Offshore virtual assistants are becoming increasingly popular among busy CEOs eager to offload administrative tasks and focus on higher-value work at a lower cost.

Hiring workers in far-flung regions is no longer as intimidating as it once was, thanks to the world’s growing comfort with remote work. 

When everyone works remotely, dealing with a VA in India isn’t any different than working with a VA in San Francisco. 

When it comes to employing an offshore virtual assistant, you have two options: managed services or unmanaged. 

What is a virtual assistant service that is unmanaged?

There are several unmanaged VA models available, ranging from hiring a freelancer through a service like Upwork to using a virtual assistant agency with a “bench” of applicants from which you may select the one best suited to your needs.

All unmanaged VA models have one thing in common: you are responsible for the VA’s onboarding, training, and performance management.

What is a Managed Virtual Assistant Service (MVAS)?

In a managed model, the assistant is employed by (or recruited and trained exclusively for) the service provider, who supervises them figuratively but also practically. They usually provide a management layer with services on top, such as delegation consulting, service continuity, and security.

Customers in a managed model typically pay the service provider a fixed monthly fee that includes all of their services.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Managed and Unmanaged Virtual Assistant Services:

If you’re trying to hire a virtual assistant, determining which type of service is ideal for you is not a one-size-fits-all strategy.

Let us have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each model.

Advantages of unmanaged services: 

The key reason for directly engaging an offshore virtual assistant is cost. A service provider will add fees to the assistant’s hourly rate. However, the costs charged by VAs and managed service providers can vary. There are additional benefits to the direct-hire paradigm. 

  • You have complete control over how you work with the VA.
  • You can pick your own hours.
  • You can engage professionals with specialized expertise in areas such as web development and graphic design. 

Unmanaged Services: Negative Effects:

The downsides of directly hiring an overseas VA are related to time and risk. 

  • You must spend time recruiting, interviewing, and vetting people.
  • You also need to invest in training, project management, and performance management.
  • You are responsible for payroll and any legal compliance with the VA’s home nation.
  • If the VA doesn’t work out, you can start over.

Lack of control over data, devices, and network security.

Advantages of Managed Services:

Managed virtual assistant services can save time and mitigate many of the hazards associated with hiring an overseas virtual assistant. The fundamental benefit of this arrangement is that you have a staff supporting your VA, making the service turnkey on your end. 

  • You do not have to manage another employee.

This can be significant since executives hire remote assistants in the first place because they already have more administrative tasks than they can or should handle. We repeatedly hear executives remark, “I just want someone to come in and make it work.”

With a managed service, the service provider handles all of these functions through an account manager who works with you to drive productivity.

No handholding is necessary. 

  • You’ve got a team behind you.

With a managed service like Velan, you are not simply engaging an individual contractor. You’re employing a full support staff that includes:

An engagement manager who converts your chores into processes for the VA and acts as your advocate—if you have constructive input, direct it to the manager rather than the VA. This issue is within the manager’s responsibility, not yours.

In the event of an absence or departure, two backup assistants who have been extensively trained on your processes will take over.

Two managers will handle any performance issues:

A group of VAs who have seen almost every VA difficulty and can help each other when questions or impediments occur. 

  • You achieve scalability.

This is particularly advantageous for larger corporations and organizations since they are progressively adopting managed virtual assistant services. This issue is within the manager’s responsibility, not yours.

It’s considerably easier to scale up (or down) as business conditions shift. Hiring office personnel takes roughly 40 days and costs $4,000. If you need more VAs for a managed service, you can recruit them in a few days. You can also form a team that works together to support your executives. 

  • You don’t need to be concerned about safety.

Giving an independent contractor or freelancer access to your work via a BYOD computer raises obvious security concerns. How safe are the PC and the home network it connects to?

Finally, consider personal security. Is the person trustworthy?

Secure locations, computers, and networks are used by managed virtual assistant services, and background checks are performed on all VAs.

  • You have access to a vast technology stack.

A managed VA service has hundreds of VAs who are familiar with almost every technology platform that businesses employ. CRMs, marketing automation systems, prospecting tools, calendaring, travel planning, cost and invoice management, and more.

The service provider is responsible for providing any necessary training or refresher courses for a VA. With an unmanaged VA service, you are responsible for any gaps in knowledge or expertise. 

Managed services have drawbacks:

Managed virtual assistants aren’t for everyone. Here are a few reasons why a managed service may not work:

  • You want the lowest feasible price. You won’t find it with a managed service due to the high price of providing a high-touch experience. Nonetheless, prices have come down.
  • You require after-hours coverage. Most managed services can accommodate US business hours, but they do not necessarily provide evening and weekend coverage like local employers.
  • Requires highly specific abilities such as web design or coding. The majority of managed services concentrate on general administrative responsibilities, sales assistance, and back-office operations.
  • You merely require periodic project assistance. Most managed VA services need a minimum monthly hour commitment.

Use Cases of Managed Virtual Assistant Services:

Nothing is suitable for all businesses. Managed VA services are ideal for executives who are overloaded with repetitive tasks and don’t have enough time to focus on the business. VAs can relieve you of the following tasks: 

  • Calendar Management and Scheduling
  • Travel planning and expense report
  • CRM cleansing and upkeep.
  • Prospecting for leads
  • Marketing Campaigns
  • Document Preparation
  • Back-office responsibilities (invoicing and data input)

Managed VA services are often based on a monthly retainer, in which you pay for a set number of hours per month. They are unsuitable for occasional work such as a quarterly report, innovative projects needing new design, writing projects, or graphic design-intensive projects.

Want to learn more about working with Velan’s managed virtual assistant service? Please contact us today.