Virtual assistants have become the new gold standard for time- and cost-efficient workforces. Many small and midsize businesses hire virtual assistants to reduce their labor costs, if not also to provide the best possible customer service to their clients. Virtual assistants are cheaper than a fully staffed call centre, and they can do the work of a team of people with minimal supervision. A virtual assistant company can cover almost every possible task that can be done over the internet. Before hiring a virtual assistant, people check how cost-effective it is, and that’s the reason they prefer hiring VAs from India or the Philippines. Most Indian virtual assistant companies can outperform Philippine virtual assistant companies in terms of skill set, and there are numerous reasons why Indian VA companies are preferred over Philippine VA companies. So, is this true? Are Indian virtual assistant companies really better than Philippine-based virtual assistant companies? Continue reading to learn why Indian Virtual Assistants are superior to Philippines-based VAs, how much it costs to hire one, and other important information!
Indian Virtual Assistants
When we are talking about “Virtual Assistant Company,” India comes to everyone’s mind first. There are 50+ virtual assistant companies situated in India, and a few top-notch virtual assistant companies (Wervas, Fiverr, and Freelancer) provide premium virtual assistance services. India already has more English speakers than the United States, which helps it communicate easily with other English speakers from different countries. Indian virtual assistants are professional, knowledgeable, polite, and educated. Most Indian virtual assistants are well educated (Wervas hires VAs only if they are graduates), and they have to go through many interview rounds to reach the final round. Indian virtual assistance service providers only allow their VAs to work from their central office; it’s a good step to secure clients’ data. One can hire Indian virtual assistants at a lower cost as compared to Europe and the US, and they can expect a similar result at a lower cost. Most Indian virtual assistant companies make their clients happy by being available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It’s a different feeling when you know that your work is getting done as you sleep! Indian virtual assistants can be helpful in providing customer support, resolving customer queries, completing data entry tasks, as well as web design, development, graphic design, SEO, app development, and many more.
Philippine Virtual Assistants
For the last few years, Philippine companies have become popular for personal and administrative tasks. They are providing pretty good services, and they are offering very affordable virtual assistant services. At the same time, Philippines-based virtual assistants are building trust around the world with their quality work. The Philippines are following western culture, which helps them understand the mindset of outside Asian people. Philippine VA companies allow their workers to work from anywhere, giving them the flexibility to work in any time zone; however, the drawback is compromising client data and security. As an Asian country, the Philippines’ VA can also work when you are sleeping because of the time zone. They are pleasant and courteous, but they are hesitant to inquire about any concerns. That increases the problem, and clients don’t get the proper result as expected. Some clients complained about changing VAs without notification. It causes a big issue, and it takes time to explain the same matter from scratch. Now, let’s compare Indian virtual assistants and Philippine virtual assistants in detail.
Why Should You Consider Hiring an Indian VA Instead of A Philippine VA?
Cost effective and Best Services: Virtual assistants are mostly Philippines who earn their living by assisting companies through phone or online calls. You can hire any Filipino to work for you for the low cost of $5 an hour with the promise of earning $500 a week. Now, with the advent of Indian virtual assistants, who can do the better job at a similar cost, sometimes even lower if you choose the Full Time virtual assistant plan, is it wise to hire a Filipino? If you are looking for a low-cost yet efficient way to handle customer issues, then virtual assistants from India could be a great choice for you.
High security and data protection: Indian Virtual Assistant Companies do not allow their workers to work from home and it helps to secure the data provided by clients. Where Philippine virtual assistant companies allow their workers to work remotely from home. This creates a high risk of losing important data. When a Virtual Assistant works from the office, they are always working under surveillance cameras, not allowed to use mobile phones while working, they are monitored by management.
Work with a team, not an Individual: When you hire an Indian virtual assistant company, you are actually hiring a team of VAs, who have specific skill sets in different departments. Whenever you are sending tasks or projects, a supervisor or account manager always helps the VA to understand and complete the task. Quality check is also done by the supervisor before sending the final result to clients. However, Philippines virtual assistants are working from home and they seem individualistic and that’s the reason no one can help them if they are stuck in the middle of something.
Highly Educated and Smart Virtual Assistants: Indians are born smart and they are well educated. Indian VA companies only hire educated VA after doing a complete education background checking. Not only education, Indian VAs are applying for VA positions after completing many other tech programs. Where the Philippines are a bit western cultured and that helps them to cope with US based people.
24/7 Availability: As all Indian Virtual Assistants are working from their office and they have 3 different shifts, Indian VA companies can cover 24 hours. This system flexible them to work on any time zones. Where Philippines VAs are working from home and sometimes from Office and there is no surety to provide 24/7 services.
Top Notch Communication: Where Indian VAs are very communicative with their clients and before starting the task they make sure to be on the same page. On the other hand, Philippines VAs are polite and they are shy to speak openly. Many times they do not ask the questions and that affects the outcome of the projects.
Long-term commitment: Indian virtual assistants commit to the job for a longer period of time, making them more committed to the job than their Filipino virtual assistants. Before joining, every Indian VA signs a copy of NDA where they are bound to not leave the company in between the period of time.