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!
Versatile and adaptable, virtual assistants (VA) are the jacks of all trades of the digital world. They’re full-time, part-time, or independent contractors who offer administrative and data entry services, with some even providing specialized virtual assistant services such as graphic design, research, social media management, and web design. Because of their diverse and niche skill sets, virtual assistants are an asset in every company. Much like any outsourcing staff, virtual assistants help reduce annual costs by as much as 78%.
This means a company doesn’t have to allocate funds for additional equipment and office space, as virtual assistants work remotely and have their own computers. When it comes to qualifications, anyone can become a virtual assistant provided the individual possesses computer literacy and administrative skills.
With virtual assistants from across the world waiting to be hired, sifting through applications — or even finding the right virtual assistant from job platforms — can be a tough call. Don’t worry, our detailed guide on how to find virtual assistants in the Philippines will help you hire the best virtual assistant that offers the services you require and drives business growth and efficiency.
Globally, around 40 million people are working as virtual assistants. For business owners, this is good news as they can extend their hiring pool from local to international, which means more options for hiring virtual assistants in addition to round-the-clock productivity.
Companies hire virtual assistants from Asia and Latin America. While these regions outsource high-caliber virtual assistant services, there are reasons why businesses are opting to partner with a skilled virtual assistant from the Philippines.
According to the EF English Proficiency Index (EPI), the Philippines exhibited a “High Proficiency” in the English language. Such a high proficiency level boils down to early exposure to English, thanks to the prevalence of English-language media and the use of English as a language of instruction in schools. Not to mention, Filipinos are well known for their neutral English accent.
While English fluency is not required to be a virtual assistant, it’s still an asset in the workforce. As such, Filipino virtual assistants can leverage their mastery of the language to ensure proper verbal and written communication between them and their clients. In addition, English-language skills are also helpful in certain virtual assistant services, including research, customer support, and content creation.
Outsourcing to the Philippines is a cheaper venture. In general, hiring a Filipino virtual assistant in the Philippines costs between $3 and $12 per hour, lower than the average of $24 to $50 per hour in the United States. However, the hourly charge may be higher or lower depending on the task and the individual’s experience and skills.
Don’t mistake this for cheap labor. Filipino virtual assistants boast college degrees or certifications and value quality. Whether you’re hiring an entry-level or specialized virtual assistant, rest assured you’ll get your money’s worth.
The Philippines has a long history of colonization, thus making it culturally compatible with Western countries like the United States. Because the average Filipino virtual assistant is familiar with English slash and exposed to foreign media at a young age, they can acclimate to your business’s work culture and meet your expectations.
Filipino remote workers also have experience working with US- or UK-based clients or foreign businesses, so they’re most likely familiar with your country’s local holidays and time zones.
Virtual assistants from the Philippines are hard workers. A Filipino VA can go beyond the call of duty, taking their client’s needs to heart and delivering more than what is expected of them. Filipinos are also respectful and professional, using “sir” or “ma’am” when addressing a superior.
For Western companies, this comes off as a surprise. But think of this as a sign of respect for your authority. However, you can always let your Filipino VA team know it’s okay to call you by your first name. Filipinos are known for their flexibility, too — adjusting their working hours to accommodate your local time zone, so you can prevent downtimes and enjoy round-the-clock virtual assistant services.
Before you learn how to find virtual assistants in the Philippines, you must define your needs and goals, so you can identify the skills required for the job and set realistic expectations for your Filipino virtual assistant. Here are some questions to help you out.
Identifying gaps in your business lets you zero in on the tasks you can delegate to your Filipino virtual assistant. Without a clear set of tasks, you’ll be wasting your virtual assistant’s time.
Remember, virtual assistants typically wear many hats. From the tasks you identified earlier, you can determine what skills your Filipino virtual assistant should possess.
Setting goals gives you a clearer picture of your expected outcome. Is it to improve efficiency through calendar management, or to ease the load off of your customer support team? Whatever those goals are, list them down.
Hourly or monthly rates vary between virtual assistants. Experienced and specialized VAs, for example, command higher rates unlike entry- and mid-level VAs. Before going through the hiring process, ask yourself the following questions:
13th-month pay is another concern. In the Philippines, the provision of the 13th-month pay is mandated by Presidential Decree No. 851. While Philippine companies are obligated to give this annual bonus, you can still pay your Filipino virtual assistant their 13th-month pay to boost their morale and express your gratitude for their hard work.
The timezone of the Philippines favors Western time zones, especially the United States. When you hire a virtual assistant from the Philippines, chances are, they’ll be working the night shift to cover downtimes. Filipinos can work mid-shifts, too. Before finding a virtual assistant, identify which times of the day require the most coverage, as this will be the basis for their working hours.
You’ve done your homework of identifying business needs and gaps. That means you’re ready for the next step: Finding the best virtual assistant. If you don’t know how to find virtual assistants in the Philippines, below are three tips to get you started:
Job search sites are the modern classified ads. These websites are not just for job seekers, but employers as well. Here’s a short round-up of the best job search platforms for finding a skilled virtual assistant in the Philippines:
Upwork is a treasure trove of freelance virtual assistants and clients — all based in different parts of the globe. Here, you can avail a quality virtual assistant service from a freelance virtual assistant, or post a job listing like any employer would. The best part about Upwork is the abundance of top-rated Filipino virtual assistants, complete with their work history, rates, and bio.
Unlike Upwork, this job search platform is reserved for Filipino professionals. You can browse through thousands of Filipino virtual assistants, each bringing unique skills to the table. The skills and their respective star rating are listed on the profile, making it easier to gauge mastery and proficiency. In addition, you can filter virtual assistants according to employment type, availability, and other parameters.
Virtual Staff Finder is a great alternative to Upwork and OnlineJobs.ph. It streamlines the search process, sourcing potential virtual assistants for you to interview and hire. However, take note that Virtual Staff Finder requires users to pay a one-off service fee of $595.
Virtual assistant services are offered in BPOs. These companies conduct rigorous screening processes, which include interviews and background checks to ensure the candidate is an asset to both the firm and the client. Virtual assistant roles may vary from company to company. For example, KDCI offers roles from administrative virtual assistant to SEO specialist. Rates differ as well, so consider requesting a quote when trying to find a potential outsourcing partner in the Philippines.
Don’t underestimate the power of your personal network, including your LinkedIn contacts. Reach out to industry experts, colleagues, friends, and acquaintances for recommendations on the best BPO companies in the Philippines. You can also post on LinkedIn that you’re looking for a Filipino virtual assistant, so your contacts can refer a virtual assistant to you.
Whether a friend referred a potential virtual assistant, or you found one while browsing Upwork, evaluating potential virtual assistants is more than reading their well-written resumes and viewing glowing portfolios. It’s about maintaining a delicate balance of assessing their skills, personality, and cultural fit.
Although a perfect virtual assistant doesn’t exist, these steps will help you better evaluate a potential virtual assistant, so you can hire the best one for your company.
A solid resume and portfolio help virtual assistants get their foot into the hiring door. Depending on the task and role, you’re going to look for specific skills and experience in a potential candidate. For an administrative support role, for example, you’ll want someone with experience in email and calendar management as well as proficiency in Microsoft Office products. You may also prefer candidates who have worked in industries similar to yours.
A portfolio, on the other hand, is proof of a candidate’s skill. It should contain their best works, and projects along with positive client feedback and testimonials. From the testimonials alone, you can gauge whether the candidate is equipped with the grit and skills for the job. Measurable outcomes and metrics are also a plus, as they showcase the impact of an applicant's VA service.
This step is a background verification process. It gives you in-depth insights into the candidate’s character and performance, including how they maintain key performance indicators (KPIs) and address conflicts and downtimes.
Interviews are a critical part of the hiring process. The right interview questions shed light on a candidate’s thought processes and oral communication skills. Here’s a list of questions you can ask your potential Filipino virtual assistant:
Aim for situational questions or questions that illuminate a candidate’s virtual assistant journey on a deeper level. Tailor your questions according to the required expertise and skills you listed in the job description. If you’re a first-time interviewer, keep these tips in mind:
Steer clear of applicants who overpromise results or lie about their qualifications and work history. An honest and skilled virtual assistant knows their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, always cross-check for inconsistencies between their interview answers and resume.
