Will Power Podcast by Will Humphreys

Why I love being a Virtual Assistant with Andre Dagoc and Jo Alfonso

• Will Humphreys • Season 2 • Episode 4

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In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the world of virtual assistants (VAs) in healthcare. Join us as we chat with Jo, a VA managing a team for a multi-location New Hampshire outpatient practice, and Andre, a core team member at Virtual Rockstar who specializes in finding top-tier VAs.

Discover:

  • The Personal Journeys of VAs: Hear directly from Jo and Andre about what led them to this profession and the deep passion that drives their work, from streamlining healthcare operations to connecting talent with life-changing opportunities.
  • A Day in the Life: Get a candid look at the daily responsibilities and supervisory roles of VAs, and learn about the hidden tasks that contribute to the seamless operation of a growing company.
  • Adapting to American Culture: Understand the nuances and initial challenges VAs face when working with American clients, from communication styles to cultural differences, and how they overcome them.
  • Personal and Professional Growth: Explore the profound personal and professional benefits VAs experience in their roles, beyond financial compensation, including empowerment, leadership development, and work-life balance.
  • Navigating Challenges: Learn about the biggest hurdles VAs encounter, such as communication barriers, managing expectations between clients and VAs, and avoiding burnout from over-promising.
  • What Owners Need to Know: Gain invaluable insights from VAs on how private practice owners can successfully hire and integrate virtual assistants, emphasizing the importance of trust and hiring for potential over just skills.
  • AI and the Future of Virtual Assistance: Dive into the "AI vs. VA" debate. Are VAs scared of AI? How are they leveraging artificial intelligence as a powerful tool to enhance productivity, and what roles do they hope AI will never take over?
  • Rapid Fire Insights: Quick takeaways on favorite tasks, least favorite tasks, and moments that brought tears of joy or humility.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone considering hiring a virtual assistant, curious about the future of healthcare support, or simply wanting to understand the incredible human beings behind the screens.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome back to the Willpower Podcast, rockstars. I am pumped for today's episode. We have, as part of our AI versus virtual assistant season, two virtual assistants One that we work with who serves an outpatient practice in New Hampshire with multiple locations, and another virtual assistant who's on my direct team, and we're interviewing them to get behind the curtain and understand every aspect of what it's like to be a virtual assistant. What are the highs, the lows, the challenges, what's it like working with Americans? All the different things that we don't think about when we talk about virtual assistants. And we're also going to get their take of artificial intelligence. Are they scared by it? Do they use it? How do those things go together in the future? We're gonna answer all these questions and more, and get to know some real heart of the humanity behind the future of healthcare. Let's go.

Speaker 1:

I have met the best leaders with zero formal training in the Philippines, because they have focus and they have heart. So when you're hiring, whether it's the Philippines or not, and especially if you're like considering ever going to the Philippines, to not find someone who's going to do the silly things that you don't want to do and be worried about the accent accent, all right. Well, andre and Joe, welcome to the Willpower Podcast. Let's have you guys introduce yourselves right out of the gate. Tell us about you and what you do professionally.

Speaker 2:

Okay, I'm going to start it up. So, hi guys. My name is Joe, I'm a front office manager working remotely and leading a team of 14 filipino virtual assistants um supporting five physical therapy clinics in new hampshire. What we do on a daily basis we do patient scheduling, billing, follow-ups, insurance verification and some more, so we are pretty passionate about streamlining healthcare operations while maintaining personal relations to our patients and to our co-workers in the US.

Speaker 1:

Very nice, that was very professional. Jo, before we go to Andre, tell me about you personally, tell me about your family and maybe some success that you had that we're talking about.

Speaker 2:

Okay, well, I am a single mom to a well now going to college daughter, of which I'm pretty exciting Bittersweet. I live with my mom. I'm just a simple girl who just loves cooking when I'm not working. I also sing and play musical instruments as my you know side gig.

Speaker 1:

You have such a great voice. I want the audience to understand that when we get all of our team together. There was one time I challenged you to sing and you did in front of the group and it was like professional level was so good. I love that joke. All right, thank you. Yeah, filipino Andre also has a really good voice, even though you did country when we did karaoke. Andre, tell, introduce yourself please okay.

Speaker 3:

So, hey guys, my name is andre. I am I would say I'm a recruiter, my profession, I've I've had um six years of experience, uh, recruiting. Initially, I would say career-wise, i've've started out as a healthcare recruiter, like actually recruiting healthcare providers in the United States, matching them with opportunities. But recently I've shifted. So I've spent the last year with Virtual Rockstar, connecting amazing talents in the Philippines with opportunities that would otherwise be available locally.

Speaker 1:

I love that. Now tell me about you personally.

Speaker 3:

Me personally, I would say ooh, where do I even start?

Speaker 1:

I'll tell you where to start. Talk about you being a leader and entrepreneur, because your vision is like to own a business one day. Tell them about your ambition.

Speaker 3:

Yep. So every day I work, I wake up with a burning desire to conquer the world so true, I, I just do there's.

Speaker 3:

there's like the world is ripe for the taking and if I don't get up and get after, it feels like it's a wasted opportunity. So whatever opportunity I see, I just take it, and one day I envision owning my own business, being in the same space, doing similarly with Will. I'd say, interests-wise, there are a lot of interests. I also am very interested in music. I played in a lot of bands before I was working and I like Star Wars. I like a lot of things, man. I don't even know where to start.

