From content creation to software development, many services today can be outsourced to a third-party company. As surprising as it seems, businesses can outsource payroll and have every right to do so. On average, 120 hours are dedicated each year for payroll alone, according to G2. For a business owner like yourself, that’s a lot of time!
After all, payroll is a complex process of not just calculating your employees’ monthly salaries and factoring in their overtime pay, taxes, and benefits. It is also ensuring that all calculations are error-free and payslips are received by employees on time. Businesses that outsource payroll enjoy lower labor and overhead costs and more streamlined payroll processing.
If outsourcing payroll to the Philippines sounds daunting, this detailed guide gives you a glimpse of the country’s culture and outsourcing industry. Later, we’ll teach you how to outsource payroll to an outsourcing company.
Payroll is essential in every business, but it is also a time-consuming process. Typically, companies have in-house payroll specialists who take care of payroll processing. Because some companies lack the resources to employ specialists, they outsource payroll to BPOs for high-quality services without the added cost of hiring locally. Below are five common FAQs businesses have when they outsource payroll to the Philippines.
From the names of employees to bank account numbers, payroll processing involves working with personal data. Given the surge in data breaches in 2023, data protection remains a top priority for companies who plan to outsource payroll.
Thankfully, data privacy and protection are taken seriously in the Philippines. The country’s Data Privacy Act of 2012 — or Republic Act no. 10173 — underscores the need for organizations to ensure sensitive data is safeguarded from unauthorized access and disclosure, lest they face fines and imprisonment.
The country has a lower cost of labor, making payroll outsourcing to the Philippines a cheaper venture than employing in-house payroll specialists. However, outsourcing rates may vary between BPOs as they factor in the salary of payroll employees — which depends on their skill level and experience — the cost of employee benefits, taxes, and many more.
Not at all! Filipinos are fluent in English. They’re exposed to the language through media and the country’s education system — where most subjects are taught in English. As such, Filipinos can write like native English speakers and communicate with a neutral accent. They’re also knowledgeable in common English slang and idiomatic expressions.
Indeed, they can. Many BPOs in the Philippines have worked with clients in different countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Since the Philippines is a melting pot of Eastern and Western cultures because of its colonial past, you won’t face cultural clashes with your offshore Filipino team when you outsource payroll.
Yes! Because BPOs operate 24/7, Filipinos can adapt to your company’s working hours to ensure real-time payroll processing and timely delivery of payslips to employees. When you outsource payroll to the Philippines, you won’t have problems holding virtual meetings and exchanging correspondence with your Filipino team.
Your plan and decision to outsource payroll to a BPO depends on your current company’s payroll workflow and needs. Before you draft a contract and outsource payroll to the Philippines, make sure you have clear answers to the following questions:
Whatever your answers to these questions, they give you an idea of which payroll tasks you need to outsource to the Philippines and help set expectations for your future outsourcing partner.
A contract is always a must when you outsource payroll to the Philippines. It is a document outlining the responsibilities of your business and the BPO company, so both parties know what to expect from each other during their partnership.
List down the scope and limitations of the payroll services you’ll outsource, expected deliverables, and turnaround times. Include the performance metrics in your contract’s service-level agreements (SLA) clause to give your outsourcing partner an idea of how their payroll employees’ performance will be assessed.
Furthermore — in addition to the implementation of security measures and compliance with data protection laws — the data protection and privacy clause must have provisions for the storage, return, and destruction of employee data. Finally, the termination clause includes the conditions and circumstances for ending the partnership.
While writing a contract from scratch is intimidating, you can look up templates online and use them as a reference. Before looking for a BPO to outsource payroll services, consulting a legal professional is recommended to ensure every clause is written clearly and there are no potential conflicts of interest.
Searching for the right BPO to outsource payroll projects is like scouting for the most qualified candidate for a role — it takes time and vetting. If you have a LinkedIn account, ask your network if they know a BPO you can outsource payroll services to. Don’t just stick to LinkedIn, though. Do a Google search for the best BPOs or the top payroll outsourcing companies in the Philippines and read the articles at the top of the search results.
If you’ve found a couple of Philippine-based BPOs you can outsource payroll to, do a thorough background check of each one. Browse their official website for portfolios, case studies, and client testimonials. All these paint a picture of how a BPO processes payroll and works with sensitive employee data.
If the client success stories on a website don’t convince you enough, you can take it a step further by reaching out to an outsourcing company’s previous clients. This method is the most holistic and foolproof way of vetting a company to outsource payroll projects. You can ask the client about their experiences with working with their offshore staff as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their outsourcing partner.
At this point, a few of the BPOs you plan to outsource payroll passed the initial screening. Now, it’s time to inquire and schedule a meeting with your soon-to-be outsourcing partner. Articulate the scope and goals of your payroll projects, and use the meeting to gauge your compatibility with the company. If possible, request a trial period to assess the company’s performance in delivering payrolls.
Unfortunately, not all initial meetings end in contract signing — either there’s a mismatch in values and goals or the BPO doesn’t have enough manpower for your payroll projects. Keep searching and inquiring until you close a deal with a company to outsource payroll.
Welcome your offshore payroll specialists like you would welcome a newly hired in-house payroll specialist. Introduce your company’s payroll processes and payday schedule, inform your new team of your country’s federal or national holiday pays, and provide them access to employee information — including their timesheets, bank account name and number, benefits, overtime, incentives, and PTOs (personal time off).
You can also share your business’s payroll software and provide training materials on how to use it. This way, your Filipino team can accurately calculate your employees’ paychecks using said software and reduce payroll errors when you outsource payroll tasks.
Payroll performance is key to streamlining payroll operations and making employees happy. Use performance metrics to assess whether your Filipino payroll specialists meet your expectations. You can answer these questions too:
In processing payroll, there’s always no room for mistakes so make sure feedback is provided to reduce inaccuracies and errors.
It’s easy to neglect the intricacies of payroll processing. Payroll specialists calculate not just the hours rendered in a day, but also overtime, absenteeism, incentives, and PTOs. From slashing costs to streamlining payroll processes, businesses outsource payroll for many reasons. Thankfully, there are plenty of BPOs in the Philippines that companies abroad can outsource payroll to. One of those BPOs is KDCI.
KDCI onboards payroll specialists with an eye for detail and excellent mathematical skills. In addition to their nuanced understanding of payroll laws to ensure legal compliance, they can juggle multiple tasks and safeguard employee information. With the help of AI, we can optimize your business’ payroll workflow and ensure employee satisfaction across the board.
If you’re looking to outsource payroll in the Philippines, KDCI has what it takes to take your business’ payroll processing to the next level.
Want to outsource payroll and kick off your outsourcing journey with a bang? Contact us and start building your finance and accounting team now!
Did you know that the world has around 7.21 billion smartphones? In China alone, 974.69 million out of 1.43 billion people own a smartphone, with India and the United States following suit at 659 million and 276.14 million users. With people using their phones online for almost four hours, attracting them with a beautifully designed mobile app from the brand itself or mobile app design agency becomes even more crucial.
At this time and age, you’ve probably enjoyed using an app because of its user-friendliness or visually striking interface. You can thank the app designer or a mobile app design agency for that, but you should also give credit to their expertise in mobile app design. Also called mobile UX/UI design, mobile app design refers to the creation of an interface that’s accessible, responsive, and easy to navigate for on-the-go users.
This is no easy feat for any designer or mobile app design agency, as designing a mobile involves not just the placement of the visuals, but also the platform and target demographic. Before we share our roundup of the best mobile app design agencies and exclusive guide on finding a mobile app design agency, let’s tackle the benefits of good mobile app design.
Good design is the foundation of any mobile app. How many times have we uninstalled or left bad reviews on an app because of its clunkiness or unprofessional design? As users, we want a mobile app that gets the job done. After all, any mobile app design agency or freelance mobile app designer knows that mobile app design is not just an art; it’s a practice.
Like people, brands have their own identity. A brand’s identity is reflected in its logo, communication style, choice of colors, and history. All of these are present in the applications developed by in-house designers or a mobile app design agency. Remember, a beautifully designed mobile app integrates such elements well, from the layout of the user interface to the style of writing.
Outside of visuals, ease of navigation is also a critical aspect of mobile app design. If a mobile app is too clunky or cluttered with unnecessary elements when navigating from one page to another, users are more likely to stop using it out of frustration. In addition, accessibility features such as text-to-speech, auto-fill, and one-hand operation help create a better app experience for users with disabilities.
When shopping online, we check reviews to gauge the product’s quality and durability. The same principle applies to mobile apps. When a mobile app design agency or a business designs an attractive app with an accessible user interface, users are compelled to recommend it to their loved ones and leave positive reviews on its app page — greatly boosting your brand image.
Mobile apps are the epitome of convenience, and all the better for a business or a mobile app design agency to integrate mobile features into an application. If you’re designing a shopping app, for example, implementing a visual search functionality that uses the phone’s camera or gallery helps simplify the tedious process of finding a product. Hence, by leveraging smartphone features, there’s less need for customers to use their computers to perform a certain action.
