MyOutDesk is a pioneer in the remote workforce industry. Founded in 2008, the company has evolved from a specialized niche provider into a strategic growth partner for more than 6,000 organizations, earning hundreds of 5-star reviews along the way.
Originally built to meet the demanding needs of the real estate industry—where MyOutDesk still supports half of the nation’s top 10 teams—the company now serves mid-market enterprises and high-growth SMBs across multiple industries.
MyOutDesk has been recognized as the #1 virtual assistant service by TechRadar and operates globally with teams based in the Philippines, Morocco, and South America.
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Table of Contents
About MyOutDesk
MyOutDesk is named #1 for virtual assistant services by TechRadar. They are one of the longest-running virtual assistant services companies — serving 6,000+ clients with 600+ verified 5-star business reviews.
The company was founded in 2008 by a team of real estate industry veterans and originally specialized in real estate virtual assistant services. Today, they are the highest-rated virtual assistant provider for these industries: real estate, healthcare (including biotech), mortgage & lending, e-commerce, marketing, and human resources.
While highly rated in the industries above, they remain the original, largest & most trusted VA staffing company for real estate, with clients including half of the top 10 ranked RealTrends™ teams in the country.
Unique to MyOutDesk, they boast a vast number of resources & knowledge bases:
- Business growth & scaling resources
- Proprietary remote work productivity tracking software
- CEO mastermind discussions
- professional development webinars & podcasts
- Sales, marketing, leadership, and organizational strategy resources
MyOutDesk is headquartered in Sacramento, California, with overseas offices in the Philippines, Morocco, and Peru. They manage thousands of virtual assistants, who work both remotely and in secure office environments (SOC 2).
(Managing a team that size is a feat unto itself, remote or otherwise!)
MyOutDesk provides VOIP telephony, email, and a backup power supply to their VAs to ensure their staff meet client uptime and
MyOutDesk Virtual Services
MyOutDesk VAs are trained in a wide range of roles, including:
- bookkeeping and back-office support
- marketing support
- documentation and forms processing
- research and reporting
- customer service and support
- operations and administrative support
With the marketplace being quite crowded, MyOutDesk has differentiated itself by combining role-specific training with strong management support and clear processes.
But that’s not all they do.
MyOutDesk supports clients across:
- mortgage and finance
- healthcare
- technology
- customer service & support staffing
- and more
According to company leadership, MyOutDesk attracts and retains high-quality talent through competitive pay, benefits, and hands-on managerial support. The company is also actively involved in charitable initiatives in the communities where it operates, which further strengthens recruiting and retention.
My Interview with the MyOutDesk Co-Founder and CEO
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MyOutDesk Virtual Plans and Pricing
MyOutDesk offers 3 different plans for clients, with a year of virtual assistant services at a monthly rate of $1,788 (roughly $10.32 an hour).
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These rates are higher than many other Filipino virtual assistant companies, but MOD Virtual is confident their “virtual professional” vetting process, a long track record of success, unparalleled support, bundled proprietary tools for productivity, strategic resources, thousands of happy clients justify the premium pricing.
MyOutDesk Testimonial Video
MyOutDesk Alternatives
I initially found out about MyOutDesk from the VA I hired through Virtual Staff Finder. She listed them as her former employer so I was excited to learn about yet another VA company.
MyOutDesk is primarily geared towards businesspeople looking for a “done for you” virtual assistant solution that carefully vets applicants before presenting them to you as interview candidates.
They stay involved with you and the VA as middle-man handling the HR load, including payroll and benefits, to let you focus as much as possible on your business, without a lot of administrative burdens.
This stands in contrast with “Do It Yourself” options such as OnlineJobs.p h, which functions more like a matching service than a full-service solutions provider. For businesses on a very lean budget, DIY may appear attractive due to lower advertised costs, but MyOutDesk is thriving even in the crowded marketplace, which indicates that there’s very much a need for managed virtual assistant services.