Speaker 1:

I think that's a good intro, Andre. I just want people to get a sense of you.

Speaker 4:

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Speaker 1:

I mean it's going to get better than that.

Speaker 4:

We nailed it.

Speaker 1:

Let's get right into the nitty gritty, because right now their minds are being blown. They're like, wait a minute, people who've never worked with VAs are thinking, wow, they speak perfect English and da-da-da-da-da, because all the things that are like stigmas. But what got you guys into being a VA? Let's get into the background for the Rockstars as to like why did you choose this profession? Rockstars is just obvious. Like side note, joe is a virtual assistant for Virtual Rockstar who works for a client of ours, and Andre is on my core team working to help find the virtual assistants. I thought it'd be really useful for people to understand the perspectives and see the humanity in this, because when people think about virtual assistants, they often think about being outsourced overseas, not understanding what's being said, lower customer service, and that's quite the opposite. But let's get into why. Why did you become a virtual assistant and what drives you from a place of passion? Those might be two separate things, jo, but let's start with you. Why did you become a VA and then, what drives you from a place of passion?

Speaker 2:

Okay, well, for the longest time I worked for a corporate company though it's a BPO company for Australian clients. And then, come pandemic, all the offices had shut down, didn't have much option. So I tried and ventured into the VA world. Though I heard about a lot of stuff about it, I didn't really had a chance because I thought that working in a corporate is like somewhat stable, like would give me a stable income. But then it blew my mind when I have researched about being a VA. Not only the compensation is way much better than what I am getting when I was in a corporate world, but then I have the opportunity to work from home and spend more time with my family while earning more than what I was earning before. So that really hooked me up in learning more about the VA world. And you know, just putting myself out there sending all my resumes and I'm applying. And luckily I stumbled upon Rockstar and it's history from there.

Speaker 1:

Well, I appreciate that. It's such an interesting thing to see that motivation. So what drives you from a place of passion, jo, like what is it that you're passionate about?

Speaker 2:

Well, before I was put into the corporate world, I had took up a healthcare course, I took up nursing, but then, because of a necessity, I didn't really, you know, pursue that passion. But when I had ventured over the phone and conversing, learning medical things through my physical therapist and the owner of my business, has really ignited something in me. Like my 19-year-old college self is being, you know, satisfied with what I am doing right now. So that's pretty awesome.

Speaker 1:

That's neat that your daughter is graduating and looking at becoming a nurse in college, so you're fulfilling that healthcare passion and she's followed your lead, joe, what a beautiful story and I love that. Andre same question Why'd you become a VA and what drives you passionately?

Speaker 3:

okay. So I'd say I I became an offshore recruiter because I saw the untapped potential in um staffing everywhere. Staffing is a problem for a lot of businesses and now, especially that I'm working with virtual rockstar, especially from from from places like the philippines. There are so many highly skilled, hard-working professionals out there who just need the right platform and the right opportunity. I wanted to be that bridge. There's a lot of business to be made there. It's also incredibly fulfilling to just connect people with worlds that change their lives, while helping businesses grow with the talent that they didn't even know that they needed.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it's so true and it's a gift to be able to recruit the way that you do, and it's so cool that you can. You guys rock stars. You hear that passion in their voices. It's something that we oftentimes get disconnected in the United States. When we're just trying to quote, find ourselves At the end of the day, for both of you there was a financial motivation. Just to give the rock star some context, the average Filipino makes between $1 and $3 an hour with the typical local positions, even with some of these BPOs, and then the potential for earning of that is literally three to four times that, even as they're working through an agency, like you guys are currently doing. It's a powerful change in finance, but there's still this passion around what you found, your passion in it, whether it's healthcare or building teams in Andre's case, it's a really powerful thing. So I want to know, I would like for you guys to share.

Speaker 1:

Let's go to Joe. What's a day in your life look like? Let's go with Joe on this one, because this is more typical of the audience, of what they're going to hear. What is this typical day? Because you're over how many VAs now? Joe, 14. So what does a day in the life of Joe look like at work.

Speaker 2:

Okay, well, first thing, my shift starts at 8.30 EST, so that's 8.30 pm here in the Philippines. You PST, so that's 8.30 pm here in the Philippines. You start at 8.30 at night, locally, got it? Yeah, locally, that's right. But 30 minutes before I already look into my messages because, as a leader, you have to check if your BAs had something, if something has an emergency, you know you need to make sure that you have coverage before the login time. So I do check that first thing. And then, because I'm not traveling anymore, unlike before, like I have to wake up like two to three hours before to prep myself, I only needed 30 minutes of my time to maybe something, pull up my tools ready, my device, my computer, and set up my office. And then which is well, very convenient, if you might say and then when I log in, I just go over my virtual assistants, check on the updates, check their attendance, have a meeting with my owners, connect with the PT managers and just do my random day-to-day task within those five clinics that I oversee.

Speaker 1:

That's amazing, and so you're running this whole team, so it's a very supervisory-based role. Yes, man, that is such a cool thing, and as you're going through this, you're living that passion of helping the healthcare companies grow and scale. I have a totally different question for Andre, and I'm really curious about this one. For you, bud, what is something that you do every day that the company owner in this case me has no idea that you're actually handling?

