As one of the top destinations for overseas IT projects, India has always had a firm foothold in the outsourcing industry. So it came as no surprise to anyone when India was once again at the forefront of the virtual assistant revolution when the industry started to gain popularity during the past decade. Equipped with a wide range of skills, virtual assistants from India have been tapped by Western employers to handle a variety of duties, including administrative work, content creation, email management, customer service, social media management, bookkeeping, etc.
So how come India is the preferred destination for outsourcing jobs? Let’s look at what virtual assistants from India have to offer and what gives them an edge over their competitors.
Although Hindi is the most widely spoken language in India, English happens to be an official language in the country and is often used within the field of politics and in the education system. Officially, only about 12 percent of Indians speak English. However, with a population of around 1.3 billion, the number of English-speaking Indians still exceeds 100 million. That makes them the second-largest English-speaking nation in the world.
Of course, there is still a language barrier to overcome if you hire a virtual assistant from India. Even though English is widely spoken, it’s slightly different from the English spoken in the United States or the United Kingdom. One good example is the word “revert.” Indian English-speakers often say revert when they meant to say reply. “Doubt” has a different meaning in Indian English as well, and it is often used in place of the word “question.” So when your virtual assistant from India says, “I have a doubt,” he probably wants to say, “I have a question.” This is a feature of Indian English that is not shared by other English dialects, and you have to understand these quirks, so they won’t lead to miscommunications.
This isn’t a major issue, though, because once you get used to it, the virtual assistants you get from India are still some of the best in the world. But if you need a virtual worker who is fluent in American English and can use slang correctly, check out OnlineJobs.ph.
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Since the cost of living is significantly lower in India compared to the developed countries like the United States, virtual assistants in India usually charge a lot less than workers from other English-speaking countries. The average hourly rates range from $5 to $16, depending on the tasks, so you don’t have to break the bank to hire a virtual assistant.
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GetFriday is one of the leading virtual assistant service providers based in India that caters to all kinds of businesses. It is easy to get started. First, you have to sign up to GetFriday and choose a pricing plan. You have the choice between three plans: task-based, pay-as-you-go package, or monthly hour allotments of 5 to 160 hours.
Once your membership is authorized, GetFriday will find a virtual assistant for your specific needs. This should only take a few days. As soon as that process is complete, you should be able to assign tasks to your virtual assistant via email, chat, or phone during your office hours.
Based in Bangalore, India, Brickwork India has over 1,500 clients across the globe ranging from Fortune 500 companies to solo entrepreneurs. The services they provide include sales support, basic internet research, social media management, and content creation blogs. Aside from services, you will also have the flexibility to choose from several engagement and pricing options.
With a pool of over 10,000 virtual assistants, Hubstaff Talent is a great job site to look for virtual assistants from India and across the globe. An advantage Hubstaff Talent has over the other sites is that it is a 100% free job directory, which means both employers and remote workers don’t have to worry about fees. However, unlike GetFriday, Brickwork India, and the other sites on this list, you will have to find and hire the virtual assistant yourself.
By browsing through the profiles on Hubstaff Talent, employers can check out a virtual assistant’s resume, skills, experience, hourly rate, availability, and languages spoken, so you can easily choose which candidate is best suited for the tasks you have in mind.
Ossisto is another Indian virtual assistant services provider with clients across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The services they offer include bookkeeping, content writing, business support, digital marketing, IT support, website development, business consulting, and graphics designing.
Before signing up, you can request a consultation, so you will get a better idea of the fees you will have to pay for their services. Once a virtual assistant is assigned to you, they should be ready to do any task from you.
WERVAS (pronounced “We Are VAs”) is a virtual assistant service provider based in Kolkata, India. Founded in 2016, the company has since served more than 200 clients all over the globe. Their virtual assistants specialize in fields like online research, email management, IT support (e.g. Dental), calendar management, social media management, administrative works, customer service, and market analysis.
The payment plans that WERVAS offers are as follows:
There are a lot of talented virtual personal assistants in India, so it shouldn’t be that difficult to find the right fit to help you with all the mundane tasks of your business. Suppose you don’t have the time to skim through each applicant’s profile. In that case, you can always turn to one of the virtual assistant service providers based in India, and they will handle the recruitment process for you while following your set standards and guidelines.
So are you ready to reap the benefits of a virtual assistant? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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