Episode breakdown
Barbara Turley is the founder and CEO of The Virtual Hub. It is an outsourcing firm focusing specifically on support assistants and Barbara runs this firm quite different to the rest of the pack. Barbara is really focused on where she has a different system for recruiting and onboarding and training her support assistants before they are deployed to clients.
Barbara’s approach to running her firm sets her apart from others in the industry, with a unique system for recruiting, onboarding, and training support assistants before deploying them to clients.
- Evolution of assistant training
- Optimizing assistant model
- Realistic role of assistants
- How Barbara effectively sets and handles client expectations when working with assistants
- How having the right operational framework can simplify the process of integrating offshore teams into your business
- The importance of delegating effectively
- Augmenting assistants through the integration of artificial intelligence
Having properly systemized structured operations and good operational frameworks where there is transparency and visibility, not only means that you can now work in a remote environment successfully but it can also simplify the process of integrating offshore teams into your business
In this episode
00:00 Introduction and Barbara’s background
Derek introduces Barbara Turley, founder and CEO of The Virtual Hub, and highlights her unique approach to assistant recruitment and training. Barbara shares how she “accidentally” started the business while doing business coaching, realized the challenges with recruiting, and developed a structured, training-driven model.
03:24 Recruiting and training assistants
Barbara explains her method of hiring candidates based on attitude and potential rather than experience. She emphasizes the importance of a robust training program and why the company hires assistants on full salary from day one and trains them before client placement.
06:13 Improving recruitment through metrics and testing
Barbara details how interviews come last in their hiring process, after rigorous, faceless testing to evaluate skills and character. This has kept hiring rates low but improved retention and reduced post-hire failures.
08:19 Practical training and internal deployment
The conversation covers how trainees work on real and simulated internal projects, rotating through teams for practice while being evaluated. Barbara discusses how this strategy both develops talent and provides operational support.
11:28 Balancing assistant supply and client demand
Barbara describes the challenge of balancing client demand with assistant supply, likening it to trading. She shares insights from her past on an equity trading floor, applying supply-and-demand management skills to outsourcing.
13:13 Accelerating the assistant deployment process
Barbara explains how her firm keeps a bench of trained assistants ready for deployment, significantly shortening client onboarding times compared to industry norms. This also offers clients flexibility in scaling teams up or down.
15:14 Productizing the assistant service model
They discuss how Barbara productized the assistant service to maintain consistent service levels and client experiences. She explains her belief that support functions should be offshore to free up high-cost talent for strategic work.
17:15 Offering specialized roles selectively
The topic shifts to whether Barbara expands services to specialized roles (e.g., accountants). While they can recruit for select client needs, it’s not part of their core offering due to higher complexity and cost.
19:32 Scaling assistant teams and maintaining culture
They explore how large client teams are managed with dedicated client success managers and results coaches. Barbara emphasizes the importance of maintaining company culture, employee engagement, and operational consistency as teams grow.
21:46 Managing client expectations and assistant role limits
Barbara highlights how setting realistic expectations early is crucial, positioning assistants as assistants — not specialists. She explains how clients should break down processes so assistants can handle 80-90% of recurring tasks.
25:53 Building operational frameworks for remote work
Barbara stresses that many businesses lack the operational frameworks to support remote teams effectively. She discusses her use of Asana and how investing in operations pays off long-term.
29:30 Process architecture and delegation strategy
They discuss the importance of ‘architecting’ processes before delegation. Barbara shares how this inspired a consulting arm within her business to help clients build systems for better outsourcing outcomes.
32:34 Business scaling methodology and 'Scaling up'
Barbara talks about her application of the Scaling Up methodology by Verne Harnish, focusing on people, execution, and cash management pillars. She explains how structured systems increased operational freedom.
35:45 Industry trends: CoViD, remote work & trust
The conversation reflects on the pandemic’s impact, remote work acceptance, and the shift in client concerns from trust issues to operational integration. Barbara believes operational transparency is key to remote success.
39:23 AI adoption and impact on assistant roles
They discuss AI’s disruptive potential and gradual adoption. Barbara admits initial fears but now views AI as a productivity tool for augmenting assistants. She notes adoption will be slower in businesses still lagging in tech maturity.
Barbara expresses optimism for the outsourcing industry, expecting remote work and AI adoption to continue rising. She sees offshore staffing as a no-brainer, especially as businesses seek cost-saving strategies during economic downturns.
