UAM

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and co-CEO of a 45-person technology company. As a SaaS company, we build enterprise technology. Our clients are predominantly banks and other lenders.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uassist.ME?

We went through a period of rapid growth about a year ago and we more or less tripled our team in the course of a few months. As we started to get busier, I was getting a little busy and my partner was absolutely past his bandwidth. He needed help doing things on a number of fronts and so we brought on a couple of VP-level hires on the business side to start taking some things off of his plate. We also hired a virtual assistant through Uassist.ME with the same goal of giving my partner some of his time back.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We hired a virtual assistant to be a remote executive assistant. Our team has completely gone remote and the remote executive assistant just uses all of the same tools as our team.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact is mainly our remote executive assistant, but they have a backup available as well. We also have the occasional touchpoint with our assistant’s manager.

How did you come to work with Uassist.ME?

I asked some other entrepreneurs and Uassist.ME was referred to by them. They’re cost-effective and that’s what we need without disparaging the service in any way. We didn’t need someone to do a deep dive of a highly specialized talent; we just wanted people who were reliable.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $6,000. We’re paying around $1,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in November 2020 and the partnership is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They performing just as they should be. I’ve only ever gotten positive feedback.

How did Uassist.ME perform from a project management standpoint?

Uassist.ME communicates clearly and I’ve never had to reach out to get assistance because the collaboration is going so well. They exercise good judgment and take the initiative.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Our assistant remains available and does everything we ask.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

What you put into it is what you’ll get out of it, so be willing to put in the time. It can take some time to get up to speed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the customer success manager of a startup e-commerce business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uassist.ME?

We were looking for someone to handle our customer service department.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Uassist.ME is handling our entire customer service. I conducted the initial training and set them up on all our platforms, including the online shop. 

They answer emails to solve any question or concern customers may have. They also handle the website chat and all of our Zendesk tickets, according to company policies.

What is the team composition?

Currently, Uassist.ME is providing us a team of five agents.

How did you come to work with Uassist.ME?

Our company was founded in 2015, and our owner also found Uassist.ME back then. Because we were a small company, our customer service department originally started with just one agent from them. We’ve added more agents from Uassist.ME as we’ve grown because we were so happy with the support provided.

How much have you invested with them?

I estimate the total cost so far has been more than $100,000. We’re talking about full-time customer service for the last five and a half years. We’d definitely be paying more working with a company in the US.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Uassist.ME in September 2015, and the engagement is ongoing. The original team member left the project two years ago.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our customer satisfaction rate is 97%, based on all the emails and chats handled by Uassist.ME. We’ve had close to 44,000 tickets since 2015. A 97% satisfaction rate is a job well done — I highly recommend them. It would be great if we could hit 100%, but we’ll never satisfy every single customer.

How did Uassist.ME perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re using Slack and Google Meet for our internal communication. We have occasional in-person meetings to talk about upcoming things. Even though we outsource our customer service department, Uassist.ME doesn’t feel like an outsourced team to me. We’ve developed a strong relationship over time — I consider them to be part of our family now.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Uassist.ME has been able to provide us with the right personnel for our needs. Our customer service is a bit different from what most companies offer. We’re a fun company selling a fun product, so we can’t really have a customer service department with the typical canned answers. We need agents that can connect with the customers at their level. If the customer makes a joke, I want the agents to reply in the same way. The team has a great personality and a strong work ethic — they’re just amazing.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could improve. They’ve been great. They’re always helpful with all of our requests, like when we need to add another agent to the team.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

There’s nothing specific that a client would need to do to get the most out of the engagement. My advice is to just give Uassist.ME a try.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a private equity and property management company. I manage the business development team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Uassist.ME?

They provide IT support and lead generation services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provide resources that do technical support and set up. There are also people that answer inbound calls and respond to leads through our CRM. 

What is the team composition?

We work with a team of ten people. 

How much have you invested in them?

We spend about $1,500 per resource each month. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in May 2020, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I can’t say enough good things about them. Lead generation and account management can be tough, but they provide us with amazing resources that make the job easier for everyone. They’re talented and solution-oriented. 

They manage all of our technology. We’ve never had technical difficulties with their work. The quality of the team is exceptional. 

How did Uassist.ME perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is good. When you voice a need, they respond immediately. The follow up is excellent. When we provide a schedule, they adhere to it. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The level of talent that they have available is impressive. I don’t think people realize how highly skilled outsourced teams can be. They’re smart and reliable. I’ve never had anyone call in sick. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I feel good about their work. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Let them guide you through the process, especially if you’ve never worked with offshore BPO or virtual assistant providers. If you give them your high-level goals, they can help you refine your plans from there. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of Pica, a Venezuelan restaurant.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uassist.ME?