Test tasks are the equivalent of a practical exam. These test tasks are aligned with the roles and responsibilities of a virtual assistant. If your job listing includes calendar management as a skill, the task should test the candidate’s ability to organize and prioritize events, meetings, and tasks. Likewise — if a potential virtual assistant is responsible for writing content — make them complete a writing test to assess their research skills, grammar proficiency, and quality of writing style.
The results of the tests give you a sneak peek of a potential virtual assistant’s caliber in fulfilling their responsibilities. These tests are considered paid tasks, so don’t forget to compensate your candidates for their time and effort — regardless of whether they pass the test.
Some clients propose a trial period with a BPO to test the partnership. You can do this with your Filipino virtual assistant, too! During this period, you can assess your virtual assistant’s performance, work ethic, and competency and provide feedback as needed. By the end of the trial period, you should know if you want to continue working with your Filipino virtual assistant.
If you do, congratulations! You can now onboard your newly hired virtual assistant. When onboarding, set expectations, get them up to speed with company rules, and provide access to communication channels and resources.
Virtual assistants can make or break a business, and that’s why it’s important to find the right one. If you don’t want to do the extra legwork of searching and screening applicants, consider outsourcing virtual assistance to KDCI. Based in Pasig City, KDCI boasts over a decade of outsourcing experience, backed by positive client testimonials and a strong portfolio of case studies and design solutions.
Best of all, the company takes care of the hiring process, meticulously screening its virtual assistants to ensure their educational background, employment history, and skills match your preferred virtual assistant role.
What are you waiting for? Contact us today, and get ready to build and meet your offshore outsourcing team of talented Filipino virtual assistants.
Small businesses and large corporations leverage outsourcing for a number of reasons. For example, most business executives (81%) rely on third-party partners for their cybersecurity needs, whereas over half of global firms (59%) choose to reduce costs through outsourcing. While India, Malaysia, and Poland are some of the top outsourcing destinations, the Philippines is still the cream of the crop.
As the business processing outsourcing (BPO) capital of the world, the Philippines boasts not just hundreds of the best BPO companies, but also a wide talent pool of English-speaking professionals who can provide high-caliber services and adapt to Western culture.
However, companies must remember that evaluating potential outsourcing partners in the Philippines is like evaluating an applicant for a particular role. You assess their background, qualifications, cultural fit, track record, and experience to ensure that your outsourcing partner is the right one for your needs and goals.
Outsourcing to the Philippines may be a gamble, but it doesn’t have to be a daunting experience. If you don’t know where and how to begin your search, we’ve got you covered with our comprehensive guide on how to evaluate potential outsourcing partners in the Philippines.
Before you scour the internet or your network for a potential outsourcing provider, it’s first important to know the qualities you should look for in an external provider. This way, you can narrow down your choices and find the best outsourcing company for your business needs.
BPOs in the Philippines offer a wide range of services in various industries, such as data engineering, game development, graphic design, and many more. Knowing all the services a potential Philippine outsourcing company offers is key to ensuring your specific outsourcing needs will be met throughout the partnership.
A BPO’s experience and track record in delivering your required services is a critical aspect of your future partnership. Without a solid track record, how can your future outsourcing provider in the Philippines drive growth to your business?
Check for certifications, accolades, or testimonials that showcase their competence in providing high-quality outsourcing services. Most importantly, find out how long the service provider has been in the outsourcing industry. This gives you an idea of the company’s ability to identify your needs, provide specialized expertise and solutions, and scale your business.
Your potential outsourcing company’s workforce is a determiner of whether their employees are equipped with the skills and experience needed for the tasks. It’s also vital if the company’s employees are abreast with current industry trends, or if there are training programs for upskilling its workforce.
Whether you’re outsourcing accounting or customer service, working with the right outsourcing provider comes a long way. Some clients even become long-time partners of BPOs, with the local staff consistently providing high-quality services. Others, however, choose to terminate their partnership with a BPO due to breaches in contract or any circumstance.
Although there’s no perfect BPO partner, carefully evaluating your potential outsourcing partner in the Philippines makes the difference between a successful outsourcing partnership and wasted time.
Outsourcing in the Philippines is not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Much like any business venture, it requires deliberate planning and decision-making. Deciding to outsource services boils down to identifying inefficiencies in your business:
Such insights help you gain a clearer picture of your company’s status and workflow, thus making it easier to set goals and draft a contract when you evaluate potential outsourcing partners in the Philippines.
You can check LinkedIn or do a Google search of Philippine-based BPOs. If you’re resorting to the latter, here’s how you can make the search process easier:
Don’t underestimate the power of your own network, too. Sometimes, your friends and colleagues can point you to outsourcing service providers in the Philippines.
Business owners who frequently outsource services will notice a common marketing ploy among BPOs: Significant cost savings for quality work. While the overarching goal of outsourcing is to lower overhead costs, it doesn’t mean you should accept the cheapest offer. Ask for detailed price quotes and go for outsourcing packages that bring the best bang for your buck.
A company website tells a thousand stories. By thoroughly exploring your potential outsourcing partner’s website, you’ll have an idea of its services, values, and workplace culture. Case studies and design portfolios showcase the quality and the impact of a BPO’s services to its client as well as the expertise and competency of the offshore outsourcing team.
Client testimonials and success stories — though they only highlight the positives of the partnership — are also a good way to assess its level of professionalism. If the testimonials on the company website don’t convince you enough, reach out to the clients themselves for a more objective and nuanced perspective.
With the prevalence of cyberattacks in this digital age, keeping your company’s data safe is always a must. When finding the right outsourcing partner in the Philippines, make sure the company is compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and upholds the Data Privacy Act of 2012.
For your peace of mind, ask about your potential outsourcing company’s disaster recovery plans for cyber attacks as well as how the company encrypts, stores, and deletes sensitive data. This is to ensure that all information will remain secure and confidential throughout your partnership.
Timezone compatibility is an important factor when you evaluate outsourcing partners in the Philippines. But with BPOs operating 24/7 and Filipino workers being flexible, your offshore outsourcing staff can adapt to your timezone and provide seamless, real-time services just like your in-house employees.
While big time zone differences can be intimidating at first, such gaps can be addressed with regular communication between you and your outsourcing partner. So before closing a deal, find out how often your future BPO partner maintains an open line of communication with its clients.
Clients like you deserve a competent Filipino offshore team that meets your standards and expectations. When you evaluate potential outsourcing partners in the Philippines, you must have an idea of how the company conducts its hiring process and assesses a candidate’s portfolio, so you can be sure your Filipino staff possesses both the hard and soft skills to do the job.
Having the right number of staff helps ease your workload while providing ample assignments for each team member. When assessing potential outsourcing providers in the Philippines, ask the company if they have — or can onboard — enough staff members to meet urgent deadlines without compromising quality and avoid heavy workloads or droughts in task assignments.
With an adequate number of Filipino team members working for you, do expect achieved goals and a greater soar in productivity and efficiency.
There’s only so much research and discovery calls can do. For some clients, nothing beats requesting a trial period or a pilot project when evaluating outsourcing service providers in the Philippines.
A pilot project gives you ample time to see if your Filipino team’s outputs and professionalism are up to standards. If the trial did not work out as expected, it’s best to terminate the partnership and move on to your next prospect.
Outsourcing services is no walk in the park; it’s a major business move that requires a balance of risk and investment. Because evaluating potential outsourcing partners in the Philippines involves background checks and discovery calls, it should be treated like hiring the right person for the job.
While it’s easy to get swayed by cheap outsourcing packages, it shouldn’t be the sole basis for working with an outsourcing company. There are other factors to consider as well, including cultural fit, workforce expertise and knowledge, data privacy policies, track record, and many more. Once you know what to look for in the right BPO partner, it becomes easier to learn how to outsource work to the Philippines.
If you’re on the hunt for a BPO with a strong portfolio and a large client base, choose KDCI. Established in 2011, the company offers a whole suite of services — from customer service and sales to software development. As an extension of your business, we deliver round-the-clock work with passion and competence.
