Blog about Virtual Assistant, Outsourcing, KPO, BPO and China

(CNN) — The Internet has revolutionized many business sectors and has single-handedly created one — virtual assistance.

In recent years, thousands have switched their corporate jobs to work as virtual assistants for new bosses they may never actually meet. As independent contractors, they are engaged in all kinds of work ranging from bookkeeping, travel arrangements via phone, e-mail or fax, data entry, tax advice, accountancy to technology support. In spite of the fact that some bosses are only just coming to realize that administrative support can easily be done virtually, virtual assistance is in vogue.

Virtual assistance services have sprung up in such countries as the US, Australia, Canada and the UK. And the industry is now so popular that trade groups and websites begin to assist virtual assistants and try to attract potential clients.

The popularity of virtual assistance is attributable to the following two factors.

First of all, it is cost-effective. Employers are exempt from paying for extra office space, furniture, equipment or software, as well as additional cost for training, pensions or work insurance.

Secondly, virtual assistance sometimes can help employers make full use of time differences to meet deadlines.

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At about half past two yesterday afternoon when we were working busily in our office at 40 floor, we felt the tremor of the building, or rather tremor from the earth. The entire building started to sway to and fro, back and forth, which brought us a strong sense of dizziness. Several minutes later, we managed to get down to the ground and joined the crowd waiting for the earthquake to calm down.

Fortunately, the quake died off about ten minutes later. When we went back to our office safe and sound, our technical team manager Jerry Xu was proud to announce that none of our servers, databases or company network infrastructureor was affected even in the slightest degree. “We have always regarded stability of our servers and company network infrastructureor as the top priority for our company. Only by guarantying this can we provide our clients with the most reliable services,” he said.

Hours later, word came that the epicenter Sichuan province in Southwest China had suffered gravely from the 7.8-magnitude quake. The powerful earthquake had claimed nearly 10,000 lives till this morning and most victims are in Sichuan. Hearing this tragic news, James Huang, our CEO and founder of BPOVIA Ltd, decided immediately to donate $1000 relief money to the disaster area hit by the quake. “Companies should not concern themselves with making profits only. Do something for the society is also necessary,” said James.

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After the announcement of the direct air route between Beijing and Seattle, China’s Hainan Airlines together with Berlin airport announced plans to begin direct flights between Beijing and Berlin from September.

From September 5th, Hainan Airlines will start to offer four non-stop flights a week between the two capital cities employing Airbus A33—200 aircraft. The new route will shorten travel hours to less than nine hours.

By then, Berlin will be the fourth German city to have direct flights to China following Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf.
On the part of China, the launch of the new route will help enhance economic, cultural and tourism cooperation between China and Germany and contribute to the friendly cooperation between the capital cities.

And on the part of Germany, the direct route is of great importance in promoting exchanges and cooperation between Germany and China as well as other Asian countries, bringing potential economic benefits to Berlin.

By opening more convenient air routes to Europe, China extends its welcome hands to more countries worldwide. Likewise, BPOVIA Ltd, with its excellent virtual assistants and professional consultation services, always welcomes every client, old and new alike and tries its best to facilitate his business processes in the country.

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Compared with the fourth quarter last year, sales of smartphone in the Chinese market in the first quarter saw a 4.8% growth.

The average price of a smartphone in China is around 2,470 yuan. Compared with high-end ones, low-end smartphones enjoy much wider popularity among buyers. And smartphone produced by Nokia and Motorola took up 85.9% of the market share.

In terms of sales volume, the market saw a record of 8.24 million units in the first quarter, accounting for 19.1% of all types of cellphones sold on the domestic market. And sales revenue stood at 20.4 billion yuan in the first three months, registering an increase of 7.6% over the same period last year.

The Chinese consumer market is in full swing in recent years, which is to a large extent attributable to the rapidly developing economy of the country and growing purchasing power of the Chinese people. Such a robust and huge potential market naturally attracts business people around the world like a strong magnet. For any businessman who is interested in the Chinese market and looking for assistance to facilitate business processes in the country, BPOVIA Ltd based in China, with its excellent virtual assistants and professional consultation services, can always be the source.

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The first direct air route between Beijing and Seattle, the commercial and technology center in the north-western Pacific, will be launched on June 9th by Hainan Airlines. This will be the fastest air link between China and the US.

The new route will be operated by Airbus A330-200s, each of which contains 36 business classes and 186 economic classes, meeting passengers’ different demands.

The direct route will shorten the original 16-hour flight to 11 hours, making travels on the two sides of the Pacific more convenient. Flights are scheduled to operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Hainan Airlines will have return tickets with the competitive price of RMB2580 on sale from June 9th to June the 30th and single tickets from Beijing to Seattle priced at RMB3990 during June 9th and October 31st.

On May 8th, Hainan Airlines signed an agreement with the well-known NBA of the US to jointly promote the popularity of the new air route and the legendary player of NBA Gary Payton is invited as the ambassador of the Seattle line.

This air route will provide overseas business people with much easier access to China to explore its markets and search for business opportunities. In the same way, BPOVIA Ltd based in China connects our clients with the country by offering reliable and professional consultations and virtual assistant services.

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According to a report by Beijing-based CCID Consulting, sales of flat screen TVs in China soared 71% year-on-year to 2.98 million sets in the first quarter.

