Below are some of the Virtual Assistant (VA) firms, Outsourcing, and Freelance networks that I either have used in the past, currently use, or plan to use. Some of them have proven to be great resources for some tasks (like Elance). Some I would never use again (like BPOvia). I’ll tell you which is which and post reviews as I get enough experience with each of them to share a useful opinion.
First, what’s the difference between a freelance network and a virtual assistant firm? Freelance networks (like Elance, Odesk, etc.) are directories of freelancers, where you can post jobs for technical or creative projects (usually limited-complexity web design, development, and copy writing projects). The freelancers listed are all independent, with varying specialties and expertise. Virtual Assistant (VA) firms are companies that employ individuals whose time they rent to you as an assistant. Although they will tell you they handle the same types of tasks as the freelancers in a freelance network, in my experience it’s best to outsource more technical or specialized tasks to the specialist freelancers, and leave the administrative task to the VA’s, who tend to be more generalists. With that said, know that you can find independent VA’s, and even some VA firms listed in the freelance networks!
Now, here is an evolving summary of my personal experience with various freelance networks and Virtual Assistant firms
Freelance Networks:
These sites are great for more specialized or technical tasks that are beyond the expertise of more generalized VA’s skillset (ie: graphic design, copywriting, or small programming jobs). The websites below allow you to post job descriptions to describe the work you need done, set a budget, and have freelancers bid on the job. In my experience, these networks are best for smaller tasks (fewer than 40 hours of work).
Elance– Simply the best professional services outsourcing website I have used. Elance has been around since the late ’90s (that’s a long time in internet years), and their experience is reflected in the both the vastness of their offerings, the number of freelancers listed on the site, and the well developed project workflow (the process you, as a buyer, go through from project creation, to bid selection, to deliverable acceptance, to payment). If I’m being nit-picky, their user interface could be simpler, but overall it is very good (especially compared to competitors like Rent a Coder and WriterLance) – and they keep making improvements. The real strength of the service is their user base; thousands of service providers bid for jobs large and small. And if you take the time to carefully explain the work you want done and review the bids you get (they give you good tips how to do this), you can find very competent and fairly priced providers to do your work. They also handle 1099 tax forms for you (only necessary if you spend more than $600/year with any one provider), and offer an escrow payment service that ensures that you don’t have to pay the provider until agreed milestones are reached. Like most of these services, Elance makes their money by charging service providers to be listed on the site, so the website is free for you to use.
Search Providers on Elance >>
.- oDesk – The concept is very similar to Elance, in that this network handles all kinds of projects, from technical to administrative. The oDesk interface looks nice, and I know a lot of people swear by this network, but for me response to the job I posted didn’t yield the results I was hoping for. Honestly I’ve only posted one job on oDesk…it was a small web-page design project. So I can’t claim to be an expert on oDesk. But I posted the exact same project on two other sites, including Elance and Joomlancers (a specialty outsourcing site dedicated to the Joomla content management system (CMS))…and got better responses on both of the other sites. I was impressed with the oDesk interface and usability (very intuitive) and the number of responses/bids I received from oDesk was high (about 15 bids). But respondents indicated a very low level understanding of my project’s requirements, they under-bid the work, and ultimately the bids I received on both Elance and Joomlancers were much better. I awarded a Joomlancers provider this particular project, and it’s worth noting that the winning provider was also an Elance provider…but is not on oDesk. My one-off experience notwithstanding, I continue to hear from people who prefer oDesk to Elance. It’s free to use, so what do you have to lose to try it for yourself? Here are some links to popular services on the site.
Virtual Assistants on oDesk >> | Web Developers >> | Graphic Designers >>
. - vWorker (formerly Rent a Coder) – RentaCoder feels like it was created for programmers by programmers. If tech talk makes you queezy, this site is not for you. Need a programming project completed, but don’t know how to define it very clearly, in programmer lingo? Then look elsewhere. If, on the other hand, you know the tech lexicon, and understand how to talk to programmers, then there are some extremely talented individuals to be found on this site. [Update, 10/14/2010]: By re-branding as vWorker I have to assume that RentaCoder is making more than just a name change…revamping their user experience and targeting more of a business audience as job posters. This is a good thing in my opinion – their previous .
