Property management refers to the monitoring and management of real estate properties. Generally speaking, a property manager is responsible for ensuring legal compliance, budgeting, addressing property repairs and maintenance, marketing properties, and handling tenants. While property management promises good networking opportunities and career growth, it comes with its caveats.
According to the National Apartment Association, US property managers cited rude tenants and residents (22%), difficulties plugging off post-office hours and poor mental well-being (16.3%), staffing maintenance (14.3%), and workload management (13.2%) as some of the most prominent challenges they face in their jobs.
To ease the struggles of property managers, real estate businesses must hire a virtual assistant for property management. This article talks about the advantages of a property management virtual assistant, followed by a round-up of the best companies and platforms for hiring one for your property management company.
A property management virtual assistant is a self-employed real estate professional. Working closely with property managers, a property management assistant provides market support, communicates with tenants, and streamlines repetitive administrative tasks.
Basically, all the job responsibilities of a general virtual assistant — albeit sprinkled with real estate-specific tasks. Let’s delve deeper into the perks of hiring a property management VA.
No business can survive without a competent admin team. A property management virtual assistant is experienced in administrative tasks, and they come with the gift of implementing new technologies to simplify said tasks.
With the right property management software, a property management assistant can automate maintenance requests, rent collection, and lease renewal to ensure faster task completion and better tenant satisfaction. Now bearing the brunt of administrative duties, property managers can work on more pressing tasks without compromising their mental health. This potentially creates a better work-life balance and improves employee retention rates.
Good customer service is an indicator of success. When property managers are overwhelmed with customer queries and complaints across all communication channels, the overall efficiency of your real estate business will be compromised.
However — with a team of real estate virtual assistants — they can offer personalized responses to tenant complaints and provide potential clients with comprehensive, informative answers on leasing, rent collection, and renewal policies. In addition, a property management virtual assistant can cover after-hours support and create templates and pre-made responses for a more streamlined customer service experience.
With the prevalence of the gig economy, more professionals are working as freelancers or independent contractors to earn extra income and further their careers without the commitment of a full-time job. Apart from the flexibility of gig work, this set-up also benefits real estate business owners.
Real estate agents can tap into a global talent pool, hiring real estate virtual assistants from the Philippines and other countries with lower labor costs to save on costs while enjoying world-class VA services.
Time zone differences are also blurred. This means an overseas virtual assistant for property management can follow your local time zone schedule and work the mid-shift or graveyard shift to provide real-time virtual assistant support.
Unlike employing full-time in-house employees, hiring a freelancer or outsourcing to the best property management companies in the Philippines is a more cost-effective business strategy. While in-house employees make supervision and face-to-face interactions easier, they are costlier in the long run as property management business owners allocate more resources to office spaces, computers, benefits, and professional development programs.
Unfortunately, in the property management industry, employee turnover is rampant as property managers face long hours and pressure at work. For every quitting property manager, the cost of hiring and training a new property manager adds up. Since freelancers and outsourced real estate VAs work from home, property owners can cut their overhead expenses and provide only the necessary tools for the role.
Additionally, property management professionals have control over the timeframe of the job order. For example, they can indicate in the job description that the gig is only good for six months. This way, a property management business owner can upsize or downsize their virtual assistance team based on workload or demand without the pressure of retaining a real estate VA for the long haul.
Finding a good virtual assistant in the Philippines is one thing. You know what separates an average real estate VA from the best virtual assistant. But knowing where to find a reliable virtual assistant is another story. Below is our roundup of the best companies and websites to hire a property management VA in the Philippines, or elsewhere.
Located in the Philippines, KDCI Outsourcing is one of the best BPO companies with over a decade of experience in the outsourcing industry. With outsourcing services spanning from accounting and finance to property management, the company helps slash 70% of overhead costs, provide much-needed expertise, and optimize processes using technology.
KDCI Outsourcing also prides itself as its client’s partner, enabling an equal partnership between the two parties. This firm does all the heavy lifting of hiring and training property management professionals. Following a meticulous hiring process, KDCI Outsourcing selects candidates based on their educational attainment, relevant working experience, and industry knowledge.
In addition, the candidates are also tested on their customer service and VA skills, including data entry, tenant relations, and lease management. Once hired, a team leader or project coordinator will orient them on your business’s in-house processes and train them on your property management program, allowing for a smooth onboarding process.
Featured in Business Insider, Forbes, and other news platforms, BruntWork is an exemplary outsourcing company with a global client base and freelance team. The company sets and maintains high standards not just for itself but also for its freelancers. Because of BruntWork’s dedication to providing high-quality outsourcing services at a lower cost, it has earned the trust of global brands and garnered well-deserved positive reviews.
BruntWork shines in numerous industries, including virtual assistance for property management. Its scope of property management operations includes legal compliance, rent collection, coordination of maintenance requests, renewal and administration of leases, talent inquiry management, and many more.
Candidates are handpicked and screened by the company’s recruitment team, and you can interview them to ensure you get the best property management VAs for your business. Although Filipinos are fluent in English and share cultural similarities with the West, BrunWork goes the extra mile and trains candidates on Western culture and communication. This way, the VAs can seamlessly integrate and work with your team with little communication lapses.
Property Management Virtual Assistants is a virtual assistance website dedicated to property management. Its services include digital marketing, customer service, tenant relations, sales, tenant relations and onboarding, and more. Quality is the bedrock of Property Management Virtual Assistants. This means only the cream of the crop virtual assistants are hired on the platform, promising clients first-rate property management VA services.
Clients who partner with Property Management Virtual Assistants will undergo an initial consultation to determine their needs. Candidate sourcing can take almost a month, though. While this may be a caveat for some clients, Property Management Virtual Assistants makes up for it by sourcing the best virtual assistant for your property management business.
On top of that, you’ll get a QA specialist, supervisor, and trainer. Essentially, a whole team! This setup promises comprehensive project and performance monitoring, motivating your team to consistently meet the company’s high standards.
VPM Solutions provides property management solutions with the promise of driving scalability, growth, and cost-effectiveness for property management business owners. Since its founding, the company has addressed common operational issues plaguing the real estate industry — from workload-induced stress to poor client relationships.
VPM Solutions works like most freelance platforms. You post a job and wait for applicants, or scout for potential remote staff candidates yourself. You can also opt for the platform’s TalentMatch technology. This feature hastens the sourcing process, limiting your candidate pool to virtual assistants that best match your required qualifications. Best of all, VPM Solutions does not charge a platform fee or additional costs.
Founded by Bob Lachance and George Cortes, Reva Global is a dedicated platform for Filipino virtual assistants who work with clients in the US. The company’s property management virtual assistant services cover lease renewal, lead generation, showing scheduling, and coordination of utilities. Because property management is a rigorous field, Reva Global promises clients a carefully vetted property management assistant team, cost savings, and a healthy work-life balance.
Anequim is a virtual assistance platform established in 2016 by Gwenn and Jeremy Aspen. While some VA websites are aimed at the Filipino market, this platform is reserved for bilingual Mexican professionals.
Partnering with Canada- and US-based clients, Anequim’s virtual property management assistant professionals provide a suite of general and property management-specific VA services. These include appointment setting and scheduling, correspondence preparation, budget preparation, maintenance coordination, and customer service.
Similar to other VA agencies, Anequim hires and onboards a virtual property management assistant for you. The company even goes as far as handling your job posting and orienting candidates on the American Disabilities Act and Fair Housing. Because Anequim values meeting key performance indicators (KPI), do expect coaching sessions from the company — aimed not just at your real estate virtual assistant, but at yourself too!
20four7VA is a virtual assistant website for business owners across the globe. Unsurprisingly, the platform is dominated by Filipino VAs, making it an ideal pick for clients who like working with virtual assistants from the Philippines. Thanks to its rigorous yet fair screening and hiring processes, you can count on 20four7VA to match you with the right virtual assistant.
Although its main selling points center on administrative, business, marketing, and technical virtual assistance, 20four7VA also offers VA services in niche industries such as telehealth and real estate. The platform’s property management virtual assistants can take over not just administrative duties, but also marketing and real estate tasks.
Remote CoWorker is an outsourcing company that is compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It boasts college-educated, English-proficient virtual assistants and offers top-notch, round-the-clock services to clients in different industries — including real estate, insurance, and hospitality.
Remote CoWorker’s real estate virtual assistant services are aimed at property management companies, real estate agents, brokers, and investors. With a team of virtual assistants for property management by your side, your property leasing needs will be taken care of without delay. An account manager will also monitor your virtual assistants, making outsourcing a win-win situation for you and your VA team.
Take note, however, that Remote CoWorker requires clients to purchase a payment plan before screening candidates.
Established by Stephen Atcheler, ShoreAgents is a BPO company specializing in the real estate industry, covering mortgage processing, property insurance, drafting, architecture outsourcing services, and the like. The company’s property management VAs handle property advertisement, landlord onboarding, lease renewals, tenant screening, and many other routine tasks.
ShoreAgents sources property VAs from various recruitment platforms, such as Facebook groups, databases, LinkedIn ads, and job search websites. From phone screening and English tests to client interviews, the company’s comprehensive recruitment system ensures that all candidates have the potential to be the perfect match for your team.
Virtudesk is a tech-driven virtual assistant company established in 2016. With its high-quality VA services and unwavering desire for growth and innovation, Virtudesk positions itself as a catalyst for client and business success. Virtudesk’s property management VA services include customer service, marketing, administrative support, and prospecting — all are designed to ease your team’s workload and optimize daily property management operations.
We hope this round-up has given you a starting point on where to find a virtual assistant in the Philippines or any part of the world. Don’t limit yourself to our top picks, though. Check out Upwork, Fiverr, OnlineJobs.ph, and LinkedIn for a prospective virtual property management assistant.
KDCI Outsourcing takes the guesswork of screening candidates. With our expert recruitment team, we can source new and experienced VAs so you can build your ideal property management team.
Contact us now, and we look forward to meeting you for a discovery call.
Any real estate agent understands the age-old adage of “time is money” and “time wasted is time lost.” These quotes are not just for show, though. They teach us the value of time and money. In the fast-paced realm of the real estate industry, real estate agents need to step up or lose out. Fortunately, real estate assistants are here to the rescue. They play a pivotal role in easing a real estate agent’s life, taking care of everything from administrative to customer service tasks.
But with external factors like location, skill sets, and the experience level of a real estate virtual assistant, establishing the best virtual assistance rate or salary range can be tricky. Don’t worry, this article includes the average salary ranges of a Filipino VA, so you can create an appropriate hiring budget for your real estate business.