Speaker 3:

Well, I don't think you know that I put up a lot of fires that are just currently starting up everywhere in the company. We are getting larger by the day. I think per week we are doing on average the TA team. We're doing like seven group interviews a week, if I'm not mistaken. Six to seven group interviews and that number of V and our companies expanding rapidly. And there's just I. I answer a lot of questions way beyond talent acquisition. That I think if I can just solve this I'm not gonna go to denise or kayla about this if I can just, um, if I can handle this, I'm just gonna answer it. You know. So I it's, it's a big part of my job. Every, every single day I read emails and there's a lot of emails there um fires that need to be put out.

Speaker 1:

That's amazing. I can't thank you enough for handling that, andre. To put it in context, audience, this year we're in June, we're filming this on June 6th and, uh, it'll be released next month, in July, and this year alone, we calculated that we've hired over 100 virtual assistants so far this year, and so it's been. Yeah, that's a lot of work, because there's this amazing team that you are a part of that is just crushing it. I didn't know that you're putting out fires left and right, andre. Thank you for doing that, man. Yeah, I love it. Okay, so I have to ask you when you first became VAs?

Speaker 2:

what was it like? Adapting to the American culture? Was that? Were there cool things? Challenges around that it's pretty cool, because working with Americans is very different. You guys are so straightforward in a good way. For me, um, it's all plain and simple. You know. What see is what you get. Um, challenges is, of course, before I I didn't get much of your humor like are you talking about me personally or all of the americans? Why? You personally, but just you know in general, like um, if you know my boss, steve, yeah yeah.

Speaker 2:

Steve is a good guy. You know, when he says something I have to pause and think if I have to laugh or not. Then we put some time to get his humor. But now we're pretty much okay. I do get his humor. So that's all good. That's amazing. That's amazing. What about you, andre? So that's all again, that's amazing.

Speaker 1:

That's amazing what about you, andre?

Speaker 3:

Well, me personally, since I grew up very westernized, being exposed to a lot of American media video games, movies and TV shows I did not have such a hard time adapting to it and I also actually have an American friend that I speak with almost every day, so I guess it's not as hard for me to make an adjustment to it, especially, um, since I've already been exposed to it and I've got a lot of relatives in america. But definitely there is like that little transition into oh, am I, is this appropriate to say, is this, is this, um, is this crossing the line? Because sometimes Filipinos will really really lose in our conversation. You know we say a lot of stuff that we consider taboo in American culture, so it's definitely something you have to think twice before saying that. But over the years I've gotten accustomed to it, like what to say, what not to say.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's interesting, andre, I almost want to ask you on air what those things are, but we'll get privately as to what those taboo things are, but for now I'm going to stay with you on this one. I would like to know, and I'll ask both of you this, so I'll go to Joanne, to Joe after this. But, andre, what kind of growth have you personally experienced as a result of your current role? What's some of the personal benefit that you've gotten out of your role outside of money?

Speaker 3:

Okay, that's exactly what happened to me when I first joined Virtual Rockstar. For the better part of my career I have been doing since there is a difference between recruiting and talent acquisition. For the better part of my career, I've been recruiting Recruitment's just filling a hole, and that's what I did. I recruited nurses for travel contracts and really the only reason for it was money business. But now, since I've transitioned into Virtual Rockstar, it's more about hearing people, empathizing with them, knowing their story and knowing what kind of personalities would go well with a client.

Speaker 3:

It's been a game changer for me to do this instead of what I was doing before, because it's not just money that's the driving force in what I'm doing. It's a passion and it's fulfillment Every single day. It's very fulfilling knowing that I'm making a difference in the work that I do, not just with VAs, but also with our clients that are in the US struggling, struggling to make time for their family, struggling with their business, and it's really, really fulfilling for me. So that's the word today fulfilling. Yeah, it's a ripple effect. Remember that conversation we had like almost a year ago.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean both of you. This is true. Just because we're talking to Andre, I just yeah, you're meant for so many big things. Your name is going to be well known and it's because of that passion and that urgency and I think there's so much humanity to that aspect of it, andre, I appreciate you saying that. Joe, what about you? What's something that you? How have you personally grown from being a VA the outside of money, of course you have way better like balance with your kids and like, of course, the money's better, but like what's what's something? How have you grown as a person during this journey?

Speaker 2:

I would copy Andre's word. It's just the sense of fulfillment. Um, I was a VA for the first months that I entered Virtual Rockstar. During that time I get to have like a conversation with my business owner, with the client or the clinic owner. It felt like I was not just an employee to her. You know like I felt that I am contributing to her business, that my ideas are being seen, my suggestions are being taken seriously. So that's something that you know. It gives me a butterfly's interest.

Speaker 2:

I'm just talking about it it's because I haven't experienced that kind of um, boss and employee relationship before. And then when I got promoted into a manager handling 14 virtual assistants, that's a total different story. I get a sense of fulfillment handling Filipino virtual assistants, who had that same feeling when I first entered Virtual Rockstar. You know they're earning way below and now they're very thankful and very fulfilled with how they work. They have their work-life balance. So that's an.