I needed a low-touch assistant to help with various tasks.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Uassist.ME has done various jobs to meet my needs, including setting up accounts and responding to customers. In addition to doing graphic design work for flyers, posters, and stickers, they’ve also researched vendor options and ordered labels with the best option.

They’ve helped to put our newsletter together and have managed all vendor relations. For example, if I need to change hours or menu items, they reach out to vendors to update information. The team also helped build the website for my non-profit.

What is the team composition?

I have had 2–3 assistants over the course of the engagement.

How did you come to work with Uassist.ME?

I was looking for a virtual assistant that could speak Spanish and English. Their price was affordable.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $10,000–$49,000. I pay $1,000–$5,000 per year depending on the amount of assistance I require.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in 2011, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Uassist.ME has very fast turnaround times, usually within 24 hours. They keep a very detailed record of the time spent on tasks, which I feel is financially efficient. Having worked together so long, they know our brand and our clients. 

How did Uassist.ME perform from a project management standpoint?

I get a weekly report on their hours. They meet deadlines, and they’re efficient and responsive. We communicate via email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really like that they’re bilingual, as Spanish is my first language. Uassist.ME is also cost-effective and has quick response times.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be nice to have a direct way to contact them if I need to, besides email. Sometimes I can’t get hold of them when I would like to.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to be comfortable with it being a virtual assistant, not in-person. They are also very business-oriented.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a real estate and e-commerce company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uassist.ME?

I needed help with organization on the real estate side of things and some creative help on the e-commerce side.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For the e-commerce side of our business, they built our website. They created a Facebook account and handle everything; the content, creatives, advertising, etc. They also helped with logo, brand, deciding on our target audience, overall strategy.
For the real estate side, they are doing organizational tasks, including paperwork and bookkeeping. 
They will be creating a Facebook account for the real estate side, handling all that entails, as well.

What is the team composition?

I interact with six people; three on the creative team dealing with the website and e-commerce, and three on the administrative team, one full-time assistant and two who help with e-commerce and real estate.

How did you come to work with Uassist.ME?

I found them through a Google search.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in early 2013, and it’s ongoing. It has not been consistently going that whole time; we usually work together for six months at a time, or so. The current project has been running about 60 days so far.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The website is about 90-95% finished, so it’s not live yet. We expect it to go live next week. Regarding their administration work, I’ve had some really good assistants over the years. I’ve been satisfied working with them.

How did Uassist.ME perform from a project management standpoint?

They provide the best value for the services they provide. I’m pretty satisfied and always come back to work with them again for several years now.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a cut above other vendors who offer similar services. They help you through processes, such as interviewing candidates for a position, and are more affordable than others.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There have been occasional language barriers during interviews, but they’ve resolved it when we brought it to their attention.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When hiring any vendor, be sure your personalities match. Also, be aware of possible language barriers; ask a lot of questions, and have a dialogue to help you see the range of their English.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a full-service marketing agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uassist.ME?

My business is growing quickly, and while I have a local team, I needed to supplement it with individuals who could help us execute our marketing campaigns.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve created e-blasts and newsletters for us. They’re also building outlines for and writing blog posts. They’ve managed social media accounts for our third-party clients, in addition to handling our customer service inquiries. Currently, they’re working on an overall marketing strategy for our full roster of clients.

What is the team composition?

Right now, we’re working with one person, but we’re in the process of adding to that team.

How did you come to work with Uassist.ME?

We were attracted to them because they have a team that specializes in marketing — not just virtual assistance (VA).

How much have you invested with them?

I started out at the lowest tier of their payment plant because I wanted to test the waters. We’ve since upped their hours since we’ve been so pleased with their work.

What is the status of this engagement?

I enlisted their services in either January 2020, and it’s an ongoing partnership.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

One of the biggest impacts of their work is how my internal team no longer has to spend time on ancilliary processes, like posting a blog article. They can instead focus on their most important tasks. Additionally, I’ve been able to deliver to my clients much quicker. The average time for project completion has gone down by about two weeks.

How did Uassist.ME perform from a project management standpoint?

Our assigned virtual assistant does a phenomenal job. We treat her as an extension of our own team; we worked with her on process onboarding, and she’s fully up to speed. She’s able to execute tasks and track them using our internal project management tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve had to spend lots of time explaining all of our processes to past outsourced providers. With Uassist.ME, our assistant was already familiar with standard marketing processes. She came trained and ready.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is only a minor issue, but their VAs could benefit from additional support from supervisors.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d encourage clients to provide a clear job description. Treat the process like you’re hiring an employee. Have workflows worked out, before you hire a virtual assistant.

