Here in the Philippines, Cebu one of the famous tourist spot is the oldest city in the Philippines and one of the foremost domestic shipping ports in the country. The city is now home to the largest commercial center outside Manila and of the fastest growing real estate markets in the country. Cebu is known as “Queen of the South”, it is a developed metropolis with the idyllic charms of an exotic island destination. Cebu is the center of business districts, special economic zones and IT Parks that have made it an ideal investment destination for foreign and local companies doing business in the Philippines.

Cebu has started stirring interest among numerous investors in the country as the city’s real estate market flourishes. Most of the investors are now looking to Cebu City as the next real estate boom in the Philippines. The cost to purchase real estate in the area is about Php 4500 square meter, much cheaper than in Makati.  Gregory Kittelson an outsourcing consultant stated that once a lot of the larger BPOs and call centers establish operations in Manila. Most of them look to Cebu as their first provincial destination in the Philippines. Yet, small and medium size BPOs have bypassed Manila and gone straight to Cebu.

The commercial office space has now become readily available in Cebu City. Most of call centers have already set up operations in the area and more are still on the way. More and more start-up companies are also up operations in Cebu because of the affordable office space. A number of Metro Manila based companies are even relocating some of their operations to the city.

In the Philippines, Cebu City is also a thriving tourist destination. It is one of the most important commercial and residential centers in the country. In the country today, it was once the oldest Spanish settlement in the Philippines it is now one of the fastest cities.

REFERENCE:

http://www.kittelsoncarpo.com/outsourcing-philippines/news-articles/real-estate-flourishes-in-cebu-stirs-investor-interest

The Philippines has been increasingly gaining traction as an offshoring destination especially in niches like call centers, animation, medical transaction ,legal and publishing services over the last few years. Since 2005, the valuenotes has been researching and analyzing the Indian publishing offshoring industry. Some of them with decades of experience with over 100 service providers, the Indian publishing especially in the STM or scientific, technical and medical segment, service providers in countries like Philippines and CHina have been around for quite some time. They estimate the revenues of Publishing BPO industry to be approximately $100m in 2008.

SPi Global Solutions, Asiatype Inc., Innodata Isogen among the 20-25 vendors have been the early movers and have been in existence for two decades or more. All service providers have a strong focus on Scientific, Technical and Medical publishers, and we are now beginning to look at the educational and or corporate publishing segments.

Most large and mid-sized players in the Philippines have been growing at approximately 20-30% per year for the last couple of years. There is a huge difference in the growth patters while publishing BPO industry in the Philippines and India began at the same time. In terms of manpower, the Philippines industry is approximately one fifth of that of the Indian publishing BPO. The two popular Philippines player are comparable to the leading Indian players. The SPo with an over 5,000 strong workforce in the Philippines is one of the largest publishing BPOs in the world. But, while almost 80% of the Indian revenues are contributed by the top 10-12 vendors; in the Philippines top 2 vendors comprise 80% of the total revenues.

The Philippines vendors landscape is marked by an absence of a strong mid tier. India has developed tremendous capabilities in automation and technology. While the attributes like cultural proximity to the US, design and copy editing skills are some of the strong capabilities within Philippines, there is a need to rise to the next level. In the Philippines, there is currently an undeveloped mid tier vendor landscape in the Philippines. To the industry leaders, several of the mid tier companies are subcontractors. In order to capture the huge opportunity in publishing outsourcing it is imperative for these Philippines BPOs to build differentiators in their service offerings.

REFERENCE:

http://www.kittelsoncarpo.com/outsourcing-philippines/news-articles/publishing-bpo-in-philippines

http://www.outsourceit2philippines.com/news/Publishing-BPO-in-Philippines-Need-to-create-differentiators.htm

To come up with customer focused message, integrated marketing communication brought the elements of a promotional mix such as advertising, public relations, direct selling, publicity and advertisement. The subject, frequency, timing and means of communications through the organization is in the field of traditional marketing communications structure in the connection with an external factor like the advertising agencies, public relations firms and marketing research companies. Lots of businesses are using a popular social networks including LinkedIn, Facebook and Youtube. This is to name a few start to engage and connect to anyone with internet access, improve conversations with the consumer and paving way for organizations to boost their brand recognition. The social network is a low-cost platform intended for the organizations to implement a marketing campaigns.

The organizations obtain direct responses from their clients and targeted markets. People do not want to be sold because they want to engaged and have a relationship with before they decide to be a customer. The social networking is apparently trusted to not just a project marketing influence, however it obtain significant demographic and consumer data determined by communications that happens across the varied platforms.

Social internet continues to progress, it interact tend to be more effortlessly gathered into techniques of metrics than can parse, store and translate this interaction data into actionable market intelligence. A social Network Marketing cannot be ignored and businesses cannot afford not to participate.

