Bottleneck Distant Assistants sources executive and administrative assistants who work remotely in the Philippines.
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About Bottleneck Distant Assistants
Bottleneck’s target customers are entrepreneurs that are experiencing growth in their existing company and are finding it more and more difficult to manage their tasks on a daily basis.
The majority of customers are based in the US, the UK, and Canada, while assistants work from their home offices in the Philippines.
“We are noticing a large amount of call center workers leaving that line of work for virtual assistant work,” Jaime explained. “While these people don’t have the same type of experience, they are eager to learn and they work hard.”
What Bottleneck Distant VA Offers
Bottleneck Distant Assistants provides a dedicated support team, offering six core roles that can handle your business’s administrative needs:
- Executive Assistants: Managing emails, schedules, travel, and general office support.
- Success Managers: Overseeing customer success, ensuring client satisfaction, and managing key client relationships.
- Bookkeepers: Handling day-to-day financial operations, including invoicing, payroll, and account reconciliation.
- Customer Service Representatives: Managing inbound calls, emails, and client support inquiries.
- Project Coordinators: Keeping your projects organized and on track, from timelines to task management.
- Social Media Coordinators: Planning and scheduling posts, engaging with followers, and supporting social media campaigns.
What They Do NOT Do
While they provide comprehensive administrative support, it’s important to clarify what Bottleneck Distant Assistants does not do. They do not offer services in strategy, marketing, sales, or copywriting. Instead, they support those roles by managing the administrative tasks that allow your team to focus on higher-level decisions. Their assistants are experts in handling all things administrivia, allowing your team to focus on what they do best.
Their Rigorous Vetting Process
They take care of the heavy lifting when it comes to sourcing and vetting your distant assistant. Every candidate goes through a comprehensive personality assessment, technology check, and English comprehension evaluation. They ensure they have the skills, mindset, and cultural fit to support your business goals.
- English Comprehension: All our assistants are fluent in English, ensuring seamless communication with your team.
- Technology Check: Each assistant is required to document their technology setup, including backup systems to prevent downtime.
- Personality Assessment: We use advanced personality assessments to gauge work styles, communication preferences, and ensure a strong fit within your company culture.
How it Works
Getting started with Bottleneck Distant Assistants is simple. You’ll begin by completing a brief form and scheduling a 30-minute consultation. During this time, their team will walk you through their process and gather the necessary information to match you with the best candidate.
From there, their recruitment team identifies potential candidates, and they’ll set up an introduction meeting with the assistant they believe is the best fit. If the match isn’t perfect, they’ll present alternative candidates until they find the right one.
The Integrated Services Program™ (ISP)
Bottleneck Distant Assistants is a full-service program. Naturally, one person can’t do everything, so Bottleneck Distant created the Integrated Services Program™ (ISP).
They understand that no single assistant can be an expert in everything. That’s why they created the Integrated Services Program™ (ISP), giving you access to additional skills through your dedicated assistant. This program allows you to tap into expertise in:
- Website management (WordPress)
- Social media management
- Graphic design
- Audio/video editing
Part-time clients (up to 20 hours per week) have access to 3 hours per week of ISP services, while full-time clients (up to 40 hours per week) receive 6 hours per week. Additional hours can be purchased as needed to meet deadlines.
Bottleneck Distant Assistant Plans and Pricing
They offer several pricing options based on your needs and all their pricing are 100% subscription-based with no contracts or minimums:
Remote Service Plan:
- Full-time (40 hours/week): $1,947/month
- Part-time (20 hours/week): $1,312/month
Remote Service with ISP:
- Full-time: $2,370/month with 6 hours/week of ISP services
- Part-time: $1,737/month with 3 hours/week of ISP services
They also offer office-based assistants through our Remote Office Service for added security, with assistants working from secure, dedicated offices in the Philippines.
Bottleneck Distant Assistants Alternatives
When I asked Jaime what sets Bottleneck Distant Assistant apart from the competition, he mentioned their vetting process is designed to minimize risks for both clients and VAs.
“There are stories of VAs not getting paid and stories of clients not getting the work done that was promised and their assistant seemed to just disappear. While we can’t guarantee that will ever happen on either end, we do have a great system in place,” Jaime explained.
Another resource to look into is OnlineJobs.ph, especially if you’re comfortable doing the job posting and candidate screening yourself. The service costs $69 a month but you should have no problem finding the right person for the job within a month or two.
Once hired you’ll just pay your VA directly each pay period. You’ll find full-time candidates at a fraction of the cost of Bottleneck Distant Assistant, but have to forego the other benefits like team access.
Your Turn
Have you worked with Bottleneck Distant Assistants? If so, please be sure to leave a review of your experience below to help others with their decision.
Yesterday at 12:57PM PST, I called Jaime Jay at Bottleneck Distant Assistants.
“I wonder if you can help me. My cofacilitator for a workshop starting at 5:30AM tomorrow cannot make it. I’m looking for someone with extensive Zoom experience who can handle all the logistics of a complex remote workshop.”
I continued, “In 2 minutes, I’ve got to be on with another client for a different workshop that’ll last until 3:30 or 4PM, and I’d love to orient the person helping me from then until 6pm, so they’re ready to hit the ground running first thing in the morning.”
Jaime said, “You’ll have an email waiting for you before you’re done with today’s client.”
And I did. So my cofacilitator and I hopped on a call with Efren and walked him through the plan and his complex responsibilities.
Efren had already done his homework and researched the Zoom functions I’d told Jaime we’d need.
Efren was awesome. Jaime is awesome. His whole team is awesome. I’m so grateful.
Talk about someone having your back.
For any small training company like mine, that’s the nightmare — the small team you lean on having an emergency.
Thanks to the Bottleneck Distant Assistants crew, I went from nightmare to total calm.
All this, before I’ve ever paid them a dime, and as I’m being onboarded as a client for a dedicated DA. That process has been so valuable.
Thank you.
I’ve been working with Jaime Jay for years and have had my Bottleneck VA on our team for 6 months now. I can’t believe I didn’t make the hire sooner! She is an integral part of our team and increases our productivity so much. Whether you’re a small or large operation, I can’t recommend Bottleneck VA’s highly enough!
Jaime is truly awesome. He has helped me find the perfect employer for me. 101% recommendation!
Bottleneck connected me with my virtual assistant in a just 5 days from start to finish. I have been working with my full time VA for 6 months now and I could not be happier. Bottleneck took the time to take my data and understand my needs and then rapidly matched me with a VA, gave me more information on her, scheduled our interview call and advised me on how to get started with her in a way that would maximize our chances of success. Let’s face it – working with someone half a world away is very intimidating and challenging and Bottleneck showed me how!
Bottleneck goes BEYOND just finding a VA, they walk you step by step through how create a job role and accountability for your Virtual Assistant to ensure the best fit! Working with a VA can help liberate you!
Worked with Jaime a number of times. He is awesome and been a big help to my business. 100% recommendation!
I’m working with a Bottleneck VA. The hand holding through the process of interviewing already vetted VAs made a big difference. I’ve always struggled with various issues when hiring a VA on my own but Jamie at Bottleneck has solved this challenging job. Much more efficient to hire Jamie to find the perfect VA for you versus doing it alone.