FAQs

Curious about working with a BizVA Business Virtual Assistant? These answers will help.

Services

1

What kinds of tasks can BizVA’s Virtual Assistants handle in a business office?

Our Business Virtual Assistants successfully handle:

  • Customer service (answering phones and emails)
  • Meeting management and calendar scheduling
  • Billing, invoicing, Accounts Receivable/Payable
  • eCommerce online store listings and inventory management
  • Email management
  • Business and industry research
  • Reporting and dashboard creation
  • Event planning
  • Expense management
  • Personal assistant
  • Job applicants’ prioritization, vetting and filtering
  • Tax Preparation
  • Client follow-up and prospect calling
2

Can your BizVA Business Virtual Assistants work in any type of business or office setting?

Absolutely. Our BizVA Business Virtual Assistants work in businesses of all sizes and specialties.

Who are your Business Virtual Assistants?

1

Do your BizVA Business Virtual Assistants have a business background?

Yes, all of our Business Virtual Assistants are business professionals based in the Philippines. Most have years of rigorous business school and professional experience. Thus, they bring valuable familiarity with business terms and responsibilities to their positions.

2

How do you recruit and vet your BizVA Business Virtual Assistants?

We invest a lot of time, money, and effort into our recruiting and vetting processes to ensure we provide top-level talent. We have a highly experienced recruitment team in the Philippines that is constantly sourcing talent. Our extensive vetting screens for communication skills, attitude, aptitude, work ethic, dedication, coachability, integrity, commitment, consistency, and reliability. We talk to potential BizVA Virtual Assistants’ past employers and assess them on a variety of levels to ensure they meet our standards so we know they will meet your standards.

3

What training do your BizVA Business Virtual Assistants have?

Each of our Virtual Assistants undergoes our founder-designed intensive training process so that they’re familiar with common software systems, privacy compliance, security protocols, and best-practice remote working procedures. This is in addition to their business education and experience. Most of our Virtual Assistants have business degrees.

Once hired, you’ll need to train your Business Virtual Assistants on the specific workflow to which they will be assigned in your office, the same way you’d train any new in-house employee that comes with a solid professional foundation.

4
Where are your BizVA Business Virtual Assistants located?

We mostly recruit Business Virtual Assistants from the Philippines. The country has a combination of factors that make it the ideal location:
1) English is the first language taught in school and the country’s official language
2) The Philippines is home to world-class business and professional talent
3) A strong work ethic is embedded in the culture. Your BizVA Business Virtual Assistants will be highly motivated to impress you, as you are giving them a tremendous opportunity. BizVA’s pay and benefits are industry-leading and are above what our Virtual Assistants could earn in their local economy.
4) Since US companies and US-based business companies are major employers in the Philippines and are important to the Philippines’ economy, the Philippine government strictly enforces laws prohibiting Philippine citizens from disclosing confidential information to make US businesses feel secure employing Philippine citizens

5
Where do they work from – office or home?

Our BizVA Business Virtual Assistants work from the comfort of their homes. This allows us to attract the best talent regardless of location and is an incentive for highly talented professionals to join BizVA. We do not believe in call centers.

6
How are their communication skills?

The Philippines is home to the third-largest English-speaking population in the world, behind the United States and the United Kingdom. English is the first language taught in school and is the official language of the Philippines.

7
How old are your BizVA Business Virtual Assistants?
While the age varies, most of our Business Virtual Assistants tend to be in the 25-35 age range.
8
Can you introduce me to a sample BizVA Business Virtual Assistant so I can see who I’d be working with?
Absolutely! Reach out to our team, and we can schedule a discovery call at your convenience.
Working with your BizVA Business Virtual Assistants
1

How will hiring our Business Virtual Assistants improve my bottom line?

Our flat rate offers you up to 70% savings relative to the cost of an in-house employee once you factor in the minimum wage, payroll taxes, and cost of office space. When you work with BizVA’s Business Virtual Assistants, you will also avoid the significant legal liability that comes with hiring an in-house employee in certain states.

Additionally, using a virtual business receptionist to answer your phone lines means that potential customers calling your company won’t go to another competitor simply because they could not reach you.

2
Does BizVA provide support once a Business Virtual Assistant is hired?

We take great pride in successful client outcomes and providing world-class customer service. While the integration of a BizVA Business Virtual Assistant is seamless and clients rarely need to ask for our guidance, we are happy to provide any assistance you’d like. Our team has great expertise in how your office can best use your Business Virtual Assistants, and we are available to guide you with best practices during the Business Virtual Assistant onboarding process and beyond.

3

How do I train my BizVA Business Virtual Assistants and communicate with them virtually?

To train your Business Virtual Assistant, we recommend using the recording feature on any private video-conferencing software such as Zoom or Skype. For ongoing communications, we recommend phone calls, texts, email, and video-conferencing as you see fit.

If your office uses a traditional analog phone system, we recommend that your Business Virtual Assistants download an app onto their smartphone/personal computer that functions as an American phone number from which they can receive incoming phone calls or make outgoing phone calls using a phone number that can be linked to your company.

