The outsourcing of work is an integral part of the economic processes that occur nowadays. Whether it's legal or not always depends on the country with which you're dealing, but few still think, for example, that outsourced labour completely contradicts human rights.

Offshoring to the Philippines is a general term used when referring to the practice of hiring companies set up in third-world countries whose main purpose is to save costs by providing cheap labour. As per today's capitalism, this is completely justified because if one company saves money thanks to outsourcing another will be forced to lower their prices or risk bankruptcy.

Since email has become widely popular, this kind of conduct has been shown across global markets simultaneously and now you can easily find any type of outsourced work from almost all corners of the world.

In this article, we'll take a closer look at the best-known outsourcing model - offshoring to the Philippines and what benefits it can offer you as well as any pitfalls that might come your way.

As technological advances bring about an increasing number of virtualization, the need for outsourcing work to skilled, competent professionals outside the confines of one's own office becomes greater. And more and more companies are turning to Philippines outsourcing as a means of tapping into that pool of talent.

A Virtual Assistant (VA) is someone who works exclusively online on various jobs like performing research activities or data entry, writing articles/content/proofreading, editing photos and graphics; doing administrative tasks like filing, faxing, email management; running errands like purchasing products online, booking flights and hotel accommodations; organizing events like parties or fundraisers, marketing activities etc.

VAs can perform these tasks at greatly reduced costs compared to hiring full-time staff and they work on a contract basis which means they can be terminated anytime if their services are no longer required.

The main reason why individuals and companies hire outsourced virtual assistants is the amount of time they save on repetitive tasks that can be done by someone else more effectively. You can simply instruct your assistant to carry out all sorts of tasks through email, Skype or any other online platform of communication without having to waste time creating clear instructions for them every single time something needs to be done.

  How Can I Outsource Tasks?

Several platforms let you easily find someone who will agree to carry out work offshoring (outsourcing). By using services like odesk or freelancer, anyone can post a job offer with the number of hours needed and a description, and those interested in doing the job will send you an offer along with a bid for how much money they'd like to charge. From here, if you believe everything is alright and fair, you can award them the job.

Once you have chosen one of the applicants and sent them the first task, whether it's something small or big, they should complete it before moving on to another one (unless specific instructions are saying otherwise). After that, depending on how satisfied you were with their work you either pay them or not - this also depends on how much trust you place in them as well as what sort of work they're doing; but if all goes well then your outsourced virtual assistant will become your main source of aid at all times.

Finding the right virtual assistant for your needs may not be an easy task. There are so many options available these days that you might just feel lost with all those choices. From outsourcing sites to hiring agencies, you will see how many different approaches there are to accomplish getting one or more assistants into your life.

For this reason, we have put together some tips on how to find the best virtual assistant for your needs. Just keep reading and you'll know what it takes before giving access to your business operations to someone else.

First things first! Start by knowing why do you need a virtual assistant? You don't simply hire anyone whose services end up costing you more than what they can deliver, right?

VAs come in many different shapes and sizes. Some of them specialize in a specific area or field, meaning that you might need to hire multiple individuals if your needs are diverse and extensive. Understanding your priorities will help you sort out the types of support an assistant can provide: 

- Administrative: drafting correspondence, handling appointments and meetings, taking care of travel arrangements and bookings, data entry, keeping track of time spent on tasks, conducting research both online and offline…

- Virtual phone service: taking messages, forwarding calls to voicemail or mobile phones, answering queries over the telephone… 

- Technical: setting up computers for clients (including all required software), repairing hardware problems, troubleshooting connection issues…

- Creative: designing brochures, banners, flyers etc., creating logos and corporate identities, editing photos in Photoshop, making online ads…

- Transcription services: typing memos, letters or reports dictated over the phone or in person.

You can also hire a VA for medical transcription, in this case, you will look for VAs who are trained in medical terminologies because it involves handling files that include sensitive information. 

Aside from knowing what type of assistance you are looking for when hiring virtual assistants, make sure to establish your budget. You don't want to end up with an assistant who doesn't fit your needs simply because you failed to plan. Ask yourself how much are you willing to spend before going through the hiring process. The less you spend, the fewer options you will have as well as a limited choice of services. But it's up to you to decide if saving money is more important than obtaining better quality work.

Once you have assessed your needs and established your required budget, it's time for the real deal: go out there and look for those who can take care of your business’s daily operations! 

The Philippines is one of the most popular outsourcing destinations for Western countries. The development of freelancing in the country has made some skilled workers, especially those with technical skills, be employed as outsourced service providers using their home-based or online businesses.

A lot of people are considering hiring Filipino VAs due to factors like cheaper cost and convenience. However, some things need to be paid attention to before committing to hiring one. Among these considerations include:

1. A Philippine VA provider should have at least 4 years of experience. It can be challenging if you want someone who does not have any previous work experience on his account. This will impact your relationship because he might come across as a newbie who is difficult to work with.

2. Check his reviews, if possible on a third party website. It will give you an idea of the quality of service that he can offer to clients. You should also take note of the percentage of positive reviews that he got from past clients. The higher this percentage is, the better it is for you as a potential client.

3. Make sure that the VA provider is fully transparent about his accounts by asking him for screenshots or account access (if not prohibited). If you are allowed to see them, then go ahead and visit the page yourself. This will help you to know how many orders he already handled before your deal with him starts; what delivery speed he follows; how much time it takes for him to process your request; among other things.

4. Make sure that the Philippines VA service provider is flexible with the terms of the agreement. This will give you enough time to review what he can offer beforehand so that there won't be any unnecessary tension when you finally work with him later on.

5. Costs should also be considered. As mentioned, it's cheaper to hire a Filipino VA than an American or an Indian one because the cost of living in the country is low compared to other outsourcing countries in Asia and Europe. However, don't expect your vendor to offer a cheap rate if he has only been in the industry for just several months or less than a year already even if he is from the Philippines. It's advisable to go with someone who has already been in this line for at least 2-5 years or more.

6. Make sure that you hire a VA who is available during the day and early evening (Philippine time), especially when working online. This will maximize your chances of getting continuous and fast responses from him/her while you are handling different tasks, which can adversely impact your work.

While hiring an overseas service provider may take time, it's worth working with someone who has good exposure and enough practice in client-related interactions to ensure satisfaction all the way through.