A mobile app design agency is a company that offers app design services to clients. It doesn’t program a mobile application. Rather, a mobile app design agency creates unique, compelling user interfaces, taking into account the colors, placement of the tabs and navigation bars, and screen size to provide a seamless experience for customers. If you’re unfamiliar with mobile app design and don’t have the time to learn the tools of the trade, these mobile app design agencies will take care of your design needs.
Located in Pasig City, Manila, Philippines, KDCI is a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm established in 2011. It has partnered with clients such as Art Brand Studios, Nielsen, Softonic, and many more, offering cost-effective, high-quality graphic design, content creation, and many other services. Like any reputable mobile app design agency, KDCI designs mobile applications across various platforms with user-friendliness, creativity, and originality in mind.
The company also trains and onboards employees with excellent complex problem-solving skills and a solid grasp of UI and UX design. With KDCI’s team of mobile app developers and designers, businesses can provide their customers with functional, well-designed mobile apps that make a long-lasting first impression and maintain brand identity.
Founded in 2009, DottyStyle Creative is an independent company that excels in digital product creation. Working with clients from and outside the Philippines, the digital production agency boasts a diverse portfolio of landing pages, website design, mobile app development, and design projects. All of which reflect the unique identity of each brand and the web and the team’s competence in UI and UX design. Dottystyle Creative has offices based in Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand.
Pixelmojo is a Makati, Philippines-based website and mobile app design agency founded by Lloyd and Marc — referred to as Pixel and Mojo, respectively. With clientele consisting of Saas (software as a service) businesses, the development agency has helped these clients establish a customer-attracting brand identity, convert leads from a landing page, and improve customer satisfaction and retention, to name a few.
Thanks to Pixelmojo’s expertise in mobile app and UI and UX design and intelligent use of analytics to make optimal design choices, a SaaS company's mobile app will not only be more functional and eye-catching, but it will also retain and adopt more users. The website and mobile app design agency’s forward-looking approach enables its clients to scale and ensure their business’s competitiveness and relevance in the future.
Based in Cebu City, Philippines, Symph is a company founded by three men: Dave Overton, Dan Pantinople, and Albert Padin — who are CEO, CDO (chief design officer), and CTO (chief technology officer) of the web and mobile app design agency, respectively.
Since its founding in 2010, Symph has partnered with local and overseas clients in various industries to deliver services in design, website and e-commerce store creation, and web and mobile application development. The web and mobile app design agency’s human-centered approach to mobile app design ensures that the needs and expectations of clients and users are at the forefront of their applications.
Headquartered in Muntinlupa City, Philippines, 1902 Software Development Corporation is a long-standing website and mobile app design agency founded by Dane Peter Skouhus, the agency’s president. Since its inception in 1998, 1902 Software Development Corporation has collaborated with clients based not just in the Scandinavian region, but also in Asia, Oceania, and other parts of Europe.
The website and mobile app design agency’s foray into mobile app development started in 2012, beginning with the creation of the company’s own Mobile App department and the provision of native development for two platforms: Windows and iOS. Native development for Android and Xamarin-based cross-platform development followed suit in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
1902 Software Development Corporation’s Android and iOS app design process follows a collaborative approach and meticulous project planning. User experience and Baymard Institute’s research insights are successfully interwoven into the company’s mockups and prototypes, boasting their design prowess as a reputable mobile app design agency.
Operating in the capital city of Manila, VenderIT Information Technology Solutions’ product catalog mainly comprises digital products and services — which include graphic design, video creation, and mobile app UI/UX design — and comprehensive mobile app and website solutions for businesses. The IT and mobile app design agency offers a subscription-based e-commerce package, too.
Any mobile app design agency can promise quality outputs, higher ratings, and improved customer retention rates. When searching for the right mobile app design agency to work with, you can’t go wrong with a background check.
Browse the company’s website and portfolio or services catalog. Client testimonials also give insights into a mobile app design agency’s professionalism, quality of work, and the results and impact of their design services on the business. You may also contact the client for more insights on their relationship with the mobile app design agency.
It’s not just the portfolio and testimonials you must factor in your search, but also the compatibility of your business’s goals and values and that of your preferred mobile app design agency.
If you’re looking for a mobile app design agency or creative agency in the Philippines, it’s recommended to familiarize yourself with Filipino values. This way, you have an idea of how Filipino employees work with their peers and foreign clients. If you’re lucky, you can find a Philippine-based mobile app design agency that accepts trial periods.
Mobile apps are the technological staples of everyday life. Without them, we won’t be able to shop, initiate transactions, stream music and videos, or communicate with our loved ones at our fingertips. Unfortunately, the competition to stand out from the sea of aesthetically and poorly designed mobile apps is an uphill battle.
This is why working with the best BPO company, app design agency, or mobile app design agency is worth the investment. A BPO and mobile app design agency is equipped with the technology, background, skills, and mindset to design a captivating yet functional app.
At KDCI, we offer software development services for mobile applications for different platforms and work with QA testers to ensure your app is free of technical issues.
Don’t let your mobile app remain a dream. Contact us and let’s make it a reality!
Trends refer to patterns that emerge, develop, and fade over time. Of course, no industry is spared from the power of trends — including customer support. Customer service is essential to any business, hence why it’s the backbone. Without customer support, people won’t be able to get the help they need.
With the ubiquity of AI and other advanced technologies, customer support has metamorphosed from a “must-have” into a pivotal element of any business strategy. Presently, customers have high expectations for a brand’s customer support. Most of them (73%) are ready to jump ship to another competitor if customers have repeatedly experienced low-quality customer support, as reported by Zendesk.
As customer needs evolve and new trends emerge, businesses must keep up to ensure their delivery of customer support remains timely, responsive, and satisfactory. Below are six customer support trends every entrepreneur must know.
Omnichannel customer service support provides a seamless, consistent, and integrated customer care experience through various communication channels. For example, if you talk to a customer service agent via phone and suddenly have an urgent meeting, you can continue the conversation through live chat without repeating your query.
Omnichannel customer support, though, is different from multichannel customer service. Although the latter offers multiple ways to contact customer service, it doesn’t provide an integrated experience compared to omnichannel support. This means you’ll have to repeat your query every time you contact customer support through any of its communication channels. In other words, you can’t continue where you left off. For many customers, it’s frustrating — and rightfully so.
That’s why omnichannel customer support is superior to multichannel support. Not only is the former more interconnected and personalized, but it’s also more customer-centric. Of course, with customer-centricity comes increased customer satisfaction and retention. According to Invesp, 89% of a company’s customer base is retained due to omnichannel support. On the other hand, businesses without omnichannel support can cost them a 10% loss in revenue.
Messaging is also a rising trend in customer support. While messaging has had a profound impact on customer service — especially with the surge of customers using WhatsApp — during the COVID-19 pandemic, it will not go away anytime soon. In fact, most customers (74%) who contacted companies via messaging in 2020 expressed their intent to use this medium of communication moving forward.
Besides the popularity of instant messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, they also help reduce the hassle of customers finding your business’s email address or enduring long wait times. Plus, the ability to send media files ensures ease of communication and resolution of issues for both the customer and the customer service support agent. Because messaging is a form of asynchronous communication, customers can take their time crafting a response, and customer support agents can attend to other queries and maintain their productivity.
Despite the criticisms surrounding the use of AI, there’s no denying its role in our lives and even customer support. For customer service agents, AI is a huge productivity boost designed to streamline operations and minimize manual tasks; for customers, AI is a tool that provides them the much-needed convenience of instant customer support. One popular AI tool is AI agents.
Though AI agents and chatbots are powered by AI, It’s important to differentiate between the two. Chatbots involve decision trees and follow scripted responses. This means they’re designed for routine customer support tasks, such as answering simple FAQs or providing order updates. If you try to go off-script and converse with a chatbot like a human agent, it will not understand what you’re saying. Unfortunately, a chatbot can only be improved manually.
AI agents, on the other hand, are the more sophisticated versions of chatbots. Unlike the latter, AI agents are more capable of understanding the complexities and nuances of human conversations. They also utilize a combination of large language models (LLP), natural language processing (NLP), and machine learning to deliver human-like conversations. Not to mention, AI agents improve and become smarter with every interaction.
As such, AI agents make a great addition to a business’s customer service. These AI-powered agents not only deliver instant, round-the-clock customer support, but they also leverage customer data to add a layer of personalization and provide data-driven insights to optimize agents’ workflow. Since AI agents are faster than human agents, it’s no surprise that the former is preferable to the latter (51%) for immediate services, according to Zendesk’s CX Trends Report 2024.
Calling a brand’s customer support team is easy as pie: dial the hotline, wait for an agent to attend your call, and you’re all set. For email, you can send videos and pictures related to your query. However, there are instances when you can’t describe an issue well without a real-time visual aid. That’s where video-based customer support comes in.
