Outsourcing For Real in the Philippines

57 replies
Hi Guys,


Here is the absolute best way to create your outsourcing team!

You need to start in the Philippines. Why you ask?

First, their educational system is taught in English, a big plus when you want your work to be professional written.

Two, outsourcing is a huge part of their economy and the American dollar goes along way over there. And finally, they are some of the nicest people I have ever been around.

I am blessed to have a family from the Philippines living next door to me and their grandmother helped raise my two boys. Their word is their bond and that is very hard to come by these days.

Anyway, so where do you find some of these awesome people? Well, one way is on www.onlinejobs.ph this is a great place to start researching their resume's. You will see a full description of their abilities and experiences.

These folks are ready to work today and will give it there very best effort to see the work is done professionally and on time.

You will be very pleased with the people and your results. Good luck to you and your search for your outsourcing team.
#outsourcing #philippines #real
  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    Yep, I agree... I have a VA from the philippines and he is great. Definitely impressed with the work.

    Also for those wondering why the page is not found, the domain is onlinejobs.ph
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    • Profile picture of the author Ryback
      I found some great workers from the Philippines on oDesk.com as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author TryBPO
    Or, you could come out here, visit us, and hire them yourself! A company I was working with had that need and that's exactly what we did and we ended up turning it into a company, heh.
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    • Profile picture of the author thedog
      I took a va for a 2 week test drive, from easyoutsource.com

      Lovely girl, but very inexperienced. Didn't even understand basic html. I had her doing data entry and article submissions, and there were simple mistakes with both tasks.

      Maybe I'll have better luck next time.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
      Originally Posted by TryBPO View Post

      Or, you could come out here, visit us, and hire them yourself! A company I was working with had that need and that's exactly what we did and we ended up turning it into a company, heh.
      Wow that's cool! I bet you have a great story!
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      • Profile picture of the author TryBPO
        Originally Posted by mmixon View Post

        I have been outsourcing to the Philippines for 3 years and am very happy with the quality of the work. My only suggestion is to pay by the job, not an hourly rate. Production pay works best for them and for you!
        I agree that the Philippines is a great place to outsource to, but it depends on the job vs. hourly pay. Paying by the job can also promote skipping steps to get it done quicker, lack of attention to detail, less interest in improving or bettering the process for you, an aversion to scope-creep, etc. (Hourly pay has its own problems of course i.e. taking longer at a job to get paid more)

        Think about what you're looking to accomplish when deciding hourly vs. project. And, if it's project, make sure they've tested it out so that you both know how long it takes them to complete the project and they'll get paid fairly based on your needs.

        Originally Posted by jan roos View Post

        I have to vouch for the Phillipines as well.

        You can get some great loyal and smart people from there but don't try and low ball them with a $200 a month offer. Pay them decent and you're set.
        Definitely true! At $200/month, that freelancer will most likely be working with 1 or 2 other people anyway. (By the way, know that MOST will do this anyway. It's good to get that out in the open in the beginning and tell them what your position is on that.)

        Originally Posted by Dana Goetz View Post

        Wow that's cool! I bet you have a great story!
        Still working on it! It's quite a life, though...the good AND the bad!
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        • Profile picture of the author jasono
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          • Profile picture of the author flamingphoenix
            Interesting - if anyone can send me some details of who they are working with that they consider to be good that would be great.

            Ideally paying by deliverable results although if it's very well monitored daily or weekly thats's fine too.
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            • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
              Hi Flamingphoenix,

              Not too many people want to give away their golden egg, but looks like Justin Cooke from TryBPO.com Outsourcing Solutions Simplified maybe able to lead you in the right direction.
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              • Profile picture of the author TryBPO
                Originally Posted by Dana Goetz View Post

                Hi Flamingphoenix,

                Not too many people want to give away their golden egg, but looks like Justin Cooke from TryBPO.com Outsourcing Solutions Simplified maybe able to lead you in the right direction.
                Thanks for the plug, Dana! Although, truthfully, we don't do much work with people from the Warrior Forum or IM community for a couple of reasons:

                1. Not enough work - Most of our clients are 2-4+ people, but the IM crowd tends to want like 10-20 hours per week from one person only, which just isn't worth it for us.

