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A mortgage loan processor is a bridge — or a middleman — that connects the borrower, mortgage loan officer, and mortgage underwriter. Without this middleman, loan processing crumbles, causing delays and haphazard document reviews and verification as the loan officer or an in-house staff takes care of the workload. All of which are tedious and require a high level of focus and meticulousness.
By hiring or outsourcing to a loan processor, your loan officer’s day-to-day workload becomes more manageable, improving overall productivity and streamlining a borrower’s mortgage loan application. To help you make an informed decision on your next hiring venture, this article takes a deep dive into the inner workings of a mortgage loan processor. We also included a guide on how to write a mortgage loan processor job description.
Just as a loan mortgage application involves a lot of steps, there are also loan professionals involved in ensuring the success of one’s application. These professionals are the mortgage loan processor, loan officer, and loan underwriter. While all help loan applicants close in on their dream home, let’s learn the different roles of each one below.
A loan officer is a loan applicant’s point of contact. Loan officers boast in-depth knowledge of student loans, mortgage loans, and the like to educate and advise applicants on the best type of loan based on their eligibility, goals, and needs.
They also help individuals get up to speed with their financial institution’s loan application process. In addition, loan officers prepare, gather, and submit all paperwork to a mortgage loan processor.
From income tax returns and W-2 forms to bank statements and asset statements, these documents are concrete proof of an applicant’s financial capacity to repay their mortgage. For new applicants especially, organizing everything can be overwhelming. This is where a mortgage loan processor shines.
Mortgage loan processors assist loan applicants get their paperwork in order, compiling all required documents for the loan underwriter to review. On top of reviewing credit reports, they also assist mortgage applicants in monitoring their application deadlines to avoid late fees.
A loan underwriter has the final say in the loan application process. They meticulously review an applicant’s credit history, financial documents, debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, and cash flows to determine their risk level. Using an underwriting program, a loan underwriter can gauge whether a potential borrower is reliable and financially stable enough to repay their loan in due time. Otherwise, the application will be denied.
Mortgage loan processors mostly handle the meticulous side of the mortgage loan application process, particularly verifying submitted documents, reviewing credit scores, and monitoring deadlines to ensure a successful closing. Here’s an in-depth look at the job responsibilities of a mortgage loan processor:
A borrower’s credit report sheds light on their financial habits. Mortgage loan processors carefully review an applicant’s history of late or missed payments and other financial information. This way, they know whether a borrower can pay their present and future dues on time. If necessary, they can request the applicant to provide a letter of explanation.
This is the primary responsibility of a mortgage loan processor. After the mortgage loan officer hands in an applicant’s financial documents, the loan processor ensures that all the necessary paperwork has been submitted.
Next, the loan processor thoroughly verifies the accuracy of the information provided in the documents, including their social security number, employment status and history, and credit score.
The mortgage processor may also contact the loan applicant to supply missing information, or request a written proof of employment verification from the borrower’s employer — if required by the underwriter.
When appraising a home, the mortgage loan processor works with a professional appraiser to estimate the value of a home based on the property’s condition, size, amenities, location, and many other factors. From here, the appraiser can gauge whether the home’s value matches the loan amount. The loan processor also schedules title searches with an attorney, title company, or abstractors for ownership claims or existing outstanding issues, such as unpaid property taxes or debts.
From searching to appraising a home, mortgage applications follow a timeline, and it’s up to the loan processor to ensure that the borrower can close in on a home within the deadline. Hence, the mortgage loan processor communicates with the borrower on important submission dates to avoid extension fees and ensure a smooth mortgage application process.
The mortgage loan processor and loan underwriter finalize the borrower’s mortgage application for the latter’s final approval, with both parties addressing any discrepancies, typos, or pending action items in the application.
After the mortgage loan underwriter approves the mortgage, the mortgage loan processor schedules the much-awaited closing day with a title company to verify the applicant’s required downpayment, calculate closing costs, and prepare the closing document.
Hiring a mortgage loan processor is your best decision for your financial institution. Knowing the minimum education and professional qualifications is key to ensuring your new hire has ample knowledge of loan processing.
A high school diploma is often enough to work as a mortgage loan processor. However, for some financial institutions, a bachelor’s degree in business administration or equivalent is a plus as it prepares students for a strong finance background and makes the transition to loan processing easier.
Certification programs are great for upskilling. They help solidify an individual’s knowledge of loan processing and regulations, improve their proficiency in using loan processing programs, and equip them with skills that enable them to tackle complex mortgage cases.
On top of a bachelor’s degree, financial institutions also see candidates who completed a certification program as an asset, increasing an applicant’s prospect of landing a loan processing job.
This depends on the location. For example, in many states in the US, a license is necessary. Hence, mortgage businesses need to do their research before hiring a mortgage loan processor.
A loan processor can get work experience in banks, mortgage companies, or financial institutions, where they can learn new skills, gain first-hand experience processing mortgages, and collaborate with a mortgage loan underwriter. Entry-level loan processors can start as loan processing assistants.
Mortgage processors work not just with financial documents but also with people. Before writing a job description for mortgage loan processor, take note of the following soft skills your ideal candidate must possess:
Loan processing entails perusing every financial document with a fine-toothed comb. There’s no room for errors and inaccuracies, as even the simplest mistake can delay or compromise the borrower’s mortgage application.
This affects the overall reliability of the processor and the institutions’ application process. To avoid potential disruptions in mortgage applications, the loan processor must ensure that all paperwork is error-free before handing it to the mortgage loan underwriter.
Processing loans is not a solitary job, and social skills are a bare minimum in the mortgage industry. By establishing good professional relationships, mortgage loan processors can effectively collaborate with applicants, loan underwriters, and other stakeholders. This helps speed up a borrower’s loan application process and minimize conflicts between involved parties.
Another aspect of interpersonal skills is cultural awareness, which is handy when working with borrowers from different socio-cultural backgrounds. Because clients of various ethnicities have different consumer behaviors, mortgage loan processors must provide a culturally nuanced mortgage processing experience to establish rapport and maintain professionalism.
Mountains of paperwork are not an excuse for missing a deadline. A reliable mortgage processor manages their time well, maintaining optimal productivity and accuracy while juggling multiple workloads so the loan application can move forward without further delay. This enables a faster closing of a new home, improving borrower satisfaction.
Speed and efficiency are everything. The Digital Banking Reporting reported that abandoning rates skyrocket to 60% or more if applying for a loan takes over five minutes of a person’s time. When loan processors familiarize themselves with AI and automation to boost operational efficiency, they can improve their career prospects and stay competitive in the lending industry.
Mastering new or never-before-used loan processing programs is key to success, too, making open-minded, tech-savvy mortgage loan processors highly coveted by employers.
Your mortgage loan processor job description generally includes the objectives, key responsibilities of the role, preferred qualifications, and a list of benefits. Whether you’re outsourcing to the best Philippine BPO companies, or hiring straight from a freelance or job search platform, here’s how to write a solid mortgage loan processor job description that attracts potential candidates.
