How to build a high-performing support layer
Aderson OuchSourcing
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Episode breakdown
Barbara created her support assistant company with the objective of recruiting, training and managing superstar Support Assistants that may best fit corporate clients’ needs. In this podcast episode, several great topics have been addressed like Time Zone Management, Proactiveness, Portfolio focus, target Clients and much more over a great chat.
- How Barbara started recruiting Support Assistants
- Setting a Support Assistant proactive mindset and attitude
- Profiling because skills can be learned but not enthusiasm, proactiveness or initiative
- The service model for this kind of business
- Time zone factor management
- The current support assistant trend
- Setting expectations
- Training and coaching of clients
- How communication will make or break your success in outsourcing
- How detailed you should be in providing instructions
Slow spoken, crystal clear instructions will speed up your business.
In this episode
00:00 - Introduction and Guest Background
Anderson Oliveira introduces the Outsourcing Podcast and welcomes Barbara Turley, founder and CEO of The Virtual Hub Hub. Barbara shares that she manages a team of 12 personal support assistants and oversees 40–50 more working with clients in the Philippines.
02:03 - The Philippine Support Assistant Market and Training Gaps
Barbara explains that while the Philippines produces many strong support assistants, training is inconsistent. Many support assistants gain skills on the job, leading to mismatched experience levels. Her company addresses this by providing structured training.
03:13 - Platforms vs. The Virtual Hub
Barbara contrasts hiring through platforms like Upwork with her company’s model. She emphasizes that success depends not only on recruitment but also on training both clients and support assistants to work effectively together. The Virtual Hub also builds culture and provides benefits to support assistants, which small clients often cannot.
06:56 - Encouraging Proactivity in Support Assistants
Barbara discusses cultural challenges in the Philippines, where a “yes culture” can limit proactivity. She notes that her company recruits for personality traits such as initiative and enthusiasm rather than just technical skills, while also recognizing that some clients prefer task-focused support assistants.
10:19 - Recruitment and Training Process
The company’s recruitment funnel spans six to eight weeks, including testing, multiple interviews, and intensive training. This process reveals true skills and personality traits, ensuring only the best candidates move forward.
12:01 - Full-Time vs. Part-Time Models
Barbara explains that The Virtual Hub focuses on dedicated part-time or full-time support assistants rather than very small contracts. This benefits both clients and support assistants by creating stability and streamlined workflows.
14:15 - Time Zone Considerations
Barbara outlines her company’s policy of avoiding night shifts between midnight and 5 a.m. to protect support assistant well-being. She advises clients to assess whether real-time interaction is necessary and to ensure daily overlap meetings.
16:37 - Communication and Expectations
Barbara stresses that communication is the make-or-break factor in outsourcing. She advises against email, recommending project management tools like Asana. She highlights the importance of daily huddles and clarifying communication styles between clients and support assistants.
19:46 - Client Training and Systems
Barbara emphasizes that clients also need training. Many failures stem from poor systems and unclear delegation rather than support assistant performance. The Virtual Hub provides processes for digital marketing and social media execution to support clients.
22:38 - Specialization in Digital Marketing
Barbara explains that the company narrowed its focus to digital marketing, social media, and automation. This specialization allows for consistent training, higher quality, and clearer client expectations.
24:40 - Growth of the Support Assistant Industry
Barbara attributes the explosion of the support assistant industry to globalization, the rise of digital business, and the increasing workload of social media management. Offshore teams have become normalized.
27:21 - Trends and the Role of AI
Barbara sees automation and AI as complementary to support assistants, freeing them to focus on higher-value tasks. She stresses that people remain essential to business despite technological advances.
29:23 - Communication as the Key Takeaway
Barbara reiterates that communication is the single most critical factor for outsourcing success. Clear, structured task descriptions and iterative feedback loops are essential for building effective client–support assistant relationships.
33:02 - Ideal Client Profile
Barbara describes her ideal clients as businesses with structure, strategy, and openness to learning. Clients must be willing to invest time and energy into delegation and communication.
35:05 - Virtual Success Podcast
Barbara promotes her own podcast, Virtual Success, which shares case studies, lessons, and tactical advice for achieving success with outsourcing.
36:20 - How to Connect
Barbara provides details on reaching The Virtual Hub through their website, live chat, and discovery calls. She also shares her LinkedIn and podcast as ways to connect.
37:31 - Closing
The episode concludes with thanks from Anderson Oliveira and final remarks from Barbara Turley.