Is an outsourced real estate virtual assistant better than an in-house assistant? While people think the former is better due to reduced costs, there’s no clear-cut answer to this question because your decision to outsource or hire in-house depends on your business needs. Below, let’s tackle the pros and cons of each one.
Every day, you meet and talk with your in-house executive assistant in the office. Because of your assistant’s proximity, monitoring their productivity levels and performance becomes easier.
Face-to-face contact also fosters a better sense of collaboration between real estate professionals and in-house assistants. Plus, in-house employees can easily adapt to your workplace culture. Training and providing feedback is much easier, as well.
Modern workplaces are equipped with advanced communication tools. But — as mentioned earlier — the beauty of in-house hiring lies in face-to-face interactions. This allows real estate professionals to brainstorm and work with their assistants without delays, technical difficulties, or communication lapses.
Offices implement strong security measures to preserve the confidentiality of sensitive data. With such measures, the chances of data leaks and privacy breaches happening are slim.
While in-house assistants are an investment, they are expensive. As a real estate agent, you cover not only their monthly salaries. You also shoulder the cost of additional office spaces and equipment, training, and employee benefits. For small real estate business owners or real agents looking to cut costs, in-house hiring is a risky investment.
With in-house assistants, scaling your business according to demand is difficult without making significant adjustments to your internal team. In case of skill shortages in your real estate business, you may need to bring in new external hires — which costs money.
Most virtual assistants are independent contractors or freelancers engaged in remote work. Because outsourced virtual assistants don’t come with the near-permanent tenure of in-house employees, real estate professionals can easily hire virtual assistants for real estate during demanding workload periods or peak seasons.
A virtual assistant works in the comfort of their home, meaning they already have the necessary equipment to do their job. For real estate professionals, this is a blessing since they don’t have to invest in office spaces, equipment, and employee benefits.
With the global demand for virtual assistant services and the ubiquity of virtual assistants, real estate agents can access a vast pool of talent at their fingertips. If they, for example, hire a Filipino virtual assistant, real estate professionals can enjoy an all-in-one package that promises cost-effective virtual assistant services, high English proficiency, and cultural compatibility.
An in-house administrative assistant requires training to keep up with market demands. Real estate agents can save money by hiring a specialized Filipino virtual assistant for real estate. Virtual assistants with specialized skills don’t need training, so they can jump right into their job and complete tasks with minimal supervision. Plus, they bring in industry insights that can change the trajectory of your real estate business.
Did you know that VAs can succeed without being fluent in English? Some real estate professionals don’t care about their virtual assistant’s English proficiency level. But let’s get one thing straight — English fluency is an edge.
Poor English communication skills increase the likelihood of miscommunication and misunderstandings during meetings or feedback sessions. Fortunately, most Filipino virtual assistants are fluent in English. Thanks to their neutral accent, real estate professionals need not worry about overcoming language barriers.
Real estate agents handle sensitive client information. If confidential data falls into the hands of a hacker or malicious virtual assistant, they can use it to perform fraudulent transactions, breaching customer trust.
Hiring an overseas real estate virtual assistant comes with a higher risk of security and privacy issues. You don’t have much control over how they store and process client data. Outsourcing virtual assistant services to the best BPO companies or property management companies is your best bet, as they employ solid data security measures to safeguard customer information from cybercriminals.
Real estate professionals value real-time communication and collaboration. Hiring a foreign real estate VA can lead to incompatibilities in working hours. If not negotiated or established early on during the hiring process, timezone incompatibilities can cause delays in communication and turnaround times and dips in productivity.
Hence, it’s recommended to hire a real estate virtual assistant who can align their schedule with yours. Outsourcing companies make good choices, too. They provide round-the-clock virtual assistant services that help streamline your daily business operations, ensuring productivity and smooth turnaround times.
Virtual assistance is a lucrative career. However, how much money a virtual assistant earns depends on their location, niche, skills, expertise, and experience level. The Philippines has a lower cost of labor, so the country’s average VA salary is understandably cheaper than in Western countries.
If you’re hiring a virtual assistant from the Philippines, here’s a primer on the average salary ranges according to level of seniority.
An entry-level job implies the virtual assistant has one to two years of work experience. In the Philippines, the average salary of an entry-level Filipino real estate virtual assistant ranges between ₱17,000 ($292) to ₱20,000 ($344) each month — though the numbers can go as high as ₱25,000 ($430) to ₱38,000 ($654) a month, according to Glassdoor. In the United States, entry-level real estate virtual assistants earn a monthly average income of $3,708 (₱215,408) to $4,050 (₱235,276).
Boasting at least three to six years of experience, a mid-level virtual assistant is expected to have a deeper understanding of the real estate industry and a stronger grasp of VA skills. Filipino mid-level real estate VAs earn an average of ₱31,883 ($548) to ₱41,500 ($714) every month. As much as possible, avoid paying ₱20,000 ($344) to a mid-level real estate VA. US real estate VAs, on the other hand, take home $4,916 (₱285,585) to $6,633 (₱385,330) a month.
With more than five to six years of work experience, senior real estate assistants have amassed a wealth of industry knowledge and skills. Senior real estate VAs in the Philippines earn a monthly income of ₱50,475 ($868) to ₱70,000 ($1,204). Meanwhile, US senior real estate VAs receive $6,633 (₱385,330) to $8,116 (₱471,482) — even as high as $9,700 (₱563,502).
It’s important to remember that the above salary ranges are just rough estimates. Before building a salary range, take into account the following factors:
In the virtual assistance industry, success is not determined by college degrees or certifications. Many virtual assistants earn salaries that rival or surpass most professions. Still, you should consider an assistant’s education level when building a pay grade.
A Filipino real estate virtual assistant with a bachelor’s degree in finance, business, or marketing can command a higher monthly pay grade (₱56,175) than a virtual assistant with a high school education (₱28,366).
What will your Filipino real estate do when hired? Complex job responsibilities such as market research and customer relationship management (CRM) involve specialized skills, and therefore, require a higher rate than general virtual assistant tasks.
These are optional. But if you want to give bonuses and incentives, you need to include them in your budget. Examples include:
Where does the 13th-month pay come in? If your real estate business doesn’t operate under Philippine jurisdiction, you’re not legally mandated to pay your Filipino real estate VA with 13th-month pay. In short, it’s optional. However, you may provide 13th-month pay to show your gratitude and appreciation to your Filipino virtual assistant.
The economy also influences salaries. As much as real estate professionals want the best for their virtual assistants, it’s not always possible — especially in times of economic crises.
During the pandemic, for example, the prices of property in the Philippines fell steeply by 10% to 20%. This was heightened by desperate property sellers trying to profit in an unstable market, lack of financial stability, and job loss.
While the country’s real estate industry rose to its former glory, there’s no denying the ripple effect of economic issues and world crises. Both of which contribute to lower salaries, mass layoffs, and downsizing.
While scouting for the right real estate virtual assistants, here are the traits you should look out for when screening or interviewing a candidate:
Positive reviews are a testament to a candidate’s work ethic and the quality of virtual assistant service. Any reviews related to breach of confidentiality, low-quality work, and unprofessional behavior indicate that the real estate VA is unreliable when handling data and completing tasks.
Hiring virtual assistants without reviews is a gamble, though. Of course, it doesn’t mean they make a bad VA. It’s risky on your end, but a thorough screening can help determine if a no-review candidate is the right fit.
Believe it or not, but a Filipino real estate virtual assistant with good boundaries is good for your business. After all, you can’t expect them to work 24/7 for the whole year. If a Filipino VA informs you they’ll be on a five-day vacation, take it as their sign to recharge and spend time with their loved ones. This way, your VA won’t be burned out from their tasks, which helps improve their productivity and mental health.
There are bad apples out there. Keeping an eye on the following red flags helps you make better hiring choices:
Does the Filipino virtual assistant offer subpar virtual assistant services at a high price tag? As a real estate business owner, that’s a no-go. Read your candidate’s review and check their portfolio — especially if they specialize in real estate graphic design or content creation — to ensure the quality of their services matches their rate.
Virtual assistants with dirt-cheap prices are questionable. Whether they’re not good at their job or are trying to attract clients, it’s best to approach them with caution.
The real estate industry is complex, but it doesn’t mean a candidate has to be a complete expert. A Filipino virtual assistant with poor industry knowledge means they can’t provide deep insights or make sound business decisions. Before hiring a Filipino real estate VA, consider quizzing them on industry-specific tidbits to gauge their familiarity with real estate.
We hope our salary guide for real estate VAs has helped you charge better rates and manage your budget expectations. If you’re at a loss for where to find the right virtual assistant, choose KDCI Outsourcing.
Headquartered in the Philippines, KDCI Outsourcing provides state-of-the-art outsourcing services with the goal of driving success, cost-effectiveness, and streamlined operations to its foreign clients — which include Cedar Management Group, Spreetail, and Softonic.
Powered by advanced technologies and backed by a team of real estate professionals, the company’s real estate services promise security, optimization, and real-time support for your business.
Ready to outsource real estate services? Leave it to KDCI Outsourcing. Contact us now!
.jpg)
Working in the real estate industry is no easy feat. As a real estate agent or business owner, you’re a multitasker. You factor in economic changes, market supply and demand, and compliance policies while taking care of the administrative side of your business. Realistically speaking, keeping up with everything is not always possible.
Thankfully, the growing demand for virtual assistant services and a real estate virtual assistant (VA) means having an extra pair of hands. A real estate VA is akin to an administrative assistant or a right-hand man. Their job responsibilities encompass not only the usual customer or administrative support but also content creation and marketing. Below, we’ll delve deeper into the many hats of a real estate virtual assistant.
While virtual assistants are often perceived as all-rounders, some assistants specialize in a particular task. Before hiring virtual assistants for your real estate business, here are the most common virtual assistant services you can outsource, divided by job category.
Administrative tasks are what keep daily business operations going. In the standard workplace, they’re performed by executive assistants. Common administrative support tasks include data entry, appointment setting, and many more. Let’s tackle them below:
Though tedious, data entry is one of the most important administrative tasks. Virtual assistants organize, input, cross-check, and update customer data. They also process contracts and legal documents as well as track sales and transaction records.
Organizational skills, accuracy, and proficiency in customer relationship management (CRM) systems are essential for this role. By delegating data entry to a real estate virtual assistant, inaccurate client information and outdated transaction records are the least of your worries.
From high-value tasks to appointments, real estate agents are always drowning in workload. A virtual assistant responsible for calendar management helps real estate professionals organize their day-to-day tasks and meetings according to urgency.
Beyond setting dates for day-offs, virtual assistants also assist in booking flights, listing the agenda for an upcoming meeting, creating a to-do list, and many more. By hiring a virtual assistant with calendar management skills, you can enjoy a year’s worth of increased productivity and efficiency.