You can’t write a mortgage loan processor job description without conducting a job analysis. This process helps HR staff identify and analyze job-related information — such as qualifications, responsibilities, and skills — to guide hiring decisions and manage employee performance.
Observe or interview your in-house mortgage loan processors. How are they performing their tasks? What is their highest educational attainment? Do your loan processors complete certification programs? You can hand out questionnaires containing questions on your loan processors’ competencies, interpersonal relationships, and many more.
After gathering information, validate your data and present your findings to the HR or upper management, so you can begin drafting a mortgage loan processor job description based on those findings.
A job title must encapsulate the experience level and include the country acronym and employment type to attract the right candidates. Instead of “Mortgage Loan Processor,” consider using “Full-Time Entry-Level Mortgage Loan Processor — US Mortgage Company” or “Part-Time Senior Loan Processor for AU Client.” This way, candidates with experience working for American or Australian clients can apply for the role.
Begin with a brief, engaging introduction of your mortgage company, highlighting its core values, mission, and vision. You can include a brief overview of the role and close this section with why a candidate should work for you. Keep this section short and sweet, around three to four sentences.
Salary is another factor when applying for a loan processor job. However, this is a double-edged sword, as it can tempt desperate candidates to apply for the role just to earn a large paycheck without the skills and qualifications to back them up. While establishing salary expectations in a mortgage loan processor job description is debatable, it’s best to avoid overpromising and underdelivering applicants.
To answer your question, “what are the duties of a mortgage loan processor,” you should look no further than the data from your job analysis. Job responsibilities should neither be too long nor too short, such that they become too vague and lack specific details. When writing the duties of a mortgage loan processor, always begin the sentence with an action word. Here are two examples:
For the qualifications, include the following details:
Again, be specific. Identify which skills and qualifications are non-negotiables, and which ones are bonuses. But don’t make a lengthy list of job qualifications, as adding too many can throw off candidates.
This is your last chance to draw in potential candidates with company benefits, including performance-based bonuses, flexible working hours, permanent WFH, and paid PTOs. No need to include all benefits, so include the ones that you think are essential for most applicants.
The mortgage industry is as dynamic as most industries today. This is thanks to the adoption of powerful technologies and inevitable changes in local regulations. To be successful in the industry, one must be efficient. And what better way to be efficient than outsourcing mortgage loan processing?
Outsourcing to the Philippines is not only cheaper. The country is also more culturally aligned with Western values considering the number of highly educated, English-proficient mortgage loan processors in the workforce.
At KDCI, we offer high-quality, cost-effective loan processing and other property management services. Our offshore mortgage processor team values excellence, reviewing multiple financial documents with careful precision and bolstering loan processing efficiency to help applicants close in on their new homes within the deadline.
Contact us now, and let’s help you grow your mortgage business!
Property management is a dynamic field, constantly ever-evolving to encourage property management businesses to keep up with the times. From property managers to property management virtual assistants, there are a lot of people involved in keeping your business up and running. While virtual assistants are in charge of administrative and marketing tasks, property management accountants handle the finances.
However, the job of a property management accountant is not confined to accounting and finance. They are collaborators too, often partnering with real estate agents, property owners, external auditors, and other key stakeholders in the real estate industry. Let’s explore the day-to-day duties of a property accountant — and for companies looking to hire one — we also included a dedicated section on the essential skills of this profession.
A property accountant is a real estate accounting professional who works for a property investor. Occasionally, property accountants are employed by property management companies or real estate outsourcing agencies. Apart from their finance and accounting backgrounds, they also excel in the legalities of the real estate industry.
From budgeting to preparing financial reports, a property accountant’s responsibilities are a valuable asset for ensuring the legal and financial integrity of your real estate business. Below, let’s explore the most common job responsibilities of a property accountant.
Auditing refers to the yearly review and verification of balance sheets and other financial statements. By auditing financial reports, companies can prevent fraud, ensure accuracy, and maintain legal compliance — allowing business owners to uphold themselves to high accounting standards.
In the real estate industry, property accountants perform audits to build trust. For example, they can verify tenants’ balances to reduce cases of underpayment and overpayment. Their duties also extend to reviewing maintenance and utility expenses and checking the authenticity of receipts, invoices, bank confirmation documents, and other pertinent paperwork.
Budgets are the strategic financial plan of a business. Without a clear budget, business owners can’t execute goals or targets within the quarter or fiscal year. That’s where a property accountant comes in.
Property accountants leverage their knowledge of the local economy, real estate trends, and their company’s historical financial data to craft realistic annual or quarterly budgets that forecast potential income and unforeseen expenses due to maintenance or staffing issues.
Because your property management accountant keeps track of your property management company’s financial performance, they can ensure your business’s short- and long-term profitability even amidst different economic situations.
Financial reporting and analysis are like the “performance review” of your business. Cash flow statements, income statements, and balance sheets comprise the bulk of financial reports, with Management’s Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) thrown into the mix for additional financial insights.
When handled by a competent property accounting professional, they can shed light on your property management business’s current financial performance — basing their analysis on raw data from balance sheets and other financial documents. Through these data-driven insights, you and your property management can make sound decisions to drive profit and sustainability while minimizing risks.
Final tracking is a business practice referring to the regular monitoring of expenses. As expected, failure to track finances inevitably sets your business up for poor growth and success. Since this task involves handling financial data from receipts and invoices, keen accuracy and attention to detail are key.
With a reliable property management accountant, they can keep tabs and record every transaction — from utility bill payments to rental fees — without fail. Delays in payment are also confirmed and addressed, preventing financial discrepancies. As a result, your real estate accountant can optimize costs, prevent fraudulent financial transactions, build financial trust among tenants, and spot new business opportunities.
Lease analysis is one of the most important tasks in the real estate industry. It involves not just understanding the financial and operational impact of a lease, but also analyzing and reviewing the nuances of the terms and conditions of a leasing agreement.
Property management accountants play a big role in lease analysis, optimizing expenses and driving investment revenue to property owners and landlords. Risk factors such as environmental hazards and economic factors are also considered, so your property accountant can anticipate dips in leasing value and tenant satisfaction.
Compliance with local real estate laws makes for a successful property management business. The legal side of real estate is complex, requiring careful perusal to minimize legal disputes and financial risks.
As mentioned earlier, a property accounting professional is well-versed in this department. They understand the intricacies of real estate laws, so your property management business can preserve its integrity and meet accounting and industry standards.
With the inevitability of amendments in legal frameworks, your property management accounting staff can keep abreast of such changes to ensure your real estate business stays relevant and compliant with local regulations now and in the future.
Before drafting a winning property accountant job description, you must understand the professional and educational qualifications that make up the best property accounting professional. Let’s check them out below.
A property accounting professional must — first and foremost — possess a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related degree. While a master’s degree is a plus, a college degree is often enough to enter the property accountancy field.
Regardless of a property management accounting professional’s highest education level, they boast extensive knowledge of taxation laws, generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and financial analysis and management. Because real estate is a fast-paced industry, a property accountant must continuously upskill and learn current market trends.
