Competitive Advantages of Offshore Staff Leasing

There are many recipes to success; what works for one business may or may not work for another, sometimes a little tweaking of someone else’s business strategy works for others too, just like with offshore staff leasing. By leasing employees offshore you get the general benefits that come with it, but by using different approaches and strategies you can gain a lot more than what you’ve expected.

Why Go Offshore Outsourcing?

Today’s global market place is becoming more and more integrated. Customers increase and so are their demands for better products and services. Big companies competes best for customers and market shares, but with offshore staff leasing, small companies are also able to compete with the big guys and gain a piece of market share which makes their business grow more and eventually become one of the big companies.

What Are Some of the Competitive Advantages of Offshore Staff Leasing?

Dramatically Reduced Costs
Oftentimes the main reason why many businesses today are opting for offshore staff leasing is the dramatically reduced operational and labor costs, especially for long term engagements. Business owners significantly save on infrastructure, employee salaries, training, software, utilities and more.

Global Knowledge and Talent Pool
Resource is also one of the biggest reasons for offshore staff leasing. Because some intellectual properties, staff experience and knowledge is not available or too costly to develop in-house, offshore staff leasing provide businesses all around the world with a wider pool of talents with various skill sets and business leverage.

Expanded Services, Increased Product Range and Access to New Markets
Entrepreneurs are able to expand and accelerate provision of a service and/or product through the additional capability of their offshore partner. In addition, new markets can be explored and test waters without having to spend a fortune or take higher risks.

Time Saving and Arbitrage
For entrepreneurs looking to gain competitive advantages, they partner with an offshore staff leasing company in a different time zone which helps them gain time benefits and arbitrage.

Business Model Innovation
A few tweaks and changes into the original plan is common to any type of business, but with offshore staff leasing it allows business model innovation to keep up with drastic consumer demands and develop better products and services with less costs.

If you are planning to outsource parts of your business, there are substantial benefits you can gain from offshore staff leasing. You can also discover additional benefits through various strategies that will be unique only to you. Look for an offshore partner will flexible solutions or willing to be flexible to your needs.

On the other hand, if you have already partnered with an offshore staff leasing firm but do not seem to gain the benefits you expected, do not rush things and fire your service provider. Talk to them, maybe you haven’t put more details into what you really want to have from them. But if the agreement you signed limits you into getting the full benefits of offshore staff leasing, maybe it’s time to look for another service provider.

5 Key Reasons to Outsource Administrative Support

Outsourcing your admin support can give your business the leverage it needs to compete in the market. Through it, you can reap rewards beyond your expectations, but in order to get that you will need a well thought out plan, a flexible and adaptable business model and the courage to take a few risks.

Some companies start out with small outsourcing ideas such us leasing employees for data entry support, help desk and virtual assistants, while others jump right into outsourcing their whole HR or payroll department. There is no clear concoction as to what is the perfect recipe for a successful outsourcing, that’s why entrepreneurs have to take a few risks to get to their goal. Here are five (5) key reasons to outsource your administrative support.

Efficiency and Cost Saving

Admin support or any type of back-office function is complicated by nature. It can spiral out of control in terms of overhead costs and staff performance if not managed well. The good thing about outsourcing is that you can find a service provider that specifically specializes in the area where you need help the most. You can outsource your back-office functions to a firm that specializes in admin support so you will never have to worry about the skills and capabilities of your data entry clerks, help desk agents and virtual assistants.

Staffing Flexibility

One of the main reasons why many businesses are outsourcing their admin support is to reduce the workload of their in-house staff. With a leased employee from a third party service provider, you can easily pick a staff to work for you during peak seasons only. You can even arrange an engagement with your service provider to supply you with data entry specialists during one season, and help desk agents or virtual assistants subsequently or simultaneously with different ending contract periods.

Risk Management

Companies of all sizes sometimes suffer from high employee turnover; some staff will leave for another opportunity while others are on extended leaves. This could be the perfect time to outsource additional manpower because outsourcing firms offers their services for both long term and short term periods. Companies that often suffer from high employee turnovers can seek assistance from a third party service provider to reduce risk and allow their business to continue operating.