Your Turn
Have you worked with MyOutDesk? If so, please share a review of your experience below to help others with their decision.
I would NEVER Recommend MOD. They stole from me charging 160% of what they paid my VP. They promised they only took 30% on the sales call now I’m super upset reflecting on 5 months of unabashed exploitation from both client and VP side. Whatch their contract they don’t want you to share notes my VP told me how little he made an mind you the benefits which only cost $20 per month kick in after 6 months. This is exploitation. MOD My outsource Desk in Sacramento, CA you should be ashamed of yourself. I now only do direct hire. Forget this guys!
MyOutDesk client for 4 years, they’ve been a rock-solid stable provider of virtual assistant services for our coaching company, and responded immediately to all questions, concerns, and up/downscaling that we needed.
We’ve utilized VA services in several areas of the company, including IT support, customer service, appointment setting for sales team, and scheduling. We’ve had a great experience with MyOutDesk, and they always gave us an amazing level of service and personal, 1-on-1 account management.
This was a breath of fresh air for us: we had worked with 2 or 3 VA providers before them, and it had been downright painful: low quality talent, and we could never get in touch with the VA company.
When we finally came onboard with MyOutDesk, we were a little jaded, but they changed our minds & now they supply ALL of our virtual support assistance, roughly 10 VAs.
Business Type
• Headquartered in downtown Sacramento, California
• Has the feel of a start-up business. It is driven by the owner’s goal and that alone.
• Outsources 95% of their business overseas
• Unstable – Fluctuations in revenue and staffing
• Various potential legal risks in many areas, including international business laws
Pros
• Employees worldwide – diverse employee base
• Small bonus perks: random bonuses, food or activity “gifts”
• They give a moth to settle in and figure out your position
• Occasional team building activities
• Training for overseas employees has improved in the past 2 years
• Decent business concept but questionably executed
• Casual dress and casual rustic office in the U.S.
• Main communication is via Skype. This communications type can be unstable, and if you don’t know this technology – this may not be for you.
Cons
• Resources limited
• For overseas employees – you may have to wait several month after completing training to even get interviews – let alone a job
• They have no performance improvement plans for struggling employees – they fire immediately
• Expectations of performance are unreasonable – don’t match job description or pay
• The misuse overseas employees – overworking and underpaying
• They steal other people’s research and concepts and repurpose as their own – misleading
• Many of the publicly shared testimonies are from friends of the c-suite and/or overseas employees that have been compensated for the positive review. The Company has been paying employees and friends of employees to post inflated positive reviews for 1 + years, to increase their SEO performance. So beware of inflated reviews that you read.
• No long term career growth. Short term job will fill your pocket book, if you are willing to work more than you expect.
• C-Suite has no formal degrees or training. They have attended leadership coaching from various companies, took a class here or there, leveraged friends for their concepts – but they fly by the seat of their pants…total risky start-up feel
• There are HR issues, such as verbal employee attacks that gets covered up
• Don’t be surprise if you are an employee and they are posting/recruiting for your exact position without you knowing. I’ve already seen this done several times while employed by the company.
• Their clients typically only last about 3 – 6 months, as it take them that long to see what is really going on with the business. If you are overseas and working for one of these clients, then you get thrown back into the initial interview cycle that you were in in the beginning
Suggestions
• Potential Employees – If you are looking for a job to not be your primary income, can handle high stress, and are not looking for long term employment…give them a try. If you are use to a U.S. corporate company culture, or a company that follow U.S. employment laws exactly – then this is not for you.
• Potential Clients – The pricing may look good up front but vet your VA very very carefully. Be sure that you contract allows you to exit should things not meet your expectations. Don’t be bribed to have a webinar, testimonial or anything. Don’t look her for a long term solution. Expect to work with them a max of 1 year.