Outsourcing in the Philippines can be the solution to get started and help people in the social network marketing campaign. Delegate the management of the social media campaigns to a reliable outsourcing company that will work with, to provide valuable information tips to the potential and current audience and reliable content.

http://www.nowcandoit.com/whats-new/page/2/

Stream Global Services Inc is one of the outsourcing company in the Philippines which opened its third delivery site and the first mall base site in Cebu. They added 1,400 seats more for its clientele. Site director Angel Norme Alvarez stated in an interview at the Stream Cebu 3 recruitment office that they are hoping to expand their personnel by 5,000 next year. Their offices are in the i1 and i2 building in Cebu IT Park in Cebu, its third site is in J. Center Mall. He also said that they are currently have 3,300 people now in Cebu and hopefully hit 5,000 by next year with the opening of the third site.

On the third week of November together with an extension office at the mall’s fourth level the whole facility is scheduled for launching. The Stream Global Services, Inc has 13,000 people in the country with 12 sites. The three are in Cebu which is where they hope to reach 15,000 seats next year.

Alvarez stated that this year they recently opened three new sites, one in Mall of Asia with 600 seats and the other is in Makati with 1,300 and stream Cebu 3. He also said that they are looking at concentrating the growth of more in Cebu in the next years since its cheaper and not as flood prone as Manila. When Ondoy and Sendong hit Manila in the past, their operations got affected. The operations in Manila was shut down while Cebu operations just went on like a normal day which is something that their clients really appreciated. The clients favored their opening a third center in Cebu which will focus on operating systems an d home entertainment consoles. They provide supports from the customer service, sales to technical support in the facility.

They are positioning to be at the northernmost part of  Cebu capturing the manpower in Northern Cities and towns like Mandaue and Mactan. Cebu has the lowest attrition rates with most of their employees in Cebu actually pursuing a career in their company based on the operation in the last decade. They we’re confident that they can grow and slowly exit out of Manila which is now very congested.

REFERENCE:

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/294140/outsourcing-company-sees-growth-potential-in-cebu

Your core competency is what makes you business stand out from the rest or you can put another way. The reason in your business exists in the first place. Most of the businesses is looking to cut costs or save time outsource their core work to someone else. Most other companies simply don’t have the high standards that you have. If they did, they will be you competitor. If there is one thing that separates you from your competition, it is best to keep that where it belongs in the house.

One of the most common people outsource is to save their business valuable time.  Yet, before pulling the trigger on an outsource be sure to refine the process first. When you hand the task to an overseas firm they won’t carry the inefficiency that were taking up your company’s time. This may be a bit more work up front but it can save serious money when you are paying someone per hour to do the work.

You need to know how to manage, another important questions is to ask yourself whether it not want to keep tabs on the outsourcing company or simply let them do their thing. There is no right to answer to this as it depends on the personal preferences and the type of work that the company is doing.

REFERENCE:

http://www.eastvantage.com/articles/how-know-whether-outsourcing-your-businesss-best-bet

Outsourcing business is such a large blessing to Asian Nations, however bliss would not have been possible if countries in that side of the globe have not proven their competency. In this field, indeed Asian countries like India, China and most especially the Philippines have established a good reputation in this field. Everything is at par with the standards that are universally acceptable in terms of communication, performance and quality of work that they deliver.

Asia is normally the destination of outsourced work from it’s neighboring continents, yet then again not all country in that continent is capable of accommodating such business. There are some who are limited because of their inability to speak the universal language, disabling them to participate in the growing form of business. Today the more and more patron countries outsource to the Philippines than in India, before it was India that led in the outsourcing business.

The Philippines beat India in terms of growth in the Business Process Outsourcing Industry. In the outsourcing business, the country is now considered to be India’s tight competitor. Philippines said to be the America’s colonies in a not so distant past, it has adopted to the western norms which would include the language, behavior and at the same time practices. It is basically the creativity of the western which is internationally acknowledged.

Here are more of the Philippines that what the foreign countries know:

- The literacy rate is high in the country, education is taken with such a high value in the country. To finish school and earn a degree is very essential in the country to finish school.

- Every Filipinos are well versed in English, the American culture has somehow made its way to every modern Filipino that exist nowadays. When it comes to the usage of the universal language make them standout.

- Among other nationalities, versatility is one of  Filipinos edge among other nationalities. They work hard any time of the day and they are know as hard working individual which is actually evident and acknowledge by their patron countries in the Business Process Outsourcing industry.

- Culture ties almost all of the schools found in the Philippines integrate English into their curriculum. Filipinos is highly appreciate English shows and movies. That makes them a step further in embracing American culture and norms.

- Philippine is hard working, professional and highly trainable and talented. The Philippines is a country pooled by talented workers. Due to highly literacy rate, majority of the Filipino population are professionals making them eligible to work in any corporate environment.

