More and more businesses are choosing the Philippines to take their operations offshore. The Philippines has a long tradition of providing top-notch back-office support to global companies. Now, with advances in technology, that high-level support is available for any business, big or small, anywhere in the world, for a fraction of what you’d pay in your own country. Every company can go offshore.

So why should you look at the Philippines when considering your outsourcing needs? There are a few reasons, which we’ll go into shortly. But primarily, the main advantages are language, education and support.

If you’re looking for an offshoring company in the Philippines, you can expect high English proficiency, thousands of qualified graduates to choose from, and a strong and mature offshoring industry.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

English is widely spoken in the Philippines

One of the main reasons why the Philippines started as a destination for offshoring is because of how widely English is spoken. Historically, the Philippines has a strong connection to the West, especially the USA, and schooling, news broadcasts, popular media and government are all often conducted in English. Educated Filipinos will easily switch between their local dialect and English without hesitation.

While English is common in other countries that are popular for offshoring, the English spoken by Filipinos is clear and easy to understand, without a strong accent or strange grammatical constructions. This is true for both written and spoken communication.

Filipinos are constantly exposed to English – from the TV they watch as children, to the education they get through high school and college, and into the professional careers that many of them ultimately go into.

A vast array of qualified graduates – in every sector and service

The first thought people usually have about offshoring is back office support or call centres. Yes, these are great places to start if you haven’t done any outsourcing before. But what sets the Philippines apart is that there is so much more available. 

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos graduate from university with degrees in everything from tourism and service industries, to finance, graphic design, marketing, business administration and many other professions.

Once you start looking at what’s available, you’ll be amazed at what you can outsource to a qualified Filipino professional.

Commonly, companies start with outsourcing administrative tasks, such as calendaring and supplier management.

But imagine having a dedicated person to look after:

• • • social media
    • graphic design
    • photo and video editing
    • bookkeeping
    • budgeting
    • project management
    • policies and documentation

and so much more.

You can expect to find qualified people to take on all manner of tasks for your business. Many will have direct experience in your field or comparable experience that they can carry over.

When you select the right offshoring company in the Philippines, you can expect to find all of this expertise in one offshore location.

This brings us to our next point.

The Philippines has an established and mature outsourcing industry

Back in 2005, the McKinsey Global Institute identified that the Philippines was already a strong player in the rapidly growing outsourcing industry. Its report praised the Philippines for its strong English proficiency and large talent pool – two factors we’ve already covered.

In the intervening almost two decades, the Philippines outsourcing industry has become even stronger, with established BPOs (Business Processing Offices) and call centres, as well as being home to global offices for many major companies.

Your business might be new to outsourcing, or the Philippines, but the country has been doing it for a long time!

What this means for your company are fewer surprises. When you go with a reputable and established BPO, you can expect a streamlined hiring process, obvious breakdowns of costs, and all payroll, legal and taxation considerations are taken care of. 

All that’s left for you to do is what you would do for any employee – train, manage and expect the best from your staff.

It’s worth noting that, as in any industry, you may find some outsourcing companies are not as reputable as others. Always do your research. Check their client satisfaction reviews – but also check for their employee satisfaction. 

At a minimum, you should feel confident that they have a robust hiring process and clear costings. A reputable BPO will not hesitate to talk to you about how they find and recommend talent. They’ll also be completely transparent about what you’re paying for and why, how much salary the employee will receive and what their benefits are. If your outsourcing provider isn’t upfront about these two things, you should probably look elsewhere.

Unexpected perks of having an offshore team in the Philippines

By now, you’ve probably read many articles about offshoring in the Philippines, and you’re probably almost convinced. Every article will mention that language, education, culture and infrastructure are huge drawcards for working with a Filipino team.

But there are some other lesser-talked-about perks!

• • • The Philippines is a great place to visit

Eventually, you’ll want to meet your Filipino team. The great news is that the Philippines is a beautiful country to visit! Who says you can’t mix business with pleasure? The Philippines is home to thousands of beaches, golf courses, resorts and hideaways, with an abundance of natural beauty, adventure sports, and opportunities to relax.

And because the prices are reasonable, it’s the perfect destination for your next team-building event.

• • • Filipinos are fun

Another thing that often gets left out of articles like this one is that Filipinos are a lot of fun. You don’t want robots working on your team – Filipinos are anything but robots! Yes, they work hard and they’re conscientious about hitting deadlines. But when it’s time for morning tea or a birthday celebration or Friday afternoon games, they love to laugh. Karaoke is practically a national sport and most Filipinos won’t hesitate to belt out a tune or bust out some moves. Just be careful – it can be catching! 🙂

• • • Time zones are irrelevant

The Philippines is located in the tropics so it’s not uncommon for people to get up and work at 2 am to beat the heat, or sleep all day and work at night. Or if they’re heading into a BPO during daylight hours, they welcome the chance to spend all day in air conditioning. Whatever time zone you’re in, you’ll find staff who don’t mind working your hours, even if it’s the middle of the night.

• • • The Philippines has the perks of the West while being in the heart of Asia

The Philippines has direct flights to Singapore, China, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Australia and other countries where you may have a manufacturing or other business interests. At the same time, its major cities offer every convenience you would expect in a Western country but at a fraction of the cost.

It is where the East meets the West and offers the best of both worlds for you and your business.

These days, there are many countries to choose from when deciding where to position your offshore business. The Philippines is an ideal location for many companies because of the strong language, education and infrastructure. 

The country has spent the past two decades establishing its position as a strong contender in the offshore space. We would say that for most of your offshore needs, the Philippines is the leading choice.