                2. Pricing - While reasonable, at $5 - $8 per hour, depending on scale, people looking for a part-time person to do one specific task are usually better off hiring from oDesk, classifieds, etc. Our "niche" is multi-step processes on a medium-large scale...hence our higher pricing.

                Really, we just use our "extra" outsourcing personnel to focus on my side-project, IM stuff, heh.

                The Philippines is a cool country, though. When those of you really "make it", you have to make a promise to come visit your VA's out here...they'd be so excited to meet you!
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                • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
                  Originally Posted by TryBPO View Post

                  Thanks for the plug, Dana! Although, truthfully, we don't do much work with people from the Warrior Forum or IM community for a couple of reasons:

                  1. Not enough work - Most of our clients are 2-4+ people, but the IM crowd tends to want like 10-20 hours per week from one person only, which just isn't worth it for us.

                  2. Pricing - While reasonable, at $5 - $8 per hour, depending on scale, people looking for a part-time person to do one specific task are usually better off hiring from oDesk, classifieds, etc. Our "niche" is multi-step processes on a medium-large scale...hence our higher pricing.

                  Really, we just use our "extra" outsourcing personnel to focus on my side-project, IM stuff, heh.

                  The Philippines is a cool country, though. When those of you really "make it", you have to make a promise to come visit your VA's out here...they'd be so excited to meet you!
                  Your right most individuals just need small jobs done. I will let you know if I come across a bigger job for ya. If I make it over to the philippines I will totally look you up for a beer and a game of pool or do you do that over there? lol
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                  • Profile picture of the author TryBPO
                    Originally Posted by Dana Goetz View Post

                    Your right most individuals just need small jobs done. I will let you know if I come across a bigger job for ya. If I make it over to the philippines I will totally look you up for a beer and a game of pool or do you do that over there? lol
                    That would be great! I'll keep a cold San Miguel Light ready for ya! They love pool over here...pool and basketball...they're like national obsessions.

                    I have a friend, Ted Lerner, that has done announcing for some of the major pool tournaments and for their professional boxing here: TED LERNER

                    He wrote a book called, "Hey, Joe" where he beautifully describes some of the crazy, whacky situations you can find yourself in over here. His description of his first cock fight is epic.
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                    • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
                      Originally Posted by TryBPO View Post

                      That would be great! I'll keep a cold San Miguel Light ready for ya! They love pool over here...pool and basketball...they're like national obsessions.

                      I have a friend, Ted Lerner, that has done announcing for some of the major pool tournaments and for their professional boxing here: TED LERNER

                      He wrote a book called, "Hey, Joe" where he beautifully describes some of the crazy, whacky situations you can find yourself in over here. His description of his first cock fight is epic.
                      lol how funny. Like I mentioned at the beginning I live next door to a family that is from the Philippines and all they do is party. Sing, dance and play pool. Never a dull moment in the hood.

                      Anyway, since you do not serve the small business person/internet marketer can you suggest anyone else to the group here. I know they can go to odesk, but to be honest it is kindof a bummer.

                      I mean anyone can shoot the dice but, a recommendation on the other hand from an experienced person such as yourself may really help someone out. Just might take their business to the next level.

                      You must have some connections over there from playing pool and watching boxing
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                      • Profile picture of the author sal64
                        Beware of the over-hyped, over-inflated resumes on Onlinejobs.ph

                        Wasted quite a bit of $$$ and time with applicants on this site. Most could not do what they claimed they had the skills for.

                        Just me 20 cents.

                        I have actually found Odesk better, as you don't have to hire on a full time basis. Then as business increases, you can hire someone to find more staff for you.
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                        • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
                          Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

                          Beware of the over-hyped, over-inflated resumes on Onlinejobs.ph

                          Wasted quite a bit of $$$ and time with applicants on this site. Most could not do what they claimed they had the skills for.

                          Just me 20 cents.

                          I have actually found Odesk better, as you don't have to hire on a full time basis. Then as business increases, you can hire someone to find more staff for you.
                          Yea you know everyone has different experiences when it comes to outsourcing it seems to be a hit or miss with most people.

                          Wouldn't it be cool though to get at least 10 people who could recommend there star person that they use currently to the group.

                          Lets forget the scarcity mindset and believe in the person who is doing the work. Depending on the size of their clientele they should be able to handle more than one business.

