Outsourcing customer service or customer service outsourcing used to be all about call centers where businesses hire agents in-office to take their calls for them. Most of the time, these call center agents and their offices are located in countries like India and the Philippines. These Asian countries are two of the leading BPO hubs in the world because of lower wages, readily available manpower and majority can speak good English. Nowadays, it’s not just the big companies that need to outsource workers but even micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

A premier outsourcing destination for its proven track record of high quality output and affordable hourly wages compared to western countries, Philippines is a breeding ground for highly-educated professionals with native-level command of the English language and experience working for international brands that empower them to compete in global markets.

CrewBloom started to help the US-based MSMEs who are looking to grow their business but are struggling to find, hire, and retain the hires they need. By connecting businesses with top-tier Filipino professionals to join their sales, business development, and customer service teams, CrewBloom created a better, easier, and cost-efficient way to grow companies with the best outsourced professionals who love what they do.

Founded by an entrepreneur based in New York, Brianna Carney, together with the help of her co-founder Kate Ringcodan, a tenure in the remote outsourcing landscape in the Philippines, CrewBloom  reinvents the outsourcing model by giving clients the opportunity to be able to pick anyone from the company’s pool of top-tier remote workers.

BRIANNA CARNEY

Brianna started her career at a small startup which helped her to better understand how small organizations scale. She moved to Amazon which is where she experienced the impact leveraging the global workforce can have on an organization. She began to question why so many domestic companies are limiting themselves.

After traveling around Asia, she was inspired to connect the robust workforce of the Philippines to US businesses looking to scale. With outsourcing being a very competitive market, she set out to differentiate CrewBloom by reinventing the industry. By outlining rigorous screening process to applicants and clients alike, CrewBloom now has access to the top 2% remote professionals in the Philippines and clients supporting human-centric workplace.

KATE RINGCODAN

Kate is devoted to filling the employment gap in the Philippines by advocating remote work. Starting her career by finding a home-based job instead of taking the traditional route of working in a corporate office, she doesn’t believe in wasting time and precious hours by commuting when work can be done perfectly well at home.

After meeting Brianna and starting CrewBloom together, she transitioned to a management role, and she learned how to build a company from the ground up. From operations to recruitment, she developed innovative ways to better find and retain the top 2% of English-speaking Filipino professionals in the call center space.

CrewBloom has dedicated itself to getting U.S. companies the quality human capital they need to evolve for just a fraction of a cost and minus the risks.

With a 100% remote model, U.S. companies enjoy up to 70% reduction in overhead costs, not having to spend on infrastructure, technology, taxes, and healthcare benefits.

This remote setup also achieves high employee retention and consistent performance by affording contractors looking for work-life balance. CrewBloom also solves the lack of humanity in Philippine call center environments by providing work flexibility and compensation that recognizes success and rewards hard work.

As an environmental advocate, CrewBloom’s remote model reinvents the way businesses create by lessening carbon footprint.

Remote work is well on its way to be the future of workplace and businesses can have the chance to get ahead of the curve by adapting this new way of outsourcing with CrewBloom.

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So to be able to tap into the many opportunities at our disposal right now, it is a matter of knowing where to look.

US-based outsourcing company, CrewBloom, services businesses and entrepreneurs of different industries by providing top-tier Filipino professionals to join their sales and customer service teams. After interviewing thousands of applicants who wanted to start working remotely but have no idea where to start looking, they created these tips to help professionals jumpstart their home-based career.

Some head straight to Google and search “remote jobs” or “home-based work” and check the first page, but we’ve compiled a few more efficient ways to go about remote job hunting.

1. Refine job search

Instead of going through every job board there is or Google’s first page of search results, visit websites specializing in remote jobs. They are always a better, more reliable resource than mainstream search engines designed for traditional, in-office roles. The job listings on these sites are also vetted for legitimacy to assure the role isn’t a scam. Some remote work-centered hubs we’ve found are Flexjobs, We Work Remotely, and Remote.co.

2. Job boards aren’t everything

Opportunities can come from anywhere. While job boards offer the best way to narrow your search, it wouldn’t hurt to check listings on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Often, companies post about new openings on their social pages before investing in job boards. There are also groups on Facebook updated with the latest online job opportunities. If eyeing a certain company, their social media pages will likely share job opening announcements, so be sure to follow and like their company page. Never overlook making regular visits to the“Careers” or “Jobs” page on their websites as well.

3. Use niche sites

For those who already have a specific job or industry in mind, niche sites make the job search easier because they usually put all related job openings in one place for a more streamlined search. A few examples of niche sites are Angel.co (tech startups), GitHub Jobs (web development), MediaBistro (media or advertising), GoodFood Jobs (food industry), and Idealist (non-profit sector).

4. Know the right keywords

Employers use different terms in their job listings and descriptions so it is important to find which ones they commonly use. To make sure to find all potential remote job postings, use terms like “remote,” “home based,” “work from home,” “virtual,” “online jobs” or “telecommute.” The same goes for the job titles. For example, project manager might be referred to in the listing as “product manager” or “project coordinator.”

5. Go beyond current location

Most job sites show job listings from a searcher’s location by default, but in the remote field, location is no limitation. So when looking for remote jobs, widen the search criteria by removing the location constraint.