Accountability

Outsourcing firms thrive for excellence so each penny they are paid they return it with quality services. Especially in prime countries for outsourcing, competition gets higher so they continuously evolve in order to consistently provide quality services at a lower cost. So don’t get yourself baffled if you see the pricing for services such as data entry, help desk and virtual assistant are extremely low from these prime countries.

Recruitment Assistance

By outsourcing, business owners are able to discover talents that are not available in their area or country, or too expensive to hire in-house. Service providers has large pools of talents ranging from junior to master level professionals, you can easily handpick your own admin support staff from a list of qualified candidates based on your requirements. No more hassle for recruiting and training new employees! Your newly hired data entry specialist, help desk agent or virtual assistant is already equipped with the necessary skills needed to perform and complete their tasks.

Outsourcing is a great business tool; it can be the key to expand your brand online, discover new markets, reclaim lost profit, or the alternative method to save your bottom line.

Staff Leasing: What to Look For When Hiring a Support Staff

A support staff can be assigned to different departments within a company and can multitask depending on his responsibilities. The main goal of a support employee is to provide clerical, secretarial and over-all administrative support.

Through a staff leasing firm, hiring a support staff has become more affordable in terms of salary, employee benefits and the need for additional office space has been eliminated. That is why many businesses today are opting for staff leasing services.

If you already have outsourced other services or just planning to outsource your support staff, here are three (3) simple ways to look for so you can guarantee effectiveness and efficiency of your leased employee.

Right Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Your support staff should possess the necessary skills to ensure efficiency and effectiveness within your company. Some business owners prefer support workers who have multiple skills so they can gain more strategic advantage like having their support employee work in various departments or have them work on multiple tasks at the same time.

Generally, your support staff should posses:

  • Basic computer skills including web navigation
  • Analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Time management and organizational skills
  • Clear understanding if the company’s policies and mission

In staff leasing firms, since they are very competitive with each other, support staffs normally possess two (2) or more skills. For example:

  • Virtual Assistant (VA) – general VA skills, plus basic internet marketing and writing skills
  • Data Entry Specialist (DES) – general DES skills, plus basic graphics and HTML skills
  • Quality Assurance (QA) – general QA skills, plus basic internet marketing and some DES skills
  • Help Desk Agent (HDA) – general HDA skills, plus basic internet marketing and some DES skills

With a staff leasing firm, you can come up with various marketing campaigns and business strategies with multi-skilled support staffs.

Strong Communication Skills

An average to excellent communication skills is a must, but a support staff also needs to communicate effectively, both verbal and written. This means that your support worker should be good in listening, can provide clear information, and can process a situation without being too emotional. Strong communication skills enhance all kinds of relationships in the work place.

For a staff leasing firm, good communications skills of their support staffs can either be a acquired through experience or by attending trainings and seminars. So you are never getting a support worker from them that do not know how to communicate well with a client, customer and company executives.

How to know if the support staff you are going to hire from a staff leasing firm can communicate well?

  • Conduct a face-to-face interview or a Skype interview
  • Have the candidate write a short description of anything you want or a sample report

Good Work Ethic and Personal Attributes

All types of skills can be learned and developed through time, but a good work ethic can be unlearnable for some support staffs. While employees with a good set of personal attributes can sometimes be hard to find, because they are mostly already employed by someone else. So you should always be aware of work ethics and personal attributes when hiring a support worker from a staff leasing firm.

Aside from respect and integrity, your support staff should also:

  • Possess cultural awareness and sensitivity
  • Has strong sense of responsibility
  • Flexible to changes and ability to adapt
  • Demonstrates good morale and teamwork

A good work ethic is vital to any business in achieving its goal, from support staffs up to the CEO and the owner of the company. That is also what makes a staff leasing firm effective in help you achieve your goal, because they always make sure that the employees they lease are not just skilled on their respective fields but also possess good personal attributes.

Business 101: How to Widen Customer Network Using Social Media

Many businesses today, both old and new, rely on the internet and the power of social media to further expand their customer network, increase brand awareness and build partnerships.

Having a steady stream of customers is what makes a business successful, that is why entrepreneurs explore all avenues of marketing to gather as many customers as they can. And that is where the internet and social media plays such big roles.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you want to widen your customer network using the internet and social media, so you can build a better online presence and create intelligent brand awareness campaigns.

