It’s not just the lack of language barrier, but also the quality of work and market opportunities

What was once a trend led by innovative youth-driven startups in now being widely adopted by some of the oldest and most established companies around the world: hiring freelancers to outsource work and tasks to. While managing a global workforce can be extremely challenging, the benefits often far outweigh the hurdles.

Many companies are focusing on identifying freelancers and micro-workers located in the Philippines over other dominant freelance marketplaces, such as India, for example. This is due to four main reasons, which are highlighted below.

Also read: 5 core strategies in establishing your identity whilst managing a diverse global workforce

1. Incredible rates

While many early adaptors of outsourcing were doing it primarily to create a remote working environment that allowed for working anywhere, more larger companies are going in this direction in order to cut costs.

“One of the most attractive qualities about outsourcing some tasks is the cost savings,” explains Jim Rafferty, CEO of Wabash Power. “When you combine the work quality found in the Philippines and the savings, it’s no wonder several companies are moving in this direction.”

When you are able to save money without compromising the quality of work, it creates a situation that business owners and investors love. The money saved can be allocated to growth initiatives, resulting in much quicker scaling. There are several freelancer marketplaces available to check on rates, as well as Philippines-specific marketplaces.

2. Strong communication both written and oral

One of the biggest drawbacks, when it came to outsourcing work, has been the fear of having quality compromised. While this is always a possibility if you hire the wrong freelancer, or don’t perform enough due diligence, the talent available in the Philippines rivals many U.S. options.

“It all comes down to the initial screening and interview process you create,” says Michael Plaza, CEO of Compare the Financial Markets. “I’d strongly suggest that any company looking to hire freelancers in the Philippines put together a very detail oriented screening and hiring process.”

Creating an internal procedure to follow for all potential freelancer hires is a great way to automate the initial stage, and ensure that you are only dealing with the highest quality applicants during the first round of interviews. Little things like requiring applicants to perform a very detailed task and submit with his or her application is a great way to improve the initial quality. You will find that when you are dealing with the top percentage of talent in the Philippines the oral and written communication is of the highest quality.

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3. Quality of work on par with homegrown talent

Quality has always been the biggest question mark when it came to outsourcing work, but the talent level in the Philippines is very high. “It’s comparable to freelance talent located in the UK and U.S., but at a much more affordable rate,” explains David Sessford, Managing Director of Ready Steady Sell.

The biggest hurdle most companies will face is the actual decision to outsource some of its workload to freelancers. It’s always best to start small, such as hiring a couple virtual assistants to handle little tasks like scheduling or internal calendar management. Find little things that are easy to systemize and take up precious time that could be better spent working on other projects.

Once you see first-hand that the quality of work is satisfactory, you can then focus on identifying additional tasks and departments that can be outsourced, freeing up both time and money.

4. Flexibility and expansion opportunities

There are two main reasons both startups and established companies are outsourcing jobs and workloads to the Philippines. First, it allows for remote company structures. This provides flexibility to work from anywhere and create a team of the best candidates regardless of physical location.

Second, it frees up a lot of money, eliminating a traditional office space and costly salaries. This money can then be used for growth and expansion, which allows a company to scale its sales and revenue at a much more aggressive rate. “When you are able to increase your advertising and marketing spend by reducing operational costs, it gives you the opportunity to increase your footprint much faster,” suggests Chris Dziak, CEO of Pure Nootropics.

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