With businesses adding video-based communication to their customer service arsenal, video support has become the new face of customer care. In fact, between phone, email, and live chat, video-based customer support trumps them all. Although video-based support retains the personal touch of customer service, it offers more visual and verbal clarity for both the agent and customer — thus eliminating the struggle of explaining certain details orally or in written form.
Through video customer support, agents can perform a live tutorial on how to perform a certain action or troubleshoot an issue, making it easy for the customer to follow the tutorial. On the customer’s side, they can also share their screen to show what the issue is and how it’s triggered, so the agent understands how to help them better. Besides live demonstrations, video-based customer service includes sharing short pre-made video tutorials on common FAQs and customer concerns. Not only can customers pause and watch the tutorials at their own pace, but they also free up customer agents’ time to resolve more pressing inquiries.
Social media may be a hub for posting status updates, photos, and videos, but it has now evolved into a customer support channel. This makes sense as billions of people are active on social networking platforms, and what better way to provide high-quality customer support than to take advantage of the convenience of social media?
It’s a space where customers can ask questions and receive answers from the brand itself. Since customer queries are made publicly — either through a comment or a separate post tagging the brand — your brand’s quality of customer support is for all the world to see, potentially affecting your customers’ perception for better or worse.
As such, it’s easier to call out and hold brands accountable for faux pas or inappropriate content. If acknowledged, it shows how much you care for your customers and reputation. Conversely, failing to acknowledge and apologize for such mishaps can erode customer trust and loyalty.
Other ways to leverage social media for customer support are requesting customer feedback, uploading video tutorials and other customer-relevant content, and holding livestreams and webinars.
Did you know that FAQs, community forums, and help portals are examples of self-service customer support? As the name implies, self-service customer service means the customer is responsible for finding the answers to their questions. With self-service customer service, customers can explore a brand’s FAQ page and read help articles before contacting a customer service support agent. Think of self-service options as the main source of assistance and human agents as the last resort.
However, unlike customer service agents, self-service options are available 24/7. No hold times either waiting until the next business day. Because customers are preoccupied with their own research, agents can dedicate time to more complex and urgent queries. Overall — while the idea of implementing self-service customer support options is promising — businesses must ensure that their FAQs and knowledge portals are regularly updated to reflect the current and emerging needs of customers.
Customers deserve top-notch customer support. With a plethora of digital technologies at our fingertips, businesses have no excuse to upgrade their customer support. Hopefully, the above-mentioned trends in our article have helped you determine which ones to improve or implement into your business’s customer service.
Whether you’re forming your dream team of customer service agents or optimizing digital customer service channels, KDCI has got you covered. We are a Philippine-based BPO with over a decade of experience in outsourcing. Since 2011, we have provided clients with services ranging from administrative support to customer service.
When you outsource customer service to KDCI, you’re getting high-caliber talent possessing all the soft and hard skills of an experienced customer service agent. With our company’s onboarding process, our agents are more than equipped to adapt to your business’s workflow and provide the best possible customer care at a lower cost.
Start your outsourcing journey with KDCI today! Contact us for inquiries, and we’ll help you reach the pinnacle of success in customer service.
Businesses in all industries live and breathe data. From improving performance to gleaning customer insights, data is a powerful asset that helps brands make wise decisions and achieve success in a fast-paced, data-driven world. While data entry is commonly associated with mindless typing, it is a critical back-office task that requires organization and precision. With brands wanting to save time on data processing and management, the decision to outsource data entry to a foreign country like the Philippines becomes a promising decision from a time and business perspective.
The Philippines is a bustling hub of call centers and business processing outsourcing (BPO) companies. With this in mind, you have a wide pool of companies you can outsource data entry to. If this is your first time dipping your toes into outsourcing, you might have some doubts about your decision to outsource data entry jobs. Below, let’s debunk four myths about outsourcing data entry to the Philippines.
On the contrary, the Philippines has a robust data privacy and protection law, and it’s called the Data Privacy Act of 2012. This law underscores the responsibilities of organizations to safeguard sensitive data from tampering and unauthorized disclosure, giving you that much-needed peace of mind when you outsource data entry to your Filipino team.
Both onshore and offshore data entry professionals are capable of producing high-quality work. But if you want to cut costs without sacrificing quality and productivity, choose to outsource data entry to the Philippines.
Because many Filipinos are educated and fluent in English, you can expect your offshore team to follow and execute instructions and minimize errors — especially when data entry involves transcription.
The decision to outsource data entry to a foreign country means facing potential communication mishaps due to cultural differences and varying levels of English proficiency. Thankfully, Filipinos are exposed to the language at a young age through media and education, so their English writing and speaking skills are honed to perfection. Their affinity and familiarity with Western culture are also a plus, which makes communicating with your Filipino team a pleasant experience.
Likewise, time zone differences are not an obstacle when you outsource data entry tasks to Philippine-based BPOs. This is because BPO employees align their working hours to their client’s time zone to ensure real-time collaboration and submission of deliverables. Hence, if your business operates in the USA, your Filipino team will work at night to overlap with your business’s operating hours.
Outsourcing data entry to the Philippines doesn’t necessarily mean laying off your onshore team. In other words, an offshore team complements, not replace your onshore team. When you outsource data entry to your Filipino staff, your in-house team can enjoy a lighter workload and improved well-being and job satisfaction.
This means they have more time to complete tasks appropriate to their skill level and area of expertise. Most importantly, you don’t have to deal with all the hefty costs of hiring and training new staff when you outsource data entry to Filipino employees.
Choosing to outsource data entry to a foreign country is a risk. However, outsourcing doesn’t have to be a liability if you work with one of the best companies for data entry outsourcing. If you’re new to this venture and consider the Philippines your outsourcing destination, look no further than this tutorial on how to outsource data entry to the renowned BPO capital of the world.
It’s easy to be blinded by success stories of outsourcing. While your decision to outsource data entry does wonders for your brand and employees, knowing your whys is key to a successful outsourcing experience. These questions help you identify the whys behind your choice to outsource data entry — and at the same time — paint a clear picture of your business needs:
It’s also important to know which types of data entry work you want to be outsourced to the Philippines. Here are some examples of data entry tasks:
Numeric data entry involves accurately encoding statistical or financial data on a database or worksheet. Finance industries often outsource this task to an offshore staff.
Employees are responsible for updating or removing outdated information, such as phone numbers and emails.
Transcribers listen to audio or watch videos, converting all data into accurately written text.
A product data entry specialist inputs product information on a retailer’s official website or e-commerce platform to update product pages or boost cross-selling rates.
The employee reviews emails and categorizes them based on urgency and other factors.
A contract is a legally binding document detailing the responsibilities and expectations of your outsourcing partner. Hence, when you outsource data entry to a Philippine-based BPO, be sure your contract has the following clauses:
This section lists all the services to outsource to a third party, giving your BPO partner a clear idea of the required deliverables.
SLAs include the performance metrics and benchmarks for assessing the quality of work rendered by the outsourcing partner.
This clause highlights the expectations and compliance of the outsourcing partner in ensuring the protection and non-disclosure of customer data when you outsource data entry tasks to an offshore team.
This clause includes all the conditions and circumstances for terminating the partnership. After drafting your contract, go over your document and see if all clauses are concise and easy to understand. You can then search for a BPO firm to outsource data entry assignments to.
With hundreds of BPOs all over the Philippines, finding the right BPO firm to outsource data entry is like finding a needle in a haystack. You can start with a Google search of the best BPO companies in the Philippines and shortlist from there. Another way is to type “how to outsource data entry” or any industry- or service-related keyword followed by “outsourcing” or “outsourcing companies” (ex: data entry outsourcing) — which may yield articles written by BPOs about data entry. Platforms like GoodFirms or LinkedIn are a good place to start, as well.
In addition to checking a BPO’s website and portfolio, reaching out to its former clientele is a good idea, too. This way, you can better assess a company’s professionalism and reliability in delivering high-quality data entry services within a specified time frame.
While reputation is important, it’s also worth checking out your future outsourcing partner’s values, mission, and vision to see if they’re compatible with yours. Likewise, knowing how the company stores and protects sensitive data is paramount given the inherent risk of working with data.
Even if a BPO offers the cheapest data entry services, or has worked with a big client, don’t just close a deal with any BPO you find online. Take your time and consider your options before you outsource data entry projects.
At this point, you’ve probably shortlisted one or a couple of BPOs. Before you close a deal and outsource data entry tasks to your chosen BPO, be clear about your expectations and goals. Because outsourcing entails a little risk to your business, BPOs willingly offer a trial period to see if the delivered results are up to your standards, or if the partnership benefits your business. Once everything is settled, you can start to outsource data entry projects and work with your Filipino team!
Your Filipino data entry specialists are newcomers to your business, so expect them to overcome a little learning curve when you first outsource data entry tasks to them. Get them up to speed with your business’s in-house policies and workflow, and provide them with training manuals and resources.
If your organization uses Microsoft Teams, Slack, or any communication platform, you can set up accounts for your data entry specialists and their team leader. Creating a dedicated group chat or channel for your offshore staff makes it easier to outsource data entry projects and report technical issues. Weekly virtual catch-ups also help establish a stronger professional bond between you and your offshore team.