REFERENCE:

http://www.nowcandoit.com/why-many-countries-prefer-philippines-as-the-best-place-to-outsource/

Have your top business goals in writing and have them in order of importance and jot down ideas on how to get them done more effectively. You should stop and have think about why you are in business, ask yourself questions like what is the purpose of your business? What service and products do you offer and what is your edge over your competitors? What value will you give to your clients? Who are your clients and how do you attract them to your business and how will your clients and prospects get a hold from you?

You will be able to pinpoint what needs to get done once you have answered most of the questions. You must get organized to get off to a good start, this seems easier said than done but technology allows us to make this a simpler process. They suggest using a Customer Relationship Manger or a CRM to get you off and running. There are tons of CRM programs in  the market that you can choose of. The sugar CRM seems to fit the bill and it’s free. It will allow you to track your leads, track the clients as well as organize your calendar and schedules. To prospects just a click away, it also includes an email marketing feature that would make sending bout emails. Getting organized will help you get your business running smoothly and read to be mobile.

You should learn how to run your small business from virtually anywhere, visiting a business meant walking into a building, it’s can be done without having to get out of the pajamas. People want information and answers as soon as they can think of it and sometimes faster. The Internet has become todays information source and is widely used all over the globe.

In your businesses you should build relationships with everyone you deal. This includes vendors, staff, clients and even your friends. They might be able to lend you a hand in something. An integrated web presence, VOIP and Internet Chat avenue, building relationship will be breeze. The studies have shown that most of the business deals are offspring of word of mouth. Building a solid business relationship with everyone in your address book will greatly increase your address book will greatly increase your chances of being referred by their contacts.

Be alert on how to save money and use your available funds properly, business is about keeping your cost low and profit higher. Try to make a list of all the expenses that you have and ask yourself is it is actually helping the business grow and moving forward. You also need some help, a single person person cannot handle everything in an 8-hour period, sometimes not even in a few days. Most of them feel that getting everything done themselves means getting it done right.

REFERENCE:

http://www.nowcandoit.com/tips-for-overworked-over-pressured-small-business-owners/

The re-election victory of the US President Barack Obama has dominate apprehensions that the US Congress may finally commend a bill which would decline the flourishing Business Process Outsourcing industry in the Philippines.

Harry K. Thomas Jr. said that the job of President Obams is same as President Aquino, to provide jobs to Americans just as Aquino want to provide jobs for Filipinos. He said this when he asked about the Bring Jobs Home bill sponsored by Democrats Sen Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. Base to the latest election results, the democrats hold a narrow majority in the US Senate. The Republicans control the House of Representatives.

Earlier this year, the bill was among to-do-list for COngress that Obama unveiled. In reaching the debating stage, Senate Republicans prevented the measure. The bill also is opposed by some large US business groups.

According to newspapers accounts, the Bring Jobs Home Act would provide a 20% tax break for the costs of moving jobs back to the United States and it would rescind business expense deductions available to companies that are associated with the cost of moving operations overseas.

The President of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines, Bendict Hernandez says that the information technology BPO industry is one of the country’s economic pillars, employing 493,000 Filipinos and it is expected to grow to 567,000 in the year 2012.  He said that the industry is one of the most aggressive and advance sectors and its growth in the last six years was five times higher than the average employment growth in the country. For him, this means that the employments opportunities in the voice industry is more lucrative compared with the other industries.

Executive Director of Contact Center Association of the Philippines, Jojo Uligan said that the BPO’s voice sector was also better paying than other sectors.Uligan said that an entry level position that typically requires a fresh college graduate or undergraduate can have a basic monthly salary of about P12,000 to P13,000. This is 38% higher than the basic minimum of P9,000.

In Obama’s victory, opportunities for Filipinos expecially to new graduates may be coming to an en if the US President pursues the passage of the Bring Jobs Home bill. Obama was criticized for being unable to provide jobs to some 3 million Americans during the campaign which partly explains his narrow victory over Gov. Mitt Romney. Most Americans have suggested to Obama to bring back factories and jobs that have been outsourced to other countries, especially to India, China, Philippines and other countries.

Ambassador Thomas made the statements during the 2012 US Election Watch which he presided over at the SM North Edsa in Quezon City. The students from various universities in Manila, World War II veterans, officials of Quezon City hall and members of the media where invited to the occasion.

There were 2,300 participated in mock election and the result showed that 74 percent voted for Obama, while 24 percent went for Gov. Mitt Romney. Ambassador Thomas said that there were other benefits for Filipinos of Obama’s re-election. He said that it’s a demonstration of democracy, the importance of democracy, how democracy is better than any form of government, despite its warts.

He also added that the Philippines is right to have a democracy, adding that there were 30 Filipino-American running for office in this American election. According to him, this is not happening in other countries, they share with the Philippines a privilege that unfortunately most people around the world do not have, the right to freely choose their leaders.