Appointment setting and calendar management have overlapping roles. However, as the name implies, the latter mainly centers on scheduling agent-client meetings and ensuring all involved parties come prepared with all the necessary paperwork. Additionally, real estate VAs generate leads for potential clients, vet clients, and initiate follow-ups post-appointment.
Knowing a foreign language is also an advantage. This way, your virtual real estate assistant can assist non-English-speaking clients with their property needs without language and cultural barriers. This improves client relations and boosts satisfaction, allowing you to cater to customers from different cultural backgrounds.
Virtual assistants are equipped with basic bookkeeping skills. They monitor your expenses, process payments, send invoices, and create financial reports and statements. While you don’t necessarily need a full-fledged accountant for this role, your real estate VA must exhibit keen organizational and mathematical skills and mastery of accounting programs. Because this role involves sensitive financial details, your virtual assistant must practice data security and privacy.
Content creation and marketing go hand in hand. Content creation refers to the production of visual or written content for clients. While creativity is involved, it is also one of the most mentally taxing and time-consuming tasks.
On the other hand, marketing encompasses tasks that involve the promotion and selling of products — more like properties. Below are content creation and marketing tasks you can outsource to your VA.
No real estate business is complete without eye-catching visual designs. Unfortunately, not all realtors are skilled in the visual arts. The solution? A real estate virtual assistant with graphic design skills.
In this role, your real estate VA can create marketing materials, social media graphics, brochures, and infographics to present property information in a visually engaging manner. They incorporate your brand’s signature elements into every design to maintain visual consistency.
A real estate VA who excels in graphic design can also retouch your property photos, so your listing can attract more potential clients.
Writing is everywhere, even in the real estate sector. While copywriting and content writing are used interchangeably, there’s a difference between the two. Copywriting induces emotion and pushes the reader to take action — such as buying a product — whereas content writing informs the reader on a particular topic.
A real estate VA with copywriting skills can craft snappy marketing copy that convinces why your clients need to buy your property or home. To achieve this, a copywriter approaches the copy with the client in mind, sprinkling descriptive, enticing words and crafting a thought-provoking narrative about the property. When written well, potential clients can click on your listing and reach out to you — the real estate agent.
A real estate content writer can create engaging blog articles about anything and everything real estate — whether it’s buying your first home or determining property value. Content writers research keywords for search engine optimization (SEO) and understand search intent.
Because they write for readers and search engines, their articles must be well-researched and SEO-friendly. This way, the articles will rank at the top of the search results — potentially attracting new clients.
For a potential buyer, photos and descriptions are not enough. A beautifully edited video can amaze even the most reluctant buyers. A real estate VA who excels in video editing knows what audio to embed and when to use text overlays, visual effects, and transitions.
Through meticulous editing, your remote worker can showcase your property in ways that compel potential clients to make a purchase.
Market research delves deeper into the complexities of the real estate industry to ensure the success and viability of your real estate business. Market researchers analyze supply-demand trends, monitor housing markets, compare property prices, conduct a SWOT analysis, and formulate data-driven action plans.
A real estate VA with market research experience has an in-depth understanding of the real estate sector and marketing research methods. Presentation skills and a degree in finance, accounting, or a related field are an advantage, too.
Content is everything, and word of mouth only does so much if real estate realtors want to succeed in the industry. With the help of a virtual real estate assistant, your real estate business can generate new leads. Virtual assistants can help you create a detailed buyer persona and identify your target market.
This way, your writers and graphic designers know the type of content they can produce on your website. There’s SEO involved, too. Your real estate VA can assist writers in keyword research to drive traffic and improve search ranking. They can also work with graphic designers to produce fresh visual content.
Taking advantage of social media platforms is a plus, as they serve as avenues for uploading and promoting content — drawing in potential clients and keeping existing followers engaged.
Email may be an old-school communication method, but email marketing has elevated its role to new heights. With email marketing, your virtual real estate assistant can compose newsletters informing a potential buyer about property leases or property purchasing. In addition to email composition, your remote worker can organize clients’ emails according to preferences or anything they deem fit.
Virtual assistants can create targeted emails and provide tailored recommendations for a more personalized experience, which helps build strong client relationships. Another responsibility of your real estate VA is monitoring the performance of your business’s email campaigns.
This can be gleaned from conversion rates and other key metrics, helping real estate professionals and virtual assistants identify points for improvement.
Customer support is the provision of assistance to clients. Real estate businesses invest in customer service to boost customer retention and satisfaction. Check out how a real estate virtual assistant can take care of your business’s customer support:
Whether through phone calls, email, or live chat, customer care is the backbone of your real estate business. Real estate VAs with customer service experience are, first and foremost, customer-oriented. They understand the importance of building a professional rapport with clients and other realtors.
Beyond helping clients with real estate-related inquiries, virtual assistants must understand customers’ needs and resolve issues. To provide faster customer service, virtual assistants create templates for common inquiries and pre-made responses. While speed is important, clients feel more seen and understood when responses are empathic and personalized.
Cold calling may be intrusive or unnecessary. But when done right, it can benefit your real estate business. A real estate virtual assistant who knows the cold-calling game will establish feasible goals for the call and prepare a script to guide them throughout the correspondence. Moreover, they’re not afraid of making offers and providing a strong value proposition. Real estate VAs also honor their promises, following up on buyers when necessary.
Since cold calls are often seen as scams, virtual assistants add a personal touch through extensive background research of their potential client. This way, your real estate VA can start on the right foot without sounding like a scammer. Respect, active listening, and professionalism are must-have traits, as a potential client may reject your VA’s offer.
Real estate support covers all day-to-day real estate tasks. Below are three examples of these tasks:
Property creation and management take a mental toll on real estate professionals who are already overwhelmed with work. That’s why such tasks are delegated to real estate virtual assistants.
They create property listings containing snappy headlines, high-quality property photos, and descriptive property information. This role involves a bit of writing, as virtual assistants need to choose words that accurately describe a property’s features without embellishment.
Real estate VAs can also include nearby local attractions — natural or otherwise — and provide an overview of the neighborhood, giving clients a sneak peek of what life will be like after purchasing your property.
Attention to detail is important here. Hence, virtual assistants must double-check not only the grammar and word choices, but also the price, property size, and other key information. Completed property listings are then uploaded on social media and real estate websites like Realtor.com
The real estate industry is volatile. That’s why property management is essential for any real estate business. For real estate VAs, this means updating prices and information to ensure the property’s relevance and visibility on websites and social media. Aside from that, virtual assistants answer customer queries and create performance reports of all property listings.
In the real estate sector, there’s beauty in research — even if it’s tedious. In this role, virtual assistants identify market trends and opportunities as well as find new leads and properties from different neighborhoods. All research findings are then collated into a report for your real estate VA to send to potential leads. Thanks to property research, your real estate business becomes ahead of the curve.
A real estate virtual assistant is the closest you can get to a superhero. Skilled and customer-centric, they do everything they can to drive profit and convert customers for you. When hiring a real estate VA, be specific with your requirements. Do you prefer VAs with good research skills and finance degrees? Or do you like those with general VA skills and a few years of real estate experience?
There’s no right or wrong answer here, as everything depends on what your real estate business needs now. Unfortunately, finding the ideal real estate virtual assistant is challenging. If you don’t like investing time in screening and interviewing candidates, you can outsource virtual assistant services to top property management agencies or BPO companies.
KDCI Outsourcing is your best choice. As one of the best BPO companies with a solid reputation in the industry, we help real estate business owners achieve operational efficiency at lower costs through outsourcing, building them a team of real estate professionals who specialize in a particular role.
Want to give outsourcing a try? Contact us, and we’ll tailor our outsourcing efforts for your business needs!
With a low barrier to entry, virtual assistance is a popular and lucrative profession in the freelance industry. From administrative support to content creation, the beauty of being a virtual assistant (VA) is the diversity of skills you can offer. While general skills are more than enough to land you clients, specialized skills like web development and Facebook ad management open more doors.
Among the reasons for specializing include charging higher rates, establishing credibility in a niche or industry, and retaining existing clientele. If you own a real estate business and want someone to handle your real estate operations, you should hire virtual assistants for real estate.
Though a real estate virtual assistant possesses general VA skills, they’re also equipped with the industry know-how of the real estate sector. In this article, we’ll tackle the roles of a real estate virtual assistant as well as teach you how to hire virtual assistants for real estate.
From researching property valuation to analyzing consumer behavior, a real estate agent spends countless hours juggling marketing, administrative, customer service, and real estate tasks to stay ahead of the real estate industry. As a one-man army, there’s only so much you can handle without burning out or sacrificing your mental health.
Enter virtual assistants. In this fast-paced, digitized world, the popularity and demand for virtual assistant services continue to grow as real estate businesses rely on them for operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and better work-life balance. As a matter of fact, it is projected that by 2028, there will be 8.4 million virtual assistants all over the globe — a major increase from 2020’s 3.9 million.
Whatever your goals are for your real estate business, you deserve a helping hand. Below are five reasons why you should hire virtual assistants for real estate.
Though convenient, hiring an in-house executive assistant is not always a good idea — especially if you’re just starting your real estate business. Expenses for equipment, training, sick leaves, and Paid Time Offs (PTOs) can add up and take a toll on your budget.
Thankfully, some real estate virtual assistants work as freelancers or independent contractors. Hence — when you hire one — a portion of your budget goes to their salary instead of leaves and other overhead expenses.
Reality check — the job market is competitive. With remote work and outsourcing taking center stage, competition becomes stiffer as the talent pool widens. Because there are more talent options, real estate business owners can factor in skills, expertise, location, and cost of a virtual assistant without limiting themselves to a particular geographical location.
As global talent comes new perspectives, you can think outside the box and make better business decisions.
The real estate industry is not for the faint of heart. Even as a budding real estate agent, you have to put in the work just to land your first client. Like you, a skilled virtual assistant has all the skills and mindset to thrive in the real estate industry.
With their vast knowledge of the industry, a real estate virtual assistant can provide data-driven insights, understand market trends, and demonstrate mastery of customer relationship management (CRM) systems and marketing tools. They can even introduce you to new tools and technologies!
English is a global language and the lifeblood of most workplaces. When you hire virtual assistants for real estate overseas — especially in the Philippines — you can expect your virtual employee to communicate in near-native English. This is a huge plus, as English proficiency facilitates seamless collaboration between you and your virtual employee.
When you work alone or with limited staff, managing your time and workload becomes a battle of attrition. While time management centers on prioritization, it is also about effective task delegation. When you outsource virtual assistance services to a virtual employee, you can accomplish more high-value tasks in a single day.