Feedback is key to improved motivation and performance. Before you further outsource data entry jobs to your staff, it’s recommended to appoint the team leader as a quality control checker to speed up the validation process and provide a daily or weekly performance report.
Through this report, you’ll be able to identify trends and patterns in your team’s performance. Here are some guide questions to kick off a feedback session with your data entry specialists:
Whatever the outcome of the feedback session, share practical tips on how your team can improve their typing skills and accomplish tasks faster without compromising quality and accuracy. Hence, the next time you outsource data entry projects, your team will know how to maintain optimal performance.
Data entry is commonly associated with mundanity and endless typing on a computer. However, what some people don’t understand is it demands precision, organization, and technical know-how. Because of the influx of data, many businesses outsource data entry assignments to the Philippines.
KDCI onboards data entry specialists who exhibit ample technical knowledge, keen attention to detail, and excellent typing skills. By availing of our data entry services, you’re getting high-caliber work at a fraction of the cost.
Ready to outsource data entry projects to KDCI? Contact us for inquiries, and start building your team of Filipino data entry specialists today!
The customer service support of old relies on the classic phone-based support for inquiries and concerns. As technology advances, customer service has evolved to support multiple communication channels, including email, chatbots, and many more. With businesses leveraging modern communication tools and clients expecting high-quality customer service support, optimizing their digital customer service becomes a strategic endeavor.
As the name implies, digital customer service support refers to the provision of customer care support and assistance through digital means, such as social media and live chat. According to McKinsey & Company, most customers (76%) have shown satisfaction with businesses offering digital-only customer support. After all, good digital customer service comes a long way. If they have a bad experience, they can just walk away and move on to another brand.
Below, let’s check out the success stories of companies with different customer service support channels. In addition, this guide includes apps and platforms that act as a role model for a particular digital channel.
Email is a classic customer service support channel. Customers can send an email to a brand at any time and wait patiently for a response — which can take hours or days. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of time.
That doesn’t mean businesses should completely get rid of email support. But with the help of the right customer service support solution, email support can be less of a drag for both agents and customers.
Hiver is a customer service support software with features ranging from email tagging and shared inboxes to supported integrations with Slack, WhatsApp, and many more. Like any helpdesk program, Hiver streamlines customer care to ensure customer concerns and inquiries are attended to without delay.
For companies like Flexport, Hiver was of great help in optimizing their email customer service support. Nathan Strang, the company’s Ocean Freight Operations Manager, uses the helpdesk program’s email tagging feature to assign an email to a customer agent. Thanks to this convenient feature, unanswered emails and email forwarding are now a thing of Flexport’s past, enabling its customer service support team to answer queries and concerns quickly.
HappyFox is a help desk software with a ticketing system that streamlines a company’s email customer service support, automating email routing, ticket priority setting, and other mundane, time-consuming tasks through its Smart Rules. In case of complex customer concerns, the program’s Private Notes tool functions as an internal collaborative space for agents to converse and work on a ticket without the customer’s knowledge.
Improved Racing is one of HappyFox’s users. Thanks to the program, Improved Racing can now route tickets to the right customer service support agent for faster email resolution. What’s more, all three of the company’s brands have their dedicated email category, ensuring both efficiency and brand identity consistency.
Unlike most digital customer service support channels, over-the-phone communication is more personal — albeit with the caveat of hold times and higher costs. While phone support may be another classic customer service channel, it doesn’t mean it’s losing its relevance in a digitized world. These programs prove that phone support can work in your agents’ favor.
Zoho Desk helps streamline various customer service support channels, including over-the-phone communication. The software features call scheduling and a call reminder for hassle-free follow-ups to customer calls. Automated voice messages are also delivered to inform customers of agent availability or busyness, or remind them that your shop is closed after business hours.
Also known as De Surinaamsche Bank NV, DSB Bank, is a successful user of Zoho Desk. But before it implemented Zoho Desk, customer service support was done manually — from ticketing to tracking messages.
Thanks to Zoho Desk, a ticket is created for every customer query made via phone and other customer service support channels, and the bank’s customer agents work on their assigned tickets until a customer concern is resolved. This led to not just better customer satisfaction ratings, but also a 50% boost in agent productivity and efficiency.
CloudTalk is a call center software platform with a smart dialer that simplifies the repetitive act of dialing numbers to initiate outbound calls. With its three-way calling support, senior customer service support agents can help newer agents learn the ropes of customer care. Besides that, CloudTalk’s Call Transfer feature lets agents transfer calls to a more qualified agent without the long wait time, promising seamless and satisfactory communication.
Nokia is one successful user of CloudTalk. With its dedication to providing high-quality customer service support, the telecommunications company implemented CloudTalk into its workflow. Using the software’s Analytics feature, Nokia drastically improved its customer service — reducing call hold times by 47% and boosting productivity by 10%.
We commonly associate customer service with phone calls, emails, and live chats. But did you know that customer service support can be delivered via text messaging? Businesses can capitalize on SMS customer service to keep customers in the loop of the status of their orders, remind clients of upcoming appointments, request feedback, and many more. Because people spend most of their time on their phones, SMS customer service support is a gift of convenience.
Want to improve your SMS customer service support? Look no further than SimpleTexting. This product supports two-way messaging to encourage free-flowing conversations between an agent and a customer.
What’s great about two-way messaging is you can use a business number to facilitate such conversations, creating a clear boundary between personal and business texting. Automated text messaging is also another standout feature of SimpleTexting. With it, you no longer have to manually send a text message informing your customers that your business is closed for the holidays.
For A-1 Self Storage — a San Diego, California-based company under Caster Group — using SimpleTexting was a huge step up to their customer service support. Apart from reminding customers of their overdue payments, the software enabled A-1 Self Storage to reply to inquiries faster — creating a positive impact on its customer base.
Supporting both SMS and MMS, Textline is a business texting program that features two-way texting, automated messaging, scheduled messages, and the like. Its Shortcuts feature is every customer agent’s best friend. Instead of typing the same canned responses daily, agents can use Shortcuts to craft templates or use pre-existing ones to speed up customer service support with little to no manual input.
Prior to the implementation of Textline, tire size confirmation was a tedious process for Roll By Goodyear, with the brand reaching out to customers via phone call or email. With the help of Textline, Roll by Goodyear created templates for size confirmation and other purposes. Because of Textline, response rates improved and sizing errors dropped.
We often use WhatsApp or any messaging app to communicate with family, colleagues, and friends. But did you know these same apps can be used for messaging businesses? Let’s look at how the below applications are used to supercharge a brand’s customer service support experience.
WhatsApp has transformed into a customer service support hub. This is backed by statistical data from Spectrum, with 39% of survey respondents using the said app to inquire about a brand’s services and products, and 11% to report complaints and ask questions related to shipping, delivery, and the brand.
Supporting media and document files, WhatsApp enables customer service support agents to send messages in the most appropriate format. In addition to its intuitiveness and chatbot integration, the app also boasts end-to-end encryption that gives customers peace of mind whenever they interact with a customer service agent.
Decathlon is a popular sports retailer with over a thousand stores across the globe. To keep up with the influx of customer inquiries and concerns, Decathlon started to leverage the power of live chat. Delivered via WhatsApp, the retailer powers its live chat system with automation, allowing seamless, hassle-free self-service customer service support and contributing to a 50% reduction in handling time.
This is also a blessing for Decathlon’s customer agents, as they are now less swamped with simple customer queries — which means they can simultaneously work on multiple complex customer concerns.
For entrepreneurs and brands, Apple Messages for Business is their best friend. While simple customer queries are answered through automation, customers can opt to chat with a human agent for more complex concerns. This application also features a host of features to elevate the customer service support experience, such as Apple Pay integration, appointment scheduling, and many more.
However, there is one standout feature of Apple Messages for Business — Chat Suggest. Not only is it convenient, but it also promises seamless communication and better customer satisfaction due to reduced hold times. Lush, a retailer that sells handmade, cruelty-free cosmetic products, uses Chat Suggest to minimize calls from customers.
AI has taken the world by storm, and it’s no surprise that this technology has made its way to the customer service industry. Through AI, brands can provide faster support and assistance while preserving the human element inherent to customer service support.
With the support of automation, businesses can deliver high-quality customer care without overwhelming agents with queries. Below are examples of AI messaging in action.
Kik is home to a thousand chatbots. From chatbots that give a dose of entertainment to those that streamline the shopping and customer service support experience, there’s a chatbot for everyone. For Kik users with a penchant for fashion and style, H&M’s homegrown Kik chatbot is heaven-sent. Powered by natural language processing (NPL), this chatbot can understand natural language and provide human-like responses, even to the point of using emojis!
Through the chatbot, customers can ask for personalized recommendations and fashion tips without the hassle of contacting a human retail customer service agent. They can also take a quiz that lets the bot determine their personal style. Unsurprisingly, the chatbot led to increases in click-through (8%) and engagement rates (86%).