. - WriterLance – This service is supposedly one of the more popular freelance network sites just for writers. But a clunky interface is all it took for me to say goodbye to WriterLance. I just didn’t want to spend any more time trying to make sense of their limited workflow features and communication interface. I have only published a couple jobs on this site – both generated disappointing results. If you have had good experience with WriterLance, by all means let us know by commenting on this post. Based on my own experience, however, I just can’t recommend the service.
. - Do My Stuff
. - Kasamba
. - Guru
. - iFreelance
. - Get a Freelancer
. - ScriptLance
Virtual Assistant (VA) Firms:
VA’s can be great resources for ongoing, repetitive tasks (such as weekly reports) or well defined administrative tasks (such as data entry). Technical, creative, or otherwise subjective work is best left to the freelancers (see above)…but a good VA can save you a lot of time on admin work. Keep in mind that you can find VA’s on some of the networks above, too.
Brickwork India (India) – Still one of the best VA firms in India. If you’ve been doing your VA firm homework you’ve probably heard of Brickwork. They’ve gotten a lot of press in The World is Flat, The 4-Hour Workweek (review), and countless blog posts like this one. I’ve had quite a bit of experience with multiple Brickwork VA’s, and I’ve written much more about my experience with them in another post >> read more about Brickwork…
.- Get Friday (India) – I had mixed experience with these guys. Get Friday’s parent company, Your Man In India (YMII) told me they’re no longer handling tasks for customers outside of India, and I was referred instead to their Get Friday division. Apparently the volume of work they were receiving from stateside customers justified the new division, so they must be doing something right. But my Get Friday VA was just so-so >> read more about Get Friday…
. - BPovia (China) – I previously knew nothing about this firm. I just saw it included in a list of VA firms on another website, so I figured I’d give them a shot. They beat me to the punch, contacting me for a free trial. The drawn-out experience was less than exceptional >> read more aout BPOvia…
. - AskSunday (US?) – After seeing Tim Ferriss speak in October, 2008, and hearing that the only virtual assistant firm he still uses is Ask Sunday, I had to give them a shot. They specialize in small, short timeframe, objective, well-defined tasks. I have yet to figure out whether I’ll have a use for such a narrow area of assistance. Update 1/19/2009: I signed up for the free trial month with these guys, and I didn’t find a single opportunity to take advantage of their services. The types of tasks that they offer to do are simply too small to justify the time it takes to make the request. It’s so easy to book a flight these days; it’s so easy to make a restaurant reservation; it’s so easy to order flowers for someone – how could a remote assistant save me any time on these tasks? I mean, in order to have someone do tasks like these for you, you still have to take the time to describe the requirements of the task. Unless you’re doing the same type of task over and over, you might as well just do it yourself. These types of tasks are well suited for a personal assistant who works closely with you, understands your needs and preferences, and can ask clarifying questions in person. For me, a remote assistant like AskSunday wasn’t the answer.
- Catch Friday (Philippines)
. - Tasks Every Day (India)
. - Hi Tech Export (India)
Outsource Success my company is a name that you've not got listed.
The task you assigned wiht teh power point presentation is really a task to be done by higher level VA's, maybe even US based ones. I'm sure there are some VA's in India that are capable however they are likely to be billed at more than $10 an hour
Gavin Allinson
Nice article to see the emotions of a client from a Virtual Assistant point of view.
However, I would say the bad experiences of the clients with their VA's specifically happen due to bad understanding of their VA's from clients' perspective and their Clients from the VA's perspective. They both have to spend at least a week to get adjusted with their timezones, culture and personalities if they really like to take that for a long term.
Hello..
BEWARE OF YOURMANININDIA. They are not reliable.
First they will charge a nominal fee for their services. Then they will increase the charge to a huge amount citing all kinds of reasons.
Finally they don't deliver the services and will charge a huge conveniance fee.
You can't dispute the charges as its a Service and Paypal, Amex and Visa don't cover non-tangible services fee…
BEWARE OF YOURMANININDIA. Sahara is better.
Don't forget SKG Technologies (www.skgtechnologies.com) from India when you are looking to hire a Virtual Assistant
I have not used the services of Ask Sunday and have no vested interest in defending them, but your review seems a little facile.