• To MyOutDesk – The Owner should not run the business – step out and just be the investor. Hire experienced and educated C-Suite leaders. Quit hiring people because they are your neighbors or long term friends. You have lost many high value employees in the past 5 years. Just because their ideas and suggestions are different than yours, it does not mean they are wrong. Review all of your business practices under employment laws and accounting laws in both the U.S and overseas. Be honest in what you say, do and offer. Recognize that a business is not to just profit you but also to help foster growth of its employees and clients. Last but not least – get the Owner in counseling…there are clearly unresolved issues that affect the way he interacts with everyone and runs the business.
I’ve been working with MOD for almost 6 years now and I must say it has given me a fruitful career and the perfect work-life-balance.
Having worked for as long as I have been with MOD, I’ve seen different people come and go. The job may not be for everyone, however I truly believe that if you who come in ready to bring your A game and you’re consistently passionate and determined to succeed in this type of career, you’ll reap many years of rewarding opportunities.
If you’re just looking for a short term stint or you’re thinking that working from home is an easy way to earn a quick buck then MOD may not be the right fit. If you’re looking for a serious career path and an avenue to learn and grow while at the same time seek the benefits of working from home, then I challenge you to come in with an open mind and try it out for yourself! 🙂
I have been working with MOD for about 3 years now
Pros:
– portability of work
– excellent pay
– healthcare benefits
– paid time-offs
Cons:
– equipment investment (if you want to work from home, you have to have the best possible equipment to support your workload. Some may not consider this as a con but for others this may be a challenge especially if they are already struggling financially.)
There’s always good and bad in a company and it all boils down on how you adapt to the culture. Honestly, I would agree to some of the post here wherein they experienced, first hand, the bad side of it. Company politics are not limited to the traditional corporate industry. Even family businesses have politics. I would also agree that there are some folks in the management that extend their powers more than their reach and I completely sympathize to those who were unfortunately affected by these people.
I am lucky enough to be able to build good relationships with VAs I have interacted with and they feel comfortable letting me know of their unpleasant personal experiences with their superiors or MOD in general. It’s sad that some of the management team value the clients’ business more than the efforts of their VAs. There are excellent VAs in the company that are being let go either because of their work ethics or, sadly, because we simply want to retain the client’s business.
I am happy to let you guys know that things are changing. They have FINALLY realized that we need to put more value to the VAs than the client’s business.
This is just one of the things that I personally value. These VAs are not just workers. They add value to the business. I am probably one of the lucky few who were able to work directly with some of the ‘good ones’ in the company wherein they value the employees first above anything else.
I’ve been with Myoutdesk for nearly 5 years now, and its great to be part of something than just selling VA services. Lots of growth, tons of interesting work and opportunity. I love that we are fulfilling our purpose : which is to elevate the lives we touch within our movement of contribution, providing opportunity to all involved in the movement and helping companies thrive by leveraging time and activities.
In Myoutdesk, we were taught to Have a contribution mindset and actively take part of caring for humanity, to Work with Intention & Integrity, bring a work ethic of high impact meaningful work, working both smarter and harder and to have the determination to stick to accomplishing the things that matter.
From the Bosses, to the management team, to the VA’s, to our culture, indeed its amazing!
I joined myOutDesk in August 2015. I really appreciate the support and assistance I’m getting and everyone in the organization cares. I am really thankful and blessed that I am part of the myOutDesk Family! There might be some who are unhappy to be part of the Company or had a bad experience. But for me, it’s just really a matter of perspective on how you see things and how you will handle any difficult situation/s at work. This is not a perfect world but everyone is making an effort to make this Company GREAT. There’s no easy job and that’s for sure so, at the end of the day, we are all working because we know we can. Every day is a new day and there is something new to learn and to improve on and that alone explains why there are changes with the processes in making sure that we can cope up with the needs of the employees and clients. I love the fact that I work at home and getting the same HMO benefits that I’m getting when working with other Companies. myOutDesk values work-life balance and the support system is great! As an employee of myOutDesk, I could not ask for more but be thankful for what I have.