While Facebook Messenger is primarily used for keeping in touch with loved ones, it also serves another purpose — customer service support. This does not come as a surprise given the app’s convenience and high user count. If you’re a long-time user of Messenger, you’ve probably come across or interacted with several chatbots from your favorite companies.
1-800-Flowers is one of those businesses that leverage the app for its chatbot. The chatbot eliminates the hassle of calling the retailer’s eponymous number to purchase flowers. Additionally, the speed and accessibility of the chatbot drew in a slew of chatbot-based orders from new buyers.
For entrepreneurs, social media is not a waste of time; it’s a battleground for marketing one’s brand to build an online reputation and attract new customers. As most people are online and have social networking accounts, it just makes sense to provide customer service support via social media.
Businesses can’t just create a Facebook page, do the bare minimum, and call it a day. Nowadays, content and customer service support go hand in hand. This means creating relevant content, such as product tips and showcases, to encourage new and old customers to reach out to your brand.
Moreover, businesses should make their presence known by responding to comments, private messages, and reviews. BlendJet, for example, answers customer queries in the comments section.
TikTok conjures images of content creators and influencers dancing and sharing short-form content. Surprisingly, this app is also a viable customer service support tool. Businesses with Creator accounts can use TikTok’s Q&A feature to answer customers’ questions via written (comment) or video format. Q&A supports TikTok LIVE, so there’s real-time interaction between your brand and audience.
Furthermore, TikTok puts a creative, yet entertaining and grounded spin on customer service support. Zendesk reported that Starface, a skincare brand, uploads engaging tutorial and FAQ videos on its page to help customers with their skin problems and answer product-related queries.
Technology and digital tools complement human customer service support agents. Self-service portals put the agency of customer service to customers, which means they don’t have to contact a human customer agent to resolve an issue or get answers to common questions. Below are two examples of self-service portals.
Google Help features a treasure trove of guides for each of Google’s products and services. On the main page, click on an icon — say, Google Chrome — and it will take you to a list of help topics you can click and read at any time.
Don’t like doing your own research? The website has a digital support assistant called “Help Guide” to assist you with anything. Select a pre-existing response and “Help Guide” will share a relevant article. If you pick “Something Else,” you’ll be asked to provide an explanation of your issue. You can also look up, ask, and answer questions in “Community,” adding a social element to customer service support. Overall, Google Help is the best example of a self-service customer service support portal.
If you’re looking to create a self-service customer service support portal from scratch, check out Document360. Here, you can write articles and guides and organize them into categories and sub-categories. The software solution’s WYSIWYG editor works just like any word processing tool, whereas the Advanced WYSIWYG editor supports text writing and embedding of media content such as images and videos.
Finally, there’s the Markdown editor. While the word “Markdown” sounds intimidating, newbies with little to no experience in coding can use the editor to write and format text using the Markdown toolbar or writing the syntax. It supports live previews, too — which is a plus. Avontus, for instance, hosted and organized all their guides — from FAQs to installation guides — on Document360, providing round-the-clock, self-service support to customers.
Are phone calls, emails, and AI not enough? There’s video support. Video-based communication makes customer service support a highly personalized experience. For visual learners and non-readers, video tutorials are heaven-sent as they provide straightforward solutions to problems.
After all, why read a lengthy tutorial when you can watch and follow a three-minute video? If you plan to innovate your business’s customer service support channels, consider the following programs.
From marketing to customer service support, Loom is a must-try for any business. With this software, you can create personalized videos to address a specific customer concern, guiding the customer every step of the way. Postclick elevated and humanized its customer service support through Loom. By creating videos, customer satisfaction soared and customers could easily follow or understand even the most complex tutorials or topics.
ScreenRec is more than just a screen recorder for your personal needs. It’s also a customer service support solution for customer care agents. Because agents can just record their computer screen for demonstration purposes, or send pre-made video tutorials, it minimizes the need for typing long tutorials or responses. As of this writing, ScreenRec has garnered an average TrustPilot rating of 4.5 stars. Additionally, IT Specialists London’s director George S. claimed that the program enhanced customer communications and internal workplace processes.
In-app messages refer to messages that are integrated into the app itself, only appearing while you’re using the program. These messages can be in the form of banners, full-page displays, welcome notifications, and many more. Though some people find them annoying, they’re actually beneficial for customer service support. Check out how two companies use in-app messaging to their advantage.
Dribble — an online platform for designers — uses in-app messaging as a microsurvey channel for rating the quality of customer service support. You can select “Epic!,” “Meh…,” and “Scuk” or include written feedback on Dribble’s customer care.
With programs implementing new features, it’s hard to keep up and master them all. Web conferencing platform GoToWebinar displays an Appcues-created animated slideout demonstrating its Transcripts tool. A brief description of Transcripts is included to give returning users an idea of what it is. Thanks to the slideout, they can stay in the know of new features without being overwhelmed with information.
We hope this comprehensive guide sheds light on how brands and companies use various digital channels to deliver timely customer service support. Optimizing your digital customer service support may be challenging, but for KDCI, no challenge is too hard. KDCI only employs and trains customer service agents equipped with the essential hard and soft skills to deliver high-caliber customer service support.
With KDCI’s experience in the customer service industry, we are confident that our agents can streamline your brand’s customer service and make your customers happy.
What are you waiting for? Outsource customer service and build your customer service dream team. Contact us now!
Retail customer service is the bread and butter of online and brick-and-mortar retail businesses. With customers expecting high-quality customer service, it’s time for brands to step up their customer support game. In an article by Zendesk, just having a lot of bad experiences with poor customer service is enough for most customers (73%) to shift their loyalty to a competitor. As your business grows and the market economy evolves, choosing to outsource retail customer service to the Philippines is a wise venture.
The Philippines is home to a plethora of call centers and BPO (business process outsourcing) companies. No wonder the country has earned a well-deserved reputation for being the world’s BPO and call center capital. Let’s talk about why businesses outsource customer service to the Philippines.
Due to the country’s history, Filipino culture is a fascinating blend of Eastern and Western values. For many businesses based in the USA or any Western country, the Philippines is an attractive candidate for outsourcing. This helps minimize cultural clashes and misunderstandings between you and your Filipino retail customer service team.
Moreover, Filipinos are fluent in English. As of 2023, the Philippines places second among Asian countries in terms of English proficiency, as reported by the EF English Proficiency Index.
Plus, the neutral English accent of Filipinos and their ability to converse in business English give them an edge in voice retail customer service — ensuring clear and professional communication across the board. All these factors, therefore, contribute to a brand’s willingness to outsource retail customer service to the Philippines.
Hospitality is the staple of Filipino culture. This trait is manifested not just in the family, but also in the workplace. When you outsource retail customer service to the Philippines, expect your offshore Filipino staff to provide the best customer care to your clients. Because they feel heard and valued, your business is more likely to retain these customers who can become loyal to your brand.
Apart from culture and language, cost-effectiveness is also one of the factors why businesses abroad outsource retail customer service to the Philippines. By hiring offshore staff, you can drive more profit to your business without sacrificing the quality of customer care your overseas staff provides to your clients.
Unlike employing onshore staff, you don’t have to invest in a bigger office space to accommodate your new team. Computers and internet connectivity are not an issue either as the Filipino staff you’re going to outsource retail customer service to have the necessary equipment to get the job done.
The government’s support for the BPO industry extends not only to skills training and development, but also to the country’s legislation concerning data privacy and protection.
Since BPOs handle a multitude of customer data, they are obliged to protect such data from unauthorized access — accidental or otherwise — under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 or Republic Act No. 10173.
If violated, BPO firms will face penalties, which include fines and imprisonment. If you outsource retail customer service to the Philippines, rest assured that your outsourcing partner will have security measures in place to prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands.
In retail customer service, your workforce is the backbone of your business. If your business is attending to a large volume of customer inquiries, you can hire a team of freelancers or partner with a BPO company to boost operational efficiency. Either way, be sure to take note of the following factors before outsourcing retail customer service.
Because freelancers are their own bosses, they can work according to their preferred schedules. Freelancers are also based in different geographical regions, which means they can provide 24/7 retail customer service support. This ensures that your customers’ needs and concerns are resolved day or night. While the time zone difference can work to your advantage, take note that freelancers work on multiple projects with different clients.
There are instances when your business will face an influx of customer needs. When you outsource retail customer service to freelancers, you can scale your workforce as needed to ensure timely, round-the-clock support and customer satisfaction.
Freelancers often work from home or in public places like cafes, with the latter a cesspool of malware and cyberattacks. While they are equipped with the proper retail customer service skills as full-time employees, data privacy and protection remain a concern for businesses. Unless you provide freelancers with access to data security tools or orient them with your brand’s security practices, you risk compromising sensitive customer data.
BPOs operate 24/7, and what better way to provide real-time customer support than to follow your country’s time zone? With the flexibility of BPO employees — especially Filipinos — your business can enjoy high-quality, round-the-clock retail customer service without all the long wait times.
