UPDATE: CloudFactory has changed their business structure and no longer offers Virtual Assistant Services. Please take a look here for alternative virtual assistant companies. Thank you.
CloudFactory is a distributed workforce company that utilizes large numbers of virtual assistants in developing countries to complete large amounts of work quickly, efficiently, and at a reasonable price.
The company was founded in 2009. Their headquarters are located in Durham, UK, and their workforce spans more than 30 countries, with Nepal and Kenya providing the bulk of their staff.
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About CloudFactory
The company was founded by Mark Sears and Tom Puskarich. Mark Sears has a background as a software developer and experience raising venture capital for startups.
What separates CloudFactory from a lot of the other virtual assistant companies is the volume and speed of the work they can complete.
Instead of having the more traditional approach of assigning a virtual assistant to a client, CloudFactory has a huge pool of staff and mobilize them in volume to work on large data-intensive tasks.
They also use artificial intelligence and human intelligence to assure accuracy. CloudFactory uses automation tools and algorithms to handle some of their workload and finishes with a human review of the work to ensure accuracy.
Services
CloudFactory said, “We specialize in helping companies offload data-oriented work.” They have a large workforce available to tackle all kinds of data crunching and large volume tasks and are able to get a lot of work done quickly.
They also say themselves that tasks requiring a particular skill like graphic design or accounting are not a good fit for their workforce. So if you’re after a specific skill their service is not for you.
Their subscription model is called a “WorkStream.” Each WorkStream includes a Cloud Team lead by a Team Leader to handle the tasks you’re outsourcing.
They say that all of their staff have been vetted, trained in-house, and are professionally managed. So, you can leave the management side of things to CloudFactory and focus on your own business and selecting tasks to outsource.
CloudFactory use a custom-built WorkStream browser so you have a direct channel to the team working on your tasks. This makes it easy to communicate with them or check on their progress.
Plans and Pricing
CloudFactory’s pricing is calculated based on the number of hours you want per month. They then give you an hourly and monthly rate breakdown and give you an idea of how many members will be in your “Cloud Team.”
For example, 800 hours a month costs a total of $5,220. This works out at $6.33 per hour, and you will have between 8-17 members in your team working on your tasks.
If you want 2000 hours or more a month, the hourly rate is as low as $5.49/hr.
It’s worth noting that you save 10% by paying for a yearly subscription up front.
They also offer a Flex Pass, which is set amount of hours to be used over a three month period.
An example of the pricing on a Flex Pass is $21,600 for 2,400 hours. That works out to $9 an hour, and you’d have a team of up to 50 staff working on your tasks.
The Flex Pass option is better suited to one-off projects or tasks expected to be wrapped up within the three-month period.
CloudFactory Alternatives
Matching the effective hourly rates from CloudFactory isn’t hard to do at other virtual assistant companies, but what’s tough to duplicate is their scale. If you’re looking to ramp up an overseas team quickly, you might consider a company like TaskUs.
Your Turn
Have you worked with CloudFactory? If so, please be sure to leave a brief review of your experience below to help others with their decision.