Are you an Australian Business thinking of outsourcing some of your work or jobs to the Philippines? 

Choosing an outsourcing or BPO company in the Philippines is not just about finding the one that offers the lowest price.   

How to choose the right BPO outsourcing partner in the Philippines

You need to find a BPO or outsourcing partner that understands your business requirements, can recruit the right people, know how to maintain quality and security standards, communicates effectively with your team, and can help you to really grow your business. 

If you know what you are looking for, it would be easy to choose the right BPO or outsourcing partner in the Philippines.

Here’s what you need to consider:

1. Look for experience in working with Australian Business

Working with an offshore team is very different from hiring an in-house employee. That is why your BPO or outsourcing provider should have experience dealing with Australian businesses so they understand expectations around communication, working hours, service standards, compliance, accountability, and business culture. 

If you are in a discovery call with a BPO or outsourcing company, here are some guide questions to help you:

• How long have you been providing BPO services?

• Do you currently work with Australian businesses?

• What industries do your clients operate in?

• Can you provide relevant client references or case studies?

• How do you handle communication between Australian clients and Philippine teams?

On the other hand, note that experience does not automatically guarantee a successful partnership. However, it can help reduce the learning curve when establishing an offshore. 

2. Understand how the BPO recruits and screens employees

Remember that the people who will be working on your business will have a direct impact on the quality of your operations. That is why it is important to understand how the BPO or outsourcing company recruits, screens, and matches your employee requirements. 

Outsourcing is not just about filling a vacancy. The BPO or outsourcing provider should thoroughly assess communication skills, technical abilities, previous experience, cultural fit, and other job requirements, among others. 

Upon knowing their recruitment process, you need to know if you will have input into the final selection process and how the new employees will be trained before onboarding to your business. 

3. Learn their employee retention program

One of the many problems that businesses encounter with BPO providers is employee retention. This is often overlooked too. 

Think about this, if your business often encounters employee resignation from the BPO providers, it means that you will need to deal with recruitment, training, and knowledge transfer again. This can affect productivity and consistency. 

That is why it is also important to ask the BPO provider about their employee retention rate and how they support employee development. Also asks about what happens if an employee resigns and how quickly they can get a replacement. 

The role of a BPO or outsourcing provider is to minimise the disruption when staffing changes happen. 

4. Talk about communication and time-zone management

Since Australian businesses need to work remotely with their outsourced team in the Philippines, one of the biggest concerns is how to manage expectations when it comes to time zones. 

The Philippines and Australia have different time zones. Moreover, Australian time zones also depend on the state and territory and daylight saving arrangements. 

That is why it is important to know what hours your team in the Philippines will work, and what holidays will be followed. 

These things can affect productivity and efficiency. That is why it is important that this should be discussed. 

5. Asks about data security

Data security should be your main priority, especially if your remote team in the Philippines will have to access to customer information, employee records, financial reports and information, or other sensitive business data. You need to know how your data and information will be protected.

It is important to ask your provider about access controls, data storage, employee permissions, password and account security, confidentiality agreements, security policies, staff training, data deletion procedures, and how access is removed when an employee leaves. 

6. Find out who will manage and support your offshore team

Since you won’t be physically present to oversee your remote team, you need to know who will manage and handle them on your behalf. 

Ask who will handle performance management, attendance, training, employee concerns, escalations, quality control, reporting, as well as recruitment and replacement. 

7. Make sure the provider can scale with your business

Think about this, your outsourcing requirements today may not be the same after six or twelve months from now. You may start with one employee and eventually move on to a larger team. You may also need new functions as your business grows. 

With this, you need to ask your provider about how quickly they can recruit additional staff and how they can support multiple roles. 

Helpful Guide Questions When Choosing a BPO in the Philippines

If you are about to hire a BPO or outsourcing provider, ask these important questions.

1. How much experience do you have working with Australian businesses?

Don’t just look for the number of years in the company. Make sure to look for relevant experience in your industry. Gauge how they deal with Australian businesses through the years. 

2. How do you recruit and screen employees?

It is important to know their process when it comes to hiring, assessing, and screening employees before they recommend it to your business. 

3. How do you handle employee turnover?

You also need to be aware of how the BPO or outsourcing provider handles employee turnover. What usually happens when an employee resigns, and how fast the provider can recruit and train a replacement?

4. How will my team communicate with your staff?

You also need to clarify to the BPO or outsourcing provider the working hours of your offshore team, the communication tools that they will be using, plus their reporting and their escalation procedures. 

5. How do you protect our business and customer data?

Don’t forget to ask and mention about security controls, access, confidentiality, employee training, and data-handling procedures. Ask also what their contingency plan if there is a data breach. Data security is one of the most important things that you need to discuss with the BPO or outsourcing provider before signing a contract.

6. Who manages the offshore employees?

Ask who will be your contact person when it comes to managing your remote team. Will there be an account consultant, team leaders, and other management staff? This is important so you will know who to contact when you have questions or issues you want to discuss about your offshore team. 

7. Can you scale the team as our business grows?

Remember that the team that you have now may change or evolve after a few months. Ask about the capability of your BPO or outsourcing provider when it comes to scaling for future business growth. 

Summary

When choosing a BPO or outsourcing company in the Philippines, don’t just focus on the cost. An affordable service does not always equate to a good one that will meet all your business requirements.

It is important to thoroughly interview and discuss your business requirements with the provider and if they are able to meet it. Remember that the right provider can give your business access to skilled talent, operational support, and the flexibility to build a team around your needs. 

Also, treat your outsourcing provider as a long-term business partner rather than simply a source of lower-cost labour. 

Before making any business decision, take time to understand the tips we discuss in this blog and the questions you should ask the outsourcing company. 

Always ask the difficult questions before signing a contract. The goal is not just to simply find a BPO company in the Philippines. The goal is to find the right outsourcing provider that will complement your Australian business. 

If you want to get started in finding a BPO or outsourcing partner, contact us. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What should Australian businesses look for in a Philippine BPO company?

Australian businesses should look for the outsourcing provider’s experience, recruitment and screening process, employee retention, communication, data security, management support, scalability, and overall value.

2. How do I choose a BPO company in the Philippines?

To choose an outsourcing company in the Philippines, know what functions you want to outsource, compare service providers based on their experience, recruitment process, security practices, management structure, communication processes, pricing, and their ability to scale. 

3. Is outsourcing to the Philippines suitable for Australian businesses?

Yes, but it will still depend on your business requirements, jobs being outsourced, data privacy, among others. 

4. How do Australian businesses manage Philippine BPO teams?

Successful arrangements usually start with establishing clear working hours, communication channels, reporting processes, performance expectations, and escalation procedures. 

5. What should I ask a BPO company before signing a contract?

Ask about recruitment, employee retention, replacement procedures, management, security, pricing, communication, performance measurement, contract terms, and scalability.