BPO firms can scale according to the demands of their client. This can mean hiring more voice or non-voice retail customer service agents or downsizing the workforce without sacrificing the efficiency and quality of customer service.
Much like freelancers, BPO companies also have access to sensitive customer information. One edge that Philippine-based BPOs have against freelancers is better data privacy and protection, all thanks to the Data Privacy Act of 2012. These companies have data security policies in place to prevent breaches of confidentiality. As such, BPOs make for a safer option to outsource retail customer service.
Outsourcing retail customer service doesn't have to end up in a sour experience. This tutorial will walk you through the steps of outsourcing, from assessing the status of your retail brand to meeting and working with your Filipino customer service agents.
From your employees and customers down to the daily workload, examine the current needs of your retail business. Maybe your business’s voice or email retail customer service has become a source of stress due to increased call or email volumes, and there’s not enough staff to cover peak hours or seasons or certain tasks, such as product replacements and refunds. Understanding these issues can help you assess if you need to outsource retail customer service overseas.
After assessing your business needs, your next step is to establish goals for outsourcing retail customer service. You can also start drafting a contract outlining the following details:
A contract is a legally binding document that benefits the goals and interests of your business and your outsourcing partner. To avoid ambiguity and contract disputes, every clause must be clear, precise, and straightforward.
The Philippines is a treasure trove of the best BPO companies. While you won’t be out of options, finding the right outsourcing partner is paramount to the success of your business’s retail customer service. Do your research and choose reputable outsourcing companies with proven track records in the retail customer service industry.
Looking up client testimonials or reaching out to former or current clients also does wonders in your search. This way, you can better gauge if a BPO firm is reliable and capable of providing high-quality retail customer service through various communication channels, including email, phone, and live chat.
Getting up to speed with Filipino culture and Philippine laws doesn’t hurt, too. Once you’ve chosen a BPO company, present and discuss the terms of your contract. After closing the deal, the company will onboard the most qualified employees for your business.
Your first meeting with your Filipino agents need not be awkward. To facilitate hassle-free virtual communication between you, your Filipino staff, and their team leader or point of contact (POC), use Microsoft Teams, Skype, or any platform your business uses.
Share training manuals and scripts and orient them about your business’s etiquette and workflow. When your Filipino staff is knowledgeable of the ins and outs of your business, they can represent your brand, handle the rigors of retail customer service, resolve customer issues, and meet KPIs.
To maintain exceptional retail customer service, BPO employees undergo regular coaching from their team leader and clients. When reviewing the performance of your customer agents, take into account the following metrics:
Providing constructive feedback to your Filipino customer service agents equips them with the necessary skills to resolve complex customer issues faster. Giving kudos to your agents for a stellar performance or an achievement also motivates them to do better. With a successful team of customer agents at your beck and call, your brand can retain more customers and build a solid reputation.
Nowadays, a brand’s reputation is built not just on its products, but also on the quality of retail customer service it provides. With seasonality, peak hours, and omnichannel customer support contributing to an influx of customer inquiries, outsourcing to a BPO like KDCI makes all the difference.
Since 2011, KDCI has provided clients with state-of-the-art customer service. With our pool of talented agents, we are confident of their ability to provide exemplary customer support and improve your brand’s image.
Learn more about outsourcing retail customer service. Contact us today!
Nowadays, a well-crafted website is the bare minimum. According to Hostinger, 94% of first impressions are attributed to a website’s design. Whether you’re in charge of a large organization or an up-and-coming entrepreneur, having a user-friendly and responsive website with eye-catching visuals and relevant content can make the difference between converting visitors to customers and losing out on potential revenue. Building a website from scratch is doable; however, having the means to outsource web design to the Philippines can ease the burden off of your shoulders.
This allows you to focus more on formulating marketing strategies and other important matters, all while enjoying reduced labor costs and increased website traffic — backed by a highly qualified team of web designers. Below, we outline the reasons why businesses outsource web design to the Philippines.
For many foreign businesses, cheaper labor costs are one of the main factors influencing their decision to outsource their tasks. Hence — when you outsource web design to the Philippines — you’re not only cutting down on your business’s overhead and labor costs, but you’re also getting a visually engaging website that can further scale the profitability of your products and services.
According to the EF English Proficiency Index, the Philippines is one of the countries with the highest English proficiency, ranking at the 20th place as of 2023. Due to Filipinos’ proficient English skills, language barriers are eroded — ensuring smoother written and oral communication among overseas businesses and their offshore web design outsourcing staff.
Plus, given the Philippines’ culture and history, the country can effectively collaborate and forge strong working relationships with businesses in the United States or any western country without cultural clashes. When you outsource web design to the Philippines, the designers you’ll be working with will be familiar with common English slang and expressions.
The experience of Filipinos in web design — combined with their high level of education and English proficiency — make them a top contender among companies looking to outsource web design to the Philippines. Moreover, their drive to produce compelling web designs tailored to your organization’s needs reflect their hard work and competence in the field.
Being time-flexible is a plus when you outsource web design overseas. Fortunately, Filipino employees are known for their flexibility. When you outsource web design to your Filipino team, they can adjust to significant time differences to provide web design services to your business.
With Philippine-based outsourcing companies operating on a round-the-clock basis, you’ll have no problems requesting revisions and maintaining communication during working hours. In turn, this can help improve productivity and efficiency in web design project management.
Time and again, the Philippines has solidified its reputation as the “BPO capital” and “call center capital” of the world. Of course, this is all thanks to the government’s profound support for the BPO industry.
Local laws like the Special Economic Zone Act, or Republic Act No. 7916, enable the country to establish economic zones and forge industrial partnerships with other countries, giving the Filipino workforce a competitive advantage on the global market. The Data Privacy Act of 2012 — or Republic Act No. 10173 — also ensures your peace of mind as BPO companies will protect all the sensitive information when you outsource web design to your Filipino team.
Not only do these laws make the Philippines an attractive destination to outsource web design to, but they also help establish trust between foreign businesses and local BPOs.
For businesses looking to outsource web design, deciding whether to hire onshore or offshore web designers can be tough. Let’s take a look at their advantages and disadvantages.
Hiring in-house web designers means you don’t have to deal with language barriers, facilitating smoother and hassle-free communication between team members without accounting for cultural differences.
While it’s not bad to outsource web design to an offshore designer, an in-house web designer possesses ample knowledge of their local market’s consumer behavior, making it easier to design websites that appeal to their target audience’s tastes.
Because of the absence of time zone differences, you can better control the design and quality of your brand’s website. In case of revisions or urgent projects, your onshore web designers will get the job done quickly. If you outsource web design to other countries, you'll have to wait until the next business day for your team’s outputs.
In-house web designers — though they possess the same skill sets as their offshore counterparts — are often more expensive due to the higher labor costs in their home country. Hiring and training your onshore staff as well as investing in a bigger space or better equipment to accommodate your growing team entail additional costs. Due to higher overhead costs, many businesses choose to outsource web design to other countries, including the Philippines.
If, for example, your business is based in the United States, you’re more likely to hire web designers residing in that country. While they’re more familiar with the local market, there are plenty of talented web designers you can outsource web design to overseas.
With an offshore team, brands have access to a wider talent tool. Despite time zone differences, the offshore teams you outsource web design to can deliver quality work at a lower cost, driving more profit to your business.
In terms of scalability, offshore teams have the upper hand. This ensures your business’s flexibility when you outsource web design to foreign designers. Whether there’s a shift in market demand and consumer tastes, an influx of web design projects, or changes in the local economy, you can expand or downsize your workforce accordingly.
In addition, employing an offshore team of web designers gives you the gift of promoting your brand to a global audience — increasing your likelihood of gaining foreign customers. This reason alone incentivizes businesses to outsource web design projects overseas.
Time zones add a layer of challenge when deciding to outsource web design projects to another country. For example, the Philippines is ahead of Washington, DC, USA by 12 hours. This can lead to difficulties in setting an appropriate schedule for virtual meetings and maintaining productivity and quality control.
However, time zone differences are not an issue at all provided there is a standard of quality of outputs and open communication between you and your offshore members. Should you decide to outsource web design to the Philippines, most offshore web designers in BPOs are flexible, adapting to their client’s time zone to ensure real-time delivery of outputs.
Cultural differences can be a barrier when you outsource web design to offshore web designers. Some euphemisms in your home country may also not be understood by non-native speakers, even those proficient in English — potentially leading to misunderstandings and miscommunication.
Now that you’re ready to begin your outsourcing journey, below is a step-by-step guide on how to outsource web design to the Philippines— from finding the right agency or freelancer to establishing a long-lasting professional relationship with your offshore team.
Before you outsource web design to the Philippines, it’s important to take a hard look at your business’s workforce and budget. Here are three questions to reflect on:
Your answers to these questions should give a clearer picture of your organization’s shortcomings, and if these warrant a need to outsource web design to foreign countries.
Moreover, it’s also important to set expectations and present your potential outsourcing partner you’re going to outsource web design to with the scope, goals, and expected turnaround times of your web design projects. Identifying your website’s target audience and branding is paramount to helping your offshore staff incorporate proper design elements to engage your visitors.
