management Archives - Offshore Staffing Services in the Philippines

How Pizza Magically Enhances Productivity

Careers, Employee Performance, Human Resources / By DBOS

Everybody deserves a good pizza – especially when it’s free! Now, even researchers acknowledge the power it holds and strongly proves how it enhances every employee’s productivity.

What’s with pizza?

Dan Ariely, a psychologist who recently published a TED book entitled Payoff: The Hidden Logic That Shapes Our Motivations mentioned that the secret to boosted performance comes with cheese, tomato paste, and crispy dough. Yup! That’s right, it’s a pizza!

We’re not talking about the taste of the pizza though. It is about a more sentimental reason than the food itself.

Ariely conducted a study which weighs the value of a cash incentive, praise from the boss, and food (specifically, pizza) to motivate employees into a more productive day at work.

The results came in a shocking manner.

One group was promised $40 cash bonus if they exceeded their daily quota, the second was offered personal SMS messages of praise from the boss. And the third would be rewarded with free pizza.

Guess whose team has enhanced their productivity after announcing the prizes?

You got it right – the pizza team! On second place was the praise team. Comes last was the cash team.

On this particular study, Ariely emphasizes that money is not the only motivator that every employee wants. Though the pay is very much important, it is not the only affecting factor. The feeling of appreciation and a sense of accomplishment is much more appreciated by most employees.

Cash incentives are distracting – is it really?

A Gallup survey into employee engagement interviewed 1.4 million people at every pay level, across every industry, in no less than 34 countries. And they concluded that job satisfaction has little to do with money.

Tim Judge of the University of Florida also mentioned that the more people focus on their salary, the less attention they give to the things that actually make them perform better.

For most people, cash is just considered as income. While “supersized” incentives are considered a distraction on the more important things than money.

According to studies, the best way to motivate employees and increase their productivity is to pay them a fair wage and make them feel valued by the company. The feeling of being appreciated and needed for the skills that one possess is like an ego-booster that enhances the confidence level. Thus, improving the employee’s productivity in the long run.

Giving food as a means of gratitude is another thoughtful way of saying, “you’ve worked hard and I appreciate that.”

For other tips on how to enhance your work performance, read this.

How a Positive Work Attitude Affects Your Job

Careers, Employee Performance, Employee-Well-Being / By DBOS

A positive work attitude creates wonders on your mood and everyone else’s near you. It affects them unintentionally and impacts their perspective throughout the day. It is something that goes deeper beyond the surface cheer. Meanwhile, a negative attitude promotes the opposite of every positive there is. It ruins the atmosphere and harmony of the workplace.

So what would you be? The mood ruiner or the mood maker?

If you decided to be the latter, here are a few tips on how to sustain the positiveness radiating inside you.

How to maintain a positive work attitude?

A positive attitude amplifies a good working environment for you and your coworkers. It is not just about plastering a smile on one’s face and trying to think happy thoughts all day.

Studies have shown that having a positive attitude makes your life seem broad and full of possibilities. It can also create real value in your life and help you build skills that last much longer than a smile.

In a typical office setting, maintaining a positive work attitude might be hard because of numerous pressuring factors. So here’s how you can maintain a positive attitude at work:

Surround yourself with positive people.

Connect with people who love their job and is interested in lots of other things besides work. Talk with them on your free time and slowly, you’ll adapt their mindset. Just like how the saying goes, “birds of the same feather flock together”. However, you can’t pick your co-workers. So instead of avoiding the negative ones, why not try to be the bigger person and spread positivity?

Practice the attitude of gratitude.

Start from the moment you wake up in the morning. Be grateful for a new day. Appreciate the fact that you have a house, a comfortable bed to lie down, and a job to look forward every day. Learn to say “thank you” for the smallest of favours or when a coworker opens the door for you. Every day won’t be perfect, but focusing on what we are grateful for tends to wash away all the feelings of negativity.

Paul Mills, a Professor at the University of California School of Medicine conducted studies that looked at the role of gratitude on heart health.

Now, help yourself. Make expressing gratitude a habit and see where it brings you.

Control your language.

Restrain yourself from cursing. Using a foul language to insult your coworker will only cause misunderstandings and probably hidden grudges in the long run. So to avoid having bad blood with your colleagues, it is best to not use heavy languages that will only result in unnecessary arguments.

Be nice to people.

A significant study in the Journal of Social Psychology reveals that doing something kind for people has the same effect as trying new and exciting things when it comes to feeling happy. So, if you are nice to other people on a regular basis, it’ll become a cycle of generosity and happiness that will eventually go as far as it could. Remember the saying that says, “mind over matter”? Practice thinking positively every day and witness how your whole being responds.

