How to Start Outsourcing Your Business to the Philippines: A Complete Guide for SMBs
Outsourcing will feel like an entirely new (unexplored) territory for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). At first, it may be an overwhelming experience, considering that you’re passing some of your essential – yet routine – tasks to remote professionals. But luckily, outsourcing to the Philippines no longer has to be a trial-and-error experience.
Your friends at Outsource My Business will lay out all you need to know to make your outsourcing experience to the Philippines a smoother one.
Advantages of Outsourcing to the Philippines
Before we get to the nitty-gritty, let’s explore how deciding to start outsourcing your business to the Philippines can benefit your SMB.
Cost-effective
SMBs typically operate on a tight budget. Business owners want to capitalise on their limited resources to scale their operations. The best way to do that is through outsourcing.
When outsourcing to the Philippines, you can expect lower pay than local talent, as they have the currency advantage. So you’re paying them a fair salary while simultaneously scaling up your operations.
High-quality service delivery
The Philippines has a diverse talent pool experienced and an expert in their respective fields. When you have specific business needs and require additional help, many Filipino Virtual Assistants with various professional talents and education can assist you in your operational struggles.
Highly skilled workforce
The typical Filipino Virtual Assistant has years of experience working in a professional office environment. The industry experience and educational background have given these VAs the option to offer their remote services to an SMB abroad.
If you’re with a reliable outsourcing agency, you can find well-suited VAs experienced in your line of business.
English proficiency
The Philippines is one of the top countries in Asia with the most proficient English speakers. English is already taught in schools at an early age – so in a way – it’s become a major language in the population.
You don’t have to worry about miscommunication with your VA. They can fluently and professionally speak English.
Compatible work ethics
After working with hundreds of Filipino VAs, we know they’re hardworking. They have strong work ethics and positive attitudes towards professional challenges. Patience and resilience are ingrained into Filipino culture: ideal traits for any growing business.
Flexible hours
A common problem with outsourcing staff to the Philippines is finding a VA who can work flexible hours. But what’s great about Virtual Assistants is it’s quite easy to find one that can adjust to your timezone.
Although Australia and the Philippines almost have a similar timezone and the USA is 10+ hours behind, hiring a Filipino VA to work on your respective timezone won’t be an issue.
How to Outsource Effectively to the Philippines
Now that you know what you’re getting once you start outsourcing your business to the Philippines, let’s focus on how to do it effectively.
Assess your current business needs.
Before you outsource to the Philippines, you must highlight your business needs and objectives. Planning makes it easier for you to find the right VA and outsource the right responsibilities.
Before you outsource, identify which tasks and processes you want your VA to handle. It’s also best to lay out your expectations so everybody is on the same page.
Study the outsourcing market in the Philippines.
Like any other business venture, you must evaluate your success before pursuing new markets. Assess the outsourcing industry in the Philippines to see if it’s the right fit, from regulations to advantages and disadvantages.
Search for a small business outsourcing agency.
One of the most critical steps in effectively outsourcing to the Philippines is searching for the right agency. Because the country is a virtual hub for remote workforce, many have established platforms and agencies to connect international corporations and SMBs with Filipino VAs.
But if you’re a small to medium-sized business looking to scale your operations, look for a reputable agency with experience outsourcing for SMBs like Outsource My Business. Find someone with a proven track record, exceptional communication lines, and a cultural fit.
Look closely into your contracts.
Once you’ve evaluated your business requirements and found the right outsourcing agency, clearly define your expectations, such as responsibilities, project briefs, timelines, and Key Performance Indicators. Make sure to put them in writing, if possible, before you sign your contracts.
Once you and your prospective outsourcing partner are happy with the details after negotiation, you can sign the contract and start your outsourcing project.
Start your outsourcing project.
Remember that your new Virtual Assistant is a remote addition to your in-house team. They will learn how your business operates from top to bottom and become effective team members once ready. If you like, you can also include them in your in-house activities where they could become well acquainted with your company culture.
The key to outsourcing success is to find the right VA – not just for your business objectives – but someone who can foster collaboration within the team.
Continually monitor & evaluate performance.
We recommend continuous performance monitor even though you’ve already built a good working relationship with your outsourced staff. You can schedule regular catchups with your VA to evaluate their performance and monthly progression reports with your outsourcing agency to see if targets get reached.