Speaker 2:

That's one aspect that I most feel the sense of fulfillment. And then again, the sense of fulfillment that my owners, steve and irene. They have their confidence in me. Like they, they would give me authority to make decisions in my level, in my department, and that's something that is very empowering as a virtual assistant. Even they're far away. They make you feel like you're something important in the business and in return, I am very eager to make their business more and more. Uh, how this is productive and I want their business to expand more. I want to be with them when they fall. So that's something that's very, very close to my heart. I can feel the butterflies again.

Speaker 1:

Well, you guys are so amazing and I can tell you this that, like for me on that end, it's so empowering to hear how this position is empowering you right, because I think again, where people get it wrong when it comes to this idea of overseas help whether it's called VAs or anything else is that people are. Those companies oftentimes aren't taking in the humanity of the people on the other end of the phone and when you're trying to do a business model where you're trying to get cheap labor, that's very different than working with leaders who have and creating new opportunities and rock stars. Here's my experience People in the States we're talking healthcare practice providers, especially the PTs, ots and SLPs that I've worked with. They are, I think, some of the best employers or leaders for people in the Philippines, because no one gets into our industry for money ever Like we are in it because of love and wanting to be leaders. We just need people who can support the vision.

Speaker 1:

So the first time I hired someone overseas her name is Ann this was in 2021. I hired her through a company kind of like ours now and there's a lot of good companies out there. I found this person and she cried when I hired her and she was really open to like supporting me and everything I could. So I poured into her and she grew and made more money and eventually she found a job making way more money somewhere else that I couldn't keep up with. And I just remember like that whole journey for me, rock stars that was more impactful than becoming a healthcare provider and I don't say that lightly.

Speaker 1:

Being a healthcare provider is still who I am, but the reason I'm so passionate about this is because it's so amazing to see both the practice owners get the kind of help that they desperately need, while they're able to mentor and grow some of the best human beings on the planet. So it's really cool to see how that goes. What would you guys say are the biggest challenges of being a virtual assistant in your current roles? I'm really curious what Andre is going to say, but Joe, you go first.

Speaker 2:

Okay, well, the challenge is well, I would say, the communication with the virtual assistants. Like, if you don't have this, some of them are working in the provinces. We're not in the same city, even though we're in the same country, right?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, a bunch of violence.

Speaker 2:

So the communication, that's one of the biggest challenges at the start because we don't know each other personally, we haven't seen each other personally face-to-face. So building a relationship with this virtual assistants is very important so that they can be open to me and I can be open to them. So that is one of the biggest challenges if you're leading a team of virtual assistants from my perspective. But once you encounter that barrier with communication, you get to know them personally. You share their passion, their vision, you know a little bit of the story of their family. They're more than willing to open up and then you have like a synergized relationship within the team with the same goal, and then you embody that relationship through your bosses or through your owners, and then everybody's happy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so communication's big, culture's big. But once that's in place it accelerates. Andre same question.

Speaker 3:

Okay, so where do I start again? Well, I'm not saying it's very challenging, but I think the most obvious thing that stands out is since we are a people business and there are challenges on both sides, not just with our VAs, but with our clients, not just with our clients, but with our prospective clients. We are, I'd say, the middleman behind it all.

Speaker 1:

So challenges would be coordination, coordination of all the different moving parts between the owners and the employees.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, and setting up not just with that but also with expectations, making sure that expectations are aligned, not just with our partners but also our VAs, because sometimes over-promising might be a problem right In this industry. Over-promising I'd say that's the number one challenge that I am dealing with on a day-to-day basis.

Speaker 1:

How do you mean over-promising? What does that mean Like? What do you mean by over promising?

Speaker 3:

Let's just say our let's start from the VA side. So VAs they, they. On the interview they say more stuff that they can actually handle. I've seen this happen a lot of times, and also not just on our VA side, but with a partner side. I'd say this is not over promising, it's under promising. They initially hire them for a set of tasks that are just this, this, and that that they end up doing a whole lot of other stuff.

Speaker 1:

They become super VAs, where they're being hired for one thing, but then, after they get hired, they're doing 30 things and they're overwhelmed.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that thing doesn't fly well if it isn't the right person, because the VA might take it the wrong way. This is currently happening all over our company, not to expose, I don't care, I don't want this to be a commercial for Virtual Rock expose.

Speaker 1:

I don't care. I don't want this to be a commercial for Virtual Rockstar. I really want this to be a raw, real episode for people, because obviously I believe in our company, but I'm not trying to sell my services. This is just using what we in this topic of freedom helping people understand the pros and cons, so like our problems are going to be. Maybe some of them are unique to us, but I'm guessing a lot of companies go through this. So, like this, this thing that you're talking about, is really important for people to hear.

Speaker 3:

Definitely. Yeah, that's. I'd say that's more like training and onboarding expectations, because clients often expect VAs just to hit the ground running. You actually covered this in a previous episode. But yeah, but every clinic or business, they have different systems. Misaligned expectations about training or responsibilities can cause frustration on both sides of this setup.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you're such a good salesman, you've gone from a place of when you've gotten recruits that you're ready to prep them for interview. You used to be able to like help them get ready for the interview and be like hey, but now you're realizing like no, just show up like you are and let's try to get to the raw nature so that you don't oversell yourself. And then, on my end that's what I see as well is you have these owners who are like I don't even know if I want a VA, and then it works out so well that they just start dumping on them Like it's kind of this, you know, and so you're, you're in the middle, like you said, helping cause we don't just like stop at hire You're, you're in there as well as Denise and others from our customer satisfaction team trying to resolve those issues and VAs. I will say this Filipinos, is it fair to say this? The culture of the Philippines is so respectful that sometimes it might challenge some VAs to be upfront with their employers.