                          Come on guys help a brother and sister out. Who is your best Star person? Maybe they do need the extra work?
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  • Profile picture of the author mmixon
    I have been outsourcing to the Philippines for 3 years and am very happy with the quality of the work. My only suggestion is to pay by the job, not an hourly rate. Production pay works best for them and for you!
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    • Profile picture of the author jan roos
      I have to vouch for the Phillipines as well.

      You can get some great loyal and smart people from there but don't try and low ball them with a $200 a month offer. Pay them decent and you're set.

      Cheers
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      • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
        Originally Posted by jan roos View Post

        I have to vouch for the Phillipines as well.

        You can get some great loyal and smart people from there but don't try and low ball them with a $200 a month offer. Pay them decent and you're set.

        Cheers
        I agree, and also reward your workers for a job well done, pay them more or give them bonuses this goes a long way. And finally, really appreciate them. Treat them well and they will work harder for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author webapex
    Before they prohibited U.S. employers, bestjobs.ph was recommended by outsourcing tutorials, still may be useful for non-U.S. marketers.

    You can browse resumes on bestjobs.ph for free, must pay for complete versions with contact info.
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  • Profile picture of the author Eric Lancheres
    Hourly rate is definitely the way to go... I have outsourced to many places in the past and have also gotten good results from Kenya. (Philippines is always good as well)

    Right now, I track all my outsourcing using Hyperhour (it's in beta and therefore free) so that I know exactly what my employees are doing!
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  • Profile picture of the author thedog
    Any tips on how to find someone who's competent.. What kind of tasks should you expect from them in a trial period?
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    • Hi Thedog,

      Originally Posted by thedog View Post

      Any tips on how to find someone who's competent.. What kind of tasks should you expect from them in a trial period?
      1. Standardization -- Formulate a daily quota ratio, i.e. Number of Hours = Overall Work Output Volume and Quality. How? List down the set of daily tasks you need done in 8 hours. Do it yourself. Time yourself. Study the overall volume and quality of your 8-hour work output. That's your daily quota...

      2. Applicant Testing -- Schedule an IM (Instant Messaging) voice or text chat interview with applicants. Qualified ones should be given an initial test similar to this: Ask them to write a step by step guide useful for people who need to complete each of your daily tasks. Qualified ones should be given a final test, i.e. Ask them to do those tasks...

      3. Leased Employee Training and Orientation -- Teach them specifics and various techniques for completing your daily 8-hour tasks. Ask them to take a post assessment test. Review their post assessment test output with them. Highlight errors if any and tell them to implement certain ways to prevent such issues, improve their task output quality and speed up their task completion speed...

      4. Subcontract -- Draft a subcontract with an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) and an NCA (Non-Compete Agreement). Ask them to read the subcontract carefully. If they agree with everything in the subcontract: Ask them to place their name and signature in the appropriate fields of the subcontract. Tell them to scan the signed copy of the subcontract then email it, or fax it, or send it via courier services. Tell them you'll countersign the subcontract and send it to them in 2 to 3 business days...

      5. Employee Management -- Set a certain time of the day your leased offshore employee will need to send daily notification emails to inform you that the person is at the office, ready to work. Require the person to be available via IM, email, office phone and mobile phone. Set a time of the day the person should send his or her completed daily quota. Require the person to notify you about absences and emergencies 4 to 6 hours before the start of the person's shift. Also require the person to send deadline extension requests 2 to 4 hours before the end of the person's shift...

      6. Performance Monitoring -- Formulate daily, weekly and monthly performance charts. This should have a grading system with clear cut definitions. Each time the person's performance goes above "average", hand out a prearranged incentive. Develop performance:incentive and performance:duration:incentive ratios...

      Additional Tips

      Rewards are great but ain't enough. Motivate them by throwing ridiculously challenging tasks at them...

      Don't overcomplicate task instructions and guidelines among other things. You can't work with people who need overly detailed instructions and guidelines. Rather: You need people who can think on their own, train themselves to do unfamiliar tasks, be the best at what they do at the soonest, and decide what's best for your business. You need stars...

      You need people who can do a better job than you. You need people who specialize in certain areas necessary for the growth and expansion of your business...
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      • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
        Originally Posted by Marx Vergel Melencio View Post

        Hi Thedog,



        1. Standardization -- Formulate a daily quota ratio, i.e. Number of Hours = Overall Work Output Volume and Quality. How? List down the set of daily tasks you need done in 8 hours. Do it yourself. Time yourself. Study the overall volume and quality of your 8-hour work output. That's your daily quota...