Communication is the key to success for any business – especially if you’re looking to outsource to the Philippines. Establishing constant communication with your outsourcing partners ensures a healthy and productive work environment.
How to Hire Virtual Assistants from the Philippines
Hiring Virtual Assistants from the Philippines has always been a good solution for SMBs looking to expand their business capabilities cost-effectively. The key is to do it through a reliable outsourced staff agency that can take over your essential (yet routine) tasks.
If done right, you can scale your business in the right direction and expand your capabilities without investing extensive resources.
The steps for hiring Filipino virtual assistants are similar to partnering with an outsourcing agency. Here’s a quick rundown:
- Assess what your VA needs to do. Create a list of tasks you want to outsource to the Philippines to search the right VA much easier.
- Get in touch with Outsource My Business to hire a Filipino VA risk-free.
- Create an implementation plan with your OMB account manager that works for your schedule and requirements.
- Interview VA candidates to see which fits your requirements and culture the best.
- Welcome your new VA to your team.
- Onboard them to their responsibilities. If you like, you can train them for business-specific responsibilities.
- Reclaim your 20+ hours back and invest more time in business growth initiatives.
These steps may look easy, but they can be challenging for small to medium-sized business owners who haven’t tried outsourcing to the Philippines before. But with OMB, you’re in good hands. We’ll be with you every step of the way to success.
Common Outsourcing Problems You Might Encounter + How to Overcome Them
Legal & Tax
Understanding the legal and tax landscape is crucial when outsourcing to ensure smooth operations and avoid potential complications. The factors small and medium-sized business owners should consider when outsourcing to the Philippines are business registration and compliance, employment contracts, labour rights, and tax obligations.
Outsourcing partners like Outsource My Business can take on these responsibilities for you. With a fixed monthly fee, you can enjoy all the benefits of having a VA without worrying about the legalities. Your outsourcing partner will take care of that so you can focus on your business objectives instead.
Data Security
Although remote work has brought many good things to small businesses, there’s still some risk to your data security, considering external networks can access your platforms. You must maintain a certain level of cybersecurity policies and regulations to maintain the integrity of your sensitive data.
Suppose you’re in an industry that handles sensitive customer information like financing. In that case, it’s best to discuss with your outsourcing partner how you can implement your cyber security measures on your VA’s devices and keep them aware of your security policies.
Check-ins & performance reviews
It’s easy to forget to check up on your virtual team members if things are getting done autonomously – more so if you don’t check up on them frequently.
Virtual Assistants are a remote extension of your team, so it’s always best to show them the same treatment as you would your in-house team. Giving regular meeting check-ins and messages fosters a healthy working relationship between the Boss and Team Members – especially if you’re outsourcing to the Philippines.
Arrange regular performance review meetings to show you acknowledge their contributions to your organisation and to catch up.
Open communication
Communication has always been an ongoing challenge for in-house teams, more so for virtual assistants. It’s critical to keep communication lines open as much as possible when you’re managing virtual assistants – especially those with different responsibilities.
One of the crucial contributors to outsourcing success is effective communication and collaboration among all parties involved. Besides email, you can also use chat-based platforms like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Chat for instant messaging.
Train & onboard
Once you’ve hired a new team member (whether in-house or virtual) you will need to train and onboard them on your processes so they’re well acquainted with their responsibilities.
But this can be a struggle for business owners with no time.
Outsourcing partners like OMB can handle the training and onboarding for you so that when your Virtual Assistant starts their first day, they can get on to business immediately.
Major Takeaways of Outsourcing to the Philippines
Many businesses have already started outsourcing to the Philippines because of the advantages it brings to growing companies, from high-quality service delivery to flexible hours. If done right, you scale your business up for success with lower costs (on resources and risks) and higher profits.
Hiring a Virtual Assistant in the might be challenging for first-time outsourcers. Although many succeeded in this venture, there are still considerable risks and commitments to consider.
Partnering with an outsourcing Agency, like Outsource My Business, can help you find the right Virtual Assistant, whether you’re looking to outsource projects or hand over your essential (yet routine) tasks to an outsourcing staff to the Philippines. OMB will assist you in every step of the VA recruitment process and ensure you have the right people to reach your growth potential.
Feel free to contact us and take the first step to success with risk-free outsourcing here at OMB.
