Top executives of IT-Business Process Management (IT-BPM) companies based in the Philippines participated in the webinar on “Business Pivot: Understanding how outsourcing can be a strategy to grow your business” on 13 August 2020. Jeff Williams, Co-Founder of Genfinity and Board Member of the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines (HIMAP), Tim Mobley, President of Connext Global Solutions, and JR Calanoc, CEO of Panalo Solutions served as resource speakers during the inaugural event of the 8-part “Global Business Processes Powered by the Philippines Webinar Series”. The online event was organized in partnership with the Philippine Trade and Investment Centers and the Philippines Embassy and Consulates General in the United States. The webinar series aimed to promote the Philippines as the preferred destination for outsourcing and offshoring among small and medium-sized businesses in the United States.

Jeff Williams provided an overview of the Philippines’ IT-Business Process Management (IT-BPM) Industry and why the country is an ideal location for outsourcing. He cites the high literacy rates, availability of skilled labor, high internet and mobile penetration, young population, industry and government support as some of the reasons why businesses choose the Philippines as a partner in outsourcing or offshoring some of their business processes and operations. He encouraged companies looking to outsource to come to the Philippines. “We have the support, a solid infrastructure, and we certainly have excellent workforce ready to step-in and help you succeed,” said Mr. Williams.

Tim Mobley added that good communication skills, strong work ethics, and customer service orientation of Filipinos are some of the key differentiating factors why many choose the country over other IT-BPM destinations. According to Mr. Mobley, “There are more than 100 million people in the Philippines and there is a tremendous talent pool of employees who have worked for large multinational companies. With other geographies, it is hard to access a labor pool with that kind of experience.” On the question about what to outsource, Tim notes that “basically, anything that can be done from home in the US, can be done from the Philippines”. 

JR Calanoc, meanwhile, shared a step-by-step process that companies can follow when considering outsourcing. He asked the participants to look into the reasons why they want to outsource. “Is it to reduce operation costs, increase speed to usage, allow the company to focus on core competencies, improve quality of service or operations, conserve capital, and/or foster innovation? Understanding the goals that the company wanted to achieve will help them have a clearer idea on what they want to outsource,” said Mr. Calanoc. He added that regardless of their objectives, IT-BPM companies in the Philippines can be partners for growth and long-term sustainability. 

The recorded version of the webinar is available at the Philippines ITBPM YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQEeAoPxq44

The following webinars are scheduled which will delve deeper into various verticals and subsectors of IT-BPM:

• August 20 – ACCESSING PROFESSIONAL WORKFORCE SUPPORT: Hiring virtual assistants to handle administrative work
• August 27 – GETTING YOUR SCHOOL/COMPANY READY FOR DISTANCE-LEARNING: Outsourcing the creation of effective e-learning solutions
• September 3 – OUTSOURCING CREATIVE SERVICES: Leveraging on cultural similarities between the Philippines and US to deliver timely and useful content
• September 10 – SETTING-UP YOUR CALL CENTER OVERSEAS: Ensuring 24/7 support to serve your clients’ needs
• September 17 – DELIVERING CLIENT-FOCUSED HEALTHCARE: Outsourcing non-core processes in order for healthcare professionals to focus in providing care
• September 24 – CREATING TECHNOLOGIES THAT DELIVER VALUE: Leveraging on Philippines’ talents to build games, apps, and software solutions
• October 1 – MANAGING BACKROOM OPERATIONS: Outsourcing accounting and financial functions to enable your company to focus on your core competencies

Interested participants may register for the upcoming webinars at https://bit.ly/2Q7vHbk. ♦

Useful Links:

Philippines ITBPM YouTube Channel (webinar recordings, IT-BPM company videos, other outsourcing content) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQEeAoPxq44

IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (industry news, white papers, IT-BPO companies) – https://www.ibpap.org/

Date of Release: 20 August 2020