        2. Applicant Testing -- Schedule an IM (Instant Messaging) voice or text chat interview with applicants. Qualified ones should be given an initial test similar to this: Ask them to write a step by step guide useful for people who need to complete each of your daily tasks. Qualified ones should be given a final test, i.e. Ask them to do those tasks...

        3. Leased Employee Training and Orientation -- Teach them specifics and various techniques for completing your daily 8-hour tasks. Ask them to take a post assessment test. Review their post assessment test output with them. Highlight errors if any and tell them to implement certain ways to prevent such issues, improve their task output quality and speed up their task completion speed...

        4. Subcontract -- Draft a subcontract with an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) and an NCA (Non-Compete Agreement). Ask them to read the subcontract carefully. If they agree with everything in the subcontract: Ask them to place their name and signature in the appropriate fields of the subcontract. Tell them to scan the signed copy of the subcontract then email it, or fax it, or send it via courier services. Tell them you'll countersign the subcontract and send it to them in 2 to 3 business days...

        5. Employee Management -- Set a certain time of the day your leased offshore employee will need to send daily notification emails to inform you that the person is at the office, ready to work. Require the person to be available via IM, email, office phone and mobile phone. Set a time of the day the person should send his or her completed daily quota. Require the person to notify you about absences and emergencies 4 to 6 hours before the start of the person's shift. Also require the person to send deadline extension requests 2 to 4 hours before the end of the person's shift...

        6. Performance Monitoring -- Formulate daily, weekly and monthly performance charts. This should have a grading system with clear cut definitions. Each time the person's performance goes above "average", hand out a prearranged incentive. Develop performance:incentive and performance:duration:incentive ratios...

        Additional Tips

        Rewards are great but ain't enough. Motivate them by throwing ridiculously challenging tasks at them...

        Don't overcomplicate task instructions and guidelines among other things. You can't work with people who need overly detailed instructions and guidelines. Rather: You need people who can think on their own, train themselves to do unfamiliar tasks, be the best at what they do at the soonest, and decide what's best for your business. You need stars...

        You need people who can do a better job than you. You need people who specialize in certain areas necessary for the growth and expansion of your business...
        Thanks for the detailed information. How long have you been outsourcing to the philippines? How many "stars" do you have on your current team? I know many people here are interested in hearing your results thus far.
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  • Profile picture of the author J R Salem
    Dana, nice post.

    Let me ask you...could you hire a team in the Phillipines that does web design?
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  • Profile picture of the author myeanne
    Great post Dana.

    It's great to know that you guys considered outsourcing here in the Philippines.

    Offshore staffing enables you to set up your own offshore team in the Philippines consisting of employees hired on your behalf who will work for you exclusively. The offshore staffing process works very similar to how you would hire personnel locally. Philippines is one of the world's most popular outsourcing destinations with some distinct advantages.
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  • Profile picture of the author CheapTrafficDude
    Phillipines is by far the best place to find outsourced VA's. If you don't want to pay the $50 per month cost for onlinejobs.ph then you can look at easyoutsource.com, it's free to join
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    • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
      Originally Posted by flamingphoenix View Post

      Interesting - if anyone can send me some details of who they are working with that they consider to be good that would be great.

      Ideally paying by deliverable results although if it's very well monitored daily or weekly thats's fine too.
      Originally Posted by CheapTrafficDude View Post

      Phillipines is by far the best place to find outsourced VA's. If you don't want to pay the $50 per month cost for onlinejobs.ph then you can look at easyoutsource.com, it's free to join

      Hey Cheaptrafficdude, Thanks for the heads up. Flamingphoenix you could start here Hire Filipinos - Find Online Workers in the Philippines | EasyOutsource since it is free. Then if you don't find what you are looking for go to odesk.com or onlinejobs.ph and see what they have to offer. Hope that helps ya a bit.
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  • Profile picture of the author TryBPO
    I know a good freelancer that hangs out at the pool/gym I go to at the Marco Polo, Davao. She's become busy enough that she's hired a couple of friends to help out. I don't have her email handy, but her contact info is Skype: raxchu Twitter: Raquel (RaxBundalian) on Twitter Tell her Justin Cooke from the Marco Polo sent you! It's a small team, but would probably work well for a limited amount of work. I don't know much about her skillset, though...admin work and, possibly, some seo?