Speaker 3:

That's, you're 100% on the money. There Will we definitely avoid difficult conversations. If we could, we're non-confrontational and that could sort of present a problem, because it's, it's, it's just gonna boil, it's gonna boil and boil. Then, um, a few months later, it's, it's gonna become a big problem like oh, I can't anymore.

Speaker 1:

It's gonna come to the point of burnout yeah, and then they quit and you're like what happened? It's like what happened there. It's so interesting because you know, the culture is partly what I fell in love with in this journey in the Philippines because it's got its own flavor and it's kind of Americanized. But the hardworking, sincere, best people just are coming from that culture and to a fault, like people I just are coming from that culture and to a fault, like all of our weaknesses are just our strengths amplified. So this respectful nature turns into a limitation if we aren't like helping people, because in America an employee would never have a problem saying, yeah, I don't like that. You know they'd be like, if anything, you have the opposite problem. Where people are. You find as an employer, you're trying your employees. You might feel like you're trying to please your employees because they're constantly upset about things. So it's a good problem to have, but it still results in failure if it's not addressed.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so okay, guys, let's talk about what you wish private practice owners would know about hiring a VA. Like what would you want them to know as, as someone who's like getting started in this journey? What would you want them to know as as someone who's like getting started in this journey. What would you want them to know? Take your time, I'm going to start with Joe, but just what do you would? What would you tell a potential person who's going to hire a virtual assistant? What do you? What would you want them to know about that experience?

Speaker 2:

Well, I just want them to know that they're in for a surprise, as we say, filipino VAs are very hardworking. Like you, throw them a training sheet or a training document, give them one to two days and they'll be able to do it. We are very like self-studying, self-training. We're used to that. But I just wish for the owners to know that we are also looking for dynamics. I know the clinical job is pretty routine. We do the same task every day. There are several updates that would come up in the VAs, like point of contact programs for each clinics, and I encourage one person every month to do a leadership role, like for the whole team, and we'll take every month so that it's not going to be routine for them month, so that it's not going to be routine for them. So it's something that I again I'm very grateful to Irene and Steve because all of my suggestions they take my heart.

Speaker 2:

Yeah they're great leaders. Irene and Steve are phenomenal. Yes, and when I suggested for us to have like an incentive program every month for a top performer VA, I did not. You know, they did not second guess about it, they just loved Eritrea and those who came up with the same idea with the PTs. Right now the physical therapists have their own scorecards and they have their awards, but their awards are brutal. Like with us, we only have the top performer, the PTs. They have their top and bottom performer. The bottom performer gets like a trophy.

Speaker 2:

that is a poop trophy, oh wow very brutal, but again it's steve's humor, so it's funny yeah so there, I just wish that some of the owners would know that we are also looking for those kinds of um, like some a little bit of excitement apart from our routinary jobs every day. So I love that Be.

Speaker 1:

Be get ready for a surprise. And I think you said like trust, you know. You know, once you get a relationship established to trust them, be surprised that you can trust them and that will go well. Andre, what would you want the potential owners to know about this experience?

Speaker 3:

Okay, I think this would really be an interesting topic for me, since I actually I um. Well, let me just begin by saying I wish they would, um, I wish they'd know to hire for potential and not just for skills, that's powerful.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I know you touched on this a lot of times in the past in previous episodes, because I listen to this podcast religiously. Every time I go on a walk I listen to this. But anyway, it means you're not just checking off a list of past experiences, but you're actually looking deeper at someone's ability to learn quickly, grow into a role, adapt to challenges and bring that fresh energy into a team. A VA might not have used your exact EMR or scheduling tool, but if they've shown initiative, critical thinking and, I'd say, resilience in similar environments, chances are they would get there fast. They excel in that role Because tools can be taught, Skills can be learned.

Speaker 3:

But there's just some stuff that you cannot just change, like curiosity, humility and the tenacity to get things done. Those come from within and you just cannot teach that, and I hope our potential partners would hold that in higher regard than just a specific set of skills. But skills are you've got to have the foundation right, They've got to have some sort of experience, but I hope they're not as nitpicky with the technical aspect of it all.

Speaker 1:

Andre, that was gold Rockstars. I need to punch something really powerful that Andre just laid out. Listen to what he said. Not even from just hiring someone overseas, but hiring in general, hire for potential, hire for mindset and alignment with culture. Don't worry about skill set. And you know, andre, it's interesting Cause I think that's that's the biggest takeaway.