Ready to streamline your day-to-day operations? Contact us today and get ready to embark on a productive outsourcing journey with us!
From content creation to software development, many services today can be outsourced to a third-party company. As surprising as it seems, businesses can outsource payroll and have every right to do so. On average, 120 hours are dedicated each year for payroll alone, according to G2. For a business owner like yourself, that’s a lot of time!
After all, payroll is a complex process of not just calculating your employees’ monthly salaries and factoring in their overtime pay, taxes, and benefits. It is also ensuring that all calculations are error-free and payslips are received by employees on time. Businesses that outsource payroll enjoy lower labor and overhead costs and more streamlined payroll processing.
If outsourcing payroll to the Philippines sounds daunting, this detailed guide gives you a glimpse of the country’s culture and outsourcing industry. Later, we’ll teach you how to outsource payroll to an outsourcing company.
Payroll is essential in every business, but it is also a time-consuming process. Typically, companies have in-house payroll specialists who take care of payroll processing. Because some companies lack the resources to employ specialists, they outsource payroll to BPOs for high-quality services without the added cost of hiring locally. Below are five common FAQs businesses have when they outsource payroll to the Philippines.
From the names of employees to bank account numbers, payroll processing involves working with personal data. Given the surge in data breaches in 2023, data protection remains a top priority for companies who plan to outsource payroll.
Thankfully, data privacy and protection are taken seriously in the Philippines. The country’s Data Privacy Act of 2012 — or Republic Act no. 10173 — underscores the need for organizations to ensure sensitive data is safeguarded from unauthorized access and disclosure, lest they face fines and imprisonment.
The country has a lower cost of labor, making payroll outsourcing to the Philippines a cheaper venture than employing in-house payroll specialists. However, outsourcing rates may vary between BPOs as they factor in the salary of payroll employees — which depends on their skill level and experience — the cost of employee benefits, taxes, and many more.
Not at all! Filipinos are fluent in English. They’re exposed to the language through media and the country’s education system — where most subjects are taught in English. As such, Filipinos can write like native English speakers and communicate with a neutral accent. They’re also knowledgeable in common English slang and idiomatic expressions.
Indeed, they can. Many BPOs in the Philippines have worked with clients in different countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Since the Philippines is a melting pot of Eastern and Western cultures because of its colonial past, you won’t face cultural clashes with your offshore Filipino team when you outsource payroll.
Yes! Because BPOs operate 24/7, Filipinos can adapt to your company’s working hours to ensure real-time payroll processing and timely delivery of payslips to employees. When you outsource payroll to the Philippines, you won’t have problems holding virtual meetings and exchanging correspondence with your Filipino team.
Your plan and decision to outsource payroll to a BPO depends on your current company’s payroll workflow and needs. Before you draft a contract and outsource payroll to the Philippines, make sure you have clear answers to the following questions:
Whatever your answers to these questions, they give you an idea of which payroll tasks you need to outsource to the Philippines and help set expectations for your future outsourcing partner.
A contract is always a must when you outsource payroll to the Philippines. It is a document outlining the responsibilities of your business and the BPO company, so both parties know what to expect from each other during their partnership.
List down the scope and limitations of the payroll services you’ll outsource, expected deliverables, and turnaround times. Include the performance metrics in your contract’s service-level agreements (SLA) clause to give your outsourcing partner an idea of how their payroll employees’ performance will be assessed.
Furthermore — in addition to the implementation of security measures and compliance with data protection laws — the data protection and privacy clause must have provisions for the storage, return, and destruction of employee data. Finally, the termination clause includes the conditions and circumstances for ending the partnership.
While writing a contract from scratch is intimidating, you can look up templates online and use them as a reference. Before looking for a BPO to outsource payroll services, consulting a legal professional is recommended to ensure every clause is written clearly and there are no potential conflicts of interest.
Searching for the right BPO to outsource payroll projects is like scouting for the most qualified candidate for a role — it takes time and vetting. If you have a LinkedIn account, ask your network if they know a BPO you can outsource payroll services to. Don’t just stick to LinkedIn, though. Do a Google search for the best BPOs or the top payroll outsourcing companies in the Philippines and read the articles at the top of the search results.
If you’ve found a couple of Philippine-based BPOs you can outsource payroll to, do a thorough background check of each one. Browse their official website for portfolios, case studies, and client testimonials. All these paint a picture of how a BPO processes payroll and works with sensitive employee data.
If the client success stories on a website don’t convince you enough, you can take it a step further by reaching out to an outsourcing company’s previous clients. This method is the most holistic and foolproof way of vetting a company to outsource payroll projects. You can ask the client about their experiences with working with their offshore staff as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their outsourcing partner.
At this point, a few of the BPOs you plan to outsource payroll passed the initial screening. Now, it’s time to inquire and schedule a meeting with your soon-to-be outsourcing partner. Articulate the scope and goals of your payroll projects, and use the meeting to gauge your compatibility with the company. If possible, request a trial period to assess the company’s performance in delivering payrolls.
Unfortunately, not all initial meetings end in contract signing — either there’s a mismatch in values and goals or the BPO doesn’t have enough manpower for your payroll projects. Keep searching and inquiring until you close a deal with a company to outsource payroll.
Welcome your offshore payroll specialists like you would welcome a newly hired in-house payroll specialist. Introduce your company’s payroll processes and payday schedule, inform your new team of your country’s federal or national holiday pays, and provide them access to employee information — including their timesheets, bank account name and number, benefits, overtime, incentives, and PTOs (personal time off).
You can also share your business’s payroll software and provide training materials on how to use it. This way, your Filipino team can accurately calculate your employees’ paychecks using said software and reduce payroll errors when you outsource payroll tasks.
Payroll performance is key to streamlining payroll operations and making employees happy. Use performance metrics to assess whether your Filipino payroll specialists meet your expectations. You can answer these questions too:
In processing payroll, there’s always no room for mistakes so make sure feedback is provided to reduce inaccuracies and errors.
It’s easy to neglect the intricacies of payroll processing. Payroll specialists calculate not just the hours rendered in a day, but also overtime, absenteeism, incentives, and PTOs. From slashing costs to streamlining payroll processes, businesses outsource payroll for many reasons. Thankfully, there are plenty of BPOs in the Philippines that companies abroad can outsource payroll to. One of those BPOs is KDCI.
KDCI onboards payroll specialists with an eye for detail and excellent mathematical skills. In addition to their nuanced understanding of payroll laws to ensure legal compliance, they can juggle multiple tasks and safeguard employee information. With the help of AI, we can optimize your business’ payroll workflow and ensure employee satisfaction across the board.
If you’re looking to outsource payroll in the Philippines, KDCI has what it takes to take your business’ payroll processing to the next level.
Want to outsource payroll and kick off your outsourcing journey with a bang? Contact us and start building your finance and accounting team now!
Did you know that the world has around 7.21 billion smartphones? In China alone, 974.69 million out of 1.43 billion people own a smartphone, with India and the United States following suit at 659 million and 276.14 million users. With people using their phones online for almost four hours, attracting them with a beautifully designed mobile app from the brand itself or mobile app design agency becomes even more crucial.
At this time and age, you’ve probably enjoyed using an app because of its user-friendliness or visually striking interface. You can thank the app designer or a mobile app design agency for that, but you should also give credit to their expertise in mobile app design. Also called mobile UX/UI design, mobile app design refers to the creation of an interface that’s accessible, responsive, and easy to navigate for on-the-go users.
This is no easy feat for any designer or mobile app design agency, as designing a mobile involves not just the placement of the visuals, but also the platform and target demographic. Before we share our roundup of the best mobile app design agencies and exclusive guide on finding a mobile app design agency, let’s tackle the benefits of good mobile app design.
Good design is the foundation of any mobile app. How many times have we uninstalled or left bad reviews on an app because of its clunkiness or unprofessional design? As users, we want a mobile app that gets the job done. After all, any mobile app design agency or freelance mobile app designer knows that mobile app design is not just an art; it’s a practice.