Social Media Optimization (SMO)

You don’t necessarily need to hire a Virtual Assistant to manage your social media accounts, and hiring an expert SMO company is not very practical for start-up businesses. Expanding your customer network doesn’t need to be expensive.

You can start your own SMO simply by creating an account and adding a description of your business. Try it with top social media sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Learn basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so you’d know how to use keywords. Anyone can be a SMO or SEO specialist if only they would take the time to learn it.

Pay More Attention to Details

Twitter has a list of trending topics. Try to look for topics related to your business and industry. This can help you understand your costumers better and make improvements on your products and services

Blogs and forums are also best for stalking gossips and praises about your business as well as your competitors’ online reputation. You can also go through the comments section on Facebook to learn more about what your customers really wants. You will be able to plan for better campaigns to increase your customer network.

Microblogging

Articles doesn’t always need to be long and full of pictures, that is why we have microblogging such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Plurk and many more.

Microblogging sites are good for making short updates about your business and to start a discussion with an interesting topic. The main goal here is to let customers and potential clientele know about the latest happenings in your business, it’s a great way to market and sell products using social media sites!

Vodcasting

Vodcast is a video file that works as the same as podcasting. It’s a simple way to let people know about your products and services. It can also build ongoing relationships with your clients and employees, and expand your customer network.

Remember that YouTube video you watched about a product that made you feel you want to try it right away? How about the short clip you saw on Vine, Netflix or MetaCafe that made you feel special? These are social media sites for video sharing, a great platform for businesses to build brand awareness.

What makes it very effective? It’s portable, convenient and the content is easy to digest. You can share it almost anywhere on the internet, and people can download it and watch it anytime they want. You can hire a part-time video editor or media manger to help you create amazing vodcasts!

Go Mobile

Is your business mobile ready? Because your customers are always up to date with the latest gadgets and technologies available in the market. Always think and plan ahead.

More and more people today are now using their mobile phones to connect to the internet, interact on social media sites, check their emails, look up a website, purchase things they want, find a local business and many more. So it’s important that your business is also up to date.

Imagine if there is no internet today, your manufacturing or service business is new and you have a very limited budget. How will you market your products and services offline? What if you can’t afford even the cheapest packages that local advertising companies offer? Will flyers help expand your customer network?

An entrepreneur who stays inside his comfort zone will never experience true success. Take risks. Gamble on what you think can benefit your business. If you feel that hiring a Virtual Assistant can help expand your client network using social media, do it. If you think that hiring the services of a video editor or a media manager can help boost brand awareness, do it! Do not get yourself left behind in this fast changing world, it’s either you adapt or drop out.

5 Major Advantages of Outsourcing Your Help Desk

In any way you look at it, help desk is a big help to a company. It generally takes calls, emails and even tickets filed online by customers with concerns and employees seeking technical assistance. Outsourcing your help desk can provide multiple advantages for your business but it can also gain a negative impact on your bottom line if not done properly.

In order to gain success from outsourcing your help desk, you should have a solid plan and the right service provider. If you are still wondering what‘s in it for you, here are five (5) major advantages you can reap from outsourcing your help desk.

#1: Operational and Financial Leverage

Financially, outsourcing costs less than housing a help desk team, especially if your business requires a large number of service desk agents working 24/7.

By outsourcing your help desk, you generally get:

  • Recruitment assistance – No more need to go through all the tiring process of recruiting more heads because your service provider will be responsible for that. All that’s left for you to do is to hand pick the staff you want to hire from a list of qualified candidates.
  • HR assistance – Employee benefits, payroll and taxes are handled by the service provider. There is no need for you to worry about them anymore.
  • Opportunity to expand and expand more – You will no longer need to add more office space and equipments to house your newly hired help desk agents, and you will never have to worry about additional software licenses and basic office supplies.
  • Access to latest technologies – Outsourcing companies are always up-to-date with the latest technologies and gadgets to run a smooth call center.

#2: Flexible Solutions Based on Your Needs

Since outsourcing companies today have become more competitive, some have created flexible and customized solutions to accommodate any type of businesses in need. So for companies with complex employment or project requirements for help desk agents, you are sure to find a service provider that will take on your challenge without having to spend a fortune.