MYOUTDESK is a good company, there have been several changes and these changes are done for the improvement and health of the company. What may need improvement is the communication of changes, sometimes support is expected to hold the fort without proper advise. Changes are always welcome, and We are happy that these are done slowly and does not feel abrupt. Competitive pay grade for support and VA’s and more motivation related advocacies is also another that needs improvement for the long haul. Overall I am very thankful for MOD. I was able to go back to school, build a business, etc… I am basically nitpicking at this point, At the end of the day, I can genuinely say, I am content… not happy, not upset, but contented.
Ofcourse not! That’s illegal! You can actually sue them for that. Is it on your contract in the first place that if you got pregnant you would have to resign? Pregnant employees should get materity benefits from the employer thats how it is but considering that they are like free lancer or i dont know if im right i dont know how to categorize them, they should somehow just keep your employmet if they are not giving you benefits. But to ask you to resign?for being pregant is heartless! Abosolutely heartless!
I started Dec 2015 and I really happy and satisfied working with MOD. I’ve been in the call center industry for 5 years and I am so blessed when I got hired in MOD. The maximum pay that I got in CC are just 25k – 28k. But of course, we spent most of it in transportation, food, clothes ( ofc u need to presentable at work ) and etc. oThe reason why I love working in Myoutdesk is, its very convenient. No hassle commuting, Im an ISA so I am getting the full amount of my salary and hark work really pays off. It’s a huge amount, and on top of that you will also have the privileged to have a health care for u and your beneficiaries. Imagine?? what a blessing! In any aspect, you just need to be positive.You can’t get anything over night or in a snap! I understand that there are ups and downs working with MOD, especially with the requirements.But come to think of it, if you are earning like 40k in a month?? Im sure you can get a good internet connection/backup. And all company has its own policies to follow. We need to be patient enough to wait for client interviews, and etc. HR team are doing their best to fit you in for the position not just by getting you a client. All in all, I am so happy with MOD, and I’m looking forward for more years with you guys.
What sets apart MOD from a lot of companies? MOD has a heart!
I have been able to work for different companies locally and abroad. I have also encountered different people of different nationalities and of status. But MOD is by far the best one I’ve ever experienced. This is because of the people in this company. It really is a big deal when you work for a team that is bigger than yourself. For me it is no longer a company but my home. This is a place where you build good professional relationships, a place where you’ll make good friends and find great opportunities to enhance ones skills and discover your capabilities.
When I applied in MOD I started off really weak. I wasn’t top of my batch, and I was not scoring well with the exams. There was even a time where I almost wanted to give up. Thankfully I was blessed with a great trainer, his name is Chase. Chase to me is the epitome of this company. He displayed compassion and eagerness to reach out. He helped me discover my potential and he encouraged me to strive harder to reach the goal of graduating training, and so I did! That was when I realized that in spite of the set up this work demands, and even though it lacks interpersonal communication (or face-to-face communication) the possibility to inspire and encourage a person still exists.
Maybe some of us underestimated this company, because all the while having the thought of working at home seemed oh so easy, but it’s not. MOD is not for everyone. MOD is for the people who wants to be better, who are willing to step out of their comfort zone and be faithful on what they signed up for. It takes a lot of humility, honesty, independence and hard work to own your spot here. Maybe if we try to approach our jobs differently it may provide a more positive outlook. And instead of just thinking of what this company could do for us, we should also think how we could contribute to the company. Isn’t it taught to us that the best way to succeed is by helping others? Besides, nothing worth having comes easy!
Now I have come to learn that work is like relationships, you’ll know when you’ve found the right one, and for me, that’s MyOutDesk!
All I could say is that I have been very lucky that I have not experienced what most of you guys have gone through. I almost didn’t pass my training but I did. I failed my interview with my first client but God gave me a better one. Even allowed me to work in full time since my Day 1 with him. He even extended a week or so to train me on what I should do to perform in his team. He even offers $10 per phone call appointment and $30 for closing. I never earned this much for the whole time that I was working overtime in top call centers. I am an undergraduate and I have a toddler too. All I can say is that when you apply for a job like this you just have to be average, never complain in anything. Abide with the rules, be coachable. You accept the risk,prepare for the worst but hope for the best.
