The Benefits of Outsourcing Property Management Assistant Roles Offshore
We’ve learned about what a property management virtual assistant (VA) is, but do you know how it differs from an inhouse property management assistant?
If we compare the property management tasks a property management virtual assistant and inhouse property management assistant accomplish day-to-day, there’s actually not much of a difference. The main difference is simply that property management virtual assistants cannot physically be in the local office. In being virtual, they work hand-in-hand with the local employees wherever they may be outsourced. In most cases, property management virtual assistants are being outsourced from countries like the Philippines.
Gone are the days when working with people on the other side of the world was a mere pipe dream.
Of course, there’s a limit to what tasks a VA can carry out. The tasks that can normally be outsourced are general administrative tasks related to property management. Anything that goes beyond that, especially those that concern core operations, should be handled by the licensed property managers themselves since VAs are not licensed. Although property management virtual assistants are trained and can be trained, there are some tasks that would require having a license and should be the property manager’s responsibility. But you’d still be surprised by what other property management jobs can be outsourced.
History of Outsourcing Property Management Assistants
Outsourcing virtual assistants offshore may no longer be something new to your ears as there are VA networks and VAs working globally today. However, the beginning of having an outsourced virtual assistant is barely written in the books, though some claimed it originated in European countries. Unbeknown to many, home-based assistant roles and services surfaced on the earth as early as the 1980s, although very few networked. As technology advanced and shifted over the years, these home-based assistants upskilled and enhanced their service provision to that of outsourced virtual assistants.
Outsourcing Property Management Assistants slowly and steadily made noise in the real estate industry. More and more property management companies have become open to the idea of outsourcing property management assistants offshore, but outsourcing property management virtual assistants is not for everyone. Read on and you’d be surprised why.
Misconceptions about Virtual Assistants and Why VAs are Not for Everyone
If the property management business in itself has its own myths to debunk, hiring a virtual assistant has its fair share, too! Here are some of the misconceptions or myths about a VA that you might encounter:
#1: VAs work for multiple clients
While I wouldn’t say this bears no truth, offshore staffing solutions, like Purple Powered VA (ppVA), see to it that they give you a dedicated property management virtual assistant to do all the general property management administrative tasks for each client. The reason being is that data protection is in the best interests of both parties.
ppVA does not allow an employee to work for multiple clients to prevent privacy breaches since sensitive information is being shared via the internet.
#2: Property Management Virtual Assistants are Only Good at Administrative Tasks
Don’t forget that your VA is a living, thinking, breathing human being. Although there are processes, protocols, and systems in place, these VAs are blessed enough with a thinking mind to be able to discern what to do. As long as there is sufficient training and each party has enough understanding about the tasks and nature of the company, rest assured you won’t need to breathe down their necks.
Micromanaging is one of the most damaging ways of dealing with your real estate virtual assistant because it shows a lack of trust. Although, monitoring and measuring performance and efficiency just as you would the in-office team is highly recommended.
#3: Property Management Virtual Assistants are Only for Big Property Management Companies
This is absolutely wrong. Did you know that hiring a property management assistant is relatively cheaper at only a fraction of the price compared to hiring an in-house property management assistant? If you want a cost-effective way to upscale your property management business without blowing up your balance sheet, hiring a property management virtual assistant is definitely a must for your business.
#4: Sharing Sensitive Information with Your Property Management Virtual Assistant is a Security Risk
As we’ve briefly mentioned in the first pointer, data protection should be in the best interests of both parties in a client-VA relationship. Offshore Staffing Solutions, like the Purple Powered Virtual Assistant, prescreens potential VAs and thoroughly checks backgrounds to provide unmatched quality of service. They are screened not just on their intellectual capabilities, but also their attitude and mindset. Each VA’s experience and skillset may differ. But if a VA has the right attitude, even if they have no property management experience, internal training will work wonders as they prove that their determination can help support your business in many possible ways.
#5: Why Outsourcing a Property Management Virtual Assistant is Not for Everyone.
It is not for everyone, especially real estate businesses that do not have a process, protocol, and system in place. There should be a protocol to follow when certain scenarios occur for the property management virtual assistant to be able to pull through should the unthinkable happen. We cannot vouch that there will be no failed client-VA relationship. It is not for everyone if there is no foundation of trust to begin with. We can only call it a misconception when both parties–the clientele and the property management virtual assistant–are both prepared to commit to a client-VA relationship with a clear understanding of how it works and acknowledge each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The client must clearly share their vision with the VA and the VA should be treated no less than that of a local employee.
How Real Estate Businesses Benefit from Outsourcing Property Management Assistant Roles Offshore
We mentioned a few reasons why outsourcing a property management virtual assistant offshore is beneficial to your real estate business, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Apart from busting the myths, here are the benefits that would most likely entice every property management business owner out there:
#1: Outsourcing Property Management Assistants can Save you Money
When you outsource a VA, you reduce overhead costs because hiring a VA will not require the usage of space in your local office. As a result, you can avoid maintenance costs and additional taxes allowing you to increase your bottom line. You also save yourself the headache of dealing with applicants that may not meet your real estate business’ standards.
#2: Hiring a VA will Support your Local Employees
We don’t only assume, but we expect that your local employees are bogged down with all property management tasks that hamper their freedom to have a work-life balance. With all the pressing deliverables that need to be accomplished, the definition of a decent sleep may have been buried in the realms of the forgotten. But that doesn’t always have to be the case!
Having a property management virtual assistant will help support your team in many ways. You can delegate all property management tasks that don’t require much of a well-thought solution while you focus on making decisions that will affect the business in the long run.
Since you are freeing up your local employees from the general administrative tasks, you will have an ample amount of time to train and upskill your local employees, so you can delegate more crucial tasks to them. You get to accomplish more tasks in less time, and that doesn’t have to blow your cash flow.
#3: Virtual Assistants will Improve your Business’ Efficiency
Did you know that 60% of a typical property manager’s tasks are generally administrative? Once you’ve freed yourself of all those general administrative tasks, you can invest your time in meeting potential clients and even nurturing relationships with existing clients, improving the satisfaction of service.
With processes, systems, and protocols in place, you can delegate the tasks to the right employee with the right capability. No more messages left unread, emails left unreplied, bills unpaid or calls unattended. All the tasks that require your immediate attention can be served right off the bat without breaking a sweat.
#4: Hiring a VA will help you Focus on Core Operations
Virtual assistants can help you streamline your operations as you focus on core operations. You don’t always have to do everything to get the business going. Delegate tasks to your property management virtual assistant and local team members who wouldn’t require a property management business owner’s input, so you can focus on your business’ core operations. You can easily spot weak areas to improve and rectify problems that may occur to help your real estate business stand out from the rest.
How do I Communicate with My VA?
Many companies would think that miscommunication is more likely to occur in a client-VA relationship and we do not doubt that. Miscommunication only occurs if you do not touch base with your property management assistant at least once a week. It is important to bond with your property management virtual assistant as well as get to know them well. The more you get to know them, the more you will know what motivates them, what makes them feel valued, and what areas they need to improve. An appreciated person will always do more than what is expected.
Book a Free Demo to Experience the benefits of Outsourcing Property Management Assistants Roles Offshore
If you think that you and your company deserve the benefits of outsourcing property management virtual assistants, you can learn more about them by booking a free demo. Get to know more about what other tasks you can outsource to a property management virtual assistant.