Also called real estate VA, a real estate virtual assistant is a specialized virtual assistant responsible for delivering administrative and real estate services such as:
Real estate virtual assistants create engaging property listings, complete with compelling headlines and copy that includes all relevant property information. Inaccurate details and false claims are a no-go, so a real estate VA must ensure the accuracy and truthfulness of a property listing.
This task involves managing and scheduling upcoming agent and client appointments. Success in setting appointments entails keen organization skills and tech-saviness. Knowing multiple languages is advantageous in this role due to cultural and linguistic differences between clients.
In this role, a real estate virtual assistant compares and monitors sales, analyzes customer needs and behavior, and understands competitor behavior. Through market research, virtual assistants can stay ahead of competitors and ensure customer satisfaction.
Real estate virtual assistants answer client inquiries in all communication channels, building trust and ensuring their needs are taken care of. To consistently provide excellent customer service, a real estate virtual assistant must be an empath and active listener.
A real estate assistant organizes, inputs, and updates client information into a database, ensuring that all data is listed accurately.
Virtual assistants responsible for email marketing create engaging, personalized emails to build relationships with clients, utilizing templates and automation tools to speed up the process.
The right virtual assistant for real estate can make a huge difference in your business. Despite the abundance of real estate virtual assistants, a real estate professional like you must stay grounded to ensure you hire the right candidate.
Whether it’s your first foray into hiring a real estate VA, or you already have a couple of hiring experiences under your belt, our step-by-step tutorial is a good primer or refresher on hiring a virtual assistant for real estate.
Hiring without a clear blueprint of your needs and requirements is like navigating uncharted waters. Observe your working environment and answer the questions below:
These questions will help you identify skill gaps or productivity lapses. Let’s say you can’t create engaging copy for a property listing. In this case, you can include copywriting and property listing creation in your list of requirements in a real estate virtual assistant. As you conduct your needs assessment, you’ll have a clearer picture of what you’re looking for in a real estate VA.
Based on your inventory of needs, you can identify the type of employment and set appropriate working hours for your soon-to-be virtual assistant.
Begin your job posting with a catchy job title. The title should act as a summary of the skills required for the job. Instead of “Virtual Assistant for Real Estate” or “Need a Rockstar Real Estate VA,” try “Real Estate Virtual Assistant for Market Research” or “Real Estate Virtual Assistant for Copywriting.” The goal is to make the title concise, so you can attract the right candidates.
After the job title, craft a powerful hook that compels candidates to keep reading your job description. You can include a brief introduction of your real estate company, too! Next, create a bullet point or checklist of qualifications. Provide the minimum experience or education level as well as whether the position requires experience in working for a BPO.
Then, list the job responsibilities of the role. These should be in bullet form, and each description should be short and action-oriented to ensure clarity. Lastly, include the perks of working for your real estate company— which can be anything from bonuses to paid holidays. End your job listing with a CTA coaxing applicants to submit their resumes. Finally, review your draft.
Now, the hunt begins. If you’re wondering where you can hire a virtual assistant, there’s Upwork, OnlineJobs.ph, and Fiverr. Like submitting a resume, posting your job listing is a numbers game. The more you post, the more likely you’ll get prospects.
Do your research and avoid limiting yourself to freelance and job search platforms. If you want virtual assistants for real estate for a big project, why not request a quote from the best BPO companies or the top property management companies? In these companies, the real estate virtual assistants are already pre-screened and trained, easing the burden of hiring off your shoulders.
There’s no shame in looking into your personal network, as well. You can upload your job listing on LinkedIn, so your connections can point you to a real estate VA. Facebook is also another way of getting prospects, though it can be a hit or miss depending on the quality of the candidates.
From here, you can start shortlisting candidates based on their resumes or proposals. Shortlisted candidates can proceed with a 10- to 15-minute interview. It’s recommended to prepare a mix of general, situational, and real estate-related interview questions to test the candidate’s knowledge of the real estate industry and assess what they can bring to the table.
Candidates who pass the interview can be administered a test task to evaluate their performance and ability to complete a task within a limited time frame. The test should mimic real-world tasks and be appropriate to the job position.
Congratulations on hiring a real estate virtual assistant! During your first meeting, establish a dedicated communication channel, so your new hire knows where to contact you. Share what CRM software or project management tools you use in your business.
Give your new hire space to share the tools they’ve used in their previous job or client. This way, you can experiment with new tools that may streamline daily operations. Set expectations and orient your virtual assistant on house rules, deliverables, and expected turnaround times.
If you hire multiple real estate virtual assistants, use the first meeting as an ice-breaker to acquaint all new hires and your in-house team.
Even if you hire an experienced real estate virtual assistant, you can’t expect them to master everything in one to two days. Take your time in the onboarding process and make sure your real estate VA is comfortable with your business’s daily workflow. You can supervise them for one to weeks, so they won’t struggle much after getting comfortable in their role.
Feedback is critical to improvement. As your real estate VA learns the ropes, conduct regular feedback sessions to highlight their strengths and weaknesses and provide action plans for improvement. These sessions also serve as an avenue for your VA to share their concerns and struggles.
Unfortunately, not everything works out well. If you think your real estate VA has not shown improvement, you can let them go and hire a replacement.
As the real estate sector continues to evolve, real estate agents must keep abreast of emerging trends to stay relevant in the field. Juggling administrative, marketing, and property management services is not always feasible. A real estate company is not complete without a real estate VA.
Packaged with the skills of general VAs, real estate virtual assistants are the industry’s heroes. They improve efficiency, reduce expenses, provide market insights, and build long-lasting client relationships. If you’re looking for a reliable VA team, check out KDCI Outsourcing.
KDCI Outsourcing excels in providing world-class yet cost-effective real estate services. Building your real estate team with us ensures your offshore team is composed of not just a real estate virtual assistant, but also a real estate telemarketer, real estate legal consultant, lead generation specialist, and other related roles.
Contact us now, and let us assist you in your path to real estate success!
With a massive workforce of over 1.3 million customer support agents and more than 700 call centers in the Philippines, there’s no question why plenty of international online retail brands have been recognizing the opportunities offered by the country’s call center industry.
To help you choose which Philippine call center company to work with, we listed the top 10 call centers in the Philippines based on their Google ratings, ranked in no particular order. Let’s go through each one in the following sections.
The call center industry in the Philippines first emerged when Frank Holz founded the first call center company in 1992. Three years later, in 1995, the Special Economic Zone Act was passed by the Philippine Congress — which underscored the establishment of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). Since then, it has been a significant part of the country's BPO industry.
Fueled by a large, English-speaking workforce, cultural alignment with Western countries, and competitive labor costs, the Philippines quickly became a global hotspot for call centers. Over the years, the call center outsourcing field has expanded dramatically, contributing significantly to the nation's economic growth and becoming a key employer for a diverse range of skills and educational backgrounds — thus becoming the world’s call center capital.
Although there are hundreds of BPO companies and call centers in the Philippines, only the following Filipino call centers have made the cut.
Based in Pasig City, Metro Manila, KDCI builds a call center team for businesses looking to build an extension of their customer service in the Philippines. They focus on delivering high-quality and efficient customer service by offering tailored solutions for every business’s call center needs. Here are the features you can expect from their call center services:
KDCI ensures that your call center team can provide digital customer service support according to your brand’s voice, values, and goals by providing on-brand training to customer support agents. The process starts with a call with KDCI to talk about your call center needs.
From there, their recruitment powerhouse will find, screen, interview, and hire the right call center agent. They will train the agents who passed the hiring process based on your brand’s training manual.
With KDCI’s personalized call center solutions, you can deploy as many offshore customer service agents as you need for whatever channel — be it email, live chat, or phone. These agents are already certified, which means they have passed assessments to ensure they can provide the level and quality of customer service you need.
KDCI’s call center operations don’t end with providing you with a reliable call center agent support team. They will also manage your customer service operations for more efficient quality assurance. You will also get a dedicated account manager who will gather relevant customer service insights and data to give your business an overview of the necessary improvements.
One of the best call centers in Taguig, Philippines, Sutherland Global Services offers a comprehensive suite of customer interaction services designed to enhance customer engagement and improve business outcomes. Their call center services focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences across various channels. Here are the key features of their call center services:
Sutherland Global Services provides support across multiple channels, including voice, chat, email, and many more. This ensures a seamless and consistent customer experience, regardless of the channel.
By leveraging data analytics, Sutherland offers insights that help gain better insights into customers’ needs and preferences, enabling more personalized interactions.
This Taguig-based call center company offers support in multiple languages. Their global presence also enables them to understand local market nuances, making their services more effective.
The outsourcing call center services of Sutherland Global Services are designed to be scalable, allowing businesses to adjust their level of support based on demand.
Sutherland Global Services invests in thorough training programs for their agents, ensuring high-quality customer service and support.
The call center company integrates advanced technologies like AI and machine learning to streamline processes and enhance customer interactions.
Concentrix, a global leader in customer experience solutions and technology, offers a comprehensive customer experience (CX) Strategy designed to enhance customer engagement and drive business growth. Their approach to CX strategy revolves around several key components, including the following:
Concentrix’s call center operations focus on understanding the customer journey to identify critical touchpoints and opportunities for enhancing the customer experience.
This call center service company emphasizes the importance of a cohesive experience across all channels, ensuring that customers receive consistent and effective service whether they interact online, over the phone, or through other channels.
Concentrix uses data and analytics to tailor experiences to individual customer needs and preferences, aiming to make each interaction as relevant and engaging as possible.
By leveraging the latest technologies, Concentrix aims to constantly innovate and improve the customer experience.
Recognizing the link between employee and customer satisfaction, Concentrix also focuses on enhancing the employee experience to ensure their Filipino call center agents stay motivated and engaged.
Alorica offers a range of customer experience solutions aimed at transforming the way businesses interact with their customers. Their call center operations are designed to cater to the diverse needs of their clients and ensure exceptional customer experiences. Here are some key aspects of their call center services:
Alorica specializes in creating customized customer experience strategies that are aligned with the unique needs of each business. This includes everything from customer service to technical support and sales solutions.
Embracing the digital transformation, Alorica provides digital solutions that enhance online customer interactions, including chatbots and other AI-driven technologies.
With a widespread global presence, Alorica offers multi-language support and understands the nuances of various local markets.
Utilizing data analytics, they offer valuable insights to help understand and predict customer behavior, enabling businesses to make informed decisions.
Alorica provides tailored solutions for various industries, ensuring the unique challenges and requirements of different sectors are effectively met.