Surely the first time you ask a PA who works with you to do a task like order a plane ticket or flowers the smae could be said, it is such a simple task it doesnn't save time to get it done. However the benefit in the case of the PA, and I imagine in the case of Ask Sunday, should be that the next time you need it done you don't have to provide addresses, and CC details, etc.
Both the PA and VA should have learned from the first time for future requests so that a tweet (160 characters max) can accomplish what used to take 5 or 10 minutes.
@dwight – Thanks for your comment. Certainly, you could make the argument that outsourcing basic tasks like the ones I described in the AskSunday review could save a person time if the tasks were repetitive enough. For example if you bought flowers for people several times a week, then oursourcing that small task might, cumulatively, save you some time. I wasn’t able to identify enough of those small repetitive tasks in my own day to find value in AskSunday’s limited service. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has used AskSunday, and who could provide a more experience-based review.
Im currently working with [uassist.me] they are kinda new, but ive tried Asksunday and getfriday and didnt like them at all. Their English was awful! Ive been working with this new company since October 2009 and so far it has been a great experience. I got a free trial for a week and currently pay $650 a month and the assistant is available all day. Definetely should try them out.
Thank you for the list. its really hard to find information like this on the web without extensive searching, so thank you
Better check out this VA service provider whom I subscribed to, worked wonders. I have all my tasks been taken care of while I work on the most priority ones.
http://www.ihabilis.com
very informative article but need to list the community website as well.
Well I also tried uassistme and I gotta say they are fantastic. Im from Florida and having a bilingual assistant is a BIG plus! an interesting concept is that they do not track hours which i find very innovative, Ive never been a big fan of paying "by the hour"! I need someone who doesnt get "richer" when they take more time doing my urgent tasks!
Also I think they are located in Central America and their english is just fantastic! definetely highly recommended!
talking about cheap and quality service…check this out [link removed]
I have no qualms about Ask Friday & Elance because they are nice people. They're very professional in attending to my needs and became my friends. I used to work as a Virtual Personal Assistant at Catch Friday (Philippines) and helped my wonderful and groovy employer manage their business. Although, after I gave birth to my daughter I resigned from the company and had my own business as an Event Organizer in the Philippines. From time to time I still accept outsourcing task from my previous clients who wanted to continue my service in UK and US. I wanted to share my experience with some of the VA companies I tested before. I tried testing Brickwork India & Get Friday. I didnt have good experience with them. I tried getting their services but they always boast that they cant attend to my website requirements esp joomla because they have lots of customers online and whenever I give them a call, it was always forwarded to a voicemail or they make a lot of excuses. Simple instructions sent through emails they cant understand. Theyre slow in responding to tasks. I hope they try to improve on this. I really enjoy reading your articles & I learn a lot from you. Im planning to include outsourcing VAs in my business in the future. I look forward to read more articles from you. Keep Smiling! Cheers!
I just started last week with uassist.me Im based in Miami, and so is the company. I found out about them in the Miami Herald. I find it so easy to communicate with them. My assistant, Alex, speaks English (native!) and Spanish… she's just great! she works for me with my schedule and they assigned me an exclusive phone line. It really gives me peace of mind! I hope it continues that way… so far so great!
Ive got to agree regarding Uassist.me! Ive been working with them since November and Its been amazing!
Last year I used a Local VA, which didnt work out for me very well… I also tried outsourcing to India and didnt like it at all… communication issues were a HUGE problem. I felt no one got what I was saying.
Then comes Uassist.Me such a great service overall. I think you will not be dissapointed. Trust me!
YOURMANININDIA- crappy service
I HAVE HAD HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE GETTING MY PRECIOUS DOCUMENTS FROM YMI. THE PACKAGE WAS MISPLACED DUE TO WRONG ADDRESS BEING TYPED DURING DELIVERY. I HAD TO CHECK WITH YMI THAT I DIDN'T RECIEVE THE PACKAGE AND THEY SAID THEY WILL GET BACK TO ME AND EVEN AFTER 2 DAYS I DON'T HEAR ANYTHING BACK REGARDING WHAT HAPPENED TO DELIVERY WHICH WAS FRUSTRATING AND SHOWS HIGH DEGREE OF IRREPONSIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE. ON TOP OF THAT I HAD TO MYSELF CHECK WITH TNT REGARDING THIS AND FOUND OUT THE PACKAGE WAS DELIVERED TO WRONG ADDRESS BECAUSE YMI GUYS MADE A BIG BLUNDER OF ENTERING WRONG ADDRESS. PACKAGE WAS FINALLY LOST!!