    I've been up all night again working US hours and I came across a pretty cool site that recently sold on Flippa: InstaLance | Instant Outsourcing | Freelancers Instant Help | Online Jobs. Think insta-outsourcing...pretty cool if you need a quick task done. I think the site went for like 9k...grrr....would have liked to have that one!
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    • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
      Originally Posted by TryBPO View Post

      I know a good freelancer that hangs out at the pool/gym I go to at the Marco Polo, Davao. She's become busy enough that she's hired a couple of friends to help out. I don't have her email handy, but her contact info is Skype: raxchu Twitter: Raquel (RaxBundalian) on Twitter Tell her Justin Cooke from the Marco Polo sent you! It's a small team, but would probably work well for a limited amount of work. I don't know much about her skillset, though...admin work and, possibly, some seo?

      I've been up all night again working US hours and I came across a pretty cool site that recently sold on Flippa: InstaLance | Instant Outsourcing | Freelancers Instant Help | Online Jobs. Think insta-outsourcing...pretty cool if you need a quick task done. I think the site went for like 9k...grrr....would have liked to have that one!
      Alright that is what I am talking about. We have recommendation number 1. Thanks Justin I knew your were a social bug. That is where all the best deals are made at the club, gym, bar, or event. You rock!

      Check it guys and keep us updated on your progress.

      Who else is going to recommend someone. Number 2 coming right up!
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      • Profile picture of the author One Inch Punch
        I outsourced awhile back through onlinejobs.ph and found a really nice woman who submitted really quality articles as part of my interview process with her. After the job started, the articles just weren't that good in terms of research and English skills. They didn't reflect what she had submitted to me earlier.
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        • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
          Originally Posted by TryBPO View Post

          I know a good freelancer that hangs out at the pool/gym I go to at the Marco Polo, Davao. She's become busy enough that she's hired a couple of friends to help out. I don't have her email handy, but her contact info is Skype: raxchu Twitter: Raquel (RaxBundalian) on Twitter Tell her Justin Cooke from the Marco Polo sent you! It's a small team, but would probably work well for a limited amount of work. I don't know much about her skillset, though...admin work and, possibly, some seo?

          I've been up all night again working US hours and I came across a pretty cool site that recently sold on Flippa: InstaLance | Instant Outsourcing | Freelancers Instant Help | Online Jobs. Think insta-outsourcing...pretty cool if you need a quick task done. I think the site went for like 9k...grrr....would have liked to have that one!
          Originally Posted by One Inch Punch View Post

          I outsourced awhile back through onlinejobs.ph and found a really nice woman who submitted really quality articles as part of my interview process with her. After the job started, the articles just weren't that good in terms of research and English skills. They didn't reflect what she had submitted to me earlier.
          Hey one inch punch above Justin has recommended someone. See if you can't contact her. We are also hoping that some great warriors come in and recommend as well. So keep your eyes open my friend.
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        • Profile picture of the author paulie888
          Originally Posted by One Inch Punch View Post

          I outsourced awhile back through onlinejobs.ph and found a really nice woman who submitted really quality articles as part of my interview process with her. After the job started, the articles just weren't that good in terms of research and English skills. They didn't reflect what she had submitted to me earlier.
          Interviewing people in the Philippines is just the same as interviewing any other prospective employees. You get some who are a great fit, and some who just aren't suitable to work with you. You just need to have a little patience in sorting through your prospects to determine who's right for you. You cannot be afraid of firing someone if he/she just isn't working out for you - this is something you'll have to accept and be comfortable with.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mike McAleer
    I have gotten an email list from a phillipine girl before and it was of high quality. it only cost me $2.50. That is a bargain!

    Now I am going to hire an american on a commission and an indian on hourly wage for telemarketing. I will see how it goes!
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  • Profile picture of the author MissLauraCatella
    I'm very happy with the two ladies I've had help me out with some projects, both were from the Philippines and great workers. We quickly became friends and sometimes I have to stop myself from distracting them with MY chatting! ;D
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    • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
      Originally Posted by bambii View Post

      I'm very happy with the two ladies I've had help me out with some projects, both were from the Philippines and great workers. We quickly became friends and sometimes I have to stop myself from distracting them with MY chatting! ;D

      Hey Bambi,

      We are looking for some warriors that are willing to give some recommendations for the new folks on the thread looking for freelancers. Do you have anyone you would like to refer us too!
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      • Profile picture of the author efwebm
        So how much is fair for someone working full time?

