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staff outsourcing Archives | Optimal Outsourcing

Apr 09
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Why is Clark in Angeles City a Good Location for BPO?

By Outsourcing

The viability of Clark Free Port Economic Zone located in Angeles City as an outsourcing centre was started in the late 1990s after a call centre company (Cyber City Services) decided to set up its offices inside the former military base.

Clark has been home to the United States’ military forces since before World War II, until after the eruption of the Mt Pinatubo volcano coupled with a senate bill led to their untimely exodus out of the country.

This event led to the creation of the BCDA (Bases Conversion and Development authority) tasked with the conversion of the former U.S military bases (Clark included) into free-port economic zones. The Clark Development Corporation (CDC) was established to head and operate the more than 2,000 hectares of the free port.

The signing of Executive Order 619 by then Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo further pave the way for duty free shops to set up shops inside the Free Port and enjoy tax and duty incentives.

This first transformation of the Free Port enjoyed relative success for some time, creating various employments for the locales in Pampanga and the neighbouring provinces.

The BPO industry bloom in Asia particularly in India and Philippines particularly in Angeles City proved beneficial for the Free Port as well.

Here’s some valid points as to why Clark is the perfect location for your BPO business and outsourcing centre in Angeles City.

Setting Up Your BPO Business in Angeles City

Strategic Location

Located in the province of Pampanga which is nestled in the central plains of Luzon bordered by the mountains of Zambales in the west and Mt Arayat in the East, Clark Free Port Economic Zone can be accessed using multi-point motorways.

If you are coming from the north, you can take the Tarlac-Pangasinan Expressway (TPLEX) that leads directly inside the Free Port.

From the west you have the Subic-Clark Expressway (SCTEX) that can guarantee a 30-45minutes travel time. The North Luzon Expressway links the capital city of Manila and the south to the Free Port.

The Clark International Airport inside the free port ensures fast international travel to and from the business district.

Infrastructure

With infrastructures and utilities (cabled telephone lines, fibre optic internet connection) well in place, with building locations secured, fenced and gated, the Clark Free Port is the perfect venue for many outsourcing companies that want to set up their offices in Angeles City.

Low Cost

Being a Free Port, BPO locators are entitled to certain tax incentives and privileges. You can cut cost up to 70% instead of hiring in-house talents from your location.

Highly Educated and Young Work Force

The young and educated work force demographic prolife of the province also proved to be a big factor that draws a lot of BPO companies to do business in the Free Port.

With a literacy rate of 93.94 (Pampanga), university graduates of 9,869 (2012-2013 alone), with 32.20% of this coming from the Business Administration related field and 17.49% coming from IT-related disciplines, the province is brimming with highly capable, very educated and English speaking workforce.

Pleasant All Year Round Weather

The weather condition within the region ranges from dry and humid summer and a wet rainy season. The Free Port is located in an elevated section of the city of Angeles, almost on the foothill of the Zambales mountain ranges, sparing it from any major flooding issues during the rainy seasons as experienced in some areas around the city and major problem for Manila

Minimal to No Power Outage

The Free Port also has its own electric generating system ensuring brown-out free operations 24/7 all year round.

Outsourcing your office processes to Clark Free Port Eco zone ensures maximum delivery of services, with high degree of efficiency and accuracy of tasks without incurring high costs and worrying about other variables such as reliability of the infrastructure in the process.

Contact us today and we’ll help you set up your outsourcing office.

Feb 16
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Recruiting and Hiring Tips before Outsourcing Staff

By Outsourcing

Recruiting and hiring is a multi‐step process that should ideally be tweaked to suit your particular business and needs especially if you are looking to outsource staff.

In the hope of helping you out on this important facet of the outsourcing industry.

Watch this short video to learn more:

I listed down some basic but essential suggestions.

Recruiting and Hiring Tips

  • Find an outsourcing company with a good reputation. It’s wise to look for a company with a team on the ground in the Philippines so that they can locate the best candidates from talent pools, which an online‐only company may miss. Optimal Outsourcing has an office located in Clark Freeport Zone Philippines.
  • Pick an outsourcing company with a dedicated Human Resource department to screen out and test the best candidates for your requirements. Optimal Outsourcing has a dedicated Human resources team led by Byron Dizon.
  • Use an outsourcing company that has an Australian office that is familiar with Australian business standards. Note there is only a 2 hour time difference between the Philippines and Australian Eastern Standard Time. Optimal Outsourcing has an Australian base on the gold Coast and In Sydney.
  • Opt for a company that will both screen and pre‐interview candidates for you. This is standard process with Optimal Outsourcing, this saves you time wasted sifting through the resumes of those who may not fit your needs.
  • Look for a company that will handle all payroll and administrative duties so that once you select a candidate they can take care of these details. Unless you have experience in these areas on an international scale, delegating them will reduce needless headaches and allow you to focus solely on your business.
  • Write a compelling and colourful advertisement for your business. Explain in ample detail what the job is, what qualifications you’re expecting in an employee, both technical and personal, and include a description of the type of skills you want a candidate to bring.
  • Mention the kind of personality best suited for the position, and indicate any particular interpersonal and communication skills you expect. The more clear and direct your advert, the easier it will be for an outsourcing company to assist you in finding the right people to fit the bill. Be sure to include your business’s strongest suits and merits to help attract the top candidates.
  • Set up Skype Interviews. At Optimal Outsourcing we set up Skype video interviews with your selected candidates at a mutually convenient time. Have a list of pertinent questions prepared to help you decide on the right candidate for the position.
  • Check references provided. Optimal Outsourcing will check the references provided by each candidate. This is a step in the process that should be mandatory for each contractor you interview. It’s not only necessary to verify experience and credentials, but it can be an ideal way to learn more about a potential employee. Or better still have the outsourcing company’s HR Department check the references on your behalf.
  • Set up a test for each candidate. At Optimal Outsourcing we have a written and oral test for each applicant. Testing allows you to judge the skills of a candidate and further evaluate their suitability for the position before you do any hiring.

Choosing your outsourced staff is a major key to your business’s productivity. It will save you time, resources and headache in the long haul.

Still if you are unsure about the whole process, give us a call, we are more than willing to help you out.