Recognizing the importance of human resources in delivering quality customer service, Alorica also offers workforce management solutions.
A product of the Sitel and Sykes Enterprises merger, Foundever offers a suite of customer experience solutions aimed at fostering meaningful customer interactions and driving business growth. Here are some of the key components of their outsourcing call center services.
Sitel provides a range of CX services including customer support, sales, technical support, and social media management. They focus on creating a seamless and positive experience across all customer touchpoints.
Their services are designed to deliver a consistent and integrated experience across various communication channels, such as voice, email, chat, and social media.
Leveraging advanced data analytics, this call center outsourcing company offers insights to understand customer behavior and preferences, enabling businesses to tailor their services accordingly.
With operations around the world, this call center outsourcing company is equipped to handle customer interactions in multiple languages and cultural contexts, ensuring a global reach with local expertise.
The integration of AI and other cutting-edge technologies into their solutions helps enhance efficiency and customer engagement.
Foundever places a strong emphasis on their human resources, providing training and development to ensure a skilled and motivated workforce.
Teleperformance offers a host comprehensive suite of digital customer experience solutions, enhanced with AI technologies, to provide effective and efficient customer service. Their digital CX services include the following.
Based in the cloud and powered by AI, Teleperformance’s TP Microservices features scalable Customer Experience Management (CEM) solutions that summarize text, create content, determine intent, and many more.
An AI-powered chatbot that enhances the customer experience by providing instant, automated responses to customer queries. It can also seamlessly transfer complex interactions to human agents.
This call center outsourcing company provides social media and messaging services to engage customers on platforms where they are most active.
Leveraging data analytics, Teleperformance offers insights that help businesses optimize their customer service processes and strategies.
This is a virtual solution that offers flexibility and scalability in managing remote teams, enabling efficient and effective customer service operations from anywhere.
Previously named TeleTech, TTEC offers a broad range of customer experience and contact center services designed to enhance customer engagement and business outcomes. Their services focus on integrating technology and human expertise to deliver seamless customer interactions. Here are some of the things they offer:
This Philippine call center company provides end-to-end customer service solutions, handling everything from basic inquiries to complex issues across various channels.
They offer sales and marketing solutions that help increase customer acquisition, retention, and growth.
TTEC utilizes analytics and consulting expertise to help businesses understand customer behaviors and preferences and optimize their customer engagement strategies.
Incorporating advanced technologies, the Philippine call center company offers solutions such as omnichannel platforms, AI, and automation tools, to enhance customer interaction and operational efficiency.
Recognizing the importance of a skilled and engaged workforce, TTEC provides solutions for workforce training, management, and optimization.
TTEC also offers specialized customer services for the healthcare industry, ensuring compliance and high-quality customer interactions.
Sourcefit specializes in providing customized outsourcing solutions, including customer support services. Their customer support services are tailored to meet the specific needs of businesses across various industries. Below are the key features of Sourcefits’ call center services:
Like other BPO companies, Sourcefit focuses on understanding each client's unique requirements to deliver tailored customer support services.
They offer support across various channels, including phone, email, chat, and social media, ensuring a seamless experience for customers.
Sourcefit employs experienced Filipino call center agents who are trained to handle a wide range of customer queries and issues effectively.
Their services are scalable, allowing businesses to adjust their level of support based on fluctuating demands and growth.
Sourcefit aims to provide high-quality customer support services at competitive rates, helping businesses manage costs without compromising the quality of service.
Their approach is centered on enhancing customer satisfaction, which is crucial for building customer loyalty and improving business outcomes.
VXI Global Solutions, or VXI, offers a comprehensive suite of customer experience and care solutions designed to enhance customer interactions and drive business growth. Their customer experience care services are focused on several key areas, specifically the ones below:
VXI provides support across multiple channels, ensuring a consistent and seamless customer experience whether through voice, chat, email, or social media.
They offer a range of customer support services, from basic inquiry handling to more complex issue resolution.
VXI places a strong emphasis on high-quality customer interactions, employing rigorous quality assurance processes to ensure high standards are met.
Utilizing advanced analytics, VXI delivers insights that help businesses understand customer needs and improve service delivery.
With a global presence, VXI can scale operations to meet the demands of businesses of all sizes across various regions.
This Philippine call center incorporates AI and machine learning to enhance efficiency and customer engagement.
ManilaPros’ call center services revolve around providing the best customer care for retail businesses. They offer dedicated customer service solutions that are designed to meet the specific needs of businesses seeking outsourced support. Their customer care plan includes the following key features:
They provide customer support services that can be tailored to fit the unique requirements of different businesses, ensuring a personalized approach to customer care.
ManilaPros will provide you with professional Filipino call center agents who went through specialized on-brand training, making them capable of handling a wide range of customer inquiries and concerns while still being able to showcase your brand’s voice and values.
Their services are not limited to voice calls; they also extend to email, chat, and other digital communication channels, offering an omnichannel experience to customers.
ManilaPros aims to ensure that your call center stays at the top of its performance by managing your customer care operations for you. This is crucial in quality assurance, so you can focus on your core business operations.
ManilaPros provides valuable data-driven insights and feedback to help your business understand its current state and potential needs and improvements.
To successfully outsource your customer service needs to the Philippines, choose a call center company that understands your needs and knows what steps to take to bring you closer to your business goals.
At KDCI, we will build you a competent call center agent team based on your unique requirements. We will thoroughly vet and train your agents for your brand, integrate them into your environment, and manage your customer service with you. Whether you need one agent or a full offshore team, and whether you opt for call centers in Cebu Philippines or call centers in Manila Philippines, KDCI has got you covered.
Learn more about how we will build your offshore customer service team. Contact us today!
Occasionally, a graphic designer comes along who ticks all the right boxes: a strong portfolio, solid work experience, and great qualifications. While there’s no denying the importance of these requirements, the cost of a graphic designer is one thing business owners should not overlook.
Let’s face it—graphic design can be costly, and it's not surprising, though. After all, graphic design is an art as much as it is a science of problem-solving and adding value through visual means. According to Piktochart, 32% of businesses invest $1,000 to $5,000 and $5,000 to $10,000 every year.
While the above budgets are steep, there are ways to reduce graphic design costs — especially if you’re a small business owner. You can go the DIY route or hire a graphic designer from the Philippines. The latter is always the better option as a Filipino graphic designer is cheaper and has the right skills to design any visual material. Whether you’re opting for a full-time or freelance graphic designer, this guide gives you an idea of the cost of hiring a Filipino graphic designer.
The Philippines is a talent hotbed. Situated in Southeast Asia, the country’s low cost of living and welcoming culture, combined with its thriving business processing outsourcing (BPO) industry and highly educated, customer-oriented workforce make the Philippines a go-to outsourcing destination for overseas companies. Below are three reasons why Filipino graphic designers are preferred over other nationalities.
For Filipinos, education — especially a college degree — is central to success. Most jobs in the Philippines require a college degree, so Filipino students study hard or balance work and studies to finish school with flying colors.
When you hire graphic designers from the Philippines, expect them to hold a four-year degree in graphic design or any related creative course. While some clients prefer self-taught graphic designers or don’t care about degrees, always remember that the college degree of a Filipino designer is a testament to their hard work and dedication to their craft.
Through mastering design principles, completing design projects, and working at internships, college education prepares Filipino students for the rigors and challenges of the creative industry.
The high English proficiency of Filipinos is enough to give them an edge in various fields. Graphic designers from the Philippines — whether they’re working as freelancers or as BPO employees — are not only focused on delivering stellar designs, they also use their near-native English skills to pitch ideas and offer creative insights to foreign clients.
Filipinos are born hard workers. From taking care of their families to climbing the corporate ladder, their industriousness and dedication know no bounds. That’s why foreign business owners often onboard Filipino professionals.
As such, you can expect your Filipino creative team to exceed your expectations and go beyond the call of duty to produce meticulously crafted designers. Because Filipinos are reliable, there’s little need for frequent supervision.
Like any profession, graphic designers have different types of employment. Companies can hire a full-time, part-time, or freelance graphic designer depending on their needs, budget, or the flexibility of the graphic artist.
While there are no hard and fast rules for hiring a skilled graphic designer, exploring how each employment type can affect your daily operations and budget is key to helping you make the right decision for your business.
A typical full-time graphic designer works the standard 9-5 hours from Monday to Friday. They receive a monthly salary and employment benefits such as insurance and PTOs. As such, full-time graphic designers are costlier than part-time graphic designers.
In addition, an outsourced graphic designer or a team of graphic designers can be onboarded as part of a design agency, creative agency, or a BPO company. Direct communication with the agency’s creative may be minimal, as client relationships are handled by a supervisor or a project manager. Hiring offshore graphic artists for full-time work is only recommended if you have ample projects in line as well as the budget for their salary and benefits.
A part-time graphic designer does not follow the same schedule as their full-time counterparts. Part-timers have shorter shifts, working only at set hours or days. Because of their flexible schedule, part-time graphic designers are more cost-effective than full-time graphic designers. This type of employment is best for business owners who prefer flexibility, scalability, and short-term commitments.
Freelancers juggle projects from different clients. As self-employed virtual graphic designers, they provide their own benefits, work directly with clients, and exercise control over their choice of projects. In short, freelancers are their own bosses. Businesses hire freelance graphic designers due to lower hiring costs and risks, increased productivity, and more streamlined communication with their freelance graphic design team.
Project-based graphic designers are only hired for a particular project. Since it’s a form of short-term employment, business owners can slash hiring expenses and temporarily acquire new talent for specific graphic design needs. Project-based graphic designers are recommended for clients who want temporary access to high-caliber talent without the costs that come with long-term employment.
This is every client’s million-dollar question. The cost to hire a graphic designer depends on the following factors: location, expertise, work experience, and employment type. Simply put, there are no set-in-stone graphic design rates.
While there’s always the temptation to go for Filipino designers with dirt-cheap graphic design rates, the value for money may not be as good as other virtual graphic designers with higher price points. Before hiring Filipino graphic designers for your graphic design needs, let’s learn about the profession’s salary range as well as the factors that influence graphic design rates.
Philippine graphic design rates range between ₱25,000 ($430) to ₱37,250 ($641) each month. According to Glassdoor, monthly salaries for Filipino graphic designers in Manila can earn around an average of ₱21,000 ($361) to ₱44,000 ($756) a month.
Due to the high cost of living, graphic design rates in the United States are costlier than in the Philippines. On average, US graphic designers between $4,288 to $5,126 each month — depending on the location.
Do steep graphic design prices scare you? Higher rates signify the expertise and professional growth of a Filipino designer. Below are six factors to get you started on charging better graphic design rates or finding the right Filipino graphic designers.