Ideally, a property accountant must be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). This credential is only awarded to individuals who pass the CPA licensure exam, which covers key finance and accounting principles and subjects. A CPA license ensures the marketability of a property management accountant, making them well-sought-after by companies. A property accountant can be a Chartered Accountant (CA), too.
Licenses and certifications are not just for show, though. These accolades represent the dedication of an accountant to their professional growth. By opting for licensed property management accountants, you’re getting a hardworking professional who’s committed to the success of your property management company.
Education, certifications, and professional experiences go hand in hand. More often than not, accountants have their first foray into accountancy through internships. After earning a bachelor’s degree, the newly graduated individual applies for entry-level property accountant positions in a real estate company.
This allows the accountant to gain first-hand knowledge of property management and the real estate industry, further honing their skills and gaining relevant work experience. As they earn more and learn new, their marketability in the job market increases, giving them leverage in applying for positions with higher pay and better career growth.
Financial management and auditing skills are not enough. In order for a property accountant to be successful in the industry, their soft skills must be the same caliber as their hard skills. Be sure to include the following skills as you continue drafting a solid property management accountant job description.
Nowadays, communication skills are the bare minimum. Property management accountants communicate with property investors, property owners, and other real estate professionals through writing and speaking.
Through effective communication, accountants can articulately present financial reports and analyses in a way that is easy to digest for their colleagues and stakeholders — who may or may not have a background in finance or accountancy.
Every day, property accountants deal with data from financial records. Strong problem-solving and analytical skills — combined with ample knowledge of taxation laws and other legal frameworks — help accountants identify patterns and glean insights to produce comprehensive reports that turn data into business strategies to encourage growth and reduce financial risk.
Property management accounting professionals also tap into their creative side to formulate out-of-the-box solutions and analyses, helping real estate businesses push the boundaries of what is currently possible.
In real estate, time waits for no one, and deadlines are always at bay. Hence, property accountants simultaneously work on multiple tasks, dividing their day into time blocks to maximize productivity during working hours. By leveraging automation technologies and calendar tools, property accountants can meet submission deadlines for audits and financial reports.
We all make mistakes. An incorrect entry here, a duplicate income statement record there. Such mistakes may be minor to some — but in the real estate and accounting industries — these errors could spell trouble for your business. Fortunately, if spotted, accounting errors can be easily rectified.
With the help of a property accountant and the right accounting software, the likelihood of committing and seeing accounting errors becomes slimmer. However, it’s important to differentiate accounting errors from fraud. While the former is unintentional, the latter is committed with the intention to manipulate or hide financial records to show that the business is financially healthy and performing well.
Upholding good work ethics is a skill in itself. In accountancy, maintaining confidentiality means a property management accountant is responsible for the non-disclosure of sensitive personal and financial information.
This shows that the professional complies with their local accounting code of ethics not just through words, but also through actions. When you trust your property accountant, you can count on them to handle and safeguard personal data from competitors or cybercriminals.
The benefits of confidentiality also trickle down to your clients. This means they have enough peace of mind to trust your business to collect and store their personal information. When hiring a property accountant, look for candidates who have zero history of fraud and breaches in confidentiality.
Modern accountancy is grounded in data analytics, automation, and AI. That’s why technology is an accountant’s best friend. Because technology is intertwined with our lives, there’s all the more reason to expect a high level of software proficiency among accounting professionals. Right now, there are tons of accounting and bookkeeping software for property accountants.
These programs employ data consolidation, automation, and other advanced technologies to organize data, minimize errors caused by manual input, and speed up accounting processes.
Whether an accountant is an entry-level professional or a senior property accountant, tech proficiency and literacy pave the way for better career opportunities.
To employers like you, a property accountant’s drive to improve their tech skills is a giveaway that they value life-long learning and position themselves as flexible accounting professionals in the real estate industry.
A property accountant is as vital as any other position in the real industry. Not only do property management accountants prepare finance reports and audit financial statements, but they also aid in legal compliance, uphold integrity, and offer strategic yet creative solutions.
Moreover, property accountants take pride in their educational and professional backgrounds, with their licenses and certifications serving as their crowning glory. However, hiring the right one is a hurdle every real estate business owner must overcome.
Today, employers are overwhelmed with a sea of property accountants competing for the role. While education and certifications get an accountant’s foot in the door, mindset and soft skills are what make employers choose them over other candidates. If you don’t want the tedium of hiring a property accountant from a freelance platform, we recommend outsourcing accounting and bookkeeping to the Philippines.
At KDCI Outsourcing, we provide personalized outsourcing solutions to property management companies looking to empower their accounting department. Our recruitment team carefully vets candidates, basing our assessment not just on their education and work experience, but also their soft skills and compatibility with your team’s values.
After KDCI Outsourcing shortlists candidates, we conduct training sessions to help them learn the ropes of your business’s preferred accounting software. Whether your company uses Wave Accounting or Zoho Books, we make sure our team of property accountants demonstrate a satisfactory level of proficiency in your software for hassle-free onboarding.
Ready to up your real estate game with KDCI Outsourcing? Contact us now!
Property management refers to the monitoring and management of real estate properties. Generally speaking, a property manager is responsible for ensuring legal compliance, budgeting, addressing property repairs and maintenance, marketing properties, and handling tenants. While property management promises good networking opportunities and career growth, it comes with its caveats.
According to the National Apartment Association, US property managers cited rude tenants and residents (22%), difficulties plugging off post-office hours and poor mental well-being (16.3%), staffing maintenance (14.3%), and workload management (13.2%) as some of the most prominent challenges they face in their jobs.
To ease the struggles of property managers, real estate businesses must hire a virtual assistant for property management. This article talks about the advantages of a property management virtual assistant, followed by a round-up of the best companies and platforms for hiring one for your property management company.
A property management virtual assistant is a self-employed real estate professional. Working closely with property managers, a property management assistant provides market support, communicates with tenants, and streamlines repetitive administrative tasks.
Basically, all the job responsibilities of a general virtual assistant — albeit sprinkled with real estate-specific tasks. Let’s delve deeper into the perks of hiring a property management VA.
No business can survive without a competent admin team. A property management virtual assistant is experienced in administrative tasks, and they come with the gift of implementing new technologies to simplify said tasks.
With the right property management software, a property management assistant can automate maintenance requests, rent collection, and lease renewal to ensure faster task completion and better tenant satisfaction. Now bearing the brunt of administrative duties, property managers can work on more pressing tasks without compromising their mental health. This potentially creates a better work-life balance and improves employee retention rates.
Good customer service is an indicator of success. When property managers are overwhelmed with customer queries and complaints across all communication channels, the overall efficiency of your real estate business will be compromised.
However — with a team of real estate virtual assistants — they can offer personalized responses to tenant complaints and provide potential clients with comprehensive, informative answers on leasing, rent collection, and renewal policies. In addition, a property management virtual assistant can cover after-hours support and create templates and pre-made responses for a more streamlined customer service experience.