Be quite and be attentive
Perform when called out
Most especially be humble even when you are humiliated. Most people can’t do that but I did. You may have experience being a call center agent so you should not feel bad about it. It is not always the company to blame sometimes it is also you.
I just can believe myself that last year I was also like you guys, checking for reviews and doing a background check with the company. but then here I am now motivating you all.
All I could advise to you Janine is just have a plan B. If you study Real Estate. Brokers also dive into luck when they are selling homes but they work hard for it and sometimes they also fail but they never give up. Spare some funds for the next 2 months. Never expect for a huge salary yet while you don’t have a client. Myoutdesk trains people well. Some may say they dont train people, training here is different than your training in call centers We are an Independent Contractor here. We are trained to train ourselves. We have modules that we read that we should get ourselves familiarized and they allow us to watch youtube videos related to real estate.
Myoutdesk is looking for folks who are motivated to work not for someone who just wants to do something in their spare time.
Been working with the company since 2014 as a programmer.
Everything’s Ok especially the interaction with the managers and owners.
Very organized and communications work well.
I am treated as a person and not just an employee.
Pay is very good.
I was an ISA Trainee and my Trainer was “Princess Mika” – worst trainer I have ever had in my entire career.
I can still remember a time during our orientation wherein she self-proclaimed that she was the “princess” of the training team and we can call her that too if we want. from that point on, i got the idea that this will not be a good training but then i still gave it a chance.
As the days go by in our training it came to point wherein i said to my self that i will no longer continue- here’s why. During our day 7 role play, when she was providing me feedback, she spoke in Filipino and told me “bakit ganun yung roleplay mo? mukhang wala kang natutunan.” (Why was your roleplay like that? it seems you didn’t learn anything) so i told her that i know I’m not really good in role plays but i’m trying my hardest. Then i asked her if she can transfer me to the GVA post since my grades in our quizzes are good and my knowledge check scores are good to. i was surprised to hear when she replied “even if i transfer you to gva, you will still fail” HOW ENCOURAGING WAS THAT HUH?!
that was so rude that i had to calm myself down and wait for the session to finish then i logged out and never logged in again. the words she told me made me feel like i’m the worthless person in the planet.
This person thinks she’s the best amongst everyone and she looks down on people. If MOD hires people like her then it shows that they don’t choose quality people to be part of their support team because apparently this person is not worth of her position.
She has scarred my self-esteem really hard! Don’t know how she even became a trainer with her attitude.
I’ve been working with MyOutdesk for almost 6 months now and proud to say that what I have provided for my family was far better than what I was providing during the time I was working with any other company. I get to spend more time with them and I have seen the milestones of my 11 month baby who was 5 months when I started working with MyOutdesk. I am very thankful for the chance they gave me. I was trained and became an ISA. During the training, I was one of those trainees having difficulties grasping the topics since it’s a whole bunch of information. We were given ample time to review. Yes, it was challenging and we really needed online presence. Focus is something that my trainer taught me. There was a time when I failed almost all of the exams but I was given a chance. My trainer told me exactly where I am at the grading system. She was honest and inspiring. She understood that I badly needed the job for my kids and she challenged me to pass the roleplay, that way I can provide for my kids and be with them.
I am typically not the type of person who would post a comment or so…but when I have read this comment I felt that it is unjust and unfair.
I was one of those trainees from Miss Mika’s trainings and I can testify how effectively she trains agents. I do not aim to give malice to this statement or judge the sincerity of this person but I think these are all false statements.
I understand how it feels like to fail, it is hurtful and discouraging. But I think it takes a failure to get back on your feet and try again. I know that Miss Mika will never say discouraging words on purpose. I assure you that she just wanted to help you. As soon as you are ready again, MyOutdesk will be a great company to work for.