Being nice and kind with colleagues is so much better than talking behind their backs and arguing for the most nonsensical reasons. Bear in mind that a peaceful and happy workplace eases the mind, increases productivity and lessen the stress.

We here at DBOS promotes a caring and happy environment that opens up new opportunities for self-growth and development.

Check out our careers and be a part of our growing family!

Why Coaching is the Key to Successful Performance Management

Employee Performance / By DBOS

Successful performance management is an integral part of every business. It can either make or break an organisation. Thankfully, there are various ways to achieve such a feat, one of them is coaching.

“The goal of coaching is the goal of good management: to make the most of an organisation’s valuable resources.”
– Harvard Business Review

Coaching in its best form plays a vital role in the company’s best asset – the employees. As they are the driving force of every business, their great contributions are a must. Skills, knowledge, and abilities all build up a great weapon.

However, skills, abilities, and knowledge are three different things. Acquired skills needed time to strengthen up, while abilities are natural-born talents and can do’s. On the other hand, knowledge is only an understanding. There is no guarantee that once you know a thing or two does mean that you can immediately do it.

Certain scenarios show that some employees were hired because their academic records are impressive but skills and abilities are lacking. This is why coaching is most needed.

What is coaching?

Coaching, according to Ed Batista is about connecting with people, inspiring them to do their best and helping them grow. It’s also about challenging people to come up with the answers they require on their own. Moreover, it is bringing out the best in people and broadening their horizons.

Most business outsourcing companies nowadays ditched the old leadership style and switched to a modern-day approach. Since the scary, cold, and authoritarian boss is no longer feared, more and more companies changed their strategy.

Several studies show that coaching, in order to be effective, requires mutual respect and trust from both parties. Others define it as healthy training.

Benefits of effective coaching:

Increased Productivity
When you carefully select the right people and invest in their development as an individual, you are already planting seeds of productivity. A recent study shows that supporting and encouraging people increases their confidence and progress towards their goals. And before you know it, they are already actively contributing to the company’s growth.
Job Satisfaction
All employees dream of a good working environment, including bosses who appreciate hard work. These are all associated with higher work morale, lower rates of absenteeism, burn-out, and bore-out. Close relationships with managers and colleagues also contribute to employee’s motivation to do better at work. In the long run, these factors would definitely bring success to both the staff and the company.
Adaptation to Innovation
Effective coaching seeks to strengthen every employees’ level of independence. Thus, also being able to adapt to multiple changes in this highly competitive economy will help you survive in the end. This is equally accounted as to being proactive and always on the go.

Enumerated above are only a few benefits of effective coaching. On the other hand, there are a lot more advantages of coaching that drives to successful performance management.

Some people say that “there is no shortcut to success”, however true, there are tested and proven equations that work well on other companies. Even Google uses a simple framework to coach their employees and increase the percentage of effectiveness and knowledge.

Explore more about the hows and whys of effective coaching that drive companies to successful performance management.

Experience it yourself, contact us for a free consultation today!

Telesales Isn’t Dead—and Here’s Why

Call Center Philippines, Customer Support Service Outsourcing / By DBOS

From an outsider’s perspective, telemarketing seems like an outdated form of selling your products. Today’s technology has forced the marketing industry to take great strides when it comes into advertising. From large LED screens playing video ads 24/7 situated in busy city streets, to subtle digital marketing techniques to help give target consumers a gentle nudge towards buying more goods, selling stuff through the phone is perceived to pale in comparison: it’s a marketing method almost as old as direct selling itself.

But today, call centres are still in demand because telesales still works. Despite the persistent misconceptions surrounding phone marketing, outsourcing telesales can still make a huge impact on your business.

It’s the least annoying form of advertising

Almost every time you go online, there’s always that pesky pop-up ad begging you to click on them. Even when you’re watching a video on Facebook or Youtube, or when reading an article, the average reader will have to go through a few hoops in order to dodge an incessant barrage of either static or video ads. Ads have gone from a necessary evil to a regular nuisance, and audiences are trying to actively avoid it. According to a poll, telesales is ranked as the least annoying form of advertising as only 4% of the total respondents have voted against it. This means that when conducted properly, telemarketing is less likely to be ignored by a target audience compared to other forms of endorsing sales.

Phone marketing strengthens human connection

Since telesales is conducted through voice calls, prospect consumers experience a more intimate approach. Customers were found to respond more with telemarketing because of the human interaction factor, affecting the perceived sincerity and personal touch of the transaction or session. According to recent studies, when making big decisions for large purchases like a car, insurance, healthcare, or the like, customers prefer calling businesses personally and talking to a real human being. Because of this, telesales is one of the business processes that are not currently in danger of being replaced by AI. This trend in customer behaviour also makes outsourcing telesales very ideal, as international agents from countries like the Philippines are well regarded because of their positive personalities and empathy towards their customers. Having a strong and experienced team of telemarketing can do wonders in helping to further develop your business.

