Top reasons to hire a virtual assistant from India for your business
Businesses need smart and effective strategies that allow them to focus on what truly matters, such as growth, innovation, and customer satisfaction. One of the most increasingly popular solutions is to hire a virtual assistant in India who will offer invaluable support in multiple tasks, ranging from administrative work to specialized roles.
However, when it comes to hiring virtual assistants, India has become a top destination. With a large pool of highly skilled professionals, strong English proficiency, and affordable rates, India has become the preferred choice for businesses that are looking to streamline operations, reduce costs, and stay ahead of the competition.
In this blog, we will explore the top reasons why a remote virtual assistant from India is a great decision, which include access to a huge, talented workforce, time zone benefits, and more.
Why do businesses worldwide hire virtual assistants from India?
As businesses are increasingly relying on remote work to improve efficiency and reduce costs, hiring a remote virtual assistant in India has become a well-known strategic move. India stands as the leader among the top countries for sourcing virtual assistants. The combination of cost-effectiveness, language proficiency, and a highly skilled workforce made India the go-to destination for businesses worldwide looking to improve their operations. This is why businesses are increasingly hiring virtual assistants from India:
1. Skilled and diverse team
India has a huge pool of skilled professionals who have expertise in a variety of fields which including marketing, administration, customer support, design, IT, or more. Ranging from technical specialists to customer service representatives, India offers a diverse talent pool who are capable of handling specialised tasks.
2. High level of English proficiency
India is famous for its high level of English proficiency. It has a vast majority of the population who speak and write English fluently. For businesses that need clear communication and accurate documentation, hiring a virtual assistant from India will ensure a seamless interaction.
3. Scalable and flexible
Another primary advantage of hiring a virtual assistant from India is the flexibility and scalability that it offers. Whether you require part-time help or full-time support, you can scale the team up or down as per your business requirements. This flexibility is often essential for growing businesses that need to adapt quickly.
3 key benefits of hiring a virtual assistant from India
As businesses are embracing remote work, hiring a virtual assistant from India has become a widely preferred option for companies globally. India’s large, skilled workforce and favourable economic conditions are making it a sought-after destination for hiring virtual assistants. Given below are the top three benefits of hiring a virtual assistant from India:
1. Cost-effective talent without compromising quality
With the current economy, businesses are always finding ways to regulate their operations and improve efficiency while also managing costs. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by hiring talent that is pocket-friendly without compromising on the quality. This is especially true when businesses want to hire virtual assistants or special talent from regions with low labour costs, such as India, Mexico, or the Philippines.
2. Time zone advantage for round-the-clock productivity
One of the primary advantages of hiring remotely from multiple time zones is the ability to maintain 24-hour productivity. With businesses majorly hiring talent from various parts of the world, time zones are no more posing a challenge, instead a chance to keep operations running efficiently.
3. Cultural compatibility and work ethic
Indian virtual assistants are known for their strong work ethic, reliability, and commitment to delivering high-quality work on time. Various Indian virtual assistants hail from a culture that emphasizes diligence and perseverance, thus making them dependable partners for the business.
Where to hire a virtual assistant in India?
India is one of the leading countries when it comes to hiring a virtual assistant because of its skilled workforce, cost-effective options, and proficiency in English. India has a large pool of skilled workers available for remote employment, whether you require administrative assistance, social media management, customer support, or specific knowledge like digital marketing or content production. Here is how you can hire a virtual assistant in India:
1. Freelance platforms
Freelance platforms are becoming a reliable and popular method for businesses to hire virtual assistants from India. These platforms will allow businesses to seek profiles, read the reviews, and also try out short-term projects before committing to a long-term partnership.
2. Job boards and marketplaces
Many companies use international employment platforms or well-known Indian job boards to post job openings for virtual assistants. Businesses may choose a candidate that best fits their needs thanks to these services, which offer a large selection of virtual assistants with different degrees of experience.
3. Staffing agencies
Staffing agencies will also help businesses in finding virtual assistants or even temporary employees in India. These agencies will specialise in providing employees for short-term and long-term assignments, thus making them a vital resource for companies that are seeking skilled virtual assistants for certain projects or roles.
