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Overseasteams outsourcing virtual assistant logo

Powered by Shoestring Solutions Pty Ltd

Save Money and Build your Overseas Team with Virtual Assistants

Save Money and Build your Overseas Team with Virtual Assistants

  • Need SOMEONE FOR TIME-CONSUMING TASKS?
  • CAN't FIND GOOD STAFF?
  • WAGe costs escalating?
  • Having trouble growing your business?
  • Or just looking to cut costs IN order to be more competitive?


Then a Virtual Assistant (VA) may be the answer



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What do others say?

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    "Recently we turned to Shoestring Solutions to add flexibility to our Graphics department resources. They have been very well structured and supportive throughout the entire process of shifting workflow from traditional office based to online. Tarah and the staff have been very professional and attentive to our needs and are always looking for ways to identify areas where they can improve their service. Like many things the process has not been without its challenges but Shoestring Solutions have consistently maintained a very high level of quality to their product. Looking forward to expanding our use with them in the coming months and years."


    Andrew Kane

    Major Media

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  • A close up of a yellow background with no texture.

    "Shoestring Solutions helped develop and grow our small business. Providing personalised service with a reliable team, we were able to take on more clients and expand our offering to customers."


    Hadleigh Kirk

    Simple Supply

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    "We could not be happier with our VA, our production has increased significantly at just a fraction of the cost of an internal staff member and the whole recruitment process and ongoing management has been pain free with excellent service from the team at Shoestring Solutions. "


    Tara Barney 

    Gold Coast City Solicitors

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Why Build an Online Team with Us?

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Save Money

Get highly skilled staff for a fraction of the normal cost. Our packages are all inclusive and will save you on wages, super, payroll tax, and other peripheral costs from office space through to coffee and tea.

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Your Staff Your Culture

Your staff will work for you so you are embedding them with your culture and not that of an outsourcing company. 

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No Risk

No up front recruitment costs, no locked in contracts

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Best Candidates

We are not restricted by Geography, we provide excellent perks for your staff and they get to work from home. All meaning you get the best staff available. 

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No Hassle

We take away all your pain points of managing your team - including foreign currency exchanges, performance management, time recording etc.

How does it work?

STEP 1: SCOPING


We determine exactly what you need from your staff member.

STEP 2: RECRUITMENT


We advertise, shortlist and present a selection of candidates and their salary expectations for you to interview and choose from.

STEP 3: ONBOARDING


We setup workplace agreements, communication platforms and project management tools ready for you to take full control of your staff.

STEP 4: MANAGEMENT


We take care of all ongoing HR management including performance reporting and management, staff benefits, timesheet and payroll.

FAQ

  • How long do I need to commit for?

    We do not lock you into any long term contracts and there is no up front recruitment costs. For our casual agreements, your total commitment is for 10 hours of staff time and for our part time and full time agreements you can cancel at any time by giving one months written notice. 

  • Do I get a say in who my staff member is?

    For our casual contracts you will be given access to an assigned member of staff from our existing pool of employees. However for all part time and full time contracts the choice of staff members is entirely yours. We will advertise and shortlist our recommendations but it will be entirely up to you if you choose to proceed with any particular staff member. 

  • Do I need to provide a computer, internet connection or software for my staff member?

    Our packages include an internet connection for your staff members who will generally also have their own computer and basic range of software to carry out the core functions of their work. However if you have industry or company specific software or subscriptions required for the staff member to carry out their role then it is expected that you would provide this software as you would for any other staff member.

  • What’s included in my package ongoing?

    As well as your staff wages, your package also includes everything you need from a HR perspective. This includes, payroll and foreign exchange fees, employee perks such as health insurance and cash bonuses, ongoing internet connections, project management tools, screen monitoring software, weekly reporting and performance management assistance.

  • What if I am not happy with the staff member?

    You can give one months written notice at any time to terminate the agreement. Alternatively we can assist you with performance management solutions and/or recruit an alternative staff member. 

  • Will my data be safe and kept confidential?

    Like any staff member, whether they are here or abroad, there is always a risk associated with any data that they are handling. Staff are bound by strict covenants of confidentiality in their contracts of engagement, but our advice is to restrict access to any sensitive data in the same way that you would with any other employee. The risk is similar, no matter where your staff member is based. 

  • Who owns the intellectual property of work done by my staff?

    They are your staff member so any original work that they produce whilst engaged with your business is yours and protected by any relevant copyright or intellectual property laws. 

  • Where will my staff member be based?

    It is highly likely that your staff member will be based somewhere in the Philippines. Studies show that it’s the most preferred outsourcing destination (https://www.pids.gov.ph/pids-in-the-news/1850). There are a number of reasons for this: Filipinos speak English well, are highly professional, work hard, and have a very strong sense of ‘malasakit’ or ‘care’ for the people they work with (something we can definitely attest to!) Our Filipino employees are valued members of the team and as well as being able to work from home, have access to better healthcare and higher wages than if they worked for an outsourcing company, so it’s pretty much a win/win situation all around. 

  • What are the best jobs to outsource?

    You can outsource virtually anything to a VA, but most of our clients outsource their non-core activities, such as marketing or graphic design, followed by bookkeeping, web developers and customer service representatives. 

  • Can we outsource for short projects?

    Absolutely! If you are after a one off project, have a staff member away or after just after some short term assistance to get you through a busy period, our Casual VA service is probably best for you.

  • How many hours of work per week can the VA put in?

    Our casual VA services start at 10 hour blocks, part time is 20 hours per week with a full time VA able to offer 40 hours per week. It all depends on your needs.

  • Do they work in a specific time zone?

    Full time VAs work to YOUR timezone, whatever that may be. Casual and Part time VA's are generally available in standard Australian business hours.

  • What currency will I be billed in?

    You’ll be billed in AUD, so you’ll never have to navigate foreign currency or exchange rates. That’s one of the best parts of our VA service!

  • What happens if the employee gets sick or wants to take a holiday?

    Full-time VAs are entitled to paid leave (up to 10 days per annum annual leave and 5 days per annum personal leave). This equates to half of the normal leave entitlements of an Australian employee. As with any other staff member, it will be up to the employee to apply for leave in writing for you to approve prior to the leave.

  • Which country’s holidays do you observe?

    Generally your staff would follow Australian Public Holidays but it is all negotiable. For our own VA's, we give our staff all national Australian public holiday dates off, but allow them to swap a few of our local/state holidays with some of their more important National Public Holidays.

  • What’s the best way to communicate with a VA?

    There are many platforms you can use for free to communicate with your VA. Skype is one of the more popular ones, but you can also use messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Messenger etc. If you don't have a preferred platform, we have an excellent project management platform that you’re most welcome to use as well, it lets you monitor tasks as well as communicate directly with your VA.

  • How do you track my VA's productivity?

    We use a time-tracking tool that measures hours and activity, and allows us to take frequent snapshots of your VA's screen for full transparency (don’t worry, our VAs happily agree).