Metrohm AU

Tell us about your role in the business and how you started.

My name is Jean Pierre Le-Feuvre. I work for a Swiss-based company out of Australia. I started in 2004, so I’ve been here 20-plus years. I wear many hats, including CFO, CIO, and COO, which is my current role at the moment.

What was the trigger or catalyst that made you decide to hire your first VA?

I have a friend in the financial broking industry who spoke about you guys a few years ago. Eventually, I got a hold of Mark in Melbourne, and we had a conversation. It made me feel really comfortable, especially after COVID, and prompted me to think outside the box about how we recruited. And here we are today.

What were your fears or apprehensions when you were starting VA Platinum?

I guess the fear that we had, partly because of COVID, was whether we could work remotely. That was the catalyst that triggered it. The challenge or fear at the beginning was how to communicate everyday processing or back-end support that could be done remotely within a certain time zone. But after COVID, we became more open-minded about it, so it wasn’t too much of a fear then.

What’s an area of the business that you feel needs improvement where your VAs are involved in driving or helping?

Based on the industries you typically deal with, we’re a scientific-based company. We’re somewhat out of the box compared to the finance sector you usually handle. The challenge was implementing roles specific to processing, but we’ve been able to do that quite successfully.

What would you give as a tip to a new client who’s just starting their journey with their VAs?

The fear of sharing your business with someone else can quickly be overcome with a bit of faith because VAP handles onboarding and recruiting very seriously. They think the way we think. Culturally, people are our business, and we have retention because of that. We find the philosophy very similar, so you won’t have that fear.

How’s your overall Cebu trip?

I’ve just flown here from Hong Kong via Australia and arrived at 5 o’clock this morning. I haven’t seen outside yet other than just arriving, having a power nap, and coming straight into the office. So it’s a bit early to say.

Any feedback - good or not for the VA Platinum team in terms of your visit?

I can’t think of anything. They’re quite welcoming and very professional. We’re very happy to work in conjunction with them.