Like people, brands have their own identity. A brand’s identity is reflected in its logo, communication style, choice of colors, and history. All of these are present in the applications developed by in-house designers or a mobile app design agency. Remember, a beautifully designed mobile app integrates such elements well, from the layout of the user interface to the style of writing.
Outside of visuals, ease of navigation is also a critical aspect of mobile app design. If a mobile app is too clunky or cluttered with unnecessary elements when navigating from one page to another, users are more likely to stop using it out of frustration. In addition, accessibility features such as text-to-speech, auto-fill, and one-hand operation help create a better app experience for users with disabilities.
When shopping online, we check reviews to gauge the product’s quality and durability. The same principle applies to mobile apps. When a mobile app design agency or a business designs an attractive app with an accessible user interface, users are compelled to recommend it to their loved ones and leave positive reviews on its app page — greatly boosting your brand image.
Mobile apps are the epitome of convenience, and all the better for a business or a mobile app design agency to integrate mobile features into an application. If you’re designing a shopping app, for example, implementing a visual search functionality that uses the phone’s camera or gallery helps simplify the tedious process of finding a product. Hence, by leveraging smartphone features, there’s less need for customers to use their computers to perform a certain action.
A mobile app design agency is a company that offers app design services to clients. It doesn’t program a mobile application. Rather, a mobile app design agency creates unique, compelling user interfaces, taking into account the colors, placement of the tabs and navigation bars, and screen size to provide a seamless experience for customers. If you’re unfamiliar with mobile app design and don’t have the time to learn the tools of the trade, these mobile app design agencies will take care of your design needs.
Located in Pasig City, Manila, Philippines, KDCI is a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm established in 2011. It has partnered with clients such as Art Brand Studios, Nielsen, Softonic, and many more, offering cost-effective, high-quality graphic design, content creation, and many other services. Like any reputable mobile app design agency, KDCI designs mobile applications across various platforms with user-friendliness, creativity, and originality in mind.
The company also trains and onboards employees with excellent complex problem-solving skills and a solid grasp of UI and UX design. With KDCI’s team of mobile app developers and designers, businesses can provide their customers with functional, well-designed mobile apps that make a long-lasting first impression and maintain brand identity.
Founded in 2009, DottyStyle Creative is an independent company that excels in digital product creation. Working with clients from and outside the Philippines, the digital production agency boasts a diverse portfolio of landing pages, website design, mobile app development, and design projects. All of which reflect the unique identity of each brand and the web and the team’s competence in UI and UX design. Dottystyle Creative has offices based in Sydney, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand.
Pixelmojo is a Makati, Philippines-based website and mobile app design agency founded by Lloyd and Marc — referred to as Pixel and Mojo, respectively. With clientele consisting of Saas (software as a service) businesses, the development agency has helped these clients establish a customer-attracting brand identity, convert leads from a landing page, and improve customer satisfaction and retention, to name a few.
Thanks to Pixelmojo’s expertise in mobile app and UI and UX design and intelligent use of analytics to make optimal design choices, a SaaS company's mobile app will not only be more functional and eye-catching, but it will also retain and adopt more users. The website and mobile app design agency’s forward-looking approach enables its clients to scale and ensure their business’s competitiveness and relevance in the future.
Based in Cebu City, Philippines, Symph is a company founded by three men: Dave Overton, Dan Pantinople, and Albert Padin — who are CEO, CDO (chief design officer), and CTO (chief technology officer) of the web and mobile app design agency, respectively.
Since its founding in 2010, Symph has partnered with local and overseas clients in various industries to deliver services in design, website and e-commerce store creation, and web and mobile application development. The web and mobile app design agency’s human-centered approach to mobile app design ensures that the needs and expectations of clients and users are at the forefront of their applications.
Headquartered in Muntinlupa City, Philippines, 1902 Software Development Corporation is a long-standing website and mobile app design agency founded by Dane Peter Skouhus, the agency’s president. Since its inception in 1998, 1902 Software Development Corporation has collaborated with clients based not just in the Scandinavian region, but also in Asia, Oceania, and other parts of Europe.
The website and mobile app design agency’s foray into mobile app development started in 2012, beginning with the creation of the company’s own Mobile App department and the provision of native development for two platforms: Windows and iOS. Native development for Android and Xamarin-based cross-platform development followed suit in 2013 and 2015, respectively.
1902 Software Development Corporation’s Android and iOS app design process follows a collaborative approach and meticulous project planning. User experience and Baymard Institute’s research insights are successfully interwoven into the company’s mockups and prototypes, boasting their design prowess as a reputable mobile app design agency.
Operating in the capital city of Manila, VenderIT Information Technology Solutions’ product catalog mainly comprises digital products and services — which include graphic design, video creation, and mobile app UI/UX design — and comprehensive mobile app and website solutions for businesses. The IT and mobile app design agency offers a subscription-based e-commerce package, too.
Any mobile app design agency can promise quality outputs, higher ratings, and improved customer retention rates. When searching for the right mobile app design agency to work with, you can’t go wrong with a background check.
Browse the company’s website and portfolio or services catalog. Client testimonials also give insights into a mobile app design agency’s professionalism, quality of work, and the results and impact of their design services on the business. You may also contact the client for more insights on their relationship with the mobile app design agency.
It’s not just the portfolio and testimonials you must factor in your search, but also the compatibility of your business’s goals and values and that of your preferred mobile app design agency.
If you’re looking for a mobile app design agency or creative agency in the Philippines, it’s recommended to familiarize yourself with Filipino values. This way, you have an idea of how Filipino employees work with their peers and foreign clients. If you’re lucky, you can find a Philippine-based mobile app design agency that accepts trial periods.
Mobile apps are the technological staples of everyday life. Without them, we won’t be able to shop, initiate transactions, stream music and videos, or communicate with our loved ones at our fingertips. Unfortunately, the competition to stand out from the sea of aesthetically and poorly designed mobile apps is an uphill battle.
This is why working with the best BPO company, app design agency, or mobile app design agency is worth the investment. A BPO and mobile app design agency is equipped with the technology, background, skills, and mindset to design a captivating yet functional app.
At KDCI, we offer software development services for mobile applications for different platforms and work with QA testers to ensure your app is free of technical issues.
Don’t let your mobile app remain a dream. Contact us and let’s make it a reality!
Trends refer to patterns that emerge, develop, and fade over time. Of course, no industry is spared from the power of trends — including customer support. Customer service is essential to any business, hence why it’s the backbone. Without customer support, people won’t be able to get the help they need.
With the ubiquity of AI and other advanced technologies, customer support has metamorphosed from a “must-have” into a pivotal element of any business strategy. Presently, customers have high expectations for a brand’s customer support. Most of them (73%) are ready to jump ship to another competitor if customers have repeatedly experienced low-quality customer support, as reported by Zendesk.
As customer needs evolve and new trends emerge, businesses must keep up to ensure their delivery of customer support remains timely, responsive, and satisfactory. Below are six customer support trends every entrepreneur must know.
Omnichannel customer service support provides a seamless, consistent, and integrated customer care experience through various communication channels. For example, if you talk to a customer service agent via phone and suddenly have an urgent meeting, you can continue the conversation through live chat without repeating your query.
Omnichannel customer support, though, is different from multichannel customer service. Although the latter offers multiple ways to contact customer service, it doesn’t provide an integrated experience compared to omnichannel support. This means you’ll have to repeat your query every time you contact customer support through any of its communication channels. In other words, you can’t continue where you left off. For many customers, it’s frustrating — and rightfully so.
That’s why omnichannel customer support is superior to multichannel support. Not only is the former more interconnected and personalized, but it’s also more customer-centric. Of course, with customer-centricity comes increased customer satisfaction and retention. According to Invesp, 89% of a company’s customer base is retained due to omnichannel support. On the other hand, businesses without omnichannel support can cost them a 10% loss in revenue.
Messaging is also a rising trend in customer support. While messaging has had a profound impact on customer service — especially with the surge of customers using WhatsApp — during the COVID-19 pandemic, it will not go away anytime soon. In fact, most customers (74%) who contacted companies via messaging in 2020 expressed their intent to use this medium of communication moving forward.
