Ready to outsource to a virtual assistant? In the Philippines, you can find the best candidates for outsourcing virtual assistant tasks to help you tick things off your list faster.


Every business can benefit from hiring a virtual assistant or virtual personal assistant. The most obvious reason is that employing a virtual assistant frees up your precious time.

These organizational magicians can take care of everything from emails to events. By relieving you of mundane or time-consuming tasks, they give you more time to focus on your most valuable and most profitable work.

In the Philippines, you’re in luck, because there are so many skilled candidates to choose from. In our internal database alone, there are over 19,000 people with experience as virtual assistants or virtual personal assistants.

Skilled virtual assistants in the Philippines adapt quickly to the changing times and technology – they’re super fast learners. Most PAs and VAs are naturally flexible in their tasks, too, and have experience in a variety of industries. What’s more, Filipinos are naturally easy to work with, and are exceptionally customer-focused, proactive and eager to help where they can. This is particularly important, because one of the biggest challenges when employing a PA/VA is finding someone who doesn’t just focus on the direct tasks they’re given, but instead tries to understand your job and workload, and proactively tries to help you in the best possible way.

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Want a virtual assistant – or a team of virtual assistants – in the Philippines?

Virtual assistant skills

Virtual assistants and virtual personal assistants in the Philippines are adept at administrative tasks such as:

  • Acting as a first point of contact: dealing with correspondence and phone calls.

  • Managing diaries and organizing meetings and appointments. Many PAs control access to the manager/executive.

  • Booking and arranging travel, transport and accommodation.

  • Organizing events and conferences.
  • Reminding the manager/executive of important tasks and deadlines.

  • Typing, compiling and preparing reports, presentations and correspondence.

  • Managing databases and filing systems.

  • Implementing and maintaining procedures/administrative systems.

  • Liaising with staff, suppliers and clients.

  • Collating and filing expenses.

  • Conducting research on behalf of the manager.

  • Organizing the manager’s personal commitments including travel or childcare.

Higher-level tasks that may require more experienced candidates include:

  • Creating reports (Excel-based reports or PowerPoint presentations)

  • Developing and organizing company databases

  • Creating office memos and official company forms or documents

  • Handling projects and following up with task owners

  • Taking on research activities.

Virtual assistant experience

  • Junior – A junior virtual assistant has 1-2 years of relevant experience.

  • Intermediate – Typical intermediate virtual assistants have 2-4 years of relevant experience.

  • Senior – Most senior virtual assistants have 4+ years of relevant experience.

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Virtual assistant tools

Most virtual assistants have knowledge in:

  • MS Office: Outlook, Word and Excel
  • MS PowerPoint, if preparing presentations is part of the role
  • Digital file-sharing tools such as Dropbox or Google Drive
  • Virtual communication systems such as Skype and Slack
  • Project management tools such as Asana and Trello.

Experienced offshore PAs and VAs will have tried and tested most of the popular cloud-based programs. But don’t worry if your preferred candidates haven’t used your favorite program; you can be sure that these fast learners will pick it up in a flash.

Save up to 70% on labor and occupancy costs

Because living costs are so low in the Philippines, labor and occupancy costs are low too. We can employ and accommodate fully qualified, very experienced virtual assistants for your team in the Philippines for up to 70% less than you’d pay in your local employment market. Outsourcing to a virtual assistant or virtual assistant in the Philippines just makes good business sense.

Contact us for salary information

Tips for employing virtual assistants in the Philippines

  • It doesn’t take long to get started with outsourcing to a virtual assistant – it usually takes 4-5 weeks to hire a virtual assistant in the Philippines.
  • Virtual assistants are quick learners and they’re highly adaptable. You’ll only need to invest a bit of your time to train or teach them about a new technology or a process then you can leave them to do the work. Show them once, then you can focus on your own high value work.
  • If you prefer someone with experience in higher-level tasks, then an administrative or executive assistant may be the type of person you need. Usually, this person has 5 years or more work experience, although he/she may need to learn Skype, Zendesk, or related platforms used for administrative duties.
  • Full-time virtual assistants are more committed and loyal to the growth of your business, and they are assets to your company.