#3: Free Supervisor or Manager

Before, you will need to hire a supervisor or manager to monitor your outsourced employees, but not anymore today. Most outsourcing companies already have a supervisor or manager assigned to monitor your help desk agents, whether you hire just one staff or a team.

You will be having an additional pair of eyes and ears to monitor the performances and punctuality of your leased employees. Plus, some work issues can be resolved by the supervisor or manager before it even arrives at your doorstep.

#4: Continuous Upgrade

There will be times that your outsourced help desk agents will need trainings in order to learn new software and online applications. With an outsourcing company, your leased employees will always be updated; all you have to do is give your permission so they can attend the free trainings and seminars.

#5: Technical and Industry Expertise

When you look for an outsourcing company, it is best if you choose the service provider that specializes in your industry because they are the experts when it comes to handling various call issues, hardware and software upgrades, and they are always up-to-date with the latest technologies that can enhance your help desk. They provide an edge over other outsourcing companies that are not in your industry, a great benefit for you!

Over-all, help desk can either be outsourced or not depending on the needs of your business. If you do decide to partner with an outsourcing company to help you, you better be prepared because no successful business has made it to the top without taking risks and sacrifices. There will always be a con whenever there is a pro, the key is to overcome the con with strategic and intelligent planning.

4 Importances of Support Staff For Your Business

Support staffs are very important little cogs that help run your business smoothly, it maybe just a small part for some companies but the level of importance is the same for all. Support staff varies by industry and company, it is routine and can be very tedious.

Let us elaborate the importance of support staffs in your business.

Virtual Assistant (VA)

The masters of multitasking and flexibility, virtual assistants or VA staffs are very good in learning new things in order to make their work easier and faster. They are cunning when it comes to clerical tasks and are highly organized. But did you know that VAs can do a lot more than what you think they can? Teach them a bit about Photoshop and they’ll watermark, crop, and enhance your photos for you, have them read the basics of SEO and you’ll have a VA that can do basic link building. It’s all up to you on what you want to assign to your VA!

So what makes a virtual assistant support staff a very important part of your business? There are five (5) major roles you can assign to your VA staff; a general VA for secretarial tasks, SEO/internet marketer VA for various online tasks, writer/blogger VA, a video Editor VA and a sales rep VA. Virtual assistants are versatile so you can have them do multiple tasks from various departments.

Quality Assurance (QA) Staff

The guy that always checks for quality, always monitoring and looks out for signs of issues and improvements, is the quality assurance or QA staff. A QA staff can be assigned to any department and can do several functions for consistent and quality deliverables.

So what makes a quality assurance support staff a very important part of your business? QA staffs does not only make sure that the process in your business are running smoothly, they can also identify potential problems before it occurs, formulate a solution for the betterment of your products and services, and even provide useful information for your marketing team. This support staff is the overall eyes and ears of the management!

Data Entry/Encoding

It is the manual typing of data from various digital, voice and written sources. Data entry specialists or encoders can type faster and more accurate, look for items in the database quicker than everyone else, and process data more effectively than you. They can be assigned as a typist, a word processor or a transcriptionist.

These days, many businesses prefer to outsource data entry services not only to cut down on manpower costs but to gain strategic business advantages.

So what makes a data entry specialist a very important part of your business? Companies today use more data compared to decades ago, and that is because of the evolution of technologies we use now. The manual typing of data into a computer can be very tiring and boring which leads to inaccurate inputs of information. If you want your data to be accurate all the time, you need an expert, a data entry support staff.

Back Office Help Desk

The primary objective of a help desk or service desk staff is to assist and help clients with technical issues regarding the product they purchased or services they bought from the company. Help desk varies widely within companies and can be outsourced too.

Customers will be calling in with their concerns whether you like it or not, and they will call whenever they want. Your help desk should always be ready to answer calls and effectively assist customers with their concerns. If your business can do transactions 24/7, so should your service desk.

So what makes a help desk support staff a very important part of your business? Aside from handling customers, your service desk has all the information that your marketing and sales department can use to create effective advertising to widen your customer network. The information they relay can also help you improve and make better products and services for your customers’ satisfaction. What business doesn’t want a repeat buyer?

3 Ways to Improve Staff Leasing for Your Business

Staff leasing and offshore outsourcing has become a trend these days not only because it reduces manpower costs, but because many businesses today are finding these methods to be very helpful in increasing their bottom line, improve online presence and widen customer network.