With the prevalence of the gig economy, more professionals are working as freelancers or independent contractors to earn extra income and further their careers without the commitment of a full-time job. Apart from the flexibility of gig work, this set-up also benefits real estate business owners.
Real estate agents can tap into a global talent pool, hiring real estate virtual assistants from the Philippines and other countries with lower labor costs to save on costs while enjoying world-class VA services.
Time zone differences are also blurred. This means an overseas virtual assistant for property management can follow your local time zone schedule and work the mid-shift or graveyard shift to provide real-time virtual assistant support.
Unlike employing full-time in-house employees, hiring a freelancer or outsourcing to the best property management companies in the Philippines is a more cost-effective business strategy. While in-house employees make supervision and face-to-face interactions easier, they are costlier in the long run as property management business owners allocate more resources to office spaces, computers, benefits, and professional development programs.
Unfortunately, in the property management industry, employee turnover is rampant as property managers face long hours and pressure at work. For every quitting property manager, the cost of hiring and training a new property manager adds up. Since freelancers and outsourced real estate VAs work from home, property owners can cut their overhead expenses and provide only the necessary tools for the role.
Additionally, property management professionals have control over the timeframe of the job order. For example, they can indicate in the job description that the gig is only good for six months. This way, a property management business owner can upsize or downsize their virtual assistance team based on workload or demand without the pressure of retaining a real estate VA for the long haul.
Finding a good virtual assistant in the Philippines is one thing. You know what separates an average real estate VA from the best virtual assistant. But knowing where to find a reliable virtual assistant is another story. Below is our roundup of the best companies and websites to hire a property management VA in the Philippines, or elsewhere.
Located in the Philippines, KDCI Outsourcing is one of the best BPO companies with over a decade of experience in the outsourcing industry. With outsourcing services spanning from accounting and finance to property management, the company helps slash 70% of overhead costs, provide much-needed expertise, and optimize processes using technology.
KDCI Outsourcing also prides itself as its client’s partner, enabling an equal partnership between the two parties. This firm does all the heavy lifting of hiring and training property management professionals. Following a meticulous hiring process, KDCI Outsourcing selects candidates based on their educational attainment, relevant working experience, and industry knowledge.
In addition, the candidates are also tested on their customer service and VA skills, including data entry, tenant relations, and lease management. Once hired, a team leader or project coordinator will orient them on your business’s in-house processes and train them on your property management program, allowing for a smooth onboarding process.
Featured in Business Insider, Forbes, and other news platforms, BruntWork is an exemplary outsourcing company with a global client base and freelance team. The company sets and maintains high standards not just for itself but also for its freelancers. Because of BruntWork’s dedication to providing high-quality outsourcing services at a lower cost, it has earned the trust of global brands and garnered well-deserved positive reviews.
BruntWork shines in numerous industries, including virtual assistance for property management. Its scope of property management operations includes legal compliance, rent collection, coordination of maintenance requests, renewal and administration of leases, talent inquiry management, and many more.
Candidates are handpicked and screened by the company’s recruitment team, and you can interview them to ensure you get the best property management VAs for your business. Although Filipinos are fluent in English and share cultural similarities with the West, BrunWork goes the extra mile and trains candidates on Western culture and communication. This way, the VAs can seamlessly integrate and work with your team with little communication lapses.
Property Management Virtual Assistants is a virtual assistance website dedicated to property management. Its services include digital marketing, customer service, tenant relations, sales, tenant relations and onboarding, and more. Quality is the bedrock of Property Management Virtual Assistants. This means only the cream of the crop virtual assistants are hired on the platform, promising clients first-rate property management VA services.
Clients who partner with Property Management Virtual Assistants will undergo an initial consultation to determine their needs. Candidate sourcing can take almost a month, though. While this may be a caveat for some clients, Property Management Virtual Assistants makes up for it by sourcing the best virtual assistant for your property management business.
On top of that, you’ll get a QA specialist, supervisor, and trainer. Essentially, a whole team! This setup promises comprehensive project and performance monitoring, motivating your team to consistently meet the company’s high standards.
VPM Solutions provides property management solutions with the promise of driving scalability, growth, and cost-effectiveness for property management business owners. Since its founding, the company has addressed common operational issues plaguing the real estate industry — from workload-induced stress to poor client relationships.
VPM Solutions works like most freelance platforms. You post a job and wait for applicants, or scout for potential remote staff candidates yourself. You can also opt for the platform’s TalentMatch technology. This feature hastens the sourcing process, limiting your candidate pool to virtual assistants that best match your required qualifications. Best of all, VPM Solutions does not charge a platform fee or additional costs.
Founded by Bob Lachance and George Cortes, Reva Global is a dedicated platform for Filipino virtual assistants who work with clients in the US. The company’s property management virtual assistant services cover lease renewal, lead generation, showing scheduling, and coordination of utilities. Because property management is a rigorous field, Reva Global promises clients a carefully vetted property management assistant team, cost savings, and a healthy work-life balance.
Anequim is a virtual assistance platform established in 2016 by Gwenn and Jeremy Aspen. While some VA websites are aimed at the Filipino market, this platform is reserved for bilingual Mexican professionals.
Partnering with Canada- and US-based clients, Anequim’s virtual property management assistant professionals provide a suite of general and property management-specific VA services. These include appointment setting and scheduling, correspondence preparation, budget preparation, maintenance coordination, and customer service.
Similar to other VA agencies, Anequim hires and onboards a virtual property management assistant for you. The company even goes as far as handling your job posting and orienting candidates on the American Disabilities Act and Fair Housing. Because Anequim values meeting key performance indicators (KPI), do expect coaching sessions from the company — aimed not just at your real estate virtual assistant, but at yourself too!
20four7VA is a virtual assistant website for business owners across the globe. Unsurprisingly, the platform is dominated by Filipino VAs, making it an ideal pick for clients who like working with virtual assistants from the Philippines. Thanks to its rigorous yet fair screening and hiring processes, you can count on 20four7VA to match you with the right virtual assistant.
Although its main selling points center on administrative, business, marketing, and technical virtual assistance, 20four7VA also offers VA services in niche industries such as telehealth and real estate. The platform’s property management virtual assistants can take over not just administrative duties, but also marketing and real estate tasks.
Remote CoWorker is an outsourcing company that is compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It boasts college-educated, English-proficient virtual assistants and offers top-notch, round-the-clock services to clients in different industries — including real estate, insurance, and hospitality.
Remote CoWorker’s real estate virtual assistant services are aimed at property management companies, real estate agents, brokers, and investors. With a team of virtual assistants for property management by your side, your property leasing needs will be taken care of without delay. An account manager will also monitor your virtual assistants, making outsourcing a win-win situation for you and your VA team.
Take note, however, that Remote CoWorker requires clients to purchase a payment plan before screening candidates.