If you go by advert and publicity..yes….but I was pissed with my VA with Getfriday Satish and I got in touch with Lifenzyme VA Services India. I must say they provide excellent service for my internet marketing projects and that too 36 of my websites and their announcements and article marketing are carried out by Dennis on a day to day basis.
I endorse; http://www.lifenzyme.com
Mike
I tried two big shots in the VA service industries (not mentioning their names) and had a really hard time getting my work done. When it was done, I had to rework on it. Now, I am using another service Lifenzyme VA services. they seem to be relatively new, but they are doing an excellent service so far. I have another critical projects for them. let me see how they are carrying out this and let you know my say then.
Hey Nigel,
How can I get in touch with Lifenzyme and start working with them ? They have any trial period or something Like that ?? Any account setup fee ?
Please let me know your esperiences ..
Cheers
Cathie
A very informative and interesting post.
I was’nt sure about using a virtual assistant but Habilis has really helped me save time on the boring aspects of my work by doing it for me.
What started as a trial offer, I now use them from everything from arranging flight tickets to appointment generation and even reminders.
It may not be for everyone but its quite inexpensive and they have a free trial so maybe…
I appreciate the info you have shared here, the comments above as well… There are so many firms out there today, and sadly, many disappoint and do not deliver. Even for the ones that are recommended on here, it's still hit or miss in terms of getting somebody that truly meets your needs..
Hi,
I wanted to know how I would go about getting you to review my services.
Thanks!
I've tried a couple of VA firms as well and that just didn't work that well. I was browsing through the comments and I think that I may try that you assist me firm some guys are talking about…. Hope they don't give me as much trouble as my previous provider, my-va.com.
Mark! you should definetely try them! Im in my 4th Month right now and it has been really amazing! Ive been outsourcing since 2007 and I have never had an experience like the one Im having with Uassist.ME
I got the chance to interview my assistant, (my assistant speaks fluent spanish, english AND french!), got my own phone line and a backup assistant (which I had to use for a week and it was flawless)
Really amazing!
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Beware Elance : Don't waste your time on this crap
One of the worst experience I had till date, it was simply overwhelming, seems like I have been degraded and cheated.
I posted my interest in my first job post and after two days they suspended my account saying that I had violated their terms, which both of us (me and my employer do not agree as we were just going through regular elance payments, communications and all.)
We tried to contact their support, which is worst of all never got a response back.
thoroughly discourage using it when there are other options floating around.
@Tandav – Thanks for sharing your experience. It's surprising to me, though, since I have had really good experiences the few times I've needed Elance support. I'm curious which other site(s) you use that you have had better experience with? Would you mind posting another reply and sharing your favorites?
I appreciate your help with this. I want to create is a social network of people that can get things moving for their businesses. I know many people who need serious website revamping, or need sites period. I am also in constant contact with real estate agents, mortgage brokers, investors, etc that NEED Virtual Assistants, copywriters, programmers, web designers, and so on, but they don’t know it yet. By doing this I feel I can help these people and freelancers at the same time making a full circle community of people to further their businesses on all fronts.
Beware of AskSunday…
I signed up for the 3 hour free trial offer… which i promptly cancelled the next day after initial communications with the assigned VA. I felt that the standard of communication and comprehension skills were not at par with my requirements.
However, my credit card got billed for 99 dollars twice within the same month, even though I had cancelled the service and have email acknowledgement of their receipt of my email requesting cancellation. I have disputed the charges with the credit card company and sent Asksunday an email requesting them not to charge me any more as I didn't even use their service once.
Buyers Beware!!
For great services for low prices, check out http://www.justhavemedoit.com if only just to get an idea of our new company and offer your input.
Thanks!
Has anyone ever tried out "Infinity" Virtual Assistants? website addr: handybs.com. They are soliciting me to work as a VA for them and wonder how legitimate they are. thanks, fran
I would recommend that for a multitude of technical tasks, whether data mining, layout and design of flyers or logos, website building, or even translating, freelancer.com is very hard to beat. I have used them for over thirty projects now and have only been disappointed on a couple of occasions.
I bet you a dollar no no 2 dollar these comments are outsourced