Blackwood Financial Solutions

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

Hi, I'm Tony Loekenhoff. I'm one of the founding directors of Blackwood Financial Solutions. We are a broking business based in Melbourne, focusing on self-employed clients. We started the business around ten years ago, and all of our brokers and founders are ex-commercial bankers from the Australian banking system.

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

A decision to look into the market for VAs was brought about by a number of factors. The first was that our business was experiencing growth, and we felt we had a roof over our business that was stopping us from continuing to climb. This was combined with frustration with some of the employment market in Australia, where the younger generation—who would be suitable for admin roles—were seeking to move through these positions very quickly. They thought they could become brokers six months after they started, and we became very frustrated. Additionally, we were automating our processes to make our roles easier. It made sense to then go to the market to seek out some virtual assistance.

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

When we first started with our first virtual assistant, we selected VA Platinum as our preferred partner in this area after undertaking quite a search to find who we thought would be the best fit for us. We spoke to virtual assistant companies in different parts of the world and settled on VA Platinum. A lot of that decision was based on the very friendly nature of Philippine English and the proposition that VA Platinum offered us. Despite that, we were still quite concerned. It was unknown territory for us. We didn't know what to expect or how much training we would have to invest in our team. Would they be able to deal directly with our clients? There were all sorts of unknowns when taking on a VA for the first time.

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

For us, the VAs have been fantastic—not just in performing their tasks, but in their involvement in process improvement. We initially felt that we would need to drive the process improvement while they would just handle the tasks. However, we have found that by involving our VAs in the business, they have been able to lead the way in making our processes more efficient and enhancing our client delivery experience.

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

My tip for any brokers starting their journey with VAs would be to invest in your staff, whether they are in Australia or virtual assistants. Invest in their training and make them feel like a part of your business. Treat them exactly how you would treat an Australian staff member, and that will ensure you get the best out of them.

How’s your overall Cebu Trip?

This is my second time in Cebu. This time, it's been more about spending time with our VAs and their families, getting to know them better, with less sightseeing for me. On my first trip, I saw some of the sights of Cebu, went out to a couple of the islands, and had some leisure time. This time has been more about understanding Cebu as a city, its culture, and connecting with our staff and their families. It's been fantastic.

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

My feedback is generally very positive regarding VA Platinum. We felt very welcome when we visited Cebu. They went beyond the call of duty to make us comfortable, offering arrival assistance, and everything else provided has been fantastic. In terms of our relationship, most of it is directly through the VAs, but we also have a fantastic relationship with our SM and other touchpoints at VA Platinum. As for things that can be improved, we don’t have much to offer. We are very happy with the relationship. In our early days, there was some chopping and changing in SMs, but that has really settled down. In the longer term, we’ve had a very stable relationship with both our staff and our SM.