Established by Stephen Atcheler, ShoreAgents is a BPO company specializing in the real estate industry, covering mortgage processing, property insurance, drafting, architecture outsourcing services, and the like. The company’s property management VAs handle property advertisement, landlord onboarding, lease renewals, tenant screening, and many other routine tasks.
ShoreAgents sources property VAs from various recruitment platforms, such as Facebook groups, databases, LinkedIn ads, and job search websites. From phone screening and English tests to client interviews, the company’s comprehensive recruitment system ensures that all candidates have the potential to be the perfect match for your team.
Virtudesk is a tech-driven virtual assistant company established in 2016. With its high-quality VA services and unwavering desire for growth and innovation, Virtudesk positions itself as a catalyst for client and business success. Virtudesk’s property management VA services include customer service, marketing, administrative support, and prospecting — all are designed to ease your team’s workload and optimize daily property management operations.
We hope this round-up has given you a starting point on where to find a virtual assistant in the Philippines or any part of the world. Don’t limit yourself to our top picks, though. Check out Upwork, Fiverr, OnlineJobs.ph, and LinkedIn for a prospective virtual property management assistant.
KDCI Outsourcing takes the guesswork of screening candidates. With our expert recruitment team, we can source new and experienced VAs so you can build your ideal property management team.
Contact us now, and we look forward to meeting you for a discovery call.
Any real estate agent understands the age-old adage of “time is money” and “time wasted is time lost.” These quotes are not just for show, though. They teach us the value of time and money. In the fast-paced realm of the real estate industry, real estate agents need to step up or lose out. Fortunately, real estate assistants are here to the rescue. They play a pivotal role in easing a real estate agent’s life, taking care of everything from administrative to customer service tasks.
But with external factors like location, skill sets, and the experience level of a real estate virtual assistant, establishing the best virtual assistance rate or salary range can be tricky. Don’t worry, this article includes the average salary ranges of a Filipino VA, so you can create an appropriate hiring budget for your real estate business.
Is an outsourced real estate virtual assistant better than an in-house assistant? While people think the former is better due to reduced costs, there’s no clear-cut answer to this question because your decision to outsource or hire in-house depends on your business needs. Below, let’s tackle the pros and cons of each one.
Every day, you meet and talk with your in-house executive assistant in the office. Because of your assistant’s proximity, monitoring their productivity levels and performance becomes easier.
Face-to-face contact also fosters a better sense of collaboration between real estate professionals and in-house assistants. Plus, in-house employees can easily adapt to your workplace culture. Training and providing feedback is much easier, as well.
Modern workplaces are equipped with advanced communication tools. But — as mentioned earlier — the beauty of in-house hiring lies in face-to-face interactions. This allows real estate professionals to brainstorm and work with their assistants without delays, technical difficulties, or communication lapses.
Offices implement strong security measures to preserve the confidentiality of sensitive data. With such measures, the chances of data leaks and privacy breaches happening are slim.
While in-house assistants are an investment, they are expensive. As a real estate agent, you cover not only their monthly salaries. You also shoulder the cost of additional office spaces and equipment, training, and employee benefits. For small real estate business owners or real agents looking to cut costs, in-house hiring is a risky investment.
With in-house assistants, scaling your business according to demand is difficult without making significant adjustments to your internal team. In case of skill shortages in your real estate business, you may need to bring in new external hires — which costs money.
Most virtual assistants are independent contractors or freelancers engaged in remote work. Because outsourced virtual assistants don’t come with the near-permanent tenure of in-house employees, real estate professionals can easily hire virtual assistants for real estate during demanding workload periods or peak seasons.
A virtual assistant works in the comfort of their home, meaning they already have the necessary equipment to do their job. For real estate professionals, this is a blessing since they don’t have to invest in office spaces, equipment, and employee benefits.
With the global demand for virtual assistant services and the ubiquity of virtual assistants, real estate agents can access a vast pool of talent at their fingertips. If they, for example, hire a Filipino virtual assistant, real estate professionals can enjoy an all-in-one package that promises cost-effective virtual assistant services, high English proficiency, and cultural compatibility.
An in-house administrative assistant requires training to keep up with market demands. Real estate agents can save money by hiring a specialized Filipino virtual assistant for real estate. Virtual assistants with specialized skills don’t need training, so they can jump right into their job and complete tasks with minimal supervision. Plus, they bring in industry insights that can change the trajectory of your real estate business.
Did you know that VAs can succeed without being fluent in English? Some real estate professionals don’t care about their virtual assistant’s English proficiency level. But let’s get one thing straight — English fluency is an edge.
Poor English communication skills increase the likelihood of miscommunication and misunderstandings during meetings or feedback sessions. Fortunately, most Filipino virtual assistants are fluent in English. Thanks to their neutral accent, real estate professionals need not worry about overcoming language barriers.
Real estate agents handle sensitive client information. If confidential data falls into the hands of a hacker or malicious virtual assistant, they can use it to perform fraudulent transactions, breaching customer trust.
Hiring an overseas real estate virtual assistant comes with a higher risk of security and privacy issues. You don’t have much control over how they store and process client data. Outsourcing virtual assistant services to the best BPO companies or property management companies is your best bet, as they employ solid data security measures to safeguard customer information from cybercriminals.
Real estate professionals value real-time communication and collaboration. Hiring a foreign real estate VA can lead to incompatibilities in working hours. If not negotiated or established early on during the hiring process, timezone incompatibilities can cause delays in communication and turnaround times and dips in productivity.
Hence, it’s recommended to hire a real estate virtual assistant who can align their schedule with yours. Outsourcing companies make good choices, too. They provide round-the-clock virtual assistant services that help streamline your daily business operations, ensuring productivity and smooth turnaround times.
Virtual assistance is a lucrative career. However, how much money a virtual assistant earns depends on their location, niche, skills, expertise, and experience level. The Philippines has a lower cost of labor, so the country’s average VA salary is understandably cheaper than in Western countries.
If you’re hiring a virtual assistant from the Philippines, here’s a primer on the average salary ranges according to level of seniority.
An entry-level job implies the virtual assistant has one to two years of work experience. In the Philippines, the average salary of an entry-level Filipino real estate virtual assistant ranges between ₱17,000 ($292) to ₱20,000 ($344) each month — though the numbers can go as high as ₱25,000 ($430) to ₱38,000 ($654) a month, according to Glassdoor. In the United States, entry-level real estate virtual assistants earn a monthly average income of $3,708 (₱215,408) to $4,050 (₱235,276).
Boasting at least three to six years of experience, a mid-level virtual assistant is expected to have a deeper understanding of the real estate industry and a stronger grasp of VA skills. Filipino mid-level real estate VAs earn an average of ₱31,883 ($548) to ₱41,500 ($714) every month. As much as possible, avoid paying ₱20,000 ($344) to a mid-level real estate VA. US real estate VAs, on the other hand, take home $4,916 (₱285,585) to $6,633 (₱385,330) a month.
With more than five to six years of work experience, senior real estate assistants have amassed a wealth of industry knowledge and skills. Senior real estate VAs in the Philippines earn a monthly income of ₱50,475 ($868) to ₱70,000 ($1,204). Meanwhile, US senior real estate VAs receive $6,633 (₱385,330) to $8,116 (₱471,482) — even as high as $9,700 (₱563,502).