More experience = more pay! Before hiring a Filipino graphic designer, look at how many professional experiences they have had as a designer. If the designer is a fresh graduate with little professional work experience, they’re more likely applying for the position of junior designer — a role with lower pay.
As they climb the career ladder, gain more work experience and skills, build their portfolio, a Filipino graphic designer can apply for senior positions — which demand higher salaries.
Project scope refers to a project’s goals, deadlines, and deliverables. Projects involving multiple deliverables or complex design work entail higher graphic design rates, as both require more time and skills.
Great designs take time. From ideation to design creation and execution, there’s a lot going on in the graphic design process. Ideally, an outsourced graphic designer should be given ample time to complete a project. Of course, it can’t be helped that, sometimes, you need a graphic designer for an urgent project. In this case, you’ll need to pay for rush fees. Before committing to a graphic designer, read their rush fee policy first.
Revisions are inevitable in graphic design. Yes, they do incur additional charges. A freelance graphic designer may establish a set number of revisions you can request, ranging from one to three revisions per project.
Be wary of graphic designers who offer unlimited revisions. While this perk has its appeal, it can mean that the designer lacks the skill and confidence to nail their design projects. Clients can, unfortunately, abuse a designer’s unlimited revisions policy for the sole reason they don’t have a clear goal in mind. This can compromise turnaround times and project quality.
If you don’t want to waste your graphic designer’s time or pay revision fees, your design brief must contain the goals and vision of the project.
Filipino graphic designers have bills to pay. A freelance graphic designer, for instance, factors in the cost of utility bills, taxes, insurance, and other expenses, which influence their graphic design rate. Graphic designers also pay for design software and assets. Understandably, these affect how much they charge their clients.
The 13th-month pay is the most anticipated annual benefit for Filipino rank-and-file employees. As mandated in Presidential Decree No. 851, Philippine companies must provide the 13th-month pay on or before December 24 to ensure the employees’ financial stability during Christmas.
Businesses not under Philippine jurisdiction are not legally required to pay this benefit. However, a token of appreciation in the form of a 13th-month pay or performance bonus can make your Filipino designer’s day. Regardless, bonuses and 13th-month pay are additional expenses on your end, and therefore, should be taken into account when hiring a Filipino graphic designer.
In the Philippines, Paypal is a go-to payment platform. Although some freelancers prefer Paypal, the high transaction fees significantly add up over time. Bank transfer is another option, too — albeit it requires your Filipino graphic designer to share their account details with you. Long processing times and transaction fees are also the drawbacks of bank transfers.
So, the short answer? It depends. Overall, the best course of action is to ask the designer or check their profile. Freelance websites also feature a dedicated payment system, guaranteeing safe transactions between you and your freelance graphic designer.
Because visuals make or break first impressions, brands are now upping their design game. That’s why graphic designers are an investment. Their creativity, problem-solving skills, and tech-savviness are worth more than a measly pay of peanuts. At the end of the day, great visuals come with business growth and significant returns on investment (ROI).
If you’re looking to outsource graphic design services and form your team of Filipino graphic designers, choose KDCI. KDCI is a BPO company that has solidified its reputation as a provider of world-class graphic design outsourcing services. Our graphic designers’ creative and technical acumen are demonstrated in our design portfolio — which consists of finished projects from different clients, such as Art Brand Studios, Nielsen, and Fitlife.
Whether you’re on the lookout for a motion graphics designer or art director, we hire and onboard the right people for your business. No matter how complex your design needs are, KDCI is here to tailor an appropriate creative solution that meets your goals.
Graphic designers are the unsung heroes of businesses. Without a graphic design team, how can companies establish a solid brand identity and create visually appealing social media posts? While some people underestimate design and visual content in general, there’s a reason they are now taking center stage.
According to 99designs, 49% out of 1,500 founders of startups and small businesses perceived the role of design as a “very important” contributor to success. In a report by Piktochart, graphic design is leveraged not just to communicate within the organization (19% of participants), but also to improve customer communication (55%), and encourage engagement on social media (24%).
To fully take advantage of the perks of good design, business owners like you must invest in a graphic designer who is creative, tech-savvy, and an excellent communicator. If you can’t afford in-house designers, then going the outsourcing route is a wise move. Before outsourcing graphic design services, here’s our detailed guide on hiring a Filipino graphic designer.
Located in Southeast Asia, the Philippines is a linguistically diverse country with an English-proficient populace. As the BPO and call center capital of the world, the country’s outsourcing industry has been the driving force of economic growth, creating numerous employment opportunities for Filipinos.
Although the Philippines’ outsourcing sector sparks images of customer service agents, its scope of services spans across industries, from accounting to graphic design. Let’s find out why foreign businesses outsource their design needs to a Filipino graphic designer.
The creative prowess of Filipino graphic designers is not to be scoffed at. With a strong background in the theoretical and practical application of design principles, their skills bring to life original designs that incite customer engagement, drive business innovation, and maintain visual consistency across different materials. As a country that values education, a college degree is seen as the ultimate goal of Filipino students. Because of college, students are exposed to different design concepts and projects, priming them for what’s ahead outside the classroom. Since the best BPO companies and top creative agencies require college degrees, Filipino graphic designers already have the edge when applying for work.
Hiring in-house graphic designers is costlier than hiring virtual graphic designers. When you hire in-house, you shoulder the cost of training, employee benefits, and additional office spaces and equipment. But when you outsource a graphic design to the Philippines — a country with a low cost of living — you spend less on labor and overhead costs as outsourcing companies take care of the recruitment and training process. Salaries are also lower in the Philippines, with Filipino graphic designers earning around ₱25,000 ($426) to ₱35,000 ($597) per month. Contrast this to the United States, where graphic designers earn $4,309 to $5,107 per month. While these don’t account for experience and skill level, it’s evident that graphic designers from the Philippines are a better option for cost-effectiveness.
Real-time collaboration and round-the-clock productivity are the advantages of working with an outsourced graphic designer: real-time collaboration and round-the-clock productivity. When you hire a graphic designer from the Philippines, they can work on projects at night — most likely, from 8 pm to 5 am local time — and collaborate with you as if they’re in your office, preventing delays and communication hiccups. You can also build another offshore creative team to cover downtimes. Either way, you don’t have to adjust your business’s usual working hours. Filipinos are adaptable and hardworking, so they’re more than eager to lend you a helping hand in your design needs — even if it means working at odd hours.
Like virtual assistants, graphic designers offer different services, from logo design to web design. Although there’s a misconception of graphic design being an “easy” job, or that a designer can do anything and everything you ask for, it’s important to understand that graphic designers have their own niche and specialization. Yes, some designers are jack-of-all-trades, whereas others choose to excel in 3D design, product design, and branding. So without further ado, let’s explore some of the most common graphic design services.
A logo designer creates a symbol representing the client’s business. It involves the use of visual elements — from imagery to color choices — to create a recognizable brand image that drives customer loyalty.
Social media design involves the production of visual content for social media platforms to engage users and solidify a business’s online presence.
A web designer focuses on conceptualizing and creating a visually appealing and user-friendly website. Web design is different from web development, where the latter centers on the technical side of website creation such as coding and debugging.
Illustrators create professional, beautifully rendered artwork for marketing campaigns and print or digital media.
3D designers use 3D modeling programs like Blender to produce high-quality 3D models according to the visual and creative requirements of the client. Because of the inherent complexity of 3D design, this graphic design service requires technical and artistic knowledge.
A motion graphics designer is responsible for producing captivating animations that enhance visual storytelling and communicate information. Motion graphics design also requires graphic designers to have expert knowledge of Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, and many other programs.
Before you hire graphic designers and create your first job posting, it’s always important to learn the different hierarchy levels of the graphic design ladder. Doing so helps you gain a clearer goal and vision of the type of expertise you need for your project.
A junior graphic designer is a newcomer to the professional world. While they are degree holders, a junior graphic designer has little to no job experience. To build their experience and design expertise, junior designers are responsible for assisting other graphic designers in various design projects. On top of that, they can also design logos, edit typography, partake in design decisions, and the like.
Mid-level graphic designers have, on average, around three to five years of job experience under their belt. Unlike a junior graphic designer, a mid-level designer is expected to take on more complex projects with little supervision and execute innovative design solutions. Mid-level graphic designers also work with project managers and senior and junior graphic designers.
With over five years of job experience, a senior graphic designer is responsible for leading mid-level and junior graphic designers, providing creative direction, overseeing the quality of outputs, and collaborating with clients. Overall, a senior graphic designer must have the creative and leadership prowess to thrive in this role.
Being an art director and creative director is one of the highest roles a graphic designer can achieve in their career. An art director takes on more leadership roles than a mid-level or senior graphic designer. They visualize ideas, provide input on a project’s visual aesthetics, share design drafts with the client or creative director, and disseminate feedback to the graphic design team.
On the other hand, a creative director is the equivalent of a project lead. Their job responsibilities include pitching ideas to clients, supervising their graphic design team, providing feedback and revisions, and executing design ideas.
Hiring a Filipino graphic designer is not a complete cakewalk. Without a solid plan or a clear idea of your design project, your potential candidates will be left hanging and confused. If you want the best graphic designer for your creative team, here’s how to get your hiring process on the right track.
One mistake you should not make when hiring graphic designers is expecting them to do every task — from designing a website to creating a motion graphics animation. Remember, Filipino graphic designers are not superhumans; they have their niche too. If you’re having trouble identifying your design needs, these questions will serve as your guide:
Don’t forget to identify the scope of your design needs, as this will influence the position’s type of employment. If you’re outsourcing graphic design, your answers will be of great help to graphic design firms and outsourcing companies.
A job posting is like a resume but for businesses. Like resumes, job postings should be tailored to the position. If you’re hiring an art director, the job listing should include all the skills, qualifications, and responsibilities of that position.
To craft a compelling job description, begin with a catchy summary of the role. Briefly include how the role will impact your company and the Filipino graphic artist. This should answer the question: “Why should the candidate apply to my company?”
Next, list down the key job responsibilities of the role. Again, this depends on the position. Leadership responsibilities, for example, should be reserved for a senior graphic designer, art director, or creative director.
Then, write down the qualifications of the position — whether that’s a four-year graphic design or fine art degree, or experience working as a graphic designer in a related industry as your business. In addition, don’t just include “proficient in various design programs” without specifying the names of the software. List down the role’s salary range and soft skills, as well.
After reviewing your job posting, it’s time to put it where everyone can see it. You can post your job advertisement on LinkedIn, Upwork, and other online platforms. Optimizing your listing goes a long way, too. Use keywords and sprinkle them throughout your listing as needed, potentially reaching more Filipino graphic designers.