In terms of sales volume, Samsung ranked first in the liquid crystal field, followed by Hisense and Skyworth. Sales of 32-inch liquid crystal flat screen TVs took up less than 35% of the total while sales of 40-inch and above sets exceeded 35%. And it is estimated that flat screen TV sales will total 9.26 million sets this year, 11.57 million in 2009 and 15.71 million in 2010.
Regarding revenues, sales of flat screen TVs grew to 60.6% year-on-year to 24.64 billion yuan.

“The surge owes much to the upcoming 2008 Olympics as consumers brought forward their purchase plans and favored bigger sets,” CCID senior analyst Tian Xiaona.

China’s consumer market is rapidly expanding due to the increasingly strong purchasing power of the people. This unfolds great opportunities for business people world wide. For all those interested in exploring the Chinese market, BPOVIA Ltd based in China can always be the source. With our talented team offering consultation and virtual assistant services, our clients can expect the most professional services in the business process outsourcing circle.

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The BPO industry is developing fast in the world, especially in India where the annual growth rate is estimated to be 50 percent. However, there are some problems that cannot be ignored in the sound progress of BPO industry, such as human resource management.

The main challenge for HR professionals, said James Huang, CEO of BPOVIA Ltd, is how to manage a large number of people at a very short time. A HR professional has to handle heavy pressures in the BPO sector as the requirement needs keep changing on an hourly basis. With the help of some parameters, such as the certificate launched by NASSCOM, it’s neither difficult to choose top-level managers nor freshers. HR policies should also be customized to brand building, for human resources are becoming human relations with more emphasis on emotional bonding.

Compared with India, China’s BPO industry is not fully developed, but is catching up in many aspects. BPOVIA Ltd is just one of the competitors, who are taking an active part in Chinese business development.

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According to statistics released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China imported 103,200 vehicles in the first quarter this year, a 74.54% increase year on year.

A total of 28,534 off-road vehicles with 3.0-liter engines or above, with an average unit price of $40,900, were imported in the first quarter, soaring 262.57% compared with the same period in the previous year.

In addition, the country also imported 16,624 cars with 3.0-liter engines or above during the period, up 75.28% year on year. The average unit price reached a higher $57,900. Imports of luxury auto brands such as Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, Volvo and the latecomer Infiniti, increased a sharp 82% in the first quarter.

“Buying imported vehicles as a second option is a growing trend among affluent people,” said Xu Di, director of marketing department at China Automobile Trading Co Ltd.

In terms of sales, a Guangzhou-based Audi dealership witnessed a 230% year-on-year sales growth in the first quarter. Huang Weiwen, marketing director of the distributor, pointed out the luxury car market is slightly affected by economic depression and high-end consumers’ consumption temptation is also not very seriously impacted by the gloomy stock and property markets.

For businessmen around the globe, China, with the strong purchasing power of consumers, means a huge potential market to tap. To facilitate your businesses in the country, BPOVIA Ltd is always ready to provide you with the most professional services in consultation and virtual assistants.

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With sales dropping at home, Yum! Brands Inc, owner of the Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut brands, is planning to expand its business in the Chinese market, which could make the country its biggest source of profit within a decade.

KFC was the first foreign fast food company to move into China, opening its first outlet in 1987. Since then, Yum has become China’s biggest restaurant chain with $2 billion of annual sales and over 2,500 KFC and Pizza Hut outlets.

But like many foreign firms in China, the US fast food giant has discovered it can’t just rely on a foreign brand name for growth and must instead adapt to local tastes and lifestyles. By offering a menu with dishes similar to the food that tens of thousands of Chinese have every day, Yum boosted its sales by 12% in the first quarter, while those in other international destinations and the US were 5% and 3% respectively.

And now Yum intends to increase its lead and plans to add 425 restaurants in China this year while McDonald’s, its nearest rival in the country, has said it aims to open at least 125 stores in the country in 2008.

Yum CEO David Novak has said he envisages eventually having over 20,000 restaurants in China. “We’re in the first inning of a nine-inning ball game in China,” Novak said recently. He also has predicted China’s contribution could reach 40% by 2017, exceeding 30% for the US by then.

So far, investors are welcoming the China strategy. Operating profit of Yum’s China division surged 30% to $375 million last year, accounting for over a quarter of the firm’s total operating profit of $1.36 billion, which rose 8%.

Nowadays, with its sound economic performance and huge potential market, China has attracted many overseas business people to invest and do business in the country. Then how to achieve the highest possible efficiency in a foreign country? Maybe virtual assistants can be the best choice. BPOVIA Ltd based in China can always be the source for businessmen interested in exploring the Chinese market.

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Data recently released by Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that China has become Australia’s largest two-way trading partner (imports and exports of both goods and services) in 2007.

Total trade with China in 2007 grew 15% to 58 billion dollars (54.8 billion US dollars). Australia’s exports of goods to China rose 17% to 23.8 billion dollars, while services exports grew 18% to 3.9 billion dollars, given the strong growth in Chinese student enrolments.

Simon Crean, Australian Minister for Trade, said that the trade figures are a milestone in the development of Australia’s trading relationship with China.

“These figures show there is much potential for our trade to grow even further, which is why we are working hard to negotiate a free trade agreement with China,” Crean said in a statement. “We have made good progress in negotiating that agreement over the past month, and I look forward to further progress at our next talks in June.”

As is demonstrated by the trading figures, China has come into closer contact with other countries and regions in the world. For all business people looking for channels to get into the Chinese market, BPOVIA Ltd based in China can always be the source. Here clients can expect not only professional consultation services but also excellent virtual assistant services.

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