There are a plethora of skilled freelancers and top creative agencies in the Philippines to outsource web design to. Generally, hiring a freelance web designer is more affordable. Freelancers also bring with them their skills, knowledge, and expertise to the table. But most of the time, they’re more suitable for short-term projects. They juggle multiple projects, which means they have more access to their clients’ data — which can be risky in case something goes awry on the freelancer’s end.
Likewise, partnering with outsourcing companies in the Philippines is a cost-effective endeavor, with the added bonus of developing long-term partnerships with your offshore Filipino web designers. Most of all, you don’t have to worry about data loss when you outsource web design thanks to the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
Before you outsource web design tasks, conducting a background check on your outsourcing partner is paramount to your organization’s success. Whether it’s reviewing their official website or portfolio, scheduling a call, or reading about Filipino culture and laws, you’ll be able to gauge if a freelancer or a BPO you’re going to outsource web design to is culturally compatible with yours and competent in delivering quality web design work.
At this point, you’ve probably chosen the best BPO company to outsource web design to in the Philippines. Now, you’re ready for the next step: contract signing. The outsourcing company will provide a contract for your partnership, highlighting the responsibilities of both parties to ensure they’re met as expected when you outsource web design projects. Likewise, you can present an outsourcing firm with a contract or a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
Before signing a contract, be transparent about your goals and the complexities of your web design projects. This way, the BPO firm can train and onboard the right people for your business.
Whether it’s Slack or Skype, having a dedicated platform for communication makes starting team-wide meetings, consolidating tasks, and reporting issues more convenient for your offshore web designers and Point of Contact (POC). It also promotes accountability for both parties.
When you outsource web design to your offshore team, don’t forget to set up login credentials for websites and provide access to web design tools, so your Filipino team can design your website to perfection.
Once you begin to outsource web design tasks, performance monitoring will be vital to your business. By making sure your offshore team meets Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and other performance metrics, you set your outsourcing staff for success and your organization for increased revenue.
Maintain frequent communication with your outsourcing agency’s POC, so you can provide regular feedback on your offshore staff’s design choices. This way, you can expect the same level of quality and professionalism when you outsource web design projects in the coming months.
Web design is not just an art; it’s a science of strategically asserting your brand to your potential customers. From the typography to the layout of the visual elements, creating a website that’s as creative as they are effective in converting visitors takes time.
This is where you can start to outsource web design projects. At KDCI, you’re not only getting web designers with an artistic eye, but also those who can maintain the overall functionality of your website. With more than a decade of experience in the outsourcing industry, we are confident that we are more than capable of taking your brand to new heights.
Learn more about creative and web design outsourcing. Contact us today!
There are many countries that make amazing outsourcing destinations in 2024, but we’ve narrowed down the search to help you outsource software development services by shortlisting three countries this 2024.
Since the early 2000s, the Philippines has provided IT education. And following in the footsteps of call center outsourcing in the 1990s, IT boomed around 2010s, which pushed local schools to double down on IT education to match the growing demand for IT professionals globally. This kickstarted the growth of Philippine IT-BPO industry, making IT services, one of its biggest outsourced services to the US, Australia, and European markets.
At present, revenue of the Philippine IT services sector market is set to reach US$2.26bn in 2024, growing annually at 9.76% from 2024 to 2029. This is higher than the global growth rate of 5.76%, making the Philippines one of the top IT outsourcing destinations globally.
Among the IT outsourcing services available in the Philippines, the most popular are software development, followed by customer & IT support and back-office support & data management. What draws companies to outsource IT services to the Philippines are its cost-effective solutions, large pool of skilled workers, as well as its cultural affinity with Western countries.
A developing country in South-East Asia, the Philippines has one of the most competitive labor costs globally, with rates that are lower by up to 70% than those in the US, Australia, and Europe.
While the average cost of hiring a software developer is US$55.40/hr (US), US$58.65/hr (AU), and US$93.00/hr (UK). The cost to outsource the same to the Philippines is around US$30/hr, inclusive already of resources and tools, government mandated benefits, on top of the salary. This cost difference compounds significantly, attracting many Western companies to work with Philippine IT outsourcing companies.
With its large, highly educated population, the latest reports suggest that there are over 190,000 skilled developers in the Philippines. This large pool of talent is a great way for companies to access specialized skills, such as knowledge of coding languages like Javasript, Python, CSS, and more.
Another reason to work with Philippine software developers is the Philippines’ excellent English. Given its background as a former US colony, the Philippines’ medium of instruction has been English for decades. This is reflected in most Filipinos’ ability to speak English and communicate well with people from English-speaking countries like the US, Australia, and the UK. Not to mention, Filipinos’ English accent is generally considered more neutral than other English-speaking Asian countries, which can aid in communication and collaboration.
A global IT outsourcing powerhouse, India has been developing its IT and software development services since the 1980s, which gives it a head start over its competitors. This advantage allowed it to dominate the market, especially as the Indian government liberalized the economy in the 1990s, leading to its IT boom.
This policy attracted many global companies to build their offshore IT and software development operations in the country, particularly in cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune.
Today, India holds a significant chunk of the world’s IT outsourcing market, with its highly qualified skilled manpower, English proficiency, as well as their solid reputation in the industry.
As India has the largest population in the world in 2023, along with it being known globally for its IT services, it’s no surprise it has millions of developers that can be tapped by foreign companies looking to outsource software development. With such an overwhelming number, there’s no shortage of skills when it comes to development. Most coding languages needed can be found in a skilled Indian software developer.
The British ruled India for over 200 years, ensuring wide-spread English adoption. This equipped Indian developers with the communication skills needed to collaborate with global companies for offshore projects.
With India’s strong reputation in technological services, its IT outsourcing industry is on a continuous rise and is unlikely to slow down anytime soon. And with the growing demand of tech professionals globally, India is likely to produce more professionals like software developers with world-class skills. This makes many global companies trust Indian software developers and want to offshore to India.
Since the 2000s, Poland began its outsourcing sector, revolving around service like IT, which it’s widely known for today. As a European nation with relatively lower labor costs than neighboring countries like the UK, Spain, and Sweden, Poland easily became a strategic location for European outsourcing.
As global outsourcing companies built offshore centers in cities like Kraków, Warsaw, Wrocław, and Poznań, Poland became known for its IT outsourcing, particularly their talented software developers.
This is reflected in their steadily growing IT outsourcing industry and with IT outsourcing accounting for 8% of the country’s GDP. This progress has made outsourcing software development to Poland very attractive, with primary drivers being cost savings, strategic location, and its skilled workforce.
Rates in Poland are 20-30% lower than those in the US and Western Europe, making it a great option for reducing overhead costs in software development.
Unlike other top outsourcing destinations for software development, Poland is located in Central Europe, much closer to countries with that outsource a lot of development work like the US, UK, and other European nations. This makes Poland not only an outsourcing destination, but a top nearshore destination, with minimal time zone difference.
There are hundreds of thousands Polish developers, top in the CEE. This is a good indication of the country’s extensive variety in terms of skill and specializations, making it an attractive location for tapping into emerging technologies.
As seen in the top 3 countries for software development outsourcing, the main reasons to outsource include cost savings, large pool of skilled developers, as well as easy of communication and/or collaboration brought about by language and cultural similarities as well as geographical position.
In the wake of a global pandemic that shook the world, there are major risks in global economy in 2024.These create uncertainty which urges companies to seek solutions that help them stay agile in the face of unpredictable market changes. And with rising costs and highly competitive job market, many developed nations choose to outsource to save money and improve efficiency in their businesses. This strategy lends them a competitive advantage, not only by providing more flexibility and scalability, but also by giving them access into new markets.
Another reason to outsource software development is due to the nature of the work requiring specialized skills. It takes six months to a year on average to develop a deeper understanding of a programming language, and it takes even longer to learn how to resourcefully implement solutions using a specific coding language. This increases the demand for software developers, especially with the rapidly advancing technological landscape of 2024. With companies needing to go digital, many require custom and robust yet user-friendly software. And with the rising cost of labor, it becomes more attractive to outsource such specialized skills to countries with large pool of skilled developers like the Philippines, India, and Poland.
The nature of outsourcing entails working in different locations. This poses a threat to communication and collaboration, both of which are vital to the success and quick turnaround of development projects. Given this challenge, it’s imperative that companies work with software developers who have the ability to communicate and collaborate as seamlessly as possible. Such applies to both language and cultural affinity, as well as time zone similarities.
With both the Philippines and India having large populations of English speakers, their software developers are able to work well with countries from English-speaking nations, as long as they adjust their shifts to align with the time zone of their clients. Meanwhile, Poland is a European country, with language, culture, and time zone similarities to European nations that make it a very attractive location to outsource software development.
Whatever your reason may be for outsourcing, it’s important to work with a reputable outsourcing agency with highly skilled software developers to ensure the success of your project.