It’s important to remember that the above salary ranges are just rough estimates. Before building a salary range, take into account the following factors:
In the virtual assistance industry, success is not determined by college degrees or certifications. Many virtual assistants earn salaries that rival or surpass most professions. Still, you should consider an assistant’s education level when building a pay grade.
A Filipino real estate virtual assistant with a bachelor’s degree in finance, business, or marketing can command a higher monthly pay grade (₱56,175) than a virtual assistant with a high school education (₱28,366).
What will your Filipino real estate do when hired? Complex job responsibilities such as market research and customer relationship management (CRM) involve specialized skills, and therefore, require a higher rate than general virtual assistant tasks.
These are optional. But if you want to give bonuses and incentives, you need to include them in your budget. Examples include:
Where does the 13th-month pay come in? If your real estate business doesn’t operate under Philippine jurisdiction, you’re not legally mandated to pay your Filipino real estate VA with 13th-month pay. In short, it’s optional. However, you may provide 13th-month pay to show your gratitude and appreciation to your Filipino virtual assistant.
The economy also influences salaries. As much as real estate professionals want the best for their virtual assistants, it’s not always possible — especially in times of economic crises.
During the pandemic, for example, the prices of property in the Philippines fell steeply by 10% to 20%. This was heightened by desperate property sellers trying to profit in an unstable market, lack of financial stability, and job loss.
While the country’s real estate industry rose to its former glory, there’s no denying the ripple effect of economic issues and world crises. Both of which contribute to lower salaries, mass layoffs, and downsizing.
While scouting for the right real estate virtual assistants, here are the traits you should look out for when screening or interviewing a candidate:
Positive reviews are a testament to a candidate’s work ethic and the quality of virtual assistant service. Any reviews related to breach of confidentiality, low-quality work, and unprofessional behavior indicate that the real estate VA is unreliable when handling data and completing tasks.
Hiring virtual assistants without reviews is a gamble, though. Of course, it doesn’t mean they make a bad VA. It’s risky on your end, but a thorough screening can help determine if a no-review candidate is the right fit.
Believe it or not, but a Filipino real estate virtual assistant with good boundaries is good for your business. After all, you can’t expect them to work 24/7 for the whole year. If a Filipino VA informs you they’ll be on a five-day vacation, take it as their sign to recharge and spend time with their loved ones. This way, your VA won’t be burned out from their tasks, which helps improve their productivity and mental health.
There are bad apples out there. Keeping an eye on the following red flags helps you make better hiring choices:
Does the Filipino virtual assistant offer subpar virtual assistant services at a high price tag? As a real estate business owner, that’s a no-go. Read your candidate’s review and check their portfolio — especially if they specialize in real estate graphic design or content creation — to ensure the quality of their services matches their rate.
Virtual assistants with dirt-cheap prices are questionable. Whether they’re not good at their job or are trying to attract clients, it’s best to approach them with caution.
The real estate industry is complex, but it doesn’t mean a candidate has to be a complete expert. A Filipino virtual assistant with poor industry knowledge means they can’t provide deep insights or make sound business decisions. Before hiring a Filipino real estate VA, consider quizzing them on industry-specific tidbits to gauge their familiarity with real estate.
We hope our salary guide for real estate VAs has helped you charge better rates and manage your budget expectations. If you’re at a loss for where to find the right virtual assistant, choose KDCI Outsourcing.
Headquartered in the Philippines, KDCI Outsourcing provides state-of-the-art outsourcing services with the goal of driving success, cost-effectiveness, and streamlined operations to its foreign clients — which include Cedar Management Group, Spreetail, and Softonic.
Powered by advanced technologies and backed by a team of real estate professionals, the company’s real estate services promise security, optimization, and real-time support for your business.
Ready to outsource real estate services? Leave it to KDCI Outsourcing. Contact us now!
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Working in the real estate industry is no easy feat. As a real estate agent or business owner, you’re a multitasker. You factor in economic changes, market supply and demand, and compliance policies while taking care of the administrative side of your business. Realistically speaking, keeping up with everything is not always possible.
Thankfully, the growing demand for virtual assistant services and a real estate virtual assistant (VA) means having an extra pair of hands. A real estate VA is akin to an administrative assistant or a right-hand man. Their job responsibilities encompass not only the usual customer or administrative support but also content creation and marketing. Below, we’ll delve deeper into the many hats of a real estate virtual assistant.
While virtual assistants are often perceived as all-rounders, some assistants specialize in a particular task. Before hiring virtual assistants for your real estate business, here are the most common virtual assistant services you can outsource, divided by job category.
Administrative tasks are what keep daily business operations going. In the standard workplace, they’re performed by executive assistants. Common administrative support tasks include data entry, appointment setting, and many more. Let’s tackle them below:
Though tedious, data entry is one of the most important administrative tasks. Virtual assistants organize, input, cross-check, and update customer data. They also process contracts and legal documents as well as track sales and transaction records.
Organizational skills, accuracy, and proficiency in customer relationship management (CRM) systems are essential for this role. By delegating data entry to a real estate virtual assistant, inaccurate client information and outdated transaction records are the least of your worries.
From high-value tasks to appointments, real estate agents are always drowning in workload. A virtual assistant responsible for calendar management helps real estate professionals organize their day-to-day tasks and meetings according to urgency.
Beyond setting dates for day-offs, virtual assistants also assist in booking flights, listing the agenda for an upcoming meeting, creating a to-do list, and many more. By hiring a virtual assistant with calendar management skills, you can enjoy a year’s worth of increased productivity and efficiency.
Appointment setting and calendar management have overlapping roles. However, as the name implies, the latter mainly centers on scheduling agent-client meetings and ensuring all involved parties come prepared with all the necessary paperwork. Additionally, real estate VAs generate leads for potential clients, vet clients, and initiate follow-ups post-appointment.
Knowing a foreign language is also an advantage. This way, your virtual real estate assistant can assist non-English-speaking clients with their property needs without language and cultural barriers. This improves client relations and boosts satisfaction, allowing you to cater to customers from different cultural backgrounds.
Virtual assistants are equipped with basic bookkeeping skills. They monitor your expenses, process payments, send invoices, and create financial reports and statements. While you don’t necessarily need a full-fledged accountant for this role, your real estate VA must exhibit keen organizational and mathematical skills and mastery of accounting programs. Because this role involves sensitive financial details, your virtual assistant must practice data security and privacy.
Content creation and marketing go hand in hand. Content creation refers to the production of visual or written content for clients. While creativity is involved, it is also one of the most mentally taxing and time-consuming tasks.
On the other hand, marketing encompasses tasks that involve the promotion and selling of products — more like properties. Below are content creation and marketing tasks you can outsource to your VA.
No real estate business is complete without eye-catching visual designs. Unfortunately, not all realtors are skilled in the visual arts. The solution? A real estate virtual assistant with graphic design skills.
