Process Outsourcing
I've been hiring offshore since 2012. What started at REMAX—one VA at a time—turned into Shore Agents in 2019. Today, the Philippines runs $35 billion a year in BPO revenue. That's up from $28 billion in 2023. The market works because it actually works.
What Is Business Process Outsourcing?
BPO is simple: you hand specific work to someone else so you don't have to do it. Customer service, accounting, HR, IT—anything that isn't your core business. The Philippines dominates this because English works, salaries are sustainable, and you can find people who'll actually show up and do the job well.
10% of the global outsourcing market sits in the Philippines. That's not by accident.
Why Process Outsourcing Actually Matters
- Cost: You'll cut 30–50% off operational spend. An Australian bookkeeper costs $70/hour. A Filipino with the same skills costs $15–20. The gap is real.
- Expertise: You hire specialists. You don't need a full-time person for payroll or customer escalations—you buy the skill when you need it.
- Focus: Your team works on what makes you money. Everything else goes offshore.
- Scale: Hire one person. Hire fifty. You're not managing payroll, tax, benefits—that's the BPO's problem.
What Actually Gets Outsourced
Customer Service
Calls, emails, chat support. Your customers need someone on the other end. That someone sits in Clark Freeport, speaks English, and costs a fraction of a local hire. Zendesk, Freshdesk, LiveChat—the tools don't matter. The person matters.
Back Office
Data entry, invoicing, reconciliation, filing. The work that keeps a business running but doesn't directly make money. This is where most outsourcing happens. Boring work, done well, by someone paid fairly for it.
IT Services
Software development, ticket management, system maintenance. The Philippines has serious tech talent. You'll find people who can code, support your systems, and work across time zones without the cost of hiring in Sydney or San Francisco.
Order Processing
Receiving orders, checking inventory, coordinating fulfillment. Speed matters here. A team that knows your system can process 100+ orders a day without breaking a sweat.
HR Functions
Recruitment screening, payroll, benefits admin, onboarding paperwork. Repetitive, detail-heavy, and someone needs to do it. Offshore BPO can handle it faster and cheaper than your internal team.
How to Actually Hire Offshore Talent
1. Know What You're Outsourcing
Be specific. Not "customer service"—say "email support for product returns, 40 tickets/day, response within 4 hours." You can't hire well if you can't describe the work.
2. Vet Your BPO Partner
Ask for case studies and client references. Talk to them directly. Check their security setup (NBI clearance, background checks, data protocols). Don't just look at pricing.
3. Interview the Actual Person
You're not just hiring a service—you're hiring a person. Talk to them. Assess their English, their approach to the work, whether they'll ask questions when something's unclear.
4. Lock Down the Contract
Write a proper SLA. Be clear on hours, turnaround times, holidays (Philippines has 13th month pay and specific public holidays—budget for it). Document what "done" looks like. If performance slides, your contract needs teeth.
5. Invest in Onboarding
Spend the first 2–4 weeks training. Show them your systems, your standards, your quirks. A bad hire costs more than good onboarding. A good hire who understands your business is worth gold.
What It Costs
- Hourly rates: $10–$30/hour depending on skill level and task complexity. A VA doing email might be $12. A developer might be $25.
- Onboarding: Budget 20–40 hours of your time or a manager's time to bring someone up to speed.
- Software: Sometimes you need to buy a license (Slack, project management tool, accounting software). That's on you or split with the BPO.
The math is brutal in your favour. Hire a bookkeeper for $20/hour, 40 hours a week. That's $800/week, $3,200/month—versus $4,500+ for someone in Australia. In a year, you've saved $15,000+ and got the same quality work.
Why the Philippines Actually Works for This
- English: Literacy rate is 98%. Filipinos don't just speak English—they grew up on American TV. They get Western culture, humour, business norms.
- Work ethic: The workforce is young, adaptable, and wants to learn. There's no cynicism—people show up and do the work.
- Infrastructure: Clark Freeport has reliable power, internet, and tax incentives for BPO companies. It's built for this.
- Geography: You overlap with Australian and Asian time zones. Not perfect, but better than hiring in US time zones.
Shore Agents: What We Actually Do
I've been placing VAs offshore for 13 years. Since 2019, Shore Agents has focused on one thing: matching you with Filipino talent that actually works.
We handle recruitment, background checks, initial training, and payroll compliance. You get the person. We handle the admin. If something breaks, we fix it.
Whether you need a bookkeeper, customer service team, or developer, we've got the process dialled in. Check our Virtual Assistants page or jump to Get Started to match with someone.
Pricing is at Pricing. No surprises—you'll see the hourly rate and what you're actually paying.
Ready to Outsource Your operations?
Build your offshore operations team with ShoreAgents. Zero-trust tracking, transparent pricing.
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