Besides the popularity of instant messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, they also help reduce the hassle of customers finding your business’s email address or enduring long wait times. Plus, the ability to send media files ensures ease of communication and resolution of issues for both the customer and the customer service support agent. Because messaging is a form of asynchronous communication, customers can take their time crafting a response, and customer support agents can attend to other queries and maintain their productivity.
Despite the criticisms surrounding the use of AI, there’s no denying its role in our lives and even customer support. For customer service agents, AI is a huge productivity boost designed to streamline operations and minimize manual tasks; for customers, AI is a tool that provides them the much-needed convenience of instant customer support. One popular AI tool is AI agents.
Though AI agents and chatbots are powered by AI, It’s important to differentiate between the two. Chatbots involve decision trees and follow scripted responses. This means they’re designed for routine customer support tasks, such as answering simple FAQs or providing order updates. If you try to go off-script and converse with a chatbot like a human agent, it will not understand what you’re saying. Unfortunately, a chatbot can only be improved manually.
AI agents, on the other hand, are the more sophisticated versions of chatbots. Unlike the latter, AI agents are more capable of understanding the complexities and nuances of human conversations. They also utilize a combination of large language models (LLP), natural language processing (NLP), and machine learning to deliver human-like conversations. Not to mention, AI agents improve and become smarter with every interaction.
As such, AI agents make a great addition to a business’s customer service. These AI-powered agents not only deliver instant, round-the-clock customer support, but they also leverage customer data to add a layer of personalization and provide data-driven insights to optimize agents’ workflow. Since AI agents are faster than human agents, it’s no surprise that the former is preferable to the latter (51%) for immediate services, according to Zendesk’s CX Trends Report 2024.
Calling a brand’s customer support team is easy as pie: dial the hotline, wait for an agent to attend your call, and you’re all set. For email, you can send videos and pictures related to your query. However, there are instances when you can’t describe an issue well without a real-time visual aid. That’s where video-based customer support comes in.
With businesses adding video-based communication to their customer service arsenal, video support has become the new face of customer care. In fact, between phone, email, and live chat, video-based customer support trumps them all. Although video-based support retains the personal touch of customer service, it offers more visual and verbal clarity for both the agent and customer — thus eliminating the struggle of explaining certain details orally or in written form.
Through video customer support, agents can perform a live tutorial on how to perform a certain action or troubleshoot an issue, making it easy for the customer to follow the tutorial. On the customer’s side, they can also share their screen to show what the issue is and how it’s triggered, so the agent understands how to help them better. Besides live demonstrations, video-based customer service includes sharing short pre-made video tutorials on common FAQs and customer concerns. Not only can customers pause and watch the tutorials at their own pace, but they also free up customer agents’ time to resolve more pressing inquiries.
Social media may be a hub for posting status updates, photos, and videos, but it has now evolved into a customer support channel. This makes sense as billions of people are active on social networking platforms, and what better way to provide high-quality customer support than to take advantage of the convenience of social media?
It’s a space where customers can ask questions and receive answers from the brand itself. Since customer queries are made publicly — either through a comment or a separate post tagging the brand — your brand’s quality of customer support is for all the world to see, potentially affecting your customers’ perception for better or worse.
As such, it’s easier to call out and hold brands accountable for faux pas or inappropriate content. If acknowledged, it shows how much you care for your customers and reputation. Conversely, failing to acknowledge and apologize for such mishaps can erode customer trust and loyalty.
Other ways to leverage social media for customer support are requesting customer feedback, uploading video tutorials and other customer-relevant content, and holding livestreams and webinars.
Did you know that FAQs, community forums, and help portals are examples of self-service customer support? As the name implies, self-service customer service means the customer is responsible for finding the answers to their questions. With self-service customer service, customers can explore a brand’s FAQ page and read help articles before contacting a customer service support agent. Think of self-service options as the main source of assistance and human agents as the last resort.
However, unlike customer service agents, self-service options are available 24/7. No hold times either waiting until the next business day. Because customers are preoccupied with their own research, agents can dedicate time to more complex and urgent queries. Overall — while the idea of implementing self-service customer support options is promising — businesses must ensure that their FAQs and knowledge portals are regularly updated to reflect the current and emerging needs of customers.
Customers deserve top-notch customer support. With a plethora of digital technologies at our fingertips, businesses have no excuse to upgrade their customer support. Hopefully, the above-mentioned trends in our article have helped you determine which ones to improve or implement into your business’s customer service.
Whether you’re forming your dream team of customer service agents or optimizing digital customer service channels, KDCI has got you covered. We are a Philippine-based BPO with over a decade of experience in outsourcing. Since 2011, we have provided clients with services ranging from administrative support to customer service.
When you outsource customer service to KDCI, you’re getting high-caliber talent possessing all the soft and hard skills of an experienced customer service agent. With our company’s onboarding process, our agents are more than equipped to adapt to your business’s workflow and provide the best possible customer care at a lower cost.
Start your outsourcing journey with KDCI today! Contact us for inquiries, and we’ll help you reach the pinnacle of success in customer service.
Businesses in all industries live and breathe data. From improving performance to gleaning customer insights, data is a powerful asset that helps brands make wise decisions and achieve success in a fast-paced, data-driven world. While data entry is commonly associated with mindless typing, it is a critical back-office task that requires organization and precision. With brands wanting to save time on data processing and management, the decision to outsource data entry to a foreign country like the Philippines becomes a promising decision from a time and business perspective.
The Philippines is a bustling hub of call centers and business processing outsourcing (BPO) companies. With this in mind, you have a wide pool of companies you can outsource data entry to. If this is your first time dipping your toes into outsourcing, you might have some doubts about your decision to outsource data entry jobs. Below, let’s debunk four myths about outsourcing data entry to the Philippines.
On the contrary, the Philippines has a robust data privacy and protection law, and it’s called the Data Privacy Act of 2012. This law underscores the responsibilities of organizations to safeguard sensitive data from tampering and unauthorized disclosure, giving you that much-needed peace of mind when you outsource data entry to your Filipino team.
Both onshore and offshore data entry professionals are capable of producing high-quality work. But if you want to cut costs without sacrificing quality and productivity, choose to outsource data entry to the Philippines.
Because many Filipinos are educated and fluent in English, you can expect your offshore team to follow and execute instructions and minimize errors — especially when data entry involves transcription.
The decision to outsource data entry to a foreign country means facing potential communication mishaps due to cultural differences and varying levels of English proficiency. Thankfully, Filipinos are exposed to the language at a young age through media and education, so their English writing and speaking skills are honed to perfection. Their affinity and familiarity with Western culture are also a plus, which makes communicating with your Filipino team a pleasant experience.
Likewise, time zone differences are not an obstacle when you outsource data entry tasks to Philippine-based BPOs. This is because BPO employees align their working hours to their client’s time zone to ensure real-time collaboration and submission of deliverables. Hence, if your business operates in the USA, your Filipino team will work at night to overlap with your business’s operating hours.
Outsourcing data entry to the Philippines doesn’t necessarily mean laying off your onshore team. In other words, an offshore team complements, not replace your onshore team. When you outsource data entry to your Filipino staff, your in-house team can enjoy a lighter workload and improved well-being and job satisfaction.
This means they have more time to complete tasks appropriate to their skill level and area of expertise. Most importantly, you don’t have to deal with all the hefty costs of hiring and training new staff when you outsource data entry to Filipino employees.
Choosing to outsource data entry to a foreign country is a risk. However, outsourcing doesn’t have to be a liability if you work with one of the best companies for data entry outsourcing. If you’re new to this venture and consider the Philippines your outsourcing destination, look no further than this tutorial on how to outsource data entry to the renowned BPO capital of the world.
It’s easy to be blinded by success stories of outsourcing. While your decision to outsource data entry does wonders for your brand and employees, knowing your whys is key to a successful outsourcing experience. These questions help you identify the whys behind your choice to outsource data entry — and at the same time — paint a clear picture of your business needs:
It’s also important to know which types of data entry work you want to be outsourced to the Philippines. Here are some examples of data entry tasks:
Numeric data entry involves accurately encoding statistical or financial data on a database or worksheet. Finance industries often outsource this task to an offshore staff.