As your inbox gets swamped by cover letters, resumes, and project proposals, it’s time to shortlist candidates for the position. Read all your candidates’ resumes and curate their portfolios. Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself when screening Filipino graphic designers:
Shortlisted candidates are, of course, qualified for an interview. Ask the right questions — both icebreakers and open-ended questions — and you’ll know by the end of the interview if a Filipino graphic artist is the right one for the job, at least for now.
For candidates, a test task is the final battle. Test tasks should not only mirror real-world tasks, they should also be related to the job position and your company. They test a Filipino designer’s ability to think outside the box and solve design problems. Include the following elements in your test task:
Congratulations! Your Filipino graphic designer is now onboarded into your team. These tips to ensure a smooth onboarding process:
No matter the industry, graphic designers are always in demand. Because the creative industry is competitive, graphic designers must invest in their skills, widen their expertise, update their portfolios, keep up with design trends, and network with other creatives. With a rich pool of graphic designers abroad and in the Philippines, finding and hiring the right graphic artist is a job in itself.
Fortunately, foreign businesses love the creativity and resilience of Filipino creatives. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of hiring an in-house or freelance graphic designer, you can — instead — outsource to KDCI.
KDCI is a Philippine-based BPO with extensive experience in providing exceptional graphic design services to clients. Because of our dedication to success, we only hire and onboard the best graphic designers. Our graphic designers are not only equipped with creative and technical skills, they also have the grit and industry knowledge to scale your business.
Sounds exciting? Contact us to kick off your outsourcing journey with a bang!
For a typical workday, eight hours is a lot of time. Unfortunately, not all of those hours are spent on high-value tasks. Trafft reported that 80% of a workday is dedicated to accomplishing low-value or mundane tasks. That means only 20% are allotted to core tasks. Without additional manpower, it’s easy to get swamped with tasks — whether that’s managing emails, setting appointments, or creating social media posts.
Because there’s only so much you can accomplish in a single workday, hiring a Filipino virtual assistant will be a life-changing experience for your business. Thankfully, many Filipino assistants are active on freelance websites and virtual assistant companies, waiting to be hired by clients.
Filipino workers are well-sought out for their mastery of the English language, friendliness, and strong work ethic. Although a Filipino virtual assistant faces stiff competition from Brazilian, Malaysian, Mexican, and Singaporean virtual assistants, overseas companies have — time and again — shown their penchant for Filipino talent and labor. Still in doubt? Below, we’ll answer questions about working with a Filipino VA.
Filipinos place a high value on education. Most jobs in the Philippines also require a college degree. Because education is the door to a better future, Filipino families move mountains just so their children can finish school and enjoy the job opportunities that come with a college degree. Interestingly, some of these children are working students. By balancing school and work, students learn transferable skills, build a solid work ethic, and develop persistence. When you work with Filipino VA, you get the best of both worlds — their educational background and tenacity.
Yes! That’s why many foreign companies outsource work to the Philippines. According to Indeed, US virtual assistants make a monthly average salary of $5,792 (₱338,122), whereas Filipino virtual assistants earn $502.30 (₱29,323) a month. The affordability of Filipino labor brings significant cost savings, giving companies more budgetary leeway for key business investments. However, affordable doesn’t mean subpar work. Filipinos value quality and excellence, so they make sure all tasks are completed to their client’s satisfaction.
The timezone differences between the Philippines and the United States are literally night and day. For Filipinos, this is not a problem at all. They can work graveyard shifts and align their schedules with American clients for round-the-clock collaboration and productivity.
Respect is deeply rooted in Filipino culture. At an early age, parents inculcate the value of respect for elders and authority figures, teaching their children to use polite words “po” and “opo” as well as titles such as “ate” for older sisters and “kuya” for older brothers. In the Philippine workplace, it’s customary for employees to use “sir” or “ma’am” as well as “po” and “opo” when speaking to their superiors. If you work with a Filipino virtual assistant, do expect to hear “sir” or “ma’am” in your first few correspondences. Since Filipinos are adaptable, they’ll get used to calling you by your first name.
That depends on you. In the Philippines, employees receive their 13th-month pay every year before December 24, as stated in Presidential Decree No. 851. Unless you operate under Philippine jurisdiction, you’re not legally mandated to give your Filipino VA 13th-month pay. But should you choose to give 13th-month pay, your Filipino virtual assistant will be over the moon, as it shows how grateful you are for their virtual assistant service. Hence, they’ll be motivated to work harder and provide better services.
Now that you’re here, you probably have an idea of what kind of virtual assistant you’ll want in your company. Or maybe, you already have a rough estimate of how much it costs to hire a virtual assistant from the Philippines. But with so many websites and companies to check out, you might be wondering where to hire a virtual assistant in the Philippines. It’s easy to succumb to choice paralysis. Below, we compiled a list of platforms and VA agencies for finding the perfect virtual assistant for your every need.
Headquartered in Pasig City, KDCI is a Philippine business processing outsourcing (BPO) company that offers a wide range of outsourcing services to clients. These include customer support, graphic design, human resources, data processing, virtual assistance, and many more. The company also promises reduced overhead costs without the headache of low-quality virtual assistant services. KDCI’s virtual assistant roles are diverse, reflecting the variety of their client’s needs. Whether you need a virtual assistant who specializes in customer support or web development, KDCI has got you covered. With the company’s rigorous hiring process, KDCI only employs virtual assistants with the right skills and experience for your needs. Operating 24/7, this BPO ensures round-the-clock productivity and collaboration.
Formerly known as Elance-oDesk, Upwork is a classic freelance platform for many nationalities, including Filipinos. Home to more than 18 million professionals, Upwork has become a fertile ground for remote job opportunities in various industries — including customer support, engineering, finance, and the like. Clients can also post job listings, purchase projects, and book expert consultations. With the ability to filter talent by location, you can specifically browse for Filipino virtual assistants that offer the service you need. Plus, there’s a dedicated “Hourly rate” filter, allowing you to find Filipino talent based on your budget. Hiring a dedicated virtual assistant for your business doesn’t take a lot of guesswork either, as you can check their profile, view their portfolio and work history, and conduct interviews in a few clicks. Thanks to Upwork’s secure payment system, you and your freelance virtual assistant can enjoy safe, worry-free transactions.
Virtual Staff Finder (VSF) is an online platform created by Chris Ducker, the website’s CEO and founder. Since 2010, its clients have enjoyed reduced workload and increased free time for family bonding and key business activities. However, it’s important to note that the Virtual Staff Finder works differently from most freelance and remote work websites. Let’s say you’re looking for an experienced virtual assistant with customer service skills. First, you’ll sign up for a Virtual Staff Finder account and pay $595 for its one-off service fee. You’ll then receive a Job Description document from Virtual Staff Finder. In that document, write all the qualifications of your would-be virtual assistant. Then, Virtual Staff Finder will source candidates based on your requirements, which can take one to two weeks. Next, the platform conducts online tests and background checks of all candidates, following up with a face-to-face or phone interview until three candidates have been shortlisted. From here, you can interview all three candidates and select the right remote worker for your business. Despite the hefty one-off service fee and the long wait time for candidate sourcing, Virtual Staff Finder is a great choice for hiring and working with the most qualified virtual assistant talent.
Founded by John Jonas and co-founded by Dan Goggins, OnlineJobs.ph grew into the platform it is today thanks to its humble origins. After Jonas and Goggins recruited a Filipino staff, they realized the life-changing effect of hiring workers from the Philippines; they could focus more on their business and spend time with their loved ones. Another realization hit the founders: More and more individuals are turning to Filipino workers for help. This leads them to create OnlineJobs.ph. This platform enables clients to recruit Filipino professionals through a job posting or a resume search. While account creation is free, the perks of your free account are limited unless you upgrade to the Pro and Premium tiers. For example — if you want to talk to a virtual assistant and check their reviews— you’ll have to purchase either of the paid tiers. However — unlike Virtual Staff Finder, the burden of candidate sourcing falls on your shoulders.
Established by Braden Yuill, Virtual Coworker stands as another go-to virtual assistant company for Filipino workers. With its dedication to finding the perfect candidate for businesses, Virtual Coworker serves as a backdrop for developing long-term and fruitful professional relationships between clients and their Filipino staff. It is the perfect platform for business owners who value the talent and contributions of Filipino virtual assistants. The platform’s hiring process works similarly to Virtual Staff Finder. First, you schedule a free consultation with Virtual Coworker and specify what you’re looking for in a Filipino virtual assistant. Next, the website sources and shortlists candidates for you. Shortlisted applicants can then be tested or interviewed by you. Once the best candidate has been chosen, they will be onboarded into your business with the help of a customer success manager. If you don’t want to spend too much time sourcing virtual assistants, choose Virtual Coworker.
With offices in India, the Philippines, and the United States, 7 Virtual Assistant Services brings local and overseas talent to overwhelmed businesses around the globe. As the name implies, the platform provides virtual assistant services in various niches, such as digital marketing, healthcare, and real estate. The best part about 7 Virtual Assistant Services is its commitment to client success, only partnering you with the most qualified Filipino virtual assistant to ensure they can accomplish all tasks with utmost care and precision. By requiring its virtual assistants to sign a non-disclosure agreement and undergo rigorous background checks, there’s no doubt that 7 Virtual Assistant Services is built with your safety and privacy in mind.
Pepper Virtual Assistants, or Pepper VA, is a Philippine virtual assistant company with offices in Makati and Davao City. The platform employs college-educated Filipino virtual assistants with native-like English writing and verbal communication skills. They also know how to work with foreigners, bridging the cultural gap between your home country and the Philippines. VA rates vary according to the assistant’s skill and expertise, ranging from $600 to almost $2,000. This makes Pepper Virtual Assistants an attractive platform for small businesses with tight budgets.
Want only the best freelance virtual assistant for your team? FreeUp has you covered. Launched in 2015 by Nathan Hirsch and Connor Gillivan, this platform carries the brunt of screening freelancers, providing clients with a space where they can only work with the most reliable and talented Filipino virtual assistant. If this excites you, you must first submit a request containing the skills required for your project. In just 24 hours, FreeUP will recommend a virtual assistant that best matches your requirements. After interviewing your assigned virtual assistant and deeming them compatible with you, you can onboard your freelancer and enjoy a successful partnership.
Coconut VA follows a tough screening process, with freelance virtual assistants undergoing a pre-qualifying exam, an initial interview, a client screening and interview, and a trial period to determine they’re the best for the job. As such, clients like you have access to skilled, high-performing virtual assistants who can adapt to your local time zone and drive growth to your business.
