UK vs. Overseas Virtual Assistants What’s best for Your Business?

If you’re a UK business owner trying to do everything yourself, you may have thought about employing someone to help you. Perhaps you desperately need someone, but financially, funds won’t stretch to a full-time employee. You may consider working with someone overseas. Before you go down that road, I wanted to outline the benefits of UK vs overseas Virtual Assistants, and what’s best for your business in the long run.

An overseas VA can seem like a great idea, for example, they will work for less money and carry out tasks whilst you’re tucked up in bed fast asleep. Can you think of any other advantages, though? The benefits of working with a UK virtual assistant instead of outsourcing abroad vastly outweigh any positives for overseas VAs.

Time Zones

You work in the same time zone as your UK-based virtual assistant, so if you need something done urgently, you know you can get in touch with them within your current workday. Waiting for your overseas VA to log on in their own time zone may cause delays, which can lead to frustration and missed business.

Quality, Language and Cultural Differences

You want high-quality output from your VA, someone who understands English and the little expressions and quirks that we Brits use. An overseas virtual assistant won’t be familiar with vocabulary and tone, there are language barriers, and will they use the correct spelling of British English? This can lead to misunderstandings; you will need to correct their work, and it could damage your customer and business relationships. A UK VA will provide clear and concise communications without confusion or misinterpretation.

Costs

Do overseas virtual assistants save money for UK businesses? Foreign VAs may present lower rates, but take into consideration working out exchange rates for payments, tax implications, and if you choose to work with someone via another platform, eg. fiverr or Upwork, how much of your payment actually goes to the virtual assistant?

Many overseas VAs charge a lower rate (I’ve seen some jobs advertised for £4 per hour!), but are you comfortable with paying someone abroad below minimum wage? There is the moral question: Does it make you feel like you’re exploiting them?

Data and GDPR

You and your virtual assistant will collect, store and handle personal data (names, addresses, other contact details, mailing lists, databases, websites, etc.), and you must comply with the European Union’s GDPR. https://www.gov.uk/data-protection

A UK-based virtual assistant will be fully aware of the requirements of GDPR and how to process personal data. What is the likelihood of an overseas VA understanding and having this knowledge, and knowing what they must record and declare to stay compliant? If they are not handling personal data correctly, you could find yourself in trouble.

Insurance

All UK virtual assistants will be (or certainly should be if you’re considering working with one) insured to protect themselves from data breaches, errors or claims of financial loss. As a business owner, you want to know that the VA you’re working with has insurance for these possibilities. It provides reassurance for you as a business owner, and your VA’s professional insurance mitigates risk and reputational damage. Can the same be said for an overseas VA?

In Summary

Collaborating and outsourcing your administrative tasks to a Virtual Assistant in the UK means you are working with someone who comprehends the needs of UK businesses. They understand the legalities and regulations, context and language. You have someone who values your business and wants to work well together to build a good working relationship.  

So, UK vs. overseas virtual assistants, what’s best for your business? I hope this blog post has convinced you that working with someone based in the UK is the right choice for you and your business. If you’re ready to work with a Virtual Assistant in the UK, contacting me can be your next step. I can help you with your administrative tasks, web maintenance, processes and procedures to support you with the growth of your business.

Send me an email at sarahswinburnva@outlook.com and let’s have a conversation about how we can get started.