Speaker 1:

Rock stars I want you to hear from Andre is like these are people, these are human beings in the Philippines with unlimited potential rock stars. You've heard me say this before and I'm going to say it again, and this is from my background. Being faith-based is that if we are, in my world, children of God and we have unlimited potential in life and we can become creators because it's literally in our DNA. That isn't unique to any country. Those are man-made boundaries that are silly. This whole thing about humanity is what matters. I have met the best leaders with zero formal training in the Philippines because they have focus and they have heart. So when you're hiring, whether it's the Philippines or not, and especially if you're like considering ever going to the Philippines to not find someone who's going to do the silly things that you don't want to do and be worried about the accent or whatever. I'm hoping these episodes are clearing that up in real time. What I hope you'll take from this is you hire for heart and potential, because I will tell you and I'm not saying this to be nice you are going to hear these people's names. You are going to hear Andre's name. I can say that more definitively because he's directly under my wing. You are going to know, andre. He is going to be a force to be reckoned with in this world and that's why I hired him. So I did that. Look, I just really love that you say that, andre, because I wish people would know that too is that this is not just like offloading crap they don't want to do. It's about building the best team they could have ever dreamed of, with the right people, and now it's starting to sound a little bit like a commercial.

Speaker 1:

So we're going to shift gears to artificial intelligence. It's just, but it's how I feel. It's how I feel it's what this is and it's why I'm so passionate about it. So let's get into artificial intelligence. I'm really excited about going this, going there with you guys, because I was told this is true that if I don't start looking at artificial intelligence as an owner of a virtual assistant company that we're going to be dead in the water in 10 years. Some have said last time. I want to know how you guys are thinking about. Let's start with Andre. So do you think that AI is going to replace virtual assistants?

Speaker 3:

No, definitely not. I would say no, definitely no. Ai falls short on a lot of things. Ai can't do a lot of things that VAs can do is here to take your jobs. You should be scared. Ai is here to replace people, but the truth is, especially when we're talking about virtual assistants, it's not about competition. It's more about collaboration.

Speaker 3:

Vas who are really thriving right now are not scared of AI. They're the ones using it to really supercharge the productivity. Well, think about it. Ai can help you drop reports, even something as simple as drafting an email right For marketing stuff, brainstorming content, summarizing long emails, generate leads, even handle really boring, repetitive admin tasks things that would normally eat up hours upon hours, but now a VA can do all of that in just 10 minutes. So, instead of replacing their role, AI would become a really powerful sidekick. It frees up the VA to focus on high value tasks like communication, strategy and personal touches personal, human touches that AI just can't replicate. I'd say the VAs who would win in this space are the ones who treat AI like a tool and not as a threat. They're learning how to use it to their advantage, and that makes them 10 times more efficient and even more indispensable. So VAs free up the practice owners right.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, ais free up the practice owners right. Yeah, ais free up the vas, that's so cool factors in the whole equation seth, did you hear that? Um, this is real time. I want even I want this to be recorded, by the way, seth, I want you, as my, my, uh creative specialist, to hear that. Let's put that out there. So yeah, va's free up practice owners, or no, va's free up practice owners, ai's free up VAs. That is so cool. Joanna Joe, do you agree with that? I do Feel free to disagree, though.

Speaker 2:

I do agree 100%. If I just would correlate it to what's happening right now within our clinic. We use ChatGPT. I encourage my VAs to use ChatGPT for emails. Why? Because our VAs are multitasking. They are receiving calls, doing welcome wear check-ins and then answering to emails, doing welcomeware check-ins and then answering to emails. So if it's a general email, like just asking for a schedule or something that is very general, they already have a template made by chat gpt to respond to that, which helps a lot, right. But again, chat gpt won't be able to respond if the patient would respond on a more personal level, like going to ask for something specific within their schedule. So that's when the VAs would come in.

Speaker 2:

Again, when I would quote what Andre said about the human touch. So VAs would have the adaptability, flexibility and, of course, the human touch and interaction in each of the tasks that we do With WelcomeWare. It's pretty automatic when you put up the paperwork in the screen, the patient can just sign on the screen and something like that. But most of the patients, what we come for at the kiosk is the smiles of the VAs. How did I know that? Because of the survey in WelcomeWear. Welcomewear has a survey.

Speaker 1:

By the way, for those who are listening, WelcomeWear is the company that we work with for kiosks. We're big fans.

Speaker 2:

Okay. So it's super great because they have a survey and then the patients can write down what they think about their interaction with the VAs. So when we started, the patients were very skeptic about like the video interaction, but when they saw the, you know the personalized way how the VAs talked to them. I would say I love your hat, how do you do today? And something like that. They feel a human interaction even though we are far away or even though we're not in the clinics. So this the AI tools they make our life easier but, again, clinics won't survive without a human interaction, especially with patients.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love that my vision for this and who knows for sure, but my vision for this is that the companies are going to have the healthcare providers, the owners, and then everything else will be AI through VA, and I love your vision of like we did not chat about this before audience rock stars, like I really wanted to know what they thought I didn't know, and it's cool to see that they're using this as a tool. You know the AI is used as a tool to supercharge the VAs. So then, andre, back to you. Like what are your? Joe mentioned some of her tools. What are the tools that you love to use that are AI-based?

Speaker 3:

Well, not to be the back-in-my-day guy.

Speaker 1:

Back in your day.

Speaker 3:

Well, as much as possible. I don't use AI to drop my emails if I can help it, but if it's something that's really long, I would use AI Probably. I just use Gemini to do stuff.

Speaker 1:

Why Gemini over ChatGPT? Just out of curiosity, Because those are similar products.