I applied as one of their GVAs and I was not very much happy with how trainers conduct their training. There’s also no guarantee that you’d be given a client right after training. A whole lot of incentives will be introduced to you so you will be enticed but not very many are lucky enough to get them. I did not push through after one day of training so I am not aware about all other stuff you discussed here. Hopefully they will be able to resolve any issue brought up by their previous members.
This company really sucks!
RECRUITMENT: OK. (since this is the first step)
Training and Trainers: Poor Quality. Oreo was very demanding and always wanted to tell stories about himself. I’m sometimes wondering if his stories about his life is part of the training since we are wasting roughly 4hrs of our shift listening to his stories. (I can answer a lot of questions regarding Oreo’s life compare to the questions that we had during the final exam)
MANAGERS: They are all assholes! They will come up with a decision without following the due process.
SALARY: You will receive your training allowance once you have a client. HMO Card is for regular employees only.
“IF YOU WANTED TO APPLY. THINK TWICE. YOU MIGHT END UP WASTING YOUR MONEY, TIME AND EFFORT. I WON’T RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY TO ANY OF MY FRIENDS.”
My career as a virtual assistant from MyOutDesk has brought me into greater heights. My job with them for the past 2 years has been very fulfilling. Yes, it is challenging yet very rewarding. The company and its management has been very supportive and treated everyone with respect. MOD has exceeded my expectation in terms of its culture, work and ethical values, salary, health care benefits, performance bonuses and management. MOD has an outstanding training and development program which created a workforce of highly skilled and competitive virtual assistants. I am proud to be working with such a great team. Not to forget that MOD has the best Virtual assistants! 🙂
The 5 to 7-day training was crucial yet I learned on how to be more self-reliant and efficient. I can say that those long hours spent on training are worth it. I am blessed with a rewarding career at MOD. As a single parent, I get to work flexibly at home, monitor my kids and at the same time spend more time and provide a better future to my whole family. I’ve been with different VA company before but MOD was the best for me.
in my opinion, myoutdesk is something that people should consider. i know most people have their own opinion and experiences with MOD but for me, from what i have experienced, it all boils down to how they handle their va’s.
I myself have undergone training for the general admin post and i must say it’s not easy. i admit, i failed the training but nonetheless, i learned a lot from myoutdesk.
Their recruitment process up to the endorsement to training was seemless. I didn’t experience any problem with how they handled my application and my transistion. at first I applied as an ISA then I decided to transfer to the become a general admin because I was too tired of taking in calls, an they listened. That lady from HR who conducted our orientation listened and she mentioned that I can send an email to the training team to have my request processed. I did that and after a while a lady with the name of a cookie ( i think her name was Hansel?? I completely forgot but it turned out that she was a guy) replied and invited me for an interview. then after that he considered me for the post.
training itself was hard and yes it’s for 10hours however, if you are really willing to work from home, 10 hours of training while at home is not so bad, i mean, you’re just at home. their training is super hard and something that is not like the regular bpo. however, i learned a lot from it. the one assigned to me was the same person who interviewed me for the general admin post and i learned a lot from him. their training is more of teaching you with the proper way on how to become a va and of course the basics of real estate. i may have failed yet, i am willing to try again to apply.
i guess you just have to be really prepared when you want to work from home as this job is not somthing that is easy. i know we have our own opinion but i guess, if you are willing to get something, you will really workhard for it regardless of the situations presented to you. i mean, if you’re looking for a job you have to really follow and adapt to the companies rules and regulations.
some people think (like my batchmates) that working fro hoem is just working from home. but it actually is not, they thought that they can sleep during training or do whatever they want, but its not that kind of setup.
my experience in training was incredible. it was hard yet i learned from the experience even though i failed.
i dn’t blame anyone and i am willing to re-apply in the future as this is something that i really do want.