I’d also highlight the importance of good communication; having a face-to-face call with your assistant beforehand will make a big difference. Regular check-ins also ensure quality and efficiency.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a realtor at Avanti Way Realty.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Uassist.ME?

I needed to hire an assistant to help me with all my back-office work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The assistant helped me with very practical things such as handling follow-up correspondence with our clients and managing my schedule. She also helped me with some marketing and rebranding efforts that included managing my Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts.

Her role was to take care of all the back-office tasks that were time-consuming but essential. Once we got the engagement going, she soon understood everything I needed and things started rolling along.

What is the team composition?

I worked with one assistant and two marketing people.

How did you come to work with Uassist.ME?

I did some research, and they were on a similar schedule as me so it was easy to get in touch and be on the same page. Their team was growing really fast and that was very interesting to me as well. When a company grows fast, it means that something good is being done.

How much have you invested in them?

I spent between $300–$400 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from August 2016–December 2018. Our partnership ended because I eventually got an in-house team. Since our company developed a lot of technology in the end, I had no need for an assistant because the technology was doing the assistant’s tasks.

However, we have an incoming new workflow and I’m considering getting someone back from their team because they understood things well.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I created pipelines for everything we did because it was very important to get things done. In the end, this was very helpful because if I didn’t have time to speak with my assistant, I could check our Trello boards to see what she had done. She, along with the marketing assistants, adapted to the system of how I needed to have things done.

They helped me rebrand and did a great job with it. I’m very open to hearing proposals so I told them to get creative and then show me their ideas. I was very pleased with the results.

When I met them in El Salvador, I saw that they were professionals. Some people may think assistants aren’t well-prepared, but the assistant I was assigned to was always prepared. She was open to learning and knew what she was doing. What’s more, she had a positive attitude throughout the engagement. She also had a genuine desire to learn a lot about the things we were doing.

How did Uassist.ME perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management was good. I’m located in Miami and it helped that our assistant was bilingual. There were no issues when it came to communication. She provided me with updates, and we did not have any major issues with deadlines.

We used Trello, and I could see everything that was completed and then give my approval or request a change. This allowed me to see if all the things I needed to be taken care of were taken care of.

What did you find most impressive about them?

My assistant produced high-quality work, and she was well-prepared. It was clear that I was working with a professional. In comparison to hiring someone here in the US, Uassist.ME was the best choice because they’re cost-beneficial and inexpensive. My assistant did her job really well even though she was abroad.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There will always be a learning curve so it can be difficult for an assistant to immediately understand specific details at the beginning. I suggest Uassist.ME consider creating groups that are specialized in sectors like real estate and other types of businesses. The only issue was that we needed to spend a lot of time training our new assistant in the beginning.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You need to be clear about what you want the assistant to do. A lot of people think that by having an assistant, things will automatically get better. However, in the end, if you don’t really know the specific things you need help with, the assistant isn’t going to read your mind and is not a coach.

You need to understand what tasks are time-consuming for you and then delegate them. In the end, the other tasks you have to do are going to bring more money into your pocket. It will have been worth delegating those things to someone else.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am at an attorney managing a law firm with thousands of clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Uassist.ME?

I was looking for a virtual assistant to help manage emails, calendar, communication with vendors, travel arrangements, and miscellaneous research projects.

What were your goals for this project?

I wanted a virtual assistant to run my calendar, check some emails, make travel arrangements, kind of miscellaneous research, and other common virtual assistant tasks. I also hired you assist me on a separate project to develop a website which was an utter failure. Even after waiting over three months.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I had worked with a virtual assistant for about 14 months with another company who was outstanding. She took a job with one of her other customers as a full-time employee, so I need to find someone else. I read about you assist me and thought I would give them a try since they were one of the cheaper companies out there. But now I know why they're so cheap. They hire lower quality candidates.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

I agree with a lot of the more recent reviews that this is substandard virtual assistant company to be avoided, especially given the wide range of other truly professional companies that are out there. I hired them work as both a virtual assistant and help developing a new website. They talk a big game about their capabilities and are very courteous on the phone, however, when you look at their work product it is substandard.

There were grammatical and spelling mistakes every third sentence of the content they drafted for me. I even gave them spelling and grammar lessons on keywords they were repeatedly misspelling, and they continued to do so. I had them replace my original virtual assist him with a new one who turned out to be worse than the first. I also paid for 40 hours a week but only received about 20 to 25 hours of actual work.

I asked them to credit the unused hours they refused to do so. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. They also claim that all of their virtual assistance and web designers work at an office space. This is false. I routinely spoke with people who were working from home where dogs were barking and babies were crying in the background.