Speaker 3:

It's free and faster and it's like a similar.

Speaker 1:

Do you know that? I pay for the advanced Gemini version for our virtual rock star. As a side note, you have access to the highest level of virtual. This might be Seth. We might want to cut this, but just so you know we have access to the highest level. I don't know that.

Speaker 3:

I don't know that we I don't know that. I don't know that we're paying for anything right now. I'm just very manual the way that I source people. Okay, so there's this AI tool called Vivian. I'm not sure if you know that it's a recruiting tool that just screens resumes for you.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, that's, vivian, what you have to use because you have hundreds of applicants.

Speaker 1:

for every open position that you hire for, you have hundreds of applicants, so you use some AI to help you screen.

Speaker 3:

To some degree, yeah, but there's nothing beats like you just screening the resume, because sometimes there's a lot of times that AI gets it wrong just picks up a few words and then calls it a good buyer. So what we use in our ATS it's called Zoho. I'm pretty sure you know that you pay for it To some degree. There is an AI function there that ranks the resumes based on how qualified they are for the position, and I'm not sure how it does that, but sometimes I use it. I I rent their resumes, but I would still need to use my human eye, my own discernment, to, um, judge these resumes based on how good they would fit for the role, because ai doesn't catch stuff like longevity or, uh, you know, yeah, all of like human nuances that are part of your personal background and experience.

Speaker 1:

Almost the feel of it, yeah.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, there's just like I said. There's just some stuff that AI cannot replicate. It can catch words, like on the skills part of the resume. It can catch, like, let's just say, emrs. It picks up a certain EMR and places that candidate very high up the list. But then again you take a look at the resume and see, oh, this candidate has been jumping from job to job within the last few months. Even They've had three jobs in the past six months and to me that's not as attractive as what AI is telling me six months and to me that's not as attractive as what AI is doing. So I guess that would be the most relevant AI application that I use in my job, but pretty much everything is manual I do.

Speaker 1:

I love that. All right. So I want to now ask you guys what is a part of your job that you wish AI could take over, and what's a part of your job that you hope AI will never touch? I'll start with Joe. I'll go first.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Insurance verification. Please Take it away.

Speaker 1:

Take it away. Okay, you know, it's just calling these insurance companies.

Speaker 2:

It's just calling these insurance companies. It's just taking a lot of time. Oh, it's horrible. Yeah, the waiting line on the phone is like over 30 minutes, when, in fact, if we have AI who would run insurance verification, can do it in a minute. So I really pray and hope that we do have an AI for insurance verification and authorization request as well, so that would take a lot of you know, the stuff from our shoulders. And then what I wish AI wouldn't take away is still the check-in process.

Speaker 1:

Because you have a very personal human. You guys are patient, facing on screens like you're very progressive. You don't want that to go away.

Speaker 2:

No, I don't, Because having a relationship with a patient, it's something that is vital to our jobs. My virtual assistants they feel very connected when they talk to patients. Like most of the patients in the PTs are going there twice a week. Twice a week they practically know each other. Like when they see each other in the screen they would say, oh, how did your week go? You said you were going to be on vacation. What happened then? So it's something that is again taking them out of the routine task every day. Just having a conversation with those patients is something very refreshing in experiencing our day-to-day task. So no, I don't wish for that to go away.

Speaker 1:

It's interesting because a lot of people, when I talk to very successful progressive people, joe, they tell me they're like well, I don't want to work with VAs because I'm worried about losing the human touch. Isn't that so funny? That the thing that you hope AI never touches is the fact that you guys are owning the human touch so well and in that practice we've seen increases in percentages of arrival. So I love that you shared that, andre. Same question.

Speaker 3:

Okay. So if there's one thing that I wish AI could do better, it's screening resumes, but on a human level, like you want that off your plate.

Speaker 1:

You would love for it just to be like here's your best 10.

Speaker 3:

Yes, exactly, not just keyword matching or checking for buzzwords, but actually sensing the potential in someone Like can this person grow with the client? Are they a good cultural fit? Are they hungry, coachable and adaptable? Those are the things that don't always show on paper and I'm not sure how AI would do that, but maybe in the future, right, I'd love it if AI could just handle the initial grunt work, just sift through the noise shortlist based off of values or soft skills that align with what clients need, and that just neatly slot interviews into one block of my calendar, like choose your interview power hour back-to-back high potential candidates go. That would be amazing.

Speaker 1:

Oh, freaking cool. I love that.

Speaker 3:

Even with all that automation. Well, I don't think I'd ever want to fully give up that human connection. For me, recruiting just isn't about matching skills I am a big proponent of that. It's about seeing people, their energy, their communication, their passion. I still want to be the one that taught the, guide them, and it's a root for them. That part, that's the part that AI just can't replace and honestly, I wouldn't want it to. But maybe someday in the future where AI could develop feelings of its own.

Speaker 1:

I think that's an interesting perspective because right now again, what's interesting? When people look at AI versus VAs, there's this like conception for many beginners that VAs is a distancing from the relationship because people aren't physically in a room Not that that doesn't create challenges, but there's definitely still a human. As long as you get the right human, it's going to be more than fine. If the AI ever gets to that point where it can match that, I have a feeling that the world will be at such an advanced place that most people don't have to work. We're probably going to have more than enough food and water and shelter and opportunity to live a different life. But until then, I agree, that connection just can't go away.