In this role, your real estate VA can create marketing materials, social media graphics, brochures, and infographics to present property information in a visually engaging manner. They incorporate your brand’s signature elements into every design to maintain visual consistency.
A real estate VA who excels in graphic design can also retouch your property photos, so your listing can attract more potential clients.
Writing is everywhere, even in the real estate sector. While copywriting and content writing are used interchangeably, there’s a difference between the two. Copywriting induces emotion and pushes the reader to take action — such as buying a product — whereas content writing informs the reader on a particular topic.
A real estate VA with copywriting skills can craft snappy marketing copy that convinces why your clients need to buy your property or home. To achieve this, a copywriter approaches the copy with the client in mind, sprinkling descriptive, enticing words and crafting a thought-provoking narrative about the property. When written well, potential clients can click on your listing and reach out to you — the real estate agent.
A real estate content writer can create engaging blog articles about anything and everything real estate — whether it’s buying your first home or determining property value. Content writers research keywords for search engine optimization (SEO) and understand search intent.
Because they write for readers and search engines, their articles must be well-researched and SEO-friendly. This way, the articles will rank at the top of the search results — potentially attracting new clients.
For a potential buyer, photos and descriptions are not enough. A beautifully edited video can amaze even the most reluctant buyers. A real estate VA who excels in video editing knows what audio to embed and when to use text overlays, visual effects, and transitions.
Through meticulous editing, your remote worker can showcase your property in ways that compel potential clients to make a purchase.
Market research delves deeper into the complexities of the real estate industry to ensure the success and viability of your real estate business. Market researchers analyze supply-demand trends, monitor housing markets, compare property prices, conduct a SWOT analysis, and formulate data-driven action plans.
A real estate VA with market research experience has an in-depth understanding of the real estate sector and marketing research methods. Presentation skills and a degree in finance, accounting, or a related field are an advantage, too.
Content is everything, and word of mouth only does so much if real estate realtors want to succeed in the industry. With the help of a virtual real estate assistant, your real estate business can generate new leads. Virtual assistants can help you create a detailed buyer persona and identify your target market.
This way, your writers and graphic designers know the type of content they can produce on your website. There’s SEO involved, too. Your real estate VA can assist writers in keyword research to drive traffic and improve search ranking. They can also work with graphic designers to produce fresh visual content.
Taking advantage of social media platforms is a plus, as they serve as avenues for uploading and promoting content — drawing in potential clients and keeping existing followers engaged.
Email may be an old-school communication method, but email marketing has elevated its role to new heights. With email marketing, your virtual real estate assistant can compose newsletters informing a potential buyer about property leases or property purchasing. In addition to email composition, your remote worker can organize clients’ emails according to preferences or anything they deem fit.
Virtual assistants can create targeted emails and provide tailored recommendations for a more personalized experience, which helps build strong client relationships. Another responsibility of your real estate VA is monitoring the performance of your business’s email campaigns.
This can be gleaned from conversion rates and other key metrics, helping real estate professionals and virtual assistants identify points for improvement.
Customer support is the provision of assistance to clients. Real estate businesses invest in customer service to boost customer retention and satisfaction. Check out how a real estate virtual assistant can take care of your business’s customer support:
Whether through phone calls, email, or live chat, customer care is the backbone of your real estate business. Real estate VAs with customer service experience are, first and foremost, customer-oriented. They understand the importance of building a professional rapport with clients and other realtors.
Beyond helping clients with real estate-related inquiries, virtual assistants must understand customers’ needs and resolve issues. To provide faster customer service, virtual assistants create templates for common inquiries and pre-made responses. While speed is important, clients feel more seen and understood when responses are empathic and personalized.
Cold calling may be intrusive or unnecessary. But when done right, it can benefit your real estate business. A real estate virtual assistant who knows the cold-calling game will establish feasible goals for the call and prepare a script to guide them throughout the correspondence. Moreover, they’re not afraid of making offers and providing a strong value proposition. Real estate VAs also honor their promises, following up on buyers when necessary.
Since cold calls are often seen as scams, virtual assistants add a personal touch through extensive background research of their potential client. This way, your real estate VA can start on the right foot without sounding like a scammer. Respect, active listening, and professionalism are must-have traits, as a potential client may reject your VA’s offer.
Real estate support covers all day-to-day real estate tasks. Below are three examples of these tasks:
Property creation and management take a mental toll on real estate professionals who are already overwhelmed with work. That’s why such tasks are delegated to real estate virtual assistants.
They create property listings containing snappy headlines, high-quality property photos, and descriptive property information. This role involves a bit of writing, as virtual assistants need to choose words that accurately describe a property’s features without embellishment.
Real estate VAs can also include nearby local attractions — natural or otherwise — and provide an overview of the neighborhood, giving clients a sneak peek of what life will be like after purchasing your property.
Attention to detail is important here. Hence, virtual assistants must double-check not only the grammar and word choices, but also the price, property size, and other key information. Completed property listings are then uploaded on social media and real estate websites like Realtor.com
The real estate industry is volatile. That’s why property management is essential for any real estate business. For real estate VAs, this means updating prices and information to ensure the property’s relevance and visibility on websites and social media. Aside from that, virtual assistants answer customer queries and create performance reports of all property listings.
In the real estate sector, there’s beauty in research — even if it’s tedious. In this role, virtual assistants identify market trends and opportunities as well as find new leads and properties from different neighborhoods. All research findings are then collated into a report for your real estate VA to send to potential leads. Thanks to property research, your real estate business becomes ahead of the curve.
A real estate virtual assistant is the closest you can get to a superhero. Skilled and customer-centric, they do everything they can to drive profit and convert customers for you. When hiring a real estate VA, be specific with your requirements. Do you prefer VAs with good research skills and finance degrees? Or do you like those with general VA skills and a few years of real estate experience?
There’s no right or wrong answer here, as everything depends on what your real estate business needs now. Unfortunately, finding the ideal real estate virtual assistant is challenging. If you don’t like investing time in screening and interviewing candidates, you can outsource virtual assistant services to top property management agencies or BPO companies.
KDCI Outsourcing is your best choice. As one of the best BPO companies with a solid reputation in the industry, we help real estate business owners achieve operational efficiency at lower costs through outsourcing, building them a team of real estate professionals who specialize in a particular role.
Want to give outsourcing a try? Contact us, and we’ll tailor our outsourcing efforts for your business needs!
With a low barrier to entry, virtual assistance is a popular and lucrative profession in the freelance industry. From administrative support to content creation, the beauty of being a virtual assistant (VA) is the diversity of skills you can offer. While general skills are more than enough to land you clients, specialized skills like web development and Facebook ad management open more doors.
Among the reasons for specializing include charging higher rates, establishing credibility in a niche or industry, and retaining existing clientele. If you own a real estate business and want someone to handle your real estate operations, you should hire virtual assistants for real estate.