Employees are responsible for updating or removing outdated information, such as phone numbers and emails.
Transcribers listen to audio or watch videos, converting all data into accurately written text.
A product data entry specialist inputs product information on a retailer’s official website or e-commerce platform to update product pages or boost cross-selling rates.
The employee reviews emails and categorizes them based on urgency and other factors.
A contract is a legally binding document detailing the responsibilities and expectations of your outsourcing partner. Hence, when you outsource data entry to a Philippine-based BPO, be sure your contract has the following clauses:
This section lists all the services to outsource to a third party, giving your BPO partner a clear idea of the required deliverables.
SLAs include the performance metrics and benchmarks for assessing the quality of work rendered by the outsourcing partner.
This clause highlights the expectations and compliance of the outsourcing partner in ensuring the protection and non-disclosure of customer data when you outsource data entry tasks to an offshore team.
This clause includes all the conditions and circumstances for terminating the partnership. After drafting your contract, go over your document and see if all clauses are concise and easy to understand. You can then search for a BPO firm to outsource data entry assignments to.
With hundreds of BPOs all over the Philippines, finding the right BPO firm to outsource data entry is like finding a needle in a haystack. You can start with a Google search of the best BPO companies in the Philippines and shortlist from there. Another way is to type “how to outsource data entry” or any industry- or service-related keyword followed by “outsourcing” or “outsourcing companies” (ex: data entry outsourcing) — which may yield articles written by BPOs about data entry. Platforms like GoodFirms or LinkedIn are a good place to start, as well.
In addition to checking a BPO’s website and portfolio, reaching out to its former clientele is a good idea, too. This way, you can better assess a company’s professionalism and reliability in delivering high-quality data entry services within a specified time frame.
While reputation is important, it’s also worth checking out your future outsourcing partner’s values, mission, and vision to see if they’re compatible with yours. Likewise, knowing how the company stores and protects sensitive data is paramount given the inherent risk of working with data.
Even if a BPO offers the cheapest data entry services, or has worked with a big client, don’t just close a deal with any BPO you find online. Take your time and consider your options before you outsource data entry projects.
At this point, you’ve probably shortlisted one or a couple of BPOs. Before you close a deal and outsource data entry tasks to your chosen BPO, be clear about your expectations and goals. Because outsourcing entails a little risk to your business, BPOs willingly offer a trial period to see if the delivered results are up to your standards, or if the partnership benefits your business. Once everything is settled, you can start to outsource data entry projects and work with your Filipino team!
Your Filipino data entry specialists are newcomers to your business, so expect them to overcome a little learning curve when you first outsource data entry tasks to them. Get them up to speed with your business’s in-house policies and workflow, and provide them with training manuals and resources.
If your organization uses Microsoft Teams, Slack, or any communication platform, you can set up accounts for your data entry specialists and their team leader. Creating a dedicated group chat or channel for your offshore staff makes it easier to outsource data entry projects and report technical issues. Weekly virtual catch-ups also help establish a stronger professional bond between you and your offshore team.
Feedback is key to improved motivation and performance. Before you further outsource data entry jobs to your staff, it’s recommended to appoint the team leader as a quality control checker to speed up the validation process and provide a daily or weekly performance report.
Through this report, you’ll be able to identify trends and patterns in your team’s performance. Here are some guide questions to kick off a feedback session with your data entry specialists:
Whatever the outcome of the feedback session, share practical tips on how your team can improve their typing skills and accomplish tasks faster without compromising quality and accuracy. Hence, the next time you outsource data entry projects, your team will know how to maintain optimal performance.
Data entry is commonly associated with mundanity and endless typing on a computer. However, what some people don’t understand is it demands precision, organization, and technical know-how. Because of the influx of data, many businesses outsource data entry assignments to the Philippines.
KDCI onboards data entry specialists who exhibit ample technical knowledge, keen attention to detail, and excellent typing skills. By availing of our data entry services, you’re getting high-caliber work at a fraction of the cost.
Ready to outsource data entry projects to KDCI? Contact us for inquiries, and start building your team of Filipino data entry specialists today!
The customer service support of old relies on the classic phone-based support for inquiries and concerns. As technology advances, customer service has evolved to support multiple communication channels, including email, chatbots, and many more. With businesses leveraging modern communication tools and clients expecting high-quality customer service support, optimizing their digital customer service becomes a strategic endeavor.
As the name implies, digital customer service support refers to the provision of customer care support and assistance through digital means, such as social media and live chat. According to McKinsey & Company, most customers (76%) have shown satisfaction with businesses offering digital-only customer support. After all, good digital customer service comes a long way. If they have a bad experience, they can just walk away and move on to another brand.
Below, let’s check out the success stories of companies with different customer service support channels. In addition, this guide includes apps and platforms that act as a role model for a particular digital channel.
Email is a classic customer service support channel. Customers can send an email to a brand at any time and wait patiently for a response — which can take hours or days. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of time.
That doesn’t mean businesses should completely get rid of email support. But with the help of the right customer service support solution, email support can be less of a drag for both agents and customers.
Hiver is a customer service support software with features ranging from email tagging and shared inboxes to supported integrations with Slack, WhatsApp, and many more. Like any helpdesk program, Hiver streamlines customer care to ensure customer concerns and inquiries are attended to without delay.
For companies like Flexport, Hiver was of great help in optimizing their email customer service support. Nathan Strang, the company’s Ocean Freight Operations Manager, uses the helpdesk program’s email tagging feature to assign an email to a customer agent. Thanks to this convenient feature, unanswered emails and email forwarding are now a thing of Flexport’s past, enabling its customer service support team to answer queries and concerns quickly.
HappyFox is a help desk software with a ticketing system that streamlines a company’s email customer service support, automating email routing, ticket priority setting, and other mundane, time-consuming tasks through its Smart Rules. In case of complex customer concerns, the program’s Private Notes tool functions as an internal collaborative space for agents to converse and work on a ticket without the customer’s knowledge.
Improved Racing is one of HappyFox’s users. Thanks to the program, Improved Racing can now route tickets to the right customer service support agent for faster email resolution. What’s more, all three of the company’s brands have their dedicated email category, ensuring both efficiency and brand identity consistency.
Unlike most digital customer service support channels, over-the-phone communication is more personal — albeit with the caveat of hold times and higher costs. While phone support may be another classic customer service channel, it doesn’t mean it’s losing its relevance in a digitized world. These programs prove that phone support can work in your agents’ favor.
Zoho Desk helps streamline various customer service support channels, including over-the-phone communication. The software features call scheduling and a call reminder for hassle-free follow-ups to customer calls. Automated voice messages are also delivered to inform customers of agent availability or busyness, or remind them that your shop is closed after business hours.
Also known as De Surinaamsche Bank NV, DSB Bank, is a successful user of Zoho Desk. But before it implemented Zoho Desk, customer service support was done manually — from ticketing to tracking messages.
Thanks to Zoho Desk, a ticket is created for every customer query made via phone and other customer service support channels, and the bank’s customer agents work on their assigned tickets until a customer concern is resolved. This led to not just better customer satisfaction ratings, but also a 50% boost in agent productivity and efficiency.
CloudTalk is a call center software platform with a smart dialer that simplifies the repetitive act of dialing numbers to initiate outbound calls. With its three-way calling support, senior customer service support agents can help newer agents learn the ropes of customer care. Besides that, CloudTalk’s Call Transfer feature lets agents transfer calls to a more qualified agent without the long wait time, promising seamless and satisfactory communication.
Nokia is one successful user of CloudTalk. With its dedication to providing high-quality customer service support, the telecommunications company implemented CloudTalk into its workflow. Using the software’s Analytics feature, Nokia drastically improved its customer service — reducing call hold times by 47% and boosting productivity by 10%.
We commonly associate customer service with phone calls, emails, and live chats. But did you know that customer service support can be delivered via text messaging? Businesses can capitalize on SMS customer service to keep customers in the loop of the status of their orders, remind clients of upcoming appointments, request feedback, and many more. Because people spend most of their time on their phones, SMS customer service support is a gift of convenience.