        The ones I saw on onlinejobs.ph were asking about $250-300/month for full time (40 hr/wk).

        Sounds like they aren't really going to give you 40hr/wk at that rate from the reviews above.

        If we established a quota and they met it, I wouldn't care what they did with the rest of their time, but I would expect some kind of log that details what they did for me 40 hr/wk. Maybe I'm optimistic and don't understand the culture.
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  • Profile picture of the author NateC
    Definatley the best country to outsource to. They understand the language and are great workers. Once you understand the culture nuances then it is a breeze.
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    • Dana,

      Originally Posted by Dana Goetz View Post

      [SNIP]How long have you been outsourcing to the philippines?[/SNIP]
      My wife and I built Grayscale Business Consultancy & Marketing Services, a 5-year old ICT (Information & Communications Technology) outsourcing firm here in Manila. We registered the company and started official business operations September 2006. We started out without any capital investment other than our own time and skills. No office other than our house. No website. No business email. No keywords. No Google. No employees. No VAs. No eyesight. Nothing. Company resources grew from 4 work at home moms and dads to 2 Manila-based head offices, 9 provincial satellite offices across the Philippines, 90 employees, 30 subcontractors each with their own employees and a private clientele network comprised of 11 multinational corporations, a lot of North American and European companies, some small to mid-scale businesses and a handful of individual home business owners in various countries. We did this 3 months after registering our company...

      Originally Posted by Dana Goetz View Post

      [SNIP]How many "stars" do you have on your current team? I know many people here are interested in hearing your results thus far.[/SNIP]
      Was hit hard last year by the economic downturn. We presently have 60 employees and 30 local subcontractors, each with their own employees. Some of our results?

      We have helped the MS Windows registry software product of a North American corporation operating in the system security software development industry to become the world's best selling MS Windows registry cleaner software of all time, last September 2007. We helped the website network of a European corporation also operating in the system security software industry to be included in the top 10 technology websites of all time last 2007, in the prestigious list of a world-renowned multimedia IT corporation. You can Google these corporations, NDAs prevent us from doing so...

      My wife and I managed to do this, with me totally blind after I was intentionally gunned down twice, upper left chest and head, at a local food stall while buying fried rice last Nov 2003, and with my wife suffering from hyperthyroidism. You can go here and view the "A Story of Courage -- From Why to How Through ICT" video among our other content pages. That's me, my wife and our daughter in those videos. Enjoy...
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      • Deep Learning & Machine Vision Engineer: ARIA Research (Sydney, AU)
      • Founder: Grayscale (Manila, PH) & SEO Campaign Manager: Kiteworks, Inc. (SF, US)
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      • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
        Originally Posted by Marx Vergel Melencio View Post

        Dana,



        My wife and I built Grayscale Business Consultancy & Marketing Services, a 5-year old ICT (Information & Communications Technology) outsourcing firm here in Manila. We registered the company and started official business operations September 2006. We started out without any capital investment other than our own time and skills. No office other than our house. No website. No business email. No keywords. No Google. No employees. No VAs. No eyesight. Nothing. Company resources grew from 4 work at home moms and dads to 2 Manila-based head offices, 9 provincial satellite offices across the Philippines, 90 employees, 30 subcontractors each with their own employees and a private clientele network comprised of 11 multinational corporations, a lot of North American and European companies, some small to mid-scale businesses and a handful of individual home business owners in various countries. We did this 3 months after registering our company...



        Was hit hard last year by the economic downturn. We presently have 60 employees and 30 local subcontractors, each with their own employees. Some of our results?

        We have helped the MS Windows registry software product of a North American corporation operating in the system security software development industry to become the world's best selling MS Windows registry cleaner software of all time, last September 2007. We helped the website network of a European corporation also operating in the system security software industry to be included in the top 10 technology websites of all time last 2007, in the prestigious list of a world-renowned multimedia IT corporation. You can Google these corporations, NDAs prevent us from doing so...

