Help from halfway around the world

Modern work practices have dramatically changed the way many companies think about staffing needs. With technology advancing by the day and the internet available just about anywhere in the world, the ability to work remotely is being used more and more, as is evidenced by the growth in interest in the market for virtual assistants. Outsourcing jobs to other countries is on the rise and even the indispensable VA may now be located on the other side of the world from his or her employer.

Many executives in the US have already turned to outsourced assistants to cut costs, including architect Alfredo Munoz, whose PA Karen is based in Panama. Alfredo and Karen have been working together for more than three years and say the arrangement is great for both of them, with Karen able to look after her four children and Alfredo having the confidence that his tasks will get done in a timely manner at a fraction of the price of hiring somebody in-office.

In the UK, outsourcing opportunities can easily be found online at companies such as Your Daily Task, GetFriday and Brickwork India, all of which operate out of India and provide services to the UK, Europe, the US and Australia. Testimonials on each site indicate that the remote service is as reliable as an assistant based in your office, but costs much less. One executive in London says: “If it involves telephoning or a computer, GetFriday can do it as well as someone in the next room. So why pay for it in England if you can get it done in India for a fraction of the cost?”

Many of the remote executive assistance sites offer services such as email management, data entry, travel booking and transcription in a variety of pricing plans. Hourly pay-as-you-go rates at GetFriday start from about £9.75, while monthly plans with a set number of hours included can cost as low as £3 an hour at Your Daily Task. Commenting on the quality of service at Brickwork India, one business owner says: “Their work has been fantastic and they have been exceptionally easy to work with. They have proactively and independently handled many weekly responsibilities and the time difference has given us a terrific head start on many of the Monday activities.”

Despite blogs and testimonials of services having gone wrong, the industry seems to be on the rise, with Elance, an online job site used to source freelancers in a variety of sectors including administrative support, reporting a 90% increase in job postings on its site between 2012 and 2013.

We’d like to hear your thoughts on this topic. Would you work for a boss who is halfway across the world? Do you think outsourced PAs can provide a service equal to that of an assistant who is based in the UK? Leave your comments below.

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