Want to improve your SMS customer service support? Look no further than SimpleTexting. This product supports two-way messaging to encourage free-flowing conversations between an agent and a customer.
What’s great about two-way messaging is you can use a business number to facilitate such conversations, creating a clear boundary between personal and business texting. Automated text messaging is also another standout feature of SimpleTexting. With it, you no longer have to manually send a text message informing your customers that your business is closed for the holidays.
For A-1 Self Storage — a San Diego, California-based company under Caster Group — using SimpleTexting was a huge step up to their customer service support. Apart from reminding customers of their overdue payments, the software enabled A-1 Self Storage to reply to inquiries faster — creating a positive impact on its customer base.
Supporting both SMS and MMS, Textline is a business texting program that features two-way texting, automated messaging, scheduled messages, and the like. Its Shortcuts feature is every customer agent’s best friend. Instead of typing the same canned responses daily, agents can use Shortcuts to craft templates or use pre-existing ones to speed up customer service support with little to no manual input.
Prior to the implementation of Textline, tire size confirmation was a tedious process for Roll By Goodyear, with the brand reaching out to customers via phone call or email. With the help of Textline, Roll by Goodyear created templates for size confirmation and other purposes. Because of Textline, response rates improved and sizing errors dropped.
We often use WhatsApp or any messaging app to communicate with family, colleagues, and friends. But did you know these same apps can be used for messaging businesses? Let’s look at how the below applications are used to supercharge a brand’s customer service support experience.
WhatsApp has transformed into a customer service support hub. This is backed by statistical data from Spectrum, with 39% of survey respondents using the said app to inquire about a brand’s services and products, and 11% to report complaints and ask questions related to shipping, delivery, and the brand.
Supporting media and document files, WhatsApp enables customer service support agents to send messages in the most appropriate format. In addition to its intuitiveness and chatbot integration, the app also boasts end-to-end encryption that gives customers peace of mind whenever they interact with a customer service agent.
Decathlon is a popular sports retailer with over a thousand stores across the globe. To keep up with the influx of customer inquiries and concerns, Decathlon started to leverage the power of live chat. Delivered via WhatsApp, the retailer powers its live chat system with automation, allowing seamless, hassle-free self-service customer service support and contributing to a 50% reduction in handling time.
This is also a blessing for Decathlon’s customer agents, as they are now less swamped with simple customer queries — which means they can simultaneously work on multiple complex customer concerns.
For entrepreneurs and brands, Apple Messages for Business is their best friend. While simple customer queries are answered through automation, customers can opt to chat with a human agent for more complex concerns. This application also features a host of features to elevate the customer service support experience, such as Apple Pay integration, appointment scheduling, and many more.
However, there is one standout feature of Apple Messages for Business — Chat Suggest. Not only is it convenient, but it also promises seamless communication and better customer satisfaction due to reduced hold times. Lush, a retailer that sells handmade, cruelty-free cosmetic products, uses Chat Suggest to minimize calls from customers.
AI has taken the world by storm, and it’s no surprise that this technology has made its way to the customer service industry. Through AI, brands can provide faster support and assistance while preserving the human element inherent to customer service support.
With the support of automation, businesses can deliver high-quality customer care without overwhelming agents with queries. Below are examples of AI messaging in action.
Kik is home to a thousand chatbots. From chatbots that give a dose of entertainment to those that streamline the shopping and customer service support experience, there’s a chatbot for everyone. For Kik users with a penchant for fashion and style, H&M’s homegrown Kik chatbot is heaven-sent. Powered by natural language processing (NPL), this chatbot can understand natural language and provide human-like responses, even to the point of using emojis!
Through the chatbot, customers can ask for personalized recommendations and fashion tips without the hassle of contacting a human retail customer service agent. They can also take a quiz that lets the bot determine their personal style. Unsurprisingly, the chatbot led to increases in click-through (8%) and engagement rates (86%).
While Facebook Messenger is primarily used for keeping in touch with loved ones, it also serves another purpose — customer service support. This does not come as a surprise given the app’s convenience and high user count. If you’re a long-time user of Messenger, you’ve probably come across or interacted with several chatbots from your favorite companies.
1-800-Flowers is one of those businesses that leverage the app for its chatbot. The chatbot eliminates the hassle of calling the retailer’s eponymous number to purchase flowers. Additionally, the speed and accessibility of the chatbot drew in a slew of chatbot-based orders from new buyers.
For entrepreneurs, social media is not a waste of time; it’s a battleground for marketing one’s brand to build an online reputation and attract new customers. As most people are online and have social networking accounts, it just makes sense to provide customer service support via social media.
Businesses can’t just create a Facebook page, do the bare minimum, and call it a day. Nowadays, content and customer service support go hand in hand. This means creating relevant content, such as product tips and showcases, to encourage new and old customers to reach out to your brand.
Moreover, businesses should make their presence known by responding to comments, private messages, and reviews. BlendJet, for example, answers customer queries in the comments section.
TikTok conjures images of content creators and influencers dancing and sharing short-form content. Surprisingly, this app is also a viable customer service support tool. Businesses with Creator accounts can use TikTok’s Q&A feature to answer customers’ questions via written (comment) or video format. Q&A supports TikTok LIVE, so there’s real-time interaction between your brand and audience.
Furthermore, TikTok puts a creative, yet entertaining and grounded spin on customer service support. Zendesk reported that Starface, a skincare brand, uploads engaging tutorial and FAQ videos on its page to help customers with their skin problems and answer product-related queries.
Technology and digital tools complement human customer service support agents. Self-service portals put the agency of customer service to customers, which means they don’t have to contact a human customer agent to resolve an issue or get answers to common questions. Below are two examples of self-service portals.
Google Help features a treasure trove of guides for each of Google’s products and services. On the main page, click on an icon — say, Google Chrome — and it will take you to a list of help topics you can click and read at any time.
Don’t like doing your own research? The website has a digital support assistant called “Help Guide” to assist you with anything. Select a pre-existing response and “Help Guide” will share a relevant article. If you pick “Something Else,” you’ll be asked to provide an explanation of your issue. You can also look up, ask, and answer questions in “Community,” adding a social element to customer service support. Overall, Google Help is the best example of a self-service customer service support portal.
If you’re looking to create a self-service customer service support portal from scratch, check out Document360. Here, you can write articles and guides and organize them into categories and sub-categories. The software solution’s WYSIWYG editor works just like any word processing tool, whereas the Advanced WYSIWYG editor supports text writing and embedding of media content such as images and videos.
Finally, there’s the Markdown editor. While the word “Markdown” sounds intimidating, newbies with little to no experience in coding can use the editor to write and format text using the Markdown toolbar or writing the syntax. It supports live previews, too — which is a plus. Avontus, for instance, hosted and organized all their guides — from FAQs to installation guides — on Document360, providing round-the-clock, self-service support to customers.
Are phone calls, emails, and AI not enough? There’s video support. Video-based communication makes customer service support a highly personalized experience. For visual learners and non-readers, video tutorials are heaven-sent as they provide straightforward solutions to problems.
After all, why read a lengthy tutorial when you can watch and follow a three-minute video? If you plan to innovate your business’s customer service support channels, consider the following programs.
From marketing to customer service support, Loom is a must-try for any business. With this software, you can create personalized videos to address a specific customer concern, guiding the customer every step of the way. Postclick elevated and humanized its customer service support through Loom. By creating videos, customer satisfaction soared and customers could easily follow or understand even the most complex tutorials or topics.
ScreenRec is more than just a screen recorder for your personal needs. It’s also a customer service support solution for customer care agents. Because agents can just record their computer screen for demonstration purposes, or send pre-made video tutorials, it minimizes the need for typing long tutorials or responses. As of this writing, ScreenRec has garnered an average TrustPilot rating of 4.5 stars. Additionally, IT Specialists London’s director George S. claimed that the program enhanced customer communications and internal workplace processes.