Outsourcing telesales generates leads

Though there are several different ways to perform lead generation, telemarketing is among the most efficient method. Offshore telesales promotes better brand awareness and provides greater market insight. A significant chunk of the call centre industry specialises in performing outbound sales through offshore telesales. According to relevant statistics, outsourcing lead generation is ranked to be 43% more effective than in-house due to expertise and experience. Hiring an offshore staff to generate leads for your company stacks up numerous advantages on your end, as not only will you get better results, outsourcing also allows you to save money while efficiently improving your cash flow.

These are only among the many reasons why telesales continues to play an important role in business until today. Though times are changing, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all traditional practices are rendered defunct due to technological advances. Telemarketing isn’t dead, and it isn’t showing any signs of dying out anytime soon.

Looking for highly-skilled telemarketers to boost your company’s sales? Check out our staffing services to see which of our outsourcing services is the best fit for your business’ needs.

4 Major Reasons Why You Need to Outsource Your Customer Service

Call Center Philippines, Customer Support Service Outsourcing / By DBOS

The quality of customer support can make or break a business. Bad customer service can often lead to an unsavoury reputation and drive potential clients away. Hiring competent personnel capable of handling any form of customer support is quite difficult: there are so many factors to consider when deliberating prospects like the employee’s personality, patience, and adaptability. Partnering with the right BPO company can help you bypass this challenge, and outsourcing might just be the answer you’re looking for.

Outsourcing makes finding the right agents easier

A fully functioning staff of professionals sounds like a dream but it can be made into a reality by hiring offshore teams. Outsourcing customer support to countries like the Philippines is a convenient solution as Filipinos are well known for their hospitality, patience and empathy towards customers. BPO companies help connect you with the right people to handle every aspect of customer service. Whether it be for live chat support, community management, or telesales, outsourcing allows you to tap into a wide market of talents for a fraction of the cost.

The wages you usually pay for one in-house staff member can already get you two or even three offshore agents, as labour costs are lower in developing countries. Since outsourcing significantly lowers your expenses than hiring in-house staff, it makes assembling an offshore customer support team as affordable and a viable option for businesses of any scale.

An offshore team automatically offers multilingual support

One good way to maximise the advantages of outsourcing is to partner with BPO companies in a country where you can also get clientele. That way, your offshore team can cater to a wider audience they can communicate with: customers within their country who speak their native language, and international customers they can talk to in English.

Outsourcing customer service improves cash flow

Not only is outsourcing helping you save money due to cheaper labour costs, but it also helps businesses grow by increasing profits. Customer care boosts revenues as it improves general metrics like first-call resolution, average handle time and customer satisfaction. Happy clients are more likely to give great feedback and make recommendations to their family and friends which can then bump up your sales. Maintaining customer satisfaction through live chat support or other means helps stabilise your income generated from sales, subscriptions and other services your business offers.

Multi-channel support is made possible and easy

One of the most impressive features of outsourcing customer service is that you can reach your clients and patrons through more channels. Whether it be through video chat, VOIP calls, live chat, social media and many more. Call centres often train their staff’s flexibility and capability in handling multiple channels for customer care, ensuring you only get qualified employees to be part of your company. Unlike with hiring in-house staff, you no longer need to buy additional equipment or software to accommodate for multi-channel support. Seat fees and set-up fees are already included in payment packages when you outsource, and these are used to equip your offshore staff with the latest tools to help them effectively perform their jobs.

Efficient solutions don’t have to be expensive. If you are looking for ways to expand your business but don’t want to overspend, outsourcing your customer service department can be a wise option. It eliminates a lot of hassle yet introduces numerous advantages you can benefit from.

Want to get started on outsourcing? Check out our services to see which options are a perfect fit for your business’ needs.

What Are Personal Virtual Assistants?

Offshore Back Office, Virtual Assistant in the Philippines / By DBOS

As the outsourcing industry continues to grow, more and more virtual staffing options are becoming available for startups and small to medium enterprises. One such example would be virtual assistant jobs which are steadily rising in demand right now.

Virtual assistants can help you free up a lot of time from your schedule, and they can vary from self-employed professionals to agencies specialising in offshore staffing. Most VAs charge by the hour, making it very ideal and cheaper than hiring in-house: you only pay them whenever you need them, and you can save money on allocating other resources such as extra office space.

Huffington Post discusses further what a virtual assistant can do for you. To read the full article, click here.

management