Qualifications and experience for virtual assistants

Most, if not all, universities and colleges offer secretarial courses or office administration. Through these courses, students gain experience through 2-month internships, then move into virtual assistant or office administration roles when they graduate.

There’s no shortage of qualified candidates, either. The Philippines Commission on Higher education reports that 203,000 people graduated from business administration courses in 2017.

You’ll also find virtual assistants who have taken different paths to reach their current roles. Instead of tertiary qualifications, many candidates have gained several years of working experience as virtual assistants, administrative or executive assistants for a variety of businesses.

No matter what kind of skills, qualifications and experience you expect in an offshore virtual assistant, we’ll help you find your perfect match.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get an offshore virtual assistant or team up and running in the Philippines?

Your outsourced virtual assistant can be up and running in as little as six to eight weeks when you outsource through MicroSourcing. From discussing the requirements and qualifications desired of your virtual assistant(s), to assigning your new team member their very first task, MicroSourcing can help meet your requirements. Keep in mind, if you require a larger team of virtual assistants, then our talent acquisition team may require additional time for the extra recruitment, training and onboarding needed to establish your qualified, offshore team.

What are the costs of outsourcing to the Philippines?

Outsourcing to the Philippines can result in significant cost savings of up to 70%. Here at MicroSourcing, we offer a monthly fee to help reduce overheads and allow you to focus on scaling and growing your business. Included in the monthly fee is infrastructure, recruitment and training, security, staff benefits and management.

What are the qualifications and skills of a great virtual assistant?

Successful virtual assistant skills include:

  • Experience assisting departments or managers in an administrative form
  • Time management and excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Knowledge of organizational tools to ensure information is updated and maintained
  • A high level of accuracy and attention to detail.

A higher education degree or certificate in business administration is desirable but not necessary to succeed as a virtual assistant.

How can I ensure quality when hiring offshore virtual assistants in the Philippines?

MicroSourcing’s talent acquisition team works just as an in-house recruitment team would. They screen, interview and test candidates to ensure candidates meet the needs and requirements as illustrated in your position descriptions. With over 10 years of experience pioneering a new way of offshoring, MicroSourcing’s expertise is backed by being one of the largest and most experienced offshoring providers in the Philippines - so quality is not a concern.

With a dedicated management team on the ground, working one-on-one with your staff in the Philippines, MicroSourcing has 192+ talented staff in operations who keep the communication between your business and your offshore team streamlined. We also have operational departments that help your employees function efficiently and productively.

Sample virtual assistant profiles

QA

SKILLS

  • Strong Filipino and English language skills
  • Knowledgeable in using a computer fax machine, photocopy, machine and any other office equipment including POS, SAP and Netsuite
  • Can handle phone calls and communicate well with others
  • Has successfully held positions requiring trust and honesty
  • A hard worker willing to invest the time and effort necessary to complete tasks

RECENT ROLES

  • Personal Assistant to President
  • Secretary to VIce President of Sales
  • Executive Virtual Assistant
QA

SKILLS

  • Good organizational, planning and leadership skills
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability to work independently or as part of a team
  • Computer literate including Microsoft Office Suite
  • Possess team effectiveness & good time management skills
  • Flexible, a team player and can work under pressure

RECENT ROLES

  • Executive and Virtual Personal Assistant to Director
  • Legal Secretary

Interested in recruiting team(s) in the Philippines?

Since our inception in 2006, MicroSourcing has become one of the biggest providers of offshoring solutions in the Philippines. We can help you build a dedicated team in the Philippines, regardless of the roles and level of specialization you require. MicroSourcing is backed by our parent company, Probe CX, one of Australia’s fastest-growing offshoring solution and customer engagement firms. So, it’s safe to say we’re experts in outsourcing to the Philippines.

Call +1 888-731-0023 today or send us an email to discuss your company’s offshoring needs.

Additional resources

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