Wrapping up our list is every professional’s favorite website: LinkedIn. While LinkedIn is the odd-on-out in this roundup, we must not forget to look into our own network. This professional website is not just a place to find job opportunities and network with strangers, but also to scout for virtual assistant talent. Most professionals post on their feeds asking their network for candidate referrals to fill a vacant role. Chances are, these referrals are already vouched by their former employees, colleagues, and clients — increasing the likelihood of a successful hire. In addition, consider joining virtual assistant or freelance groups to find a potential hire, or even better, a BPO or virtual assistant company.
No matter how promising a Filipino VA is, staying grounded and watching out for red flags are the best ways to avoid bad hires.
Bad reviews are a turn-off for clients. And bad reviews and low ratings mean one thing: The virtual assistant can’t do their job well. Steer clear of them and go for highly rated virtual assistants.
Candidates put their best foot forward during interviews. Unfortunately, this can lead to applicants inflating their skills and promising unrealistic outcomes to impress you. If it’s too good to be true, or their portfolio and work history don’t reflect their current skills, it’s better to move on to the next candidate.
Virtual assistant companies, Philippine BPO companies, and freelance platforms have opened opportunities for Filipino VAs and overseas clients to work together through a screen. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of vetting virtual assistants, we recommend working with KDCI. KDCI takes care of the hiring process, so you can have a team of qualified Filipino virtual assistants by your side. With the company leveraging technologies and conducting frequent training, you can count on KDCI to provide the best virtual assistant service for your business. Want to make your business goals into reality? Contact us today!
The skills of a Filipino virtual assistant (VA) are as important as their virtual assistant rates, as these rates reflect their experience, knowledge, and expertise in their niche. It’s common knowledge that a Philippine VA — or even those from Latin America and other parts of Asia — is cheaper than VAs from the West. However, problems can arise if businesses don’t know how much to pay a Filipino virtual assistant, or are unaware of how much the average virtual assistant services cost.
Whether you’re researching competitive salary ranges or preparing a budget for hiring a freelance virtual assistant, this guide contains everything you need to know about the costs of investing in Filipino virtual assistants.
From the United States to the Philippines, the world is abundant with talented virtual assistants, with as many as 40 million individuals working in this profession. As the digital world evolves and more businesses outsource work to the Philippines and other countries, competition can be tough. That’s why virtual assistants continuously upskill, so they can provide specialized services and stand out in their target client’s industry.
In addition to skill, clients also factor in work ethic, cultural and timezone compatibility, and English proficiency. Fortunately, a Filipino virtual assistant ticks all these boxes.
You’ve probably heard of the hardworking nature of the Filipino people, especially overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). When hiring a Filipino VA, you can expect them to put in the work to provide an exemplary virtual assistant service. This equates to stellar outputs that produce real results and the best value for your money. If there are urgent tasks and tight deadlines, Filipinos are willing to work overtime just to complete them on the dot.
Filipino professionals also demonstrate high respect for authority, addressing their superiors as “sir” or “ma’am” instead of their first names. When working with talented virtual assistants from the Philippines, inform your team that your workplace is on a first-name basis. Overall, Filipino talent is a top choice if you seek the right balance of skills, work ethic, and value.
English is a global language, and it is also the official language of the Philippines along with Filipino. Interestingly, in some Filipino households, parents teach their children English — giving them a linguistic advantage in school where the language of instruction is mostly English. Media is another contributing factor, so it’s not surprising that kids can learn and mimic the pronunciation of many English words.
Because of such factors, Filipinos have a masterful grasp of the language. If you’re hiring Filipino virtual assistants for your customer support team, they’re a great choice as they can speak in a neutral accent, ensuring smooth communication between agent and customer. Even if you’re working with a general virtual assistant, there will be no gaps in communication due to language barriers.
There’s also no denying the effects of colonization on the present-day Philippines, making it a melting pot of Western and Asian cultures. This means a business owner outsourcing to the Philippines will encounter fewer cultural clashes with their Filipino VA.
Moreover, with 1.3 million skilled professionals working in the Philippine business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, working mid-shifts and graveyard shifts is not a foreign concept for them. If you partner with the best BPO in the Philippines and onboard multiple virtual assistants into your team, they won’t have problems adjusting their schedule to your local time zone. This then leads to better communication and collaboration between you and your remote staff.
As you grow your virtual assistant team, a strong payment method helps simplify transactions. There are various payment methods, and finding the right one boils down to not just security and cost of transaction fees, but also your team’s preferences and needs.
With services crossing borders, online payment platforms are the go-to payment methods for service providers, especially freelancers. When choosing a payment platform, go for platforms available in the Philippines, such as Payoneer, PayPal, and Skrill.
Online payment gateways also have transaction fees. If you have a large team of Filipino virtual assistants, choose one with lower transaction costs. Most importantly, opt for platforms that employ strong fraud and malware protection.
Upwork is one example of a freelance platform with an integrated payment system. Although payment processing can take time, built-in payment systems offer unmatched security for clients and virtual assistants, giving them much-needed peace of mind. Not to mention, these systems are also designed to make payment disputes easier for a Philippine VA.
Another common payment method among freelancers and employees, bank transfer lets you transfer money from your account to your Filipino virtual assistant’s bank. This means requesting their bank details before sending payments.
Despite that, bank transfers promise convenience for virtual assistants, as they can easily access their funds using a banking app. However, this payment method brings some caveats, namely long processing times and high transaction fees.
You’ve done your research on what a virtual assistant is and what they do. You even brushed up your knowledge of Philippine culture and performed a needs assessment.
As you prepare your job posting, one question remains unanswered: How much is a virtual assistant in the Philippines? This is a tricky question as factors to consider when calculating the cost of Filipino VA.
Based on your needs assessment, will your Filipino virtual assistant work full-time or part-time? A full-time work arrangement follows the standard hours of 8 hours a day (40 hours) from Monday to Friday. Alternatively, a part-time arrangement means your Filipino VA will work fewer hours, say around 20 hours, and take on fewer tasks. This also gives your virtual assistant more freedom in terms of when they can take on work.
However, consider paying your Filipino virtual assistant per project if you only need temporary virtual assistance. For this work arrangement, you can make a downpayment or pay in full once the VA completes the task.
Like any job position, skills and experience are important when paying a virtual assistant in the Philippines. Whether you’re hiring an entry-level Filipino VA or a highly experienced one, here’s what you need to know about the tasks and estimated monthly rates for virtual assistants of varying experience levels.
If a Filipino virtual assistant has the experience to back these skills up, expect a higher rate. Generally speaking, a specialized VA costs around $1,000 to more than $1,600 a month.
Hiring a mid-level virtual assistant comes with the expectation of deeper industry insights and faster task completion. The cost of a mid-level Philippine virtual assistant is approximately $600 to $800 per month, with some going as high as $1,000 each month.
Due to the nature of the tasks and lack of experience, newbie virtual assistants are the most affordable out of all experience levels. Rates for entry-level Filipino virtual assistants sit at around $600, with salaries going as low as $300 to $400.
Because the above rates are just estimates, rates can differ between virtual assistants. You can check individual rates of virtual assistants on a freelance platform or virtual assistant company to give you a clearer idea of how to create a competitive salary structure.
According to Livingcost, the average cost of living for a single person in the Philippines is $615, versus $2,454 in the United States. For families, these figures skyrocket to $1,589 in the Philippines and $5,738 in the United States. Because of the Philippines’ lower cost of living, foreign countries see it as a more affordable option for hiring virtual assistants.
In the United States, Zip Recruiter reports that the average monthly rate of an entry-level virtual assistant is $4,229. Compare this to the Philippine monthly rate of $300 for virtual assistants with the same experience level. Cost-wise, there’s no doubt that Filipino virtual assistants trump US virtual assistants. Before deciding on virtual assistant rates, always take into consideration the cost of living in the Philippines.
Presidential Decree No. 851 enshrines that the 13th-month pay must be given to rank-and-file employees by employers every year. This bonus augments the financial stability of Filipinos during the holidays, improving their welfare. To calculate your virtual assistant’s 13th-month pay, simply calculate the total of the base salary based on the number of months rendered and divide the total by 12.
Let’s say your virtual assistant’s rate is $400 (₱23,000), and let’s also say they worked for you for 12 months. The total will be $4,800 (400 x 12). Divide $4,800 by 12 and your Filipino virtual assistant will receive $400 as their 13th-month pay. If they’ve only been with you for six months, their total base salary will be $2,400 (400 x 6). When divided by 12, your virtual assistant’s 13-month pay will only be $200.
Foreign clients outside the Philippines are not obligated to provide 13th-month pay, but your Filipino virtual assistants would appreciate it if they received one from you. Think of it as your token of appreciation for their hard work and dedication.
A job well done deserves a sweet performance-based incentive. For virtual assistants, incentives drive them to keep improving and provide you with the highest quality service possible.
It can even lead to a fruitful, long-term working relationship. Will your Philippine VA receive incentives after a performance review? Are the incentives only for achieving key business milestones (ex: boosted sales by 5%)? Regardless, incentives also add to the cost of hiring a Filipino VA.
Time is gold, and time is money. Much as you’re investing in your team of skilled virtual assistants, they’re also investing their time in you. Below are two tips to ensure payment processes go smoothly on your virtual assistant’s end.
Contracts are the foundation of a working partnership between the client and the service provider. Furthermore, a payment contract holds the same importance as a job agreement contract.
In addition to underscoring the duties and expectations of both parties, a payment contract not only opens room for negotiations, but also fosters mutual trust between you and your Filipino virtual assistant. This document can also serve as a point of reference in case of financial disputes. When writing a payment contract, include the following clauses:
Quality isn’t cheap. Worse, low rates for virtual assistant services can ward off talented virtual assistants and result in low-quality outputs — and the latter is every client’s nightmare! Before hiring the right virtual assistant, provide competitive rates.
A competitive salary potentially attracts a Filipino VA with the skill level you’re looking for. Plus, on the virtual assistant’s side, it makes them feel valued as a human being and service provider. Remember, if you want premium Filipino virtual assistants, set premium rates.
No matter their industry or experience level, virtual assistants are worth the investment — especially if they’re the cream of the crop. For clients looking to outsource to the Philippines, virtual assistant costs differ among service providers. In this case, it’s not a matter of who can provide the cheapest virtual assistant services, but who can provide top-quality services and the best value for your money.
Looking for a virtual assistant agency or BPO? Choose KDCI. KDCI promises reduced operational costs while maintaining quality, with Filipino virtual assistants excelling in administrative assistance, customer support, SEO, research, and many more.
If you want to get started, don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to meeting and working with you!
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.
