What is a Virtual Professional?
A Virtual Professional, or VA for short, is anyone who works remotely handling a wide range of tasks: from administrative to technical tasks supporting business owners.
Generally, Virtual Professionals perform social media management tasks, data entry, appointment scheduling, call, and email management, travel coordination, and many more depending on the business' needs.
Top 5 benefits of hiring a Virtual Professional
Having a Virtual Professional on your team can be a smart decision for your business. They significantly increase the productivity of a team because VAs can handle basic tasks, allowing company staff and management to spend more time growing the business.
While there are many remote professionals worldwide who can be your next Virtual Professional, it is worth checking how Filipinos could be your most ideal VA.
Below are the reasons why you should consider hiring Filipinos as Virtual Professionals:
English language proficiency
According to CNN Philippines, the Philippines ranked 27th on the English Proficiency Index and second-highest English proficiency in Asia.
Proficiency in the English language has been one of the country’s strengths which helped drive the economy and made the Philippines the top voice outsourcing destination in the world.
This not only makes Filipinos excellent communicators but also hard-working employees, which brings us to the next point.
Hardworking
You may have heard this from other employers around the world, but hiring a Filipino means hiring someone who’s not your average employee.
Due to their work culture and ethics, Filipinos are known to be responsible, dependable, and hardworking. Extending more than just the job description stated on paper, Filipinos tend to serve more than they were hired to do willingly and efficiently.
They go out of their way to add value to the work they do. It is clear that Filipino Virtual Professionals have carved out a unique reputation in the international market as high-performing, highly sought-after employees.
Higher staff cost savings
This is the main reason employers from all over the globe hire Filipinos as Virtual Professionals. Wages are typically less than US/UK/Australia rates and VAs provide their own office equipment like computers/laptops, headsets, and high-speed internet access.
Overall companies may save over 60% or more compared to staff salary costs when they hire Filipino VAs, giving clients more chances to grow their business.
Employers may still need to offer a competitive price for higher-skilled professionals but for start-ups or solo entrepreneurs, a Virtual Professional can be an experienced specialist or well-skilled, all-round support to handle all the nitty-gritty parts of your process will take a load off your plate.
Respectful and resilient
Are you looking for a good long-term team member to work with for your business? If so, let me tell you that Filipinos value good relationships whether personal or professional. Being respectful is one of the traits that Filipinos are always practicing towards their colleagues and clients, putting love and dedication into their work.
Filipinos are also known to have a resilient spirit. Despite disasters or power interruptions in the country, you will expect your Virtual Professional to prepare everything they need to get the job done, even if it means having a backup internet connection to continue the flow of communication.
Competent and talented
Hiring a Filipino as a Virtual Professional means hiring a wide range of expertise. Every year, thousands of university graduates upskill themselves with broader topics from administrative to technical tasks to get ahead.
Clients will get the level of quality and industry-specific knowledge that is just right for their business too. Due to the flexibility of working remotely, Filipino Virtual Professionals have better focus and productivity, with lower turnover and higher quality work.
These are just some of the benefits when hiring a Filipino Virtual Professional, but you may probably be able to add a few more to the list when going for more technically skilled or senior-level VAs.
The point is, that hiring a Virtual Professional is the biggest win-win. You get someone to help you run your business and you can even hire multiple Virtual Professionals for the cost of one person in the US or even in the UK.
But one thing is for sure, you will save on reduced labor costs without compromising the quality of results.