The BPO Industry in the Philippines

Filipinos are considered the best when it comes to work ethic and the ability to offer professional-level services that meet the clients’ needs and standards. Hence, despite the raging pandemic, BPO companies are still a go-to solution for many businesses. Filipinos can efficiently handle different tasks, especially when it comes to small businesses. 

With hundreds of established agencies settled in the country, the Philippines is ranked second among the top 8 countries for outsourcing business today. The most outsourced services to the Philippines are customer service, data entry, and other BPO services. And in line with these, the head of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) projects that the BPO sector may soon overtake overseas Filipino workers (OFW) remittances in terms of growth.

Why Hire a Filipino Virtual Assistant?

The BPO industry in the country has been active since the early 1990s. And despite all the local and global issues threatening the stability of the BPO-KPO industries in the Philippines, Filipino BPO employees and companies remain unfazed. With great talent and supportive government, it’s no surprise that the Filipino outsourcing industry is booming now. Below are some of the reasons Filipino workers are the top pick in the BPO industry.  

1. English Language Proficiency

The Philippines considers English as a second language. Therefore, most Filipinos can speak and write in English. Regardless of people’s educational attainment, Filipinos know at least the basics of conversational English. 

Hiring a Filipino assistant with English-language proficiency can benefit your business. They can initiate warm interactions with diverse clientele and be good listeners that can help minimize misunderstandings that might otherwise arise.

2. Human Resource Availability 24/7

The Philippine outsourcing workforce is geared toward providing services 24/7. Filipino staff can easily adjust, so they can work during the work hours in different time zones. This is one of the reasons time zone differences are not an issue for any outsourcing business in the Philippines.

3. Cost Effectiveness

The Philippines is one of the most cost-effective labor hubs for IT and BPO services in the world. Filipinos really strive to produce high-quality work, yet the cost of labor is surprisingly low. This remains to be the best reason global companies choose the Philippines for outsourcing services. Labor is cheaper but the quality of service is still at a very high level.

4. Ensured Data Security and Privacy

Security concerns are essential in every business. In line with this, the workforce in the Philippines adopts the strictest of foreign data privacy acts. As a result, you can be assured that your business will have a smooth transition when opting for these services. You can finally outsource companies in the Philippines without any worries.

5. Excellent Work Ethic

No one is more resilient than Filipinos—working under pressure is not a problem for them. In fact, Filipinos are responsible, dependable and hardworking. And when they need to work beyond the normal working hours, they can thrive just the same.

List of Virtual Assistant Tasks

If you are looking to work with a Filipino virtual assistant, you might ask yourself what kind of tasks you can outsource. Find out how you can outsource your tasks to a Filipino virtual assistant.

1. Outsourcing Filipino Virtual Assistants Social Media

Having a social media virtual assistant will help you navigate the ins and outs of business accounts. To keep up with the demands of regular engagement that come with an effective social media strategy, you should hire a dedicated social media virtual assistant.

Tasks you can outsource to a social media virtual assistant

• Creating profiles on social media
• Developing images that are related with the brand
• Posting schedule and management
• Curating material and image sources

2. Outsourcing Filipino Virtual Assistants Data Entry

The primary responsibility of a remote data entry assistant is to maintain accurate records of important company information. This could range from a wide variety of things, such as customer accounts, leads, and numerous other things. 

Tasks you can outsource to a data entry virtual assistant

• Invoicing
• Managing data in Excel
• Transferring data from paper formats into computer files or database systems
• Typing in data provided directly from customers
• Creating spreadsheets with large numbers of figures 

3. Outsourcing Filipino Virtual Assistants Digital Marketing

Digital marketing virtual assistants work on and manage your social media and online presence. Tasks might include all related digital marketing activities. They are also responsible for developing, organizing, and planning marketing strategies and campaigns online. 

Digital marketers also focus on boosting target audience engagement, lead generation, and enhancing brand visibility. They are experts at getting the attention of potential and existing customers through online platforms and devices.

Tasks you can outsource to a digital marketing virtual assistant

• Content Creation
• Graphic Design
• Backlink Generation
• Building Buyer Persona
• Social Media Management

4. Outsourcing Filipino Virtual Assistants Graphic Design

When you outsource design, you get access to a huge pool of talented designers. If you want to get the graphics design work done in a simple way yet with good quality, then you can now outsource most design jobs with great design at affordable prices. 

Graphic design is something more than aesthetics. It’s also a business strategy that attracts customers to brands and drives advertising. That’s why it’s important to hire a graphic designer who specializes in image editing and designing.

Tasks you can outsource to a graphic design virtual assistant

• Logos/Videos
• App Design
• Infographics  
• Motion Graphics
• Website Design or Blog Graphics

5. Outsourcing Filipino Virtual Assistants Web Development

When you outsource web development, you are hiring a third party that will take care of your web development projects, whether partially or entirely. Thus, outsourcing companies will provide you with elite web engineers, established development processes, and cross-industry experience to boost your web development and take your projects to the next level.

Tasks you can outsource to a web development virtual assistant

• PHP developers
• Java developer
• Database administration

Things to Consider Before Hiring a Filipino Virtual Assistant

When outsourcing to the Philippines, you must have a clear idea of what you want to outsource or before going ahead and hiring a VA. Here are some things to consider before hiring a Filipino virtual assistant.

1. Make a list of your needs.

Make a list of the tasks you need to complete and you’ll start to get a clear picture of the type of dedicated virtual assistant you want to hire.

2. Decide on your budget.

You may be tempted to pay the lowest rate possible. However, remember that higher quality, skilled VAs will charge higher rates. You often get what you pay for and hiring a quality VA will offer you much more value.

3. Create a clear and precise system for giving tasks to your virtual assistant.

Giving clear and documented instructions to your personal assistant can save you time in the long run. You can save the documented data for ongoing use. When you hire another virtual assistant, you can just simply relay the instructions to the new VA.

4. Hire a VA who can multitask and still produces quality output.

Consider hiring a virtual assistant who can do every task you’ll give him or her, instead of a person who is only best on a specific task. Hiring someone with good skills at delivering various services cannot only help you in your business. Additionally, you also save more money.

5. Hire VAs from a trusted outsourcing company.

As with any business strategy, it’s crucial to make wise decisions when it comes to outsourcing. Virtual assistants from the Philippines are the most trusted workers in the world. One of the things to consider is working with a skilled professional.