore VAs. It’s hard to know if they really do know how to do a task before they get started because of this cultural behaviour. Therefore, you need to cover yourself and be able to direct how the task is done.

Aussie VAs need to be solution providers. They charge well for their services (most charge between $50 to $80 an hour) and need to show up with solutions and a plan.

So if you are needing help in your business and you want to grow your team, ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Do I have the solution already, and can I teach someone else those steps?
  2. Do I have the solution, but there are areas of the task where there is room for interpretation or development?
  3. Do I want someone to come in with a solution who can solve the problem for me?

These three questions can help you start to identify whether you would be able to solve the problem with an onshore VA or an offshore VA. 

If you’ve asked yourself these questions and you feel an onshore Aussie solution is what you need, make sure you submit a request for support here. It’s free, and you may find the perfect solution to your business woes.