6. Know which jobs can be done remotely and master the requirements

The remote work model is bigger than ever and still growing. Jobs in customer success, administrative support, multimedia, and information technology are among the most common. Content writing is another sprawling field spanning across all industries and not dependent on collaborating in an office setting.

While reading through remote job postings, make a list of the common requirements that these positions look for in their ideal candidate. Also, take note of the more technical skills that employers prefer in an applicant such as knowledge in certain digital tools. Take time to learn them and add them to an online resume that can be uploaded to sites like LinkedIn or Indeed to make it easy for employers hiring to find you.

7. Look for remote-friendly companies

There are companies that are completely office-less, which means business is solely done remotely. Find them easily by researching with keywords like “completely distributed” or “100% distributed.”

CrewBloom is one of the companies fully embracing the remote model, allowing all employees to work from the comfort of their home. Find out more by visiting our website at www.crewbloom.com.

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Well known for being dependable, optimistic hard workers, Filipinos demonstrate their dedication regardless of where they work or whoever they work for. Being exposed to the concept early on, Filipinos have mastered the art of working from home to the point that they have unlocked the winning formula on how to thrive in the work-from-home industry That being said, the best remote workers employers will find are those from the Philippines and here’s why:

Reliability. One of the biggest challenges in remote business is reliability. An employer is thousands of miles away from a staff member so a remote worker should be someone who can effectively do their job with minimal supervision.

Many Filipino workers are already familiar with the nitty-gritty of remote work. They understand the importance of deadlines. They have adapted to the challenges posed by working with someone in a different time zone, knowing full well that their working hours will run from midnight to early morning. This is something they are very well prepared for because in the Philippines, one of the top BPO capitals of the world, graveyard shift is very common.

Communication skills. Open communication is essential for any remote job. When staff members are from the opposite sides of the world, remote workers should be able to loop their employer in at all times to provide updates and work progress.

Although having to deal with a string of typhoons a year, which could sometimes cause power outages, Filipinos will go out of their way to make sure that they can come to work. They will exhaust all options before they throw in the towel and skip work. Even then, they make sure to keep in contact as long as they could.

Overachievers. Working long hours is dreaded in most workplaces, but in the Philippines, it’s as ordinary as showing up to work. Filipino workers are willing to go the extra mile just to make sure they provide the absolute best output.

They also recognize the importance of growth for the company and for themselves. Filipino workers make an effort to enrich their skill set and deepen their knowledge whenever they can.

Filipinos try to master as many skills as they can, not only because they want to make sure they put high quality of work, but because they know the importance of being versatile. And in the remote space, versatility is well-sought after.

English proficiency. In the Philippines, English is well entrenched in the people’s lives. School curriculums take into account overall English aptitude by encouraging students not just to learn how to use the language, but also the proper diction and intonation as that of the native speakers. Schools incorporate English speech and writing classes and many others to develop this, which even paved the way for the Philippines to become a destination for foreign students who wish to learn English.

English proficiency is of utmost importance in remote work due to its heavy dependability on oral and written communication. Thanks to this, Filipino remote workers absorb the tasks and instructions with ease and efficiency and be able to hold their own in client transactions and conversations.

Western Culture. Even beyond the classroom walls, Filipinos are exposed to the language by immersing themselves in the American culture–may it be in the movies, television, sports, lifestyle, and fashion.

Their appreciation and deep connection to the West, which stems from their colonial history, allow them to be more adaptable, which is partly why remote work was a transition that employees in the Philippines handled efficiently and gracefully.

Highly educated. As of June 2018, the Philippines boasts a high literacy rate of 98%. The country recognizes the value of learning and has put in place a higher education system that rivals that of the United States.

With the spirit of greatness and excellence instilled in them, Filipinos do not take education for granted and work hard to earn degrees. Because of this, the Philippines is home to professionals of unrivaled prowess and talent recognized in the whole world.

Ingenuity. Remote work often requires someone to be a good problem solver. Most telecommuting jobs involve providing solutions for clients. Filipinos are well-known for their positivity and ability to rise from the direst of circumstances with a smile on their face. So there really isn’t so much that phases a Filipino and client issues certainly won’t. They are also very empathetic so remote workers from the Philippines will stop at nothing to resolve a client’s problem.

Loyalty. To Filipinos, a job is never just a job, it is a commitment. So they tend to cultivate and nurture it with all they’ve got. This comes from their innate warmth and friendliness, which also help them easily foster a bond with their co-workers. From this develops camaraderie, which translates to a sense of collaboration that can sometimes be intangible in a remote setting.

Another testament to their loyalty is that they never let kindness go unreciprocated. If they are treated well, they make sure to give back by sticking by you and consistently delivering. They value a good working relationship so you’d find many of them staying in the same company for decades.

Infrastructure. In support of its growing workforce of educated and English-proficient professionals, the country has prioritized the development of modern infrastructure facilities and new technologies as it further solidifies its place in the ever-expanding outsourcing industry. Universities have also started incorporating BPO-related training programs.

In lieu of this, employers are assured that Filipino workers are well-equipped with everything they need to thrive in the remote workplace. VPN systems and software improvement also pave the way for telecommuting to grow in the country.

For more information on how to find Filipino remote workers, visit our website at www.crewbloom.com.

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