In-app messages refer to messages that are integrated into the app itself, only appearing while you’re using the program. These messages can be in the form of banners, full-page displays, welcome notifications, and many more. Though some people find them annoying, they’re actually beneficial for customer service support. Check out how two companies use in-app messaging to their advantage.
Dribble — an online platform for designers — uses in-app messaging as a microsurvey channel for rating the quality of customer service support. You can select “Epic!,” “Meh…,” and “Scuk” or include written feedback on Dribble’s customer care.
With programs implementing new features, it’s hard to keep up and master them all. Web conferencing platform GoToWebinar displays an Appcues-created animated slideout demonstrating its Transcripts tool. A brief description of Transcripts is included to give returning users an idea of what it is. Thanks to the slideout, they can stay in the know of new features without being overwhelmed with information.
We hope this comprehensive guide sheds light on how brands and companies use various digital channels to deliver timely customer service support. Optimizing your digital customer service support may be challenging, but for KDCI, no challenge is too hard. KDCI only employs and trains customer service agents equipped with the essential hard and soft skills to deliver high-caliber customer service support.
With KDCI’s experience in the customer service industry, we are confident that our agents can streamline your brand’s customer service and make your customers happy.
What are you waiting for? Outsource customer service and build your customer service dream team. Contact us now!
Retail customer service is the bread and butter of online and brick-and-mortar retail businesses. With customers expecting high-quality customer service, it’s time for brands to step up their customer support game. In an article by Zendesk, just having a lot of bad experiences with poor customer service is enough for most customers (73%) to shift their loyalty to a competitor. As your business grows and the market economy evolves, choosing to outsource retail customer service to the Philippines is a wise venture.
The Philippines is home to a plethora of call centers and BPO (business process outsourcing) companies. No wonder the country has earned a well-deserved reputation for being the world’s BPO and call center capital. Let’s talk about why businesses outsource customer service to the Philippines.
Due to the country’s history, Filipino culture is a fascinating blend of Eastern and Western values. For many businesses based in the USA or any Western country, the Philippines is an attractive candidate for outsourcing. This helps minimize cultural clashes and misunderstandings between you and your Filipino retail customer service team.
Moreover, Filipinos are fluent in English. As of 2023, the Philippines places second among Asian countries in terms of English proficiency, as reported by the EF English Proficiency Index.
Plus, the neutral English accent of Filipinos and their ability to converse in business English give them an edge in voice retail customer service — ensuring clear and professional communication across the board. All these factors, therefore, contribute to a brand’s willingness to outsource retail customer service to the Philippines.
Hospitality is the staple of Filipino culture. This trait is manifested not just in the family, but also in the workplace. When you outsource retail customer service to the Philippines, expect your offshore Filipino staff to provide the best customer care to your clients. Because they feel heard and valued, your business is more likely to retain these customers who can become loyal to your brand.
Apart from culture and language, cost-effectiveness is also one of the factors why businesses abroad outsource retail customer service to the Philippines. By hiring offshore staff, you can drive more profit to your business without sacrificing the quality of customer care your overseas staff provides to your clients.
Unlike employing onshore staff, you don’t have to invest in a bigger office space to accommodate your new team. Computers and internet connectivity are not an issue either as the Filipino staff you’re going to outsource retail customer service to have the necessary equipment to get the job done.
The government’s support for the BPO industry extends not only to skills training and development, but also to the country’s legislation concerning data privacy and protection.
Since BPOs handle a multitude of customer data, they are obliged to protect such data from unauthorized access — accidental or otherwise — under the Data Privacy Act of 2012 or Republic Act No. 10173.
If violated, BPO firms will face penalties, which include fines and imprisonment. If you outsource retail customer service to the Philippines, rest assured that your outsourcing partner will have security measures in place to prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands.
In retail customer service, your workforce is the backbone of your business. If your business is attending to a large volume of customer inquiries, you can hire a team of freelancers or partner with a BPO company to boost operational efficiency. Either way, be sure to take note of the following factors before outsourcing retail customer service.
Because freelancers are their own bosses, they can work according to their preferred schedules. Freelancers are also based in different geographical regions, which means they can provide 24/7 retail customer service support. This ensures that your customers’ needs and concerns are resolved day or night. While the time zone difference can work to your advantage, take note that freelancers work on multiple projects with different clients.
There are instances when your business will face an influx of customer needs. When you outsource retail customer service to freelancers, you can scale your workforce as needed to ensure timely, round-the-clock support and customer satisfaction.
Freelancers often work from home or in public places like cafes, with the latter a cesspool of malware and cyberattacks. While they are equipped with the proper retail customer service skills as full-time employees, data privacy and protection remain a concern for businesses. Unless you provide freelancers with access to data security tools or orient them with your brand’s security practices, you risk compromising sensitive customer data.
BPOs operate 24/7, and what better way to provide real-time customer support than to follow your country’s time zone? With the flexibility of BPO employees — especially Filipinos — your business can enjoy high-quality, round-the-clock retail customer service without all the long wait times.
BPO firms can scale according to the demands of their client. This can mean hiring more voice or non-voice retail customer service agents or downsizing the workforce without sacrificing the efficiency and quality of customer service.
Much like freelancers, BPO companies also have access to sensitive customer information. One edge that Philippine-based BPOs have against freelancers is better data privacy and protection, all thanks to the Data Privacy Act of 2012. These companies have data security policies in place to prevent breaches of confidentiality. As such, BPOs make for a safer option to outsource retail customer service.
Outsourcing retail customer service doesn't have to end up in a sour experience. This tutorial will walk you through the steps of outsourcing, from assessing the status of your retail brand to meeting and working with your Filipino customer service agents.
From your employees and customers down to the daily workload, examine the current needs of your retail business. Maybe your business’s voice or email retail customer service has become a source of stress due to increased call or email volumes, and there’s not enough staff to cover peak hours or seasons or certain tasks, such as product replacements and refunds. Understanding these issues can help you assess if you need to outsource retail customer service overseas.
After assessing your business needs, your next step is to establish goals for outsourcing retail customer service. You can also start drafting a contract outlining the following details:
A contract is a legally binding document that benefits the goals and interests of your business and your outsourcing partner. To avoid ambiguity and contract disputes, every clause must be clear, precise, and straightforward.
The Philippines is a treasure trove of the best BPO companies. While you won’t be out of options, finding the right outsourcing partner is paramount to the success of your business’s retail customer service. Do your research and choose reputable outsourcing companies with proven track records in the retail customer service industry.
Looking up client testimonials or reaching out to former or current clients also does wonders in your search. This way, you can better gauge if a BPO firm is reliable and capable of providing high-quality retail customer service through various communication channels, including email, phone, and live chat.
Getting up to speed with Filipino culture and Philippine laws doesn’t hurt, too. Once you’ve chosen a BPO company, present and discuss the terms of your contract. After closing the deal, the company will onboard the most qualified employees for your business.
Your first meeting with your Filipino agents need not be awkward. To facilitate hassle-free virtual communication between you, your Filipino staff, and their team leader or point of contact (POC), use Microsoft Teams, Skype, or any platform your business uses.
Share training manuals and scripts and orient them about your business’s etiquette and workflow. When your Filipino staff is knowledgeable of the ins and outs of your business, they can represent your brand, handle the rigors of retail customer service, resolve customer issues, and meet KPIs.
To maintain exceptional retail customer service, BPO employees undergo regular coaching from their team leader and clients. When reviewing the performance of your customer agents, take into account the following metrics:
Providing constructive feedback to your Filipino customer service agents equips them with the necessary skills to resolve complex customer issues faster. Giving kudos to your agents for a stellar performance or an achievement also motivates them to do better. With a successful team of customer agents at your beck and call, your brand can retain more customers and build a solid reputation.
Nowadays, a brand’s reputation is built not just on its products, but also on the quality of retail customer service it provides. With seasonality, peak hours, and omnichannel customer support contributing to an influx of customer inquiries, outsourcing to a BPO like KDCI makes all the difference.
Since 2011, KDCI has provided clients with state-of-the-art customer service. With our pool of talented agents, we are confident of their ability to provide exemplary customer support and improve your brand’s image.
Learn more about outsourcing retail customer service. Contact us today!
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.