When I made a comment about where they were working I always got the same response: They were either having computer and network problems or their Internet was down again. I wish someone had warned me about this company so I didn't waste my time and money. I would be happy to give more examples and even show you their work product in order to help you avoid working with this company. 

What was the team composition?

I had a single virtual assistant who I had to terminate and later found the replacement just as incompetent.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The slow speed at which they performed their work prevented me from getting my website up and moving even after three months of payments. Part of his problem was that you assist me was only delivering on about half of the hours that I was paying for. That is way infuriated me the most. They claimed they needed more time to warrant even using the hours that I have paid for.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Keep an eye out for this problem with it was just me. They put their best people as their sales agents. Evidently if you do well as an assistant they promote you to a sales rep but of course that means they bring in someone new who is not as good. The same goes for the project managers. They talk a big game and give the impression They know what they're doing, but then you see the work product from the actual virtual employee and it doesn't meet the grade.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The best thing I can say about this company is that they always agreed with me when I described a particular problem Their work product and that it was their fault.

For example when I said I thought I was doing a good job providing details regarding the scope and deadline of a project but that things weren't being met on either end, the project managers agreed with me. In the end, it turned out they were just placating me so that I would continue paying them. Their promises that things would improve never came to fruition.

Are there any areas for improvement?

They need to run all of their workers through more English spelling and grammar classes. For company trying to service and English speaking audience I'm shocked that they can't even get the basics correct.

Company Responses

The vendor responded on June 5, 2020.

We’re sorry you did not have a positive experience with our company, but your feedback is valuable and will be considered for our continuous improvement. In our opinion, when you hired us for administrative duties, the main roadblock we found was that our candidates were not a match personality-wise for you. 

Months later, when you came back with the web development project, we did not get any major complaints until the last payment from your subscription went through. You requested a refund for the last payment (January) and wanted to extend the duration of the plan paid in December until February. Per our terms, we don’t roll over minutes, and, at this point, we were already outside the cancellation policy for January and much more so for any adjustment to December. 

We’d like to point out that the capacity of the VA was not questioned. Instead, we were told the reason you wanted to get a refund was because you had been absent and had not delegated much work. Considering the situation, we made an exception for you and proposed to extend the last payment for 2 months. During this time, our VA continued working and receiving tasks from you until we were notified you placed a charge-back. We disputed it and it was settled in our favor as we had proof we delivered according to our terms and conditions. 

Thanks for the opportunity to work with you, we wish you the best in your future endeavors.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the founder of a Toronto-based design and construction firm

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Uassist.ME?

As my personal assistant

What were your goals for this project?

we needed someone with excellent assistant skills, communication and organizational skills to be able to manage calendars, research, purchases and any other projects that I needed help with

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We searched online

Describe the project in detail.

I had an interview with different candidates to choose the best fit for me

What was the team composition?

there were a few people involved, the quality manager and sales representative as well as Josselyne's direct supervisor

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Josselyne has definitely help take some things off my plate that I could no longer manage, we consider her part of the team and she has also helped other members in the company with various projects

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was very effective, they are very responsive and communicate with me very clearly

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Almost all of the assistants we've worked with at Uassist.ME are professionals. they never dissapoint

Are there any areas for improvement?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We offer outsourced digital marketing services to companies who either lack a marketing department and want a long-term engagement or are looking to hire specialists for one off projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Uassist.ME?

We wanted to use a real person, rather than a bot, for our LinkedIn offering.

What were your goals for this project?

Our assistant grows individual networks on a monthly basis according to specified target demographics and she also handles direct messaging campaigns when such an offering/script is designed to send out.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Referral from a long-time partner/client who also utilizes this service, but for other business needs.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Every day our assistant cycles through profiles, searching and sending pre-written connection invitations in order to grow the user's network with targeted individuals. She also send follow-up messaging upon connections being made in order to nurture the connection and later on, should such an initiative be designed and request, she sends direct message campaigns retrospectively to those built connections. Our assistant has weekly and monthly targets that she tracks and achieves, and the scoreboard is shared with me virtually.

What was the team composition?

I directly manage my assistant. No others are involved.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

After over a year and a half, we are still pleasantly engaged with our same assistant. Clients have seen no slowing in success, and therefore never questioned the shift in approach. Everyone is pleased with the results.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

I believe I hired the right assistant from those candidates I was presented with. As such, the on boarding process and workflow has always been smooth.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

My assistant had all of the skills necessary for success as well as the ability and desire to learn on the job in order to improve her efficiency and methods. What I appreciate most is my assistant's proactiveness in communicating with me, whether it's about gathering essential information for pending clients or its about day to day technical issues.

Are there any areas for improvement?

At times, I have to stay on top of the billing department in order to get credited back for time that my Assistant takes off. I've never had issues with my assistant directly though.