Disadvantages of Outsourcing to Offshore Virtual Assistants
Due to the tremendous popularity of this blog post, I decided to republish it.
As an onshore Virtual Assistant and small business owner, I feel obligated to inform small business owners about the disadvantages of outsourcing to offshore virtual assistants (VAs).
When you choose to outsource offshore, you are going to encounter virtual assistants who are not familiar with our culture and language. Although, they speak English, generally, it is not their first language. This causes language barriers, communication gaps, and lack of understanding. Is the frustration worth the money you save? Keep in mind, offshore VAs’ cost of living is much lower than ours. They can afford to work for less money. If you choose to outsource confidential personal data offshore, it may not be protected. Firms in India currently are not equally subject to any extensive legislative or regulatory data-protection controls.
Offshore VAs work for an outsourcing firm and are not business owners. They do not have a vested interest in your business other than getting more projects. Most of us, onshore virtual assistants, are business owners; therefore, we understand the operations of a small business, as well as what is required to develop it. Our goals are to establish an ongoing business relationship with you in order to help you reach your goals. We want you to succeed in your business. Erin Blaskie of Business Services, ETC stated in her blog, “These companies are working day and night going through a wide variety of tasks just to get them back out the door. They aren’t spending the time to strategize and become a partner in your business. They are simply providing cheap labor.”
Another disadvantage is offshore virtual assistants can’t operate without access to the Internet. On January 31, 2008, India had an Internet outage due to snapped cables in the Mediterranean Ocean. You can read the entire article by going here. Onshore virtual assistants’ Internet providers are their phone companies, cable companies or satellite providers. We are not at the mercy of a cable under the ocean.
There are several disadvantages to offshore outsourcing, including drastic differences in time zones. The one main advantage to outsourcing to offshore virtual assistants is saving money. The old adage is true. “You get what you pay for.”
RJ’s Internet Marketing Services
*When article was published, all links were working.
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About The Author
Rita Cartwright
After graduating with a degree in marketing, Rita knew she wanted a career in the marketing industry. However, she took a detour and worked for Sears as a retail manager. When that didn't work out, Rita decided to launch her own business offering word processing services. These services eventually morphed into digital marketing services. Her desire to be a provider of professional digital marketing services led her to earn an Internet Marketing certificate from Art Institute, which reinforces her marketing degree from Arizona State University. Twenty two years later by the grace of Father God, Rita is still in business assisting her clients with their digital marketing. She also shares ideas and advises them on digital marketing, social media marketing and business operations.
Rita,
This is an excellent article on the topic of outsourcing overseas! I totally agree you get what you pay for. I’m actually writing a post on my blog on the same subject.
The bidding “wars” going on at the job sites such as eLance, oDesk, and such are getting pretty ridiculous. I saw just yesterday someone from India bidding $2 per hour for a project! I can’t imagine it’s worth my time and effort to work for peanuts.
Linda Belan
Virtual Executive Assistant
Your Outsource Solutions