If your office is using a VoIP/digital phone, your Business Virtual Assistant can simply download your VoIP/digital phone provider’s application onto their smartphone/computer and use it as an American phone number. We also recommend you provide your Business Virtual Assistant with an official email address from your company so that they can email your office staff, your customers, or other businesses as necessary.

4

How do I make sure my BizVA Business Virtual Assistant is working if I can’t see them in the office?

We install sophisticated time-tracking software onto their computers. This software allows our internal staff to carefully monitor their web activity/mouse movement during work hours you’ve set for them to ensure they are being productive. We can provide you with summary activity reports from the time tracking software should you desire. Your Business Virtual Assistant only gets paid, and you only get charged, when they’re logged into the time-tracking software.

Needless to say, we have high expectations of our Business Virtual Assistants in terms of reliability and performance. We vet for work ethic, and we expect our Business Virtual Assistants to be committed to delivering the performance you deserve every day.

5
What about security?
At onboarding, our staff checks that their computer hardware and anti-virus software meet our specifications. Clients should have their Business Virtual Assistant(s) sign Business Associate Agreements. There is no need for our company itself to sign a BAA since we don’t have access to customer information.

Our Business Virtual Assistants are located in the Philippines (except for Spanish-speaking virtual assistants available upon request who are located in South America), where many of the country’s citizens are employed by US companies, especially US-based companies. Since US companies and US-based companies are major employers in the Philippines and important to the Philippines’ economy, the Philippine government has passed strict laws prohibiting Philippine citizens from disclosing confidential information to make US companies feel secure doing business there. In particular, the Philippine government passed the Data Privacy Act of 2012 which provides coverage protection to US entities working with Philippine workers while severely punishing any Philippine citizens who intentionally compromise Information of US entities.

Please see here for more information about the Data Privacy Act of 2012.

6
Given the time difference between the US and The Philippines, will my BizVA Business Virtual Assistant work my hours?
Despite the time difference between the US and The Philippines, your Business Virtual Assistants will work your office hours or whatever hours you need them to work.
7
Is there a minimum or maximum amount of hours for a single Business Virtual Assistant? Is there an extra charge for overtime, night, or weekend coverage?
Most clients generally have their Business Virtual Assistants work 40 hours per week. We ask that our clients employ their Business Virtual Assistants for a minimum of 30 hours per week. We find that the most talented/sought-after employees are looking for full-time employment of at least 30 hours per week. In terms of a maximum, there is no hard-and-fast rule. Clients are welcome to ask their Business Virtual Assistants to work beyond 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week, within reason. As long as the Business Virtual Assistant is willing to work extra, which is true in the majority of cases, that is fine with us. No matter how many hours your Business Virtual Assistant works, the rate remains the same.
8
How do I pay for my Business Virtual Assistant?
Yes, the all-in cost for our Business Virtual Assistant services is the agreed to hourly rate and that includes everything. There are no setup fees or other hidden costs that you’d have to pay BizVA. The fee is the same regardless of the tasks that your Business Virtual Assistant is doing. Clients will be charged twice a month for services rendered two weeks prior. Clients are charged via a credit card that is left on file.
9

Do labor laws apply?

Since our Business Virtual Assistants do not live or work from within the United States, your local state and federal labor laws and employment protections do not legally apply. This means that you do not have any legal liability towards the Business Virtual Assistant and need not be worried about frivolous employment lawsuits, since the Business Virtual Assistants cannot sue you. However, clients are expected to treat their Business Virtual Assistants with dignity and respect. We encourage clients to give the Business Virtual Assistant two paid 15-minute breaks per day and an unpaid lunch break.
10

Will I work with the same person everyday?

BizVA Business Virtual Assistants are fully dedicated to and specifically hired by your company. We encourage you to think of your Business Virtual Assistant as your employee for all intents and purposes. It’s going to be the same person every day. This allows the Business Virtual Assistant and the in-house staff to develop an ever-stronger work relationship and allows the Business Virtual Assistant to become a master of the company workflow.
11
How does your no-contract policy work? What if I want to change my Business Virtual Assistant or cancel this service?
We are very confident that you’ll be happy with our services, but if for any reason it’s not working for your office, you can swap your Business Virtual Assistant or cancel the service altogether whenever you’d like. Our no-contract policy means that our company and our Business Virtual Assistants have to earn your business every day, which is the way we want it to be. Working with a BizVA virtual assistant is simply a no-risk situation.
12
How will the Business Virtual Assistant seamlessly answer my phones and call third parties on behalf of my office?
Integrating business reception is seamless as we have seen it done time and again with our clients. By having your Business Virtual Assistant download a “digital phone app” (the fancy lingo for such an app is VoIP) on their smartphone and/or computer, your Business Virtual Assistant will have an American phone number from your local area code that will be linked to your company. This will allow the Business Virtual Assistant to perform receptionist duties, receive incoming and make outgoing calls and no one can tell the difference.
13
I would like to try this service out. How does the process of interviewing and selecting my Business Virtual Assistant work?

Step 1: You tell us your needs

Step 2: We will send you an email with a number of candidates suited especially for your needs. The email will contain the resumes and one-minute video introductions of these candidates.

Step 3: You are then welcome to interview the candidates(s) of your choosing and decide who to hire.

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