Have you ever outsourced admin support? How did it work for you?

[Zypherone]

I’ve been thinking a lot about how business owners handle the never-ending admin side of things. Emails, compliance paperwork, scheduling, bookkeeping. The list feels endless sometimes...


Some people keep it all in-house, others turn to freelancers or virtual assistants, and some just try to juggle it themselves until it becomes overwhelming.


I’m curious, have you ever outsourced your admin work (whether to a VA, freelancer, or agency)? What was your experience like? Did it actually save you time and stress, or did it create new challenges?


I’d love to hear what worked (or didn’t) for you, and what you’d do differently if you outsourced again.

 

[Mark T Jones]

I've used a VA in the past and would happily consider it again.

The important thing is to select well and to take time to understand and set things up properly

 

[Zypherone]

I've used a VA in the past and would happily consider it again.

The important thing is to select well and to take time to understand and set things up properly

Thanks for sharing that, Mark. That’s a really good point about selecting well and taking the time to set things up properly. In your experience, what made the difference between a VA that worked well for you versus one that didn’t?

 

[fisicx]

I've never considered using a VA or PA. I'm pretty organised so getting everything done is just a matter of routine.

 

[campbeji]

Hi, I have used freelancers in the past, a fair few times. A few times it was for ongoing support for jobs that I needed doing regularly, but most times it was for basic tasks.

For example, I worked on a marketing task, I got the VA to find a load of companies that fit a specific criteria, I had her download the company's logo, convert it to a specific format and then perform specific processes on the artwork. I then took the result and used it in a marketing campaign. (Obviously, I am being a bit vague with the description). I could have done the job myself, but the va did a great job and she did it way faster than I could have.

On the other hand, I had a guy do some website stuff for me, didn't work out so well, there were misunderstandings about what I needed.

I generally use the site Upwork to find people. The biggest problem I find though, is that when you post a job, you get hundreds of responses, most of which haven't bothered to read the job description. I usually bury a sentence towards the end that says, 'If you wish to apply for this job, then use the words yellow duckie (or whatever takes your fancy) in the first line of your reply. Then just delete the ones that don't use it.

Know what sort of budget you have to spend, and have a good definition of what you need someone to do for you, if you find someone that is good and you can work with then the job can grow over time.

I'm actually going to be getting someone to help me research some new products to sell, probably in the next few weeks.

Good Luck
Jim

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

I am always worried about the customer experience being unsatisfactory should the change in process have a detrimental effect!

This may however be the fault of the small businessman unprepared to let others balls it all it up

 

[Zypherone]

Hi, I have used freelancers in the past, a fair few times. A few times it was for ongoing support for jobs that I needed doing regularly, but most times it was for basic tasks.

For example, I worked on a marketing task, I got the VA to find a load of companies that fit a specific criteria, I had her download the company's logo, convert it to a specific format and then perform specific processes on the artwork. I then took the result and used it in a marketing campaign. (Obviously, I am being a bit vague with the description). I could have done the job myself, but the va did a great job and she did it way faster than I could have.

On the other hand, I had a guy do some website stuff for me, didn't work out so well, there were misunderstandings about what I needed.

I generally use the site Upwork to find people. The biggest problem I find though, is that when you post a job, you get hundreds of responses, most of which haven't bothered to read the job description. I usually bury a sentence towards the end that says, 'If you wish to apply for this job, then use the words yellow duckie (or whatever takes your fancy) in the first line of your reply. Then just delete the ones that don't use it.

Know what sort of budget you have to spend, and have a good definition of what you need someone to do for you, if you find someone that is good and you can work with then the job can grow over time.

I'm actually going to be getting someone to help me research some new products to sell, probably in the next few weeks.

Good Luck
Jim

Thanks for sharing this, Jim. It's really helpful to see the difference between when it worked well for you and when it didn’t. That point you made about having a clear definition of the role is so true, I’ve seen VAs struggle when tasks aren’t properly scoped, but when they’re trained in specific processes it saves clients a lot of time.


Out of interest, when you were using a VA for those marketing tasks, did you find it easy to slot them in alongside your existing systems, or was there a bit of a learning curve?

 

[campbeji]

Thanks for sharing this, Jim. It's really helpful to see the difference between when it worked well for you and when it didn’t. That point you made about having a clear definition of the role is so true, I’ve seen VAs struggle when tasks aren’t properly scoped, but when they’re trained in specific processes it saves clients a lot of time.


Out of interest, when you were using a VA for those marketing tasks, did you find it easy to slot them in alongside your existing systems, or was there a bit of a learning curve?

Hi Zepherone,

To be honest, most of the times I have used a VA it was for a stand alone project that was easy to define. It didn't need to interact with any existing systems. For example one of them was Togo to the website of an upcoming event and get a list or the registered exhibitors and then create a personalised marketing piece that we could send to them. Straightforward and easy but would have taken me many hours.

Another thing I got the va to do was some of my bookkeeping. This was not so successful, lots of little issues. I should have spent more time on training. In the end the va moved to Hong Kong I think and stopped doing the remote work as it didn't pay enough.

Jim

 

[alamest]

I’ve tried outsourcing admin support for basic tasks like emails, invoicing, and data entry. It can work, but only if everything is clearly documented and monitored. There’s a fair amount of setup time, and communication can be a challenge at first. I wouldn’t outsource anything that needs judgment or quick decisions. For simple, repeatable admin tasks it can help, but it’s not a set-and-forget solution.

 

[breanna.evans]

I tried outsourcing a while back to take over my scheduling and basic bookkeeping, thinking it would clear my plate. It ended up being more work than doing it myself; I spent half my morning checking their work and explaining local nuances they kept missing. It was a bit of a nightmare, to be honest.

Now, I keep it all in-house. I’ve tightened up my own internal processes and use better automation tools instead. It’s much more efficient to have a direct process where I have total oversight, rather than outsourcing and just hoping for the best.

 

[Ido Cohen]

what kind of admin work

 

[PetalandPineVA]

On the other side of things (as the VA), I've found it works best when there are clear SOPs. If you want things done a certain way then be upfront with this, We don't mind (Well i don't!) some of my clients use Looms to show how they like it done. Means I can go back to it without bothering them.

The flip side, I've had a client say they had so much admin that needed doing but didn't actually want to hand anything over. That became difficult and we ended up deciding it wasn't the right time for them.

Some people don't feel they need it because they handle it themselves, but what's important to be aware of is it eating into evenings and weekends when you should be focusing on growth... or life!