        My wife and I managed to do this, with me totally blind after I was intentionally gunned down twice, upper left chest and head, at a local food stall while buying fried rice last Nov 2003, and with my wife suffering from hyperthyroidism. You can go here and view the "A Story of Courage -- From Why to How Through ICT" video among our other content pages. That's me, my wife and our daughter in those videos. Enjoy...
        Wow Marx, I am amazed by your story. I am so sorry you had to endure such a tragedy. And yet you have had such great success. You and your family are truly an inspriation. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Please let me know if I can help you in anyway.
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        • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
          Originally Posted by TryBPO View Post

          I know a good freelancer that hangs out at the pool/gym I go to at the Marco Polo, Davao. She's become busy enough that she's hired a couple of friends to help out. I don't have her email handy, but her contact info is Skype: raxchu Twitter: Raquel (RaxBundalian) on Twitter Tell her Justin Cooke from the Marco Polo sent you! It's a small team, but would probably work well for a limited amount of work. I don't know much about her skillset, though...admin work and, possibly, some seo?

          I've been up all night again working US hours and I came across a pretty cool site that recently sold on Flippa: InstaLance | Instant Outsourcing | Freelancers Instant Help | Online Jobs. Think insta-outsourcing...pretty cool if you need a quick task done. I think the site went for like 9k...grrr....would have liked to have that one!
          Originally Posted by rich1402 View Post

          The philippines is a great place to outsource.

          I find that Fiverr.com is a great place to start if you are new and on a shoe string budget.

          Then progress to odesk.com for more proffessional services, but at a higher price

          What happened to good ol "do it yourself"

          cheers

          Rich
          Originally Posted by lacraiger View Post


          Here is a summary of where you can start to find your outsourcing team. We have some great suggestions so have a look. Also if you have someone you would like to recommend to the new people on the thread please feel free to do so. thanks
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        • Hi Dana,

          Originally Posted by Dana Goetz View Post

          Wow Marx, I am amazed by your story. I am so sorry you had to endure such a tragedy. And yet you have had such great success. You and your family are truly an inspriation. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Please let me know if I can help you in anyway.
          Great to hear you find our startup story inspiring. Just contact me if you need some assistance with your outsourcing concerns. Thanks for this thread...
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          • Deep Learning & Machine Vision Engineer: ARIA Research (Sydney, AU)
          • Founder: Grayscale (Manila, PH) & SEO Campaign Manager: Kiteworks, Inc. (SF, US)
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          • Profile picture of the author Dana Goetz
            Originally Posted by Marx Vergel Melencio View Post

            Hi Dana,



            Great to hear you find our startup story inspiring. Just contact me if you need some assistance with your outsourcing concerns. Thanks for this thread...
            Your very welcome it was a pleasure getting to know you. I may just take you up on creating an outsourcing team in the future. Have a blessed day
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  • Profile picture of the author Flugelbinders
    Outsourcing is a great efficient way to go and I would negotiate by project versus hourly.
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    • Profile picture of the author sal64
      It is hit and miss.

      I now prefer only elance and odesk to be honest.

      There is no substitute for real feedback and experience.

      For a gun VA, expect to pay at least $5 per hour.

      The other challenge I have found is that many freelancers are either working late at home, or are simply looking for a way to make extra $$. Some have full time work and do it as a side line.

      Then again, using an outsourcing company does has it's drawbacks as well.
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    • Originally Posted by tonnele View Post

      anybody have an info on programmers in the Philippines?
      Have dealt with some programmers here. Most university trained professional programmers have knowledge, skills and experience in private network database script programming, management and maintenance. Out of 20 applicants we got last December 2010: Only 2 qualified for our Web software .NET/AJAX/Java/JavaScript/PHP programming needs...

      There is a common misconception here that Web development, i.e. HTML/CSS/database setup, configuration and management/Wordpress setup, configuration and management/WP plugin installation and configuration, is software programming, i.e. Web and desktop software .NET/AJAX/Java/JavaScript/PHP, when in fact it isn't. Another common misconception here is that Web design, i.e. HTML/CSS/Flash/graphics design and animation, is the same as Web development, when in fact it isn't...

      This is why many here consider themselves as Web and desktop software programmers even if they're actually private network database script programmers, as Web and desktop software programmers even if they're actually Web developers, and as Web developers even if they're actually website/graphics designers and animators...