If your business is suffering from some operational issues from your service provider, or if you are a first timer who is seriously considering staff leasing or offshore outsourcing, here are three (3) great ways on how you can improve your relationship with the service provider and get all the juicy benefits that comes along with it.

Specify the Level of Supervision and Build a Rapport with the Supervisor

Field supervisors or managers from staff leasing firms are properly trained to oversee your leased employees, not only to micromanage their performance and punctuality but as well as personal issues that may arise during working hours. You can set the level of supervision you want for your leased staff and even specific requests like having your staff come to work at least ten minutes early so you chat with them or to conduct a short Skype meeting.

If you want a more efficient field supervisor, build a rapport with him. A good relationship brings great rewards, especially to businesses. You might even be surprised that some operational issues, including highly technical ones, have already been resolved before it even reaches your attention.

Specify Insurance Coverage and Other Employee Benefits

Not all service providers handle employee insurance and benefits, so never assume and always ask for the coverage.

To stay competitive, staff leasing firms including both local and offshore outsourcing companies, have packaged basic employee benefits such as overtime pay, medical reimbursements, paid vacation and sick leaves. Some even allow the usage of vacation leaves for religious Holidays and emergencies. With flexible a solution like this, you can specify what type of leaves can be used to what type of situations.

Here are some benefits that the staff leasing firm can provide for your leased employee but not required for you to pay:

  • Full medical plan
  •  Retirement (pension) plan
  • Life insurance
  •  Recruitment (joining) bonus
  • Referral bonus – when you request for additional heads

If you have Doubts, Seek Legal Counsel!

Every company changes their policies from time to time. As the business owner, it is your responsibility to read and learn whatever is written in your service provider’s policy. You also have the right to ask questions and for examples, and you can even request for a written explanation or a short meeting with the CEO if you feel that can help you understand their policies better. After all, you are the customer.

Legal advice is always crucial when it comes to jotting the agreement with the staff leasing firm you chose. You will need to know how much control you have and the level of protection that the agreement can give you when it comes to liability. The more things works in your favor, the better!

How to Improve Help Desk Performance?

The help desk is a very important part of any business, it maybe tedious and routine but it does have its great uses like improving customer experience, relaying useful information about the customers to the marketing team, helps improve products and services, adds positive reputation to the company and many more.

Because help desk can be a really boring job or highly stressful in some cases, your employees’ performance can be at risk. You may experience employees resigning due to lack of challenge, workload mismatch, or better opportunities offered to them by other companies.

So how can you improve your help desk’s performance? Here are some tips to help you out.

Establish Metrics with a Rewards System

Whenever a goal is set to be achieved, it is not too much to add a reward along the way. A reward system can be a powerful influence not just to employee performance but as well as motivation and behavior.

You can set different levels of metrics and provide a reward whenever a help desk agent reaches it. It can be based on quantity of work output or quality of work delivered, or both. If you are having difficulties determining what type of rewards to give based on the level of metrics you are going to set, ask your department managers to assist you.

Encourage Company Trainings and Seminars

Your help desk agents might not pursue a promotion today, but they will eventually. But how can you promote an employee with little knowledge and lack of experience for the promotion they are asking for? Help them grow professionally by encouraging them to attend company trainings and seminars.

If you make your employees feel that you care for their career growth, it will add up to their loyalty and morale thus improving their performance.

Team Building Is Not Just For Having Fun

If you think that team building is just another excuse for a short-term out of town vacation for your employees, you are dead wrong. Psychologically, it is a discipline that helps improve your help desk agents’ personality such as leadership and problem-solving skills. It also helps foster creativity, build trust amongst co-workers and develop better communication.

Using various fun and motivational activities that are carefully planned to help your employees’ mental health, your help desk agents can growth both personally and professionally.

Improving Employee Retention is Also Important

Some help desk agents can handle pressure but not the stress that accompanies it. So before they can call it quits, you better prepare a plan to retain them. Don’t let your talented employees leave your company and head straight to your competitor’s doorstep.

Here are a few tips:
• If the rewards system you have establish is not working or not enough, revise it.
• Motivate your help desk agents by improving their employee benefits.
• Offer them career growth through company trainings and seminars.