Speaker 1:

All right, let's get into our rapid fire. We're at the end of our podcast. We're gonna do some rapid fire a little bit different with YouTube versus what we're doing across the board, because I want it to be more VA specific. So let's answer as briefly and quickly as we can. We're going to go Joe, then Andre, and then we'll reverse it just to kind of match it up. So, Joe, starting with you, what's your favorite part of the job?

Speaker 2:

Talking to my VAs.

Speaker 1:

Talking to your VAs, andre.

Speaker 3:

Connecting people with the right opportunities.

Speaker 1:

Love that. What's the least favorite task you still have to do? Andre, I guess you answered it.

Speaker 3:

Same. Sometimes it might end up being a bad hire and I have to do it all over again.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, repetition in the work. Got it, joe. What's your least favorite task? You still have to do.

Speaker 2:

You know it. Insurance verification Verification.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, all right. What's the one thing that made you cry, happy or sad, since becoming a VA? Joe, happy tears, but what was one thing that made you cry, happy or sad, since?

Speaker 2:

becoming a VA. Jo Happy tears.

Speaker 1:

But what was one thing that made you cry?

Speaker 2:

My VA telling me how much time she has now when she has a toddler. She has more time with her toddler. She's crying and just bawling. She can't believe she got a job like this.

Speaker 1:

Wow, wow, andre.

Speaker 3:

Okay, so this is not really rapid fire, but there's this one time where there's this VA that just thanked me. She was on our candidate pool for like two months and then she told me that I really want to thank you because it's been months since we've had something decent to eat and wow, that's so humbling to me, Wow.

Speaker 1:

It's been.

Speaker 3:

Wow, Like that. Maybe I didn't cry like actual tears, but emotionally I was really humbled. I was like, oh, that it's that kind of impact that we are putting out.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I love that. I'm going to answer it because I feel like I need you guys to know. For me, it was when I met you guys in person in the Philippines. That day, that night, I got on my knees and just thank God that I got a chance to meet you guys. All right, moving on Number 18. Okay, let's get into this next question. Jo, if your practice owner is listening right now, what's one thing you'd want them? What would you like to say to them?

Speaker 2:

I just want to thank them for letting me be a part of the organization, like, really be a part of the organization. They gave me authorization, they gave me liberty to make decisions for the business, and I'm just so happy to be a part of it.

Speaker 1:

Oh Jo, that's great. Well, I am going to have to change that answer to that previous question.

Speaker 2:

I just want to add something to that? Will I just want to add something to that? I think it's because of your leadership. That's why the business owners, the culture that we set you set for all the clients that we have. They have the same drive and the same attitude towards their VAs. I think it's what sets our rock star VA apart. It's because you embody the culture with the clients and the clients would also embody it through their BAs. That's why we feel so valued and seen. We feel so seen, valued and very important. So I thank you for that because, you know, not all the agency owners would exert the effort to you know, to have their culture passed on to the clients. Not everybody does that. So I really want to thank you for that.

Speaker 1:

Well that that means a lot to me. It was one of the reasons I was so excited to have you on the show. You're a people that I want to be like, um, so that means a lot to me, and I I will tell you this, and I want the rock stars to hear this too is that this is what happens when we hire great people, is they see the good in us. I've had employees Joe and Andre that thought I was the worst, and there was a time where that was probably true, but I will tell you that the biggest difference in terms of value for me, in terms of like my purpose, has been to just surround myself with people who see the good side of me and believe in that. And let me just tell you it is so easy you guys make it so easy to see the good side and what's potential for you. So, rock stars, as you're listening, that's what's possible when we hire great people. They, they are able to see the good and help you overcome the challenges that you face, which, for me, are many.

Speaker 1:

Joe and Andre, I can't thank you enough. I have to. I have to now pivot this to the question I'm asking at the end of all of these episodes and honestly answer. It's the final definitive question of the interview. Is it VA or is it?

Speaker 2:

AI. It's definitely a co-lamb, ai x VA co lamb. Looking forward to it.

Speaker 1:

Hey, seth, the wonderful and powerful creative specialist. Let's mark that on the screen for the YouTubers and the people who are watching this podcast, keeping tally of the score. Yeah, I want to thank you both for everything. I don't even know how to begin to thank you other than just to say, at least for now, for being on the show and being yourselves and for all the amazing work you do. The lives that both of you change are many, and it's not lost on the people who are fortunate enough to get to work with both of you. I would love to just turn it over some parting words. Final messages Jo.

Speaker 2:

Well, if you're a VA and you're watching this podcast or you're listening to this podcast, just be brave, go out there, explore. There's a lot of opportunities in the VA world. So you just got to equip yourself with skills. Don't be afraid to apply into your resume and just build your confidence from zero. Not everyone is confident at first, but as you build yourself, you talk to different people, you try and try. You'll get there someday and you'll experience the best, highest paying jobs, the best of the both worlds, because you have time for yourself and for your family.

Speaker 1:

Man, such a great closing words. Thanks for tuning into the Willpower Podcast. As always, this is Will Humphries, reminding you to lead with love, live on purpose and never give up your freedom. Until next time.

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