      You as an employer need to know the distinction of these 3 skill sets to hire the right people. We had better luck hiring North American, European and India-based Web software programmers, "North American" = US and Canada, and "European" = UK and New Zealand...

      India-based Web software programmers usually charge lower rates for the same skill sets you can get from North American and European Web software programmers. The most important thing is communication clarity when dealing with India-based Web software programmers...

      As for professionalism and work ethics: A Web software programmer should ask for a detailed list of your specifications/requirements, a step by step list of what an administrator can do and view on the software's admin panel interface, and a step by step list of what a user is expected to do and view on the software's interface from start to finish. This person needs those details to:

      •carefully analyze each spec/req,
      •classify each spec/req as technically impossible, technically possible or technically difficult to implement,
      •write down a list of prerequisite tasks needed to complete each technically possible and technically difficult to implement specification/requirement,
      •write beside each set of prereq tasks the required knowledge, skills and experience needed to complete those prereq tasks,
      •write beside each prereq set of tasks the number of hours required to complete each prereq task,
      •formulate a time table with milestones,
      •integrate the list of reqs/specs, prereq tasks, required skills/knowledge/experience for each prereq set of tasks and the number of hours needed to complete each set of prereq set of tasks into the time table spreadsheet,
      •write an invoice with copyright terms, terms of full exclusive rights ownership, payment terms, estimated project completion date/time and payment deductions for delays, and
      •recommend a subcontract template with an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) and an NCA (Non-Compete Agreement) which you, the project buyer, can modify to best suit your needs...

      This means you should, when dealing with software programmers, expect: (1) a time table spreadsheet with those details mentioned above; (2) an invoice with the details above; and (3) a subcontract template, from them...
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  • Profile picture of the author Richy Burns
    The philippines is a great place to outsource.

    I find that Fiverr.com is a great place to start if you are new and on a shoe string budget.

    Then progress to odesk.com for more proffessional services, but at a higher price

    What happened to good ol "do it yourself"

    cheers

    Rich
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  • Profile picture of the author corsleymaxwell
    Yes, I agree. Filipinos can be trusted. Besides, the service is cheap.
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  • Profile picture of the author kharyreynolds
    Outsourcing to the Philippines is definitely great. I used to hire all of my staff from oDesk but I am thinking about using applicant screening services such as: Zirtual or Virtual Staff Finder
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  • Profile picture of the author riza
    I've been trying to outsource for a whiel now, the idea being it will save me time. So far, however, it's taking up more of my time which means my biz is getting less done.

    I think it depends on the work you want done. If you just want something totally automated and hard to mess up like article submission, i think it's easier to find ppl.

    If, however, you are lookingfor something like article writing, rewriting or spinning i think it's alot harder.

    From about 200 applicants i got maybe 10 that were interresting. did the test articles, onlinve interviews, they watched the training videos etc. Hired about 6 of them. None of them actually started the job though, which is really wierd and i cant understand. They never even email to give a reason, and i f i find them on skype they might finally give some vague reason.

    I figure i must be doing something wrong, maybe i havent understood the "cultural nuances" as mentioned earlier, but if one of those nuances is dissappearing without a trace it makes it kind of hard for me to take feedback and improve.

    This was all from onlinejobs.ph btw. I'm trying odesk next.
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    • Profile picture of the author ladywriter
      Originally Posted by riza View Post

      From about 200 applicants i got maybe 10 that were interresting. did the test articles, onlinve interviews, they watched the training videos etc.
      This was all from onlinejobs.ph btw. I'm trying odesk next.
      I've seen this a few times now, and I have to ask whether anyone has gotten good results with this kind of process.

      I don't know what you were offering to pay, but I personally wouldn't go through all of that for less than $100/article. I know foreign workers do very well with exchange rates, so that process may be worth it to them....but doing test articles AND interviews AND training videos AND finished articles seems like a time investment not many would find rewarding.

      Am I wrong? Is this how it is really done when sourcing foreign workers?
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  • Profile picture of the author TryBPO
    I absolutely agree with Marx Vergel Melencio here...

    For programming and web development, we've had more success having the team lead in the US and working with the coders in India, rather than the Philippines.

    When it comes to voice/chat customer service, content writing, non-technical seo...I think the Philippines has them beat. Anyway, good discussion here!
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    WOW! Killer thread! Just Killer!
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