Pricing comparison: India vs. other countries
Hiring a virtual assistant from India is a strategic move for businesses that are looking to streamline operations and reduce costs. However, one of the most vital factors that businesses should consider when hiring a virtual assistant is cost. While various countries will offer virtual assistant services, India still stands out as one of the most cost-effective solutions. Given below are the salary insights of a virtual assistant having 8+ years of experience:
- India: $541/month
- Philippines: $595/month
- Mexico: $1820/month
- USA: $3,333/month
Source: Glassdoor
Challenges of hiring a virtual assistant from India
While hiring a virtual assistant from India comes with various benefits like cost savings and access to a highly skilled workforce, there are certain challenges that businesses should consider. Understanding these challenges will help ensure that the hiring process is smooth and that you achieve the optimal results. Some of the most expected challenges are:
1. Reliability and accountability
With remote work, one of the most common concerns is the level of accountability and reliability. Since virtual assistants in India usually work from home or other locations, tracking productivity and ensuring that the tasks are being worked on can be a challenge without any proper tools and oversight.
2. Legal and compliance issues
Hiring a virtual assistant from India means that you will be required to be aware of the local labor laws and tax regulations that might apply, especially if you are hiring on a long-term basis. Failing to comply with the regulations will lead to legal complications or financial penalties.
3. High markups when hiring through an agency
One of the primary challenges of hiring a virtual assistant through a staffing agency is the high markups that will often be associated with the service. Staffing agencies usually charge the virtual assistant’s base pay, operational costs, profit margins, and recruitment fees. This can greatly increase the final cost of hiring a virtual assistant.
Wondering what legal complications and compliance requirements you need to consider when hiring in India? Check out our India Hiring Guide to get a complete breakdown of labor laws, taxes, and regulatory essentials.
How does Global Squirrels help in hiring a virtual assistant?
Global Squirrels is a staffing and payrolling agency that helps in hiring freelancers and full-time employees. Moreover, we also manage all the HR functions, which include freelance contracts, compliance, timely payments, performance management, timesheets, and tasks. We also handle the administration work of employees who were pre-hired by the company.
Let us discuss in detail how Global Squirrels will help in eliminating the challenges that will arise when hiring a virtual assistant:
1. Overcome the productivity issues
There are features in our platform, like country-specific timesheets and task assignments, that will enable you to track the virtual assistant’s progress in a compliant way. These timesheets are customized to meet the country’s legal requirements and can also be set up to approve frequencies as required. This will further improve productivity by allowing managers to assign recurring tasks with built-in deadlines, which are integrated directly with the timesheets for efficient tracking. The status of the tasks could be tracked at a glance, therefore, allowing managers and freelancers to see what is happening and keep track of the projects. Additionally, our free time tracker plugin will assist you and your hire to track the hours worked, which will be defaulted into timesheets for approval.
2. Handle the compliance issues
Our platform will make sure that your business will not deal with any legal issues. This is because Global Squirrels will pay attention to all the local and international labor and tax laws by prioritizing and analyzing them. If you are hiring a freelance virtual assistant in India, the platform will ensure that the hires fill out the mandatory forms like W-8BEN. The forms that need to be filled out and submitted to the IRS will be handled by the platform.
3. No agency markups
While most staffing agencies will charge a high markup for hiring talent, Global Squirrels will only need you to pay the freelancer’s hourly pay and a flat license fee. Similarly, when hiring full-time employees, we streamline the process by only charging for payroll and platform fees, which could help you save up to 30% on the total hiring costs.
How to hire a virtual assistant via Global Squirrels?
If you are interested in hiring a virtual assistant and also outsource the recruitment and EOR services, the Orange Plan is going to be a great git. If you want to onboard a self-sourced talent, the Purple Plan is your best bet. This will cover the payroll and benefits administration of the onboarded talent. However, if you want to have better oversight of the hired professionals, choose the Blue Plan. The virtual assistant will work from one of our managed offices located in India, Mexico, or the Philippines.
Here are the steps to hire and manage the Virtual Assistant using the Orange Plan:
- Register and submit your job requirements for free. Include the preferred employment location, such as Mexico, the Philippines, India, etc.
- Within two to five business days, you will receive an email alert asking you to assess three carefully selected profiles on the portal.
- Interview candidates and create an onboarding shortlist.
- Pay the onboarding deposit for your new hires, which is a one-month hiring charge equivalent to the payroll cost and flat license price, after you have reviewed and accepted the offer letter.
- In addition to managing all HR-related duties, such as payroll, benefits, and compliance, Global Squirrels will onboard the remote Virtual Assistant.
Get to know more about the hiring process for virtual assistants from India. Request a demo!