Though a real estate virtual assistant possesses general VA skills, they’re also equipped with the industry know-how of the real estate sector. In this article, we’ll tackle the roles of a real estate virtual assistant as well as teach you how to hire virtual assistants for real estate.
From researching property valuation to analyzing consumer behavior, a real estate agent spends countless hours juggling marketing, administrative, customer service, and real estate tasks to stay ahead of the real estate industry. As a one-man army, there’s only so much you can handle without burning out or sacrificing your mental health.
Enter virtual assistants. In this fast-paced, digitized world, the popularity and demand for virtual assistant services continue to grow as real estate businesses rely on them for operational efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and better work-life balance. As a matter of fact, it is projected that by 2028, there will be 8.4 million virtual assistants all over the globe — a major increase from 2020’s 3.9 million.
Whatever your goals are for your real estate business, you deserve a helping hand. Below are five reasons why you should hire virtual assistants for real estate.
Though convenient, hiring an in-house executive assistant is not always a good idea — especially if you’re just starting your real estate business. Expenses for equipment, training, sick leaves, and Paid Time Offs (PTOs) can add up and take a toll on your budget.
Thankfully, some real estate virtual assistants work as freelancers or independent contractors. Hence — when you hire one — a portion of your budget goes to their salary instead of leaves and other overhead expenses.
Reality check — the job market is competitive. With remote work and outsourcing taking center stage, competition becomes stiffer as the talent pool widens. Because there are more talent options, real estate business owners can factor in skills, expertise, location, and cost of a virtual assistant without limiting themselves to a particular geographical location.
As global talent comes new perspectives, you can think outside the box and make better business decisions.
The real estate industry is not for the faint of heart. Even as a budding real estate agent, you have to put in the work just to land your first client. Like you, a skilled virtual assistant has all the skills and mindset to thrive in the real estate industry.
With their vast knowledge of the industry, a real estate virtual assistant can provide data-driven insights, understand market trends, and demonstrate mastery of customer relationship management (CRM) systems and marketing tools. They can even introduce you to new tools and technologies!
English is a global language and the lifeblood of most workplaces. When you hire virtual assistants for real estate overseas — especially in the Philippines — you can expect your virtual employee to communicate in near-native English. This is a huge plus, as English proficiency facilitates seamless collaboration between you and your virtual employee.
When you work alone or with limited staff, managing your time and workload becomes a battle of attrition. While time management centers on prioritization, it is also about effective task delegation. When you outsource virtual assistance services to a virtual employee, you can accomplish more high-value tasks in a single day.
Also called real estate VA, a real estate virtual assistant is a specialized virtual assistant responsible for delivering administrative and real estate services such as:
Real estate virtual assistants create engaging property listings, complete with compelling headlines and copy that includes all relevant property information. Inaccurate details and false claims are a no-go, so a real estate VA must ensure the accuracy and truthfulness of a property listing.
This task involves managing and scheduling upcoming agent and client appointments. Success in setting appointments entails keen organization skills and tech-saviness. Knowing multiple languages is advantageous in this role due to cultural and linguistic differences between clients.
In this role, a real estate virtual assistant compares and monitors sales, analyzes customer needs and behavior, and understands competitor behavior. Through market research, virtual assistants can stay ahead of competitors and ensure customer satisfaction.
Real estate virtual assistants answer client inquiries in all communication channels, building trust and ensuring their needs are taken care of. To consistently provide excellent customer service, a real estate virtual assistant must be an empath and active listener.
A real estate assistant organizes, inputs, and updates client information into a database, ensuring that all data is listed accurately.
Virtual assistants responsible for email marketing create engaging, personalized emails to build relationships with clients, utilizing templates and automation tools to speed up the process.
The right virtual assistant for real estate can make a huge difference in your business. Despite the abundance of real estate virtual assistants, a real estate professional like you must stay grounded to ensure you hire the right candidate.
Whether it’s your first foray into hiring a real estate VA, or you already have a couple of hiring experiences under your belt, our step-by-step tutorial is a good primer or refresher on hiring a virtual assistant for real estate.
Hiring without a clear blueprint of your needs and requirements is like navigating uncharted waters. Observe your working environment and answer the questions below:
These questions will help you identify skill gaps or productivity lapses. Let’s say you can’t create engaging copy for a property listing. In this case, you can include copywriting and property listing creation in your list of requirements in a real estate virtual assistant. As you conduct your needs assessment, you’ll have a clearer picture of what you’re looking for in a real estate VA.
Based on your inventory of needs, you can identify the type of employment and set appropriate working hours for your soon-to-be virtual assistant.
Begin your job posting with a catchy job title. The title should act as a summary of the skills required for the job. Instead of “Virtual Assistant for Real Estate” or “Need a Rockstar Real Estate VA,” try “Real Estate Virtual Assistant for Market Research” or “Real Estate Virtual Assistant for Copywriting.” The goal is to make the title concise, so you can attract the right candidates.
After the job title, craft a powerful hook that compels candidates to keep reading your job description. You can include a brief introduction of your real estate company, too! Next, create a bullet point or checklist of qualifications. Provide the minimum experience or education level as well as whether the position requires experience in working for a BPO.
Then, list the job responsibilities of the role. These should be in bullet form, and each description should be short and action-oriented to ensure clarity. Lastly, include the perks of working for your real estate company— which can be anything from bonuses to paid holidays. End your job listing with a CTA coaxing applicants to submit their resumes. Finally, review your draft.
Now, the hunt begins. If you’re wondering where you can hire a virtual assistant, there’s Upwork, OnlineJobs.ph, and Fiverr. Like submitting a resume, posting your job listing is a numbers game. The more you post, the more likely you’ll get prospects.
Do your research and avoid limiting yourself to freelance and job search platforms. If you want virtual assistants for real estate for a big project, why not request a quote from the best BPO companies or the top property management companies? In these companies, the real estate virtual assistants are already pre-screened and trained, easing the burden of hiring off your shoulders.
There’s no shame in looking into your personal network, as well. You can upload your job listing on LinkedIn, so your connections can point you to a real estate VA. Facebook is also another way of getting prospects, though it can be a hit or miss depending on the quality of the candidates.
From here, you can start shortlisting candidates based on their resumes or proposals. Shortlisted candidates can proceed with a 10- to 15-minute interview. It’s recommended to prepare a mix of general, situational, and real estate-related interview questions to test the candidate’s knowledge of the real estate industry and assess what they can bring to the table.
Candidates who pass the interview can be administered a test task to evaluate their performance and ability to complete a task within a limited time frame. The test should mimic real-world tasks and be appropriate to the job position.
Congratulations on hiring a real estate virtual assistant! During your first meeting, establish a dedicated communication channel, so your new hire knows where to contact you. Share what CRM software or project management tools you use in your business.
Give your new hire space to share the tools they’ve used in their previous job or client. This way, you can experiment with new tools that may streamline daily operations. Set expectations and orient your virtual assistant on house rules, deliverables, and expected turnaround times.
If you hire multiple real estate virtual assistants, use the first meeting as an ice-breaker to acquaint all new hