I saw a blog post discussing the pros and cons of hiring a VA and the author asked a question but does not have comments switched on so there wasn’t any way for me to respond. Nor does he have any contact information available. So I’m linking to his post here and answering his question. He was asking about engaging a VA from another country and discussed that the time difference and economic value could be advantageous but if you needed phone contact with a VA that could be a disadvantage and what did readers think?
My immediate thought was ‘why not use Skype?’ I’m assuming he was thinking more of cost factor rather than time difference. Even if directly across the other side of the world a suitable time for phone discussions can be organised. I often attend meetings with people in the US and the time difference can be anywhere between 12 and 16 hours depending on which side of the country they are but we usually find something that works. We use online conferencing facilities if we need visuals and/or Skype for voice interaction and I know that many other VAs the world over also use similar programs.
If that is the only thing that stands in the way of engaging a VA outside of your own country then the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. It all boils down to what exactly the services are that you seek. I agree there are times when engaging a VA who is local to you is needed but many jobs can be done virtually with no face-to-face contact required. KMT
virtual assistants, local VA, time difference
Anonymous says
Hi Kathie,
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Best regards,
Austin Sponsel
———
Yugma Marketing Team
http://www.yugma.com
Ros Null says
I totally agree Kathie. I am originally from South Africa and speak regularly with my family there. The time difference is not as big as with Australia but I rarely have a problem finding a convenient time to call.
As for the expense, Skype is fantastic both for PC to PC calls AND Skype to phone, (my dad is not very computer literate). The call quality can’t be beat and the price is incredibly low (or free if it’s PC to PC)
Michael says
I had no idea that I turned comments off until you said something in your BLOG.
Many thanks for pointing that out.
Take Care,
Michael