At KDCI Outsourcing, we’ve supported multiple global brands from across the world, providing them with skilled and vetted software developers who are proficient in various programming languages like JS, CSS, and Python to ensure the smooth execution of work and the delivery of high-quality software.
Interested to learn more about software development & IT outsourcing? Contact us today!
Learn about what app design is and why companies outsource it to the Philippines. And discover the 10 best app design agencies in the Philippines for 2024!
With hundreds of design agencies in the Philippines, it's difficult to find ones that you should outsource design work to. That’s why we shortlisted the top 10 app design agencies you can count on in 2024 to make sure you get that beautiful application that not only accurately represents your brand, but also delights your users to keep them coming back for more!
KDCI Outsourcing is a global outsourcing company founded in 2011, that is headquartered in Ortigas CBD, Philippines. They offer a wide range of outsourcing services, including graphic design, web design, and app design. As an outsourcing agency with a huge creative portfolio, they provide excellent app design services, specifically tailored to the requirements of clients. As the company has worked with multiple industries and is known for the modern and captivating designs and also offers other creative services and other services like UX/UI design and app development, they’re a great choice for most businesses looking for not only app design, but also other areas of app creation from its design and development to its marketing and even customer support.
Optimind Technology Solutions is a leading digital agency based in Quezon City, Philippines, founded in 2002. With a strong focus on digital marketing, they have expanded their services to include mobile app design and development. Their app design services are known for optimizing business performance through modern, user-centric designs. Optimind's long-standing experience in the digital space makes them an ideal partner for businesses looking for comprehensive app solutions, including design, development, and marketing strategies.
ThinkBIT Solutions, established in Manila, is a premier software firm that has been in operation since 2014. The company offers a wide range of development and design services, including mobile app design, web app development, and mobile game development. Their in-house team of dedicated professionals delivers high-quality, innovative app designs that cater to various industries. ThinkBIT is a perfect choice for businesses seeking creative and reliable app design and development services tailored to their specific needs.
White Widget is an award-winning software firm based in the Philippines, specializing in web and mobile app design. Established in 2012, they have built a reputation for nurturing top talent and delivering excellent software experiences. Their app design services are characterized by their ability to translate client needs into elegant, responsive designs. White Widget is best suited for businesses that require not only visually appealing apps but also efficient, user-friendly solutions that drive engagement and success.
Fourello Multimedia Services, founded in 2013 in Mandaluyong, is a pioneer in mobile app development in the Philippines. The company leverages cutting-edge technology to create digitally-enabled solutions that help businesses disrupt their markets. Fourello’s app design services are known for their innovation and ability to transform traditional business practices. They are an excellent choice for businesses looking for a partner who can provide both creative design and strategic technological innovation.
Symph is a Cebu-based digital agency with a strong focus on mobile app design and development. Founded in 2010, they have quickly become a key player in the Philippine tech industry. Symph’s app design services stand out for their innovative approach, blending creativity with functionality to produce apps that meet the unique needs of their clients. They are ideal for businesses seeking a dynamic partner that can deliver tailored app design solutions with a focus on innovation and user experience.
Startechup, based in Cebu and founded in 2013, is known for providing comprehensive app design and development services. Their team is dedicated to building scalable and high-quality mobile apps that cater to a wide range of industries. Startechup’s design services are particularly valued for their attention to detail and focus on user engagement. They are a great option for businesses that require robust, well-designed apps that can grow with their needs.
Sytian Productions, a Quezon City-based company, has been a leading name in web and app design since its inception in 2006. With over 17 years of experience, they offer professional and high-standard mobile app design services that cater to various business needs. Their expertise in combining aesthetics with functionality makes them an excellent choice for companies looking for reliable and visually appealing app solutions.
Established in 1998, Stratpoint Technologies, Inc. is a Mandaluyong-based digital agency specializing in mobile app design and development. With over two decades of experience, they have a solid track record of delivering enterprise-grade solutions. Stratpoint’s app design services are known for their ability to accelerate digital transformation, making them ideal for businesses looking to enhance their digital presence with expertly designed mobile applications.
Seer Technologies, Inc., based in Taguig and founded in 2012, is a software consultancy specializing in mobile, cloud, and data technologies. Their mobile app design services are recognized for their innovation and reliability, helping businesses bring their ideas to life. Seer Technologies is well-suited for companies that need comprehensive app solutions, from design to deployment, with a focus on scalability and performance.
App design is the process of creating the look of an application by combining creative design with UI/UX. The goal is to attract users, create good branding, and increase engagement and conversions by making beautiful application that also provides an excellent user experience.
The entire process spans everything from designing visual elements like buttons, icons, graphics, and vectors (User Interface or UI) to structuring the app’s flow, ensuring intuitive navigation, and optimizing user interactions to create a seamless and engaging experience (User Experience or UX).
With applications being an integral part of any modern day business, it’s become imperative that companies come up with good app design to set their brand apart, give their users a great experience, to improve their business outcomes. However, with the complexity of app design, hiring experienced designers who not only have the creative eye, but also experience designing user interfaces while considering user experience is challenging. For this reason, many companies outsource to app design agencies.
App design agencies take care of every aspect of app design – from planning the user journey and mocking up the application to crafting detailed prototypes, refining the visual design, and ensuring the final product delivers a seamless and engaging user experience.
Unlike hiring for very specific skills in app designers, companies can enjoy great app design by simply paying a service fee to an agency because the service provider does everything. They may have individual app designers, but most of them have teams of designers, consisting of web designers, graphic designers, UX/UI designers, and even app developers who can work together in coming up with the best app design that users will love.
While there are plenty of app design agencies globally, the Philippines is a particularly attractive place to outsource such a service for its large pool of designers, strong reputation in outsourcing, and of course, its lower cost of labor.
The Philippines is recognized globally as a hub for creative services, particularly in graphic design, web design, app design, and UI/UXIdesign. The country boasts a large pool of skilled designers who have gained international acclaim, supported by strong educational foundations and continuous upskilling initiatives. Moreover, Filipino designers excel in creating visually appealing and functional designs that cater to global standards. The government's commitment to workforce development ensures that the country remains competitive in terms of design, making the Philippines a reliable source of talented and resourceful app designers.
The Philippines is the world’s call center capital, and has been providing great outsourcing services, including app design to companies globally. Especially in the field of digital design, the Philippines began training designers in the 1990s, which is ahead of most top outsourcing destinations This gives it a head start in the industry, allowing it to build a strong reputation for design outsourcing, and making it a great location for finding excellent app design agencies.
Because of the economic differences between Western nations and the Philippines, the labor costs are hugely different, with the Philippines costing up to 70% lower than its Western counterparts.
For example, it costs $25 to $150+ per hour to hire an app designer in the United States, while it only costs $20 to $50 per hour to do so in the Philippines. Not to mention, outsourcing costs include not only the salary, but also service fees, tools and resources, as well as government mandated benefits, which entitle you to work with full-time dedicated app designers who are well-paid, happily employed, and most importantly, vetted by a reputable company, ensuring high-quality services.
There are many app design agencies out there, and finding one that can deliver on your requirements within your desired time frame can be challenging.
At KDCI Outsourcing, we’ve built a design portfolio through years of providing top tier creative services to the best brands globally. This has allowed us to fine tune our service and meet your needs whatever it may be. Not only do we provide app design services, but we can also find you the app designers with the specific skills that suit your preferences in design, so we can bring your vision to life and also delight your users.
Learn more about outsourcing creative services to the Philippines. Contact us today!
What started out as a few agents, has grown into an invaluable partnership with KDCI. With more than 40 team members, we are lucky enough to count as part of our Cedar Family. Thank you so much KDCI for making our Company better!
We have found KDCI to be a consistently reliable partner, always willing to ‘go the extra mile’ to ensure our valued customers receive the best possible service.
KDCI plays a very important role in our catalog and content operations. They are responsive, kind, and always willing to help us as much as possible. We have been working together for more than 4 years, and we hope our partnership will be even more fruitful in the future.
Having collaborated with KDCI.co for our creative needs, I can confidently attest to their unparalleled expertise and dedication. Their team consistently delivered innovative solutions that not only met, but often exceeded our expectations. Their professionalism and attention to detail are commendable.
KDCI were able to grow with us with any future requirements. We have a lot to do when it comes to our business, and everytime we come back, they're right there with us and able to deliver.
KDCI's team has been instrumental in helping us not only modernize our platforms but also increase the experiences for the customer, and to deliver on the tsunami of content that came their way.
We had a lot of difficulty finding qualified talent in the United States. Honestly, I don't think we had thought about outsourcing at all as a potential option, but we were very open to it once we heard about it. We love our KDCI team. They're just like a regular part of our team, it's just that they're thousands of miles away.
It's been five years since we started working with KDCI, and it just keeps getting better and better. We've grown together and achieved a lot of shared success. Overall, they're incredibly professional yet fun to work with. We are incredibly happy to have found them.
We're so glad we partnered with KDCI to develop a unique platform that delivers personalized customer experiences without compromising functionality or security. It was an amazing experience, I won't hesitate to start another project with them again.
