Frequently asked questions
Recruitment
How does this work?
Easy. You provide us with a list of qualifications and skills; we match you with a VA who suits the brief. From then on, you have an off-shore staff-member who will report to you every business day, follow your business hours and take care of all the things you don’t have time for.
How long does the recruitment process take?
Generally, we will have a VA for you within 5-10 business days. However, if you are looking for someone with niche-qualifications, it may take a little longer than that. On the other hand, we have a number of top-tier VA’s standing by to start immediately. Check them out here.
Pricing
Do your fees include phone charges?
They do indeed. Our VA’s operate via an IT/VOIP system; you can either use your existing one or we will set you up with a softphone dialler system including unlimited calls to Australia as part of the package.
How do I pay for overtime?
Easy. You simply let your VA and our team know that you require some extra hours and we will sort you right out.
How much will it cost and what’s included in the rate?
Good news first: we operate on a fixed pay rate and will charge you monthly for any services you require. The actual cost depends on the amount of hours you book with rates starting at $10 per hour.
Do I pay for holidays?
Yes and no…You are required to pay your VA on Philippine Public Holidays; however, that means your VA will gladly work on Australian holidays, which can do wonders for catching up on paperwork.
Will I be paying GST?
Unfortunately, we’re no complete vigilantes; so, according to the law, there will be a 10% GST charge.
Billing
What about sick days? Or annual leave?
Your VA is entitled to ten sick/leave days per annum…which, honestly, seems more than fair to us.
How am I billed?
Generally, we like to send our bills out by means of a winged, fire-breathing Pegasus! Yeah, we wish! We send our invoices on the first of the month via the boring old internet and expect settlement within three working days. If you have any unused pre-paid hours, they will be credited towards your next bill.
What types of payment do you accept?
Within Australia, we happily stick to good, old bank transfers directly into our Australian account. If you are settling your bills from elsewhere, we are devout followers of PayPal.
Contracts
Do I have to sign a contract?
Yes. In blood. Yes. We’re joking! As it happens, we don’t do locked-in contracts, but operate on a month-by-month basis. That means there is a 30-day cancellation policy on your end, nothing more, nothing less. Our VA’s, however, are contractually bound to ensure they will be available when you need them.
Is the VA your employee or mine?
Good question. We handle the HR and payroll management; but everything else – work hours, work tasks, job description – is firmly in your corner.
How about online security? Is my information secure?
Web-leaks can be a scary thought, so we do appreciate your concern. All our VA’s sign a confidentiality agreement as part of their regular contract; however, if you wish, you can submit an additional NDA to our team and we will pass it on to your VA.
Can I hire a VA on a part-time basis?
Currently, we are offering our VA’s at full-time hours (40 hours p/w) only. We want to foster genuine relationships between our VA’s and their clients and feel it is unrealistic to establish trust and common ground on a part-time basis. Also, we want to offer our VA’s job security…because anything else is not really fair.
Management
Will you train my VA for me?
Absolutely not! But we will tell you why. The whole idea is to have the perfect VA for your individual business needs and no-one – not even our incredible team – knows your business better than you do. However, we will make sure to match you with a VA with enough background knowledge of your industry to make training them a genuine pleasure.
What if my VA isn’t right for me?
Never fear! We’re well aware that it’s not within human nature to gel with everyone perfectly;
which is why we have six-month probation period for every new VA you employ. If you have any doubts or troubles within the probation period, we will find you a replacement without any extra charge. Should problems arise after your six months are up, we will refer you to our Client Relations Manager, who will work with you to resolve any issues you might experience.
Do you do Performance and Salary Evaluations?
We don’t just do them – we love them! Our evaluations take place at the end of the probation period, so we can make sure our VA’s are handling the roles they were hired to do – and if they are handling them so well they might be eligible for a pay-rise. We’re very nice like that.
Can I give my VA a salary increase?
It’s nice of you to ask and yes, you totally can. Technically, you are free to increase your VAs payrate at any time your feel it’s appropriate; however, it is usually done either at the end of their probation period or at the end of the year.
The Philippines is a bit famous for their dodgy internet connection…will that impact my VA?
Luckily, your VA is a resident of the Philippines and therefore well-versed in circumventing dodgy internet connections. All our VA’s are advised to have a backup plan in case their connection drops out; and in the rare event that this backup plan fails, they will contact you through their Client Relations Manager asap.
What type of tasks can I delegate to my VA?
This, my friend, is entirely up to you. In theory, our VA’s can do almost everything, so long as it can be done remotely; however, it pays to make a list of your needs before you contact us so we can pick the very best VA for your individual needs.
Benefits
Is my VA entitled to get paid leave (sick/vacation/emergency) credits?
As we mentioned above, every VA is entitled to ten paid days off per year. However, if you feel your VA deserves more than that in exchange for their wonderful performance, feel free to contact us and show them some extra love. One can never have too much love, after all.