Thomas said that the right has come at a high cost, paid by million of Americans through the centuries, who fought and died for the right. He said that Nathan Hale, a hero of the American Revolution who reportedly said that he have one regret and that is he only have one life to give to his country.

Filipinos also have one such personality, Ninoy Aquino who said, “Filipino is worth dying for”. “Today that commitment to freedom continues, you all demonstrated that during People Power at Edsa.

Ambassador thank the Filipinos for donating P10 million to the victims of Superstorm Sandy. He said that his mother was also a victim of the superhowler.

When Obama became apparent, Thomas said that now its tome for America to leave the rhetoric behind and get to work for the good of the country. He said that he was proud to continue working for Obama and would also have been proud to work for Romney.

REFERENCE:

http://tcdn04.abs-cbnnews.com/business/11/07/12/obama-win-seen-affect-local-bpos

In the Philippine business industry scene, offshore outsourcing is a very progressive industry. The second most preferred destination of offshore outsourced jobs. The country has beaten its neighboring Asian countries in the field of Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing when it comes to expertise in such fields. From being practical in terms of cost and efficiency, the outsourcing back office jobs to the Philippines instead of its neighboring countries proved to be less risky aside. Even though rhere is no guarantee that the Philippines is a fraud free market when it comes to online workers, it still remains to be the safest venue to get your back office jobs done. The Philippines stood strong on second place next to India as a preferred destination for outsourced IT jobs and BPO jobs based on a globally accredited research company named Neilsen NetRatings.

India is only a few notch higher, it made other offshore resources more accessibly and freely available for every company to take advantage.  One of the most outsourced job at the present time is th search engine optimization. The companies that are out to extend their market without having any physical expansion of their office or store greatly considering the Internet as the best avenue to make that possible. The world web can be easily provide any entrepreneurs potential customers for any business. There has got to be someone searching Google right now for that certain product with the number of traffics/visitors that it gets every minute.

A total of $1.9 trillion worth of sales have been generated online, this is base to the statistics shown by Forbes Magazine. This statistical data gas boosted SEO’s image to every businesses, inviting them to extend across the globe with the aid of the world wide web. SEO has such an enormous demand online and it continues to pick up until now.

When outsourcing started to boom and earn a high degree of popularity Philippine has been going on and make a name. Philippines is highly preferred destination for businesses to outsource most of their back office operations. The country has been conquer by a number of countries such as UK, US and Spain that is why they are greatly multicultural and it can easily adjust to the norms of those countries especially the US American companies. US American companies are inclined more with the operations closely tied with the Philippine norm and vice versa, prefers working with the Filipino companies more than others.

Philippines has a highest number of technically competent SEO Experts that can produce a high quality outputs, result that follows similar standards as their counterpart in the west.

REFERENCE:

http://www.nowcandoit.com/whats-new/

http://www.nowcandoit.com/philippines-your-outsourcing-destination-for-seo-needs/

If you are a small business owner thinking of outsourcing receptionist duties including telephone answering appointment scheduling, message taking and other front desk tasks then there are a few things that you should consider. There is also a downside to virtual; staffing that should be considered before you make a decision, while outsourcing receptionist duties to a receptionist company or individual contractor is great way to both cut down on the expense of office space and the payroll budget.

In hiring a virtual receptionist through another company is becoming more popular as technology allows business people to stay connected with their clients whether they are in the office. The easy access to a new staffing options can also lead to abrupt, misinformed decisions.

You should understand exactly what they are and what kinds of duties they perform before you consider hiring a virtual receptionist. The bulk of their duties will be to answer the phone and field all kinds of different calls from clients and prospective clients. They can answer common questions about the business which will save time. They can also take messages, type up reports and e-mails, schedule appointments, answer business e-mail that does not require your attention and other tasks that can be handled remotely.

It is also easy and affordable to hire because you can hire an individual receptionist like through an outsourcing agency and this procedure is becoming much more common as small businesses try to find ways to save money. The biggest advantage to hiring a virtual receptionist is the money you will save on employee benefits, paying by the service minute instead of by the hour  and by saving on having to provide office space and equipment for an on site receptionist.

The potentials pitfalls, there are also a few cons to this practice. You make sure that the lines of the communication remain open and that instructions sent to your virtual receptionist company are precise. There is a huge turnover in the business so that it may find your own self having to deal with a number of various receptionist, all with  various work ethics and productivity levels. Some clients who come into your office will notice the lack of an on-site receptionist, especially of they are not greeted right away and this may lead them to question your professionalism.Hiring a virtual receptionist services does have its advantages and disadvantages for a small business, however knowing each of them can help you make a more informed decision overall.

REFERENCE:

http://www.eastvantage.com/articles/pros-and-cons-outsourcing-receptionist-duties