I applied to this company because I want to work home based and avoid traffic. They have a lot of requirements, screening process was strict, it’s not only the verbal communication skills but more on comprehension skills. Don’t underestimate them! My friend works for them and I saw him grow and save for his family. He’s been with them for over 2 years already. Yes, it works! I hope I’ll be part of their company. I’m still completing my requirements and soon I’ll undergo training.
I think I know who you’re referring to. This guy also interviewed me and his opinion is only what matters to him.
I have used both My OutDesk and oDesk and I prefer oDesk and here is why.
Tracking vs. No Tracking
My OutDesk has no tracking system in place that the Realtor can access to see what hours are worked and what the VA is working on.
oDesk has what I consider a fantastic tracking system in place that guarantees an hour worked is an hour paid. You can use oDesk to see the hours worked, what they are currently working on or have worked on, random screen shots of their activity, and a lot more.
I and others have found a big improvement in productivity when a tracking system is in place. If you want to improve something, you have to be able to track it.
Hopefully My OutDesk will have some type of tracking system in place that Realtors can use in the future. They did mention to me they are working on one and they also mentioned they have some internal system in place, but at this time Realtors do not have access to it.
No Contracts vs. Minimum Hours Worked Contracts
My OutDesk will look to put the VA into a contract with you, for example my VAs were on a full time contract. As long as you have enough work all the time this works out, but if the VA does not have 40 hours of work you would be paying for those 40 hours anyway.
At oDesk you pay for hours worked, period. If one week it is 40 and the next week it is 20, then that is what you pay for.
How much of what you pay actually goes to your VA?
oDesk takes 10% of your pay to your VA as their fee. My OutDesk took around 50% of the VAs pay in my case. They might have different plans for different clients, so you would need to check with them on this.
The 50% makes a big difference. For example, if you are paying $8 per hour the VA is receiving about $4 per hour from My OutDesk. At oDesk if you are paying $4.44 per hour, your VA receives $4 per hour. If the VA works 40 hours per week, that is about a $7,404 price difference between oDesk and My OutDesk per year, with the VA making the same amount.
In my case I had two VAs so was I paying about $14,808 per year more. Assuming I am going to be using VAs for the next 10 years that is $148,000 more spent and the main thing My OutDesk did for me was present me two VAs to choose from.
oDesk has hundreds of great VAs to choose from, and once you have a good VA in place paying all the extra money to My OutDesk gets old fast.
Keep in mind with the numbers above it assume the VAs work the same amount of hours, but as I mentioned, if you have 30 hours of work to do oDesk bills you for 30, but My OutDesk will still bill you for 40 to meet their minimum contract, so the savings will actually be much higher.
My OutDesk is High Pressure, oDesk is No Pressure
MOD has high pressure recruiting of Realtors. For example, an agent commented about MOD on the Facebook Realtors Group “I hate being aggressively solicited, especially when I don’t return your calls and Emails”.
oDesk has a no pressure approach and will never call and might send a few Emails reminding you of the advantages of their services, but all oDesk Emails can be unsubscribed from.
When I interviewed my VA at MOD, I was told I need to make a decision by the next day or the VA would be hired by another agent. This is high pressure compared to oDesk which has a traditional interview process where you interview one or more VAs and have as much time as you want to make your decision.
When my VA was pregnant I was told by MOD that I have a full time contract and as the VA needs to cut back her hours for health reasons, I can hire another part time VA to make up the hours. I found this to be high pressure vs. the no set hours at oDesk. At oDesk, you can have your VA work as little or as much as needed, typically only when there is work to be done.
I highly recommend using a VA
I have found you can get quality VAs from both My OutDesk and oDesk. You have to invest time to train them either way as training and communication are key.
I can’t recommend enough the idea of hiring a VA. They work hard, are dedicated, accurate, and they really appreciate being part of your team.
It is my opinion now after using both services for over 1 year that I prefer working with oDesk for the reasons mentioned above.