If a help desk agent is happy with his job, he is likely to be more productive which is beneficial for the company. But there are times when a talented employee can’t be persuaded not to leave his position due to personal reasons or an issue with his co-worker. It will help you a lot to perform an exit interview with them so you can pin point the real cause and prepare a solution the next time it happens.

Should You Outsource Your Customer Service?

Many businesses today, both big and small, are outsourcing their customer service and other parts of their company to third party service providers. Outsourcing customer service doesn’t only cut down manpower costs, it can also help improve products and services, end-user experience, and provide you with time advantage over your competitors.

The thought is very tempting but should you really be outsourcing your customer service? If you are unsure if it is the best solution for your company, here are some things to consider to help you decide.

Labor Cost in the Long Run

Always weigh in the possible costs of outsourcing your customer services versus hiring in-house call center agents. It would be wiser if you draw a plan and make some rough computations before deciding whether to outsource or not.

If your company has a large volume of customers calling in 24/7 and your customer service is not available all the time, maybe it’s time to go outsourcing. Some companies hire third party call center services because they are the experts when it comes to handling all types of calls and customer behaviors. There will no longer be a need to add office space, equipment, software and other office supplies to house a team of customer service agents, plus language and call training will never be a problem because it will be the responsibility of the third party service provider.

Outsourcing your customer service may not be a great idea if you only have a few calls coming in.

Consider Your Customers’ Needs

Once a customer has bought a product or service from you, caring for them should not stop there. Having a good customer service will add more smiles to your customers keeping them coming back for more.

If you want customers to keep talking about your great new product or the amazing service you offer, you should always be ready to answer all their questions all the time, but is your customer service ready for that? Are your call agents equipped with the latest technologies in call servicing? Because your customers are always equipped with the latest gadgets, you should be able to take clear calls all the time. Customers do not want choppy calls, buzzing sounds, low volume speakers or microphones, and they definitely do not want to wait while you Google the answer to their questions.

Outsourcing your customer service may provide you all the things needed to run a smooth call center and keeping your customers happy. So if you are having the aforementioned problems and can’t seem to find a solution, maybe outsourcing it is the right move.

Communication is Key

Some people and business owners will warn you about language barriers when planning to outsource your customer service, because many businesses today are opting for outsourcing call center services in Asia to save more on costs and to intensify manpower and call servicing. But did you know that even your own in-house customer service agents can mess up customer calls? Language accents and different nationalities have nothing to do with delivering a good or bad information over the phone, what’s important is the quality of communication.

It wouldn’t hurt to sample your own in-house customer service and then try a local call center and an offshore call center to see the differences. If you feel that outsourcing your customer service will provide better communication between you and your customers, you might just be right!

What is Offshore Staff Leasing?

Staff leasing works just like your local outsourcing process; hiring an individual or a team of professionals from a third party service provider to work on specific parts of your business like data encoding, help-desk, QA, online marketing, graphics designing and many more.

For offshore staff leasing, also referred to as offshore outsourcing or offshoring, business owners seek out the services offered by Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) to assist them in various activities of their business, mostly in administrative.

Any worker you hire from PEO will be considered employees by the service provider; you will only be hiring their services. Thus the legal responsibilities to the workers fall to the care of the service providers, such as taking care of their taxes, safety and healthcare benefits, and more.

What Makes Staff Leasing and General Outsourcing So Attractive?

For starters, it is cost-efficient in terms of hiring local employees with full compensation packages and benefits. It allows many business owners, especially start-up businesses, to get access to a pool of highly skilled and talented professionals for a drastically lowered cost.

For businesses planning to expand their workforce, the recruitment process and human resource management will already be handled by the offshore staff leasing firm. There will no longer be a need for you to worry about employee taxes and payroll management because they are already taken care of.

With offshore staff leasing, you generally get:

  • Lowered overhead cost
  • Access to a pool of highly skilled and talented professionals
  • Eliminate the need to hire additional accountants and human resource managers
  • Opportunity to expand your business without adding more office space and equipments

In addition, offshore staff leasing firms also offers flexible outsourcing solutions for businesses with complex requirements, so you can always get the services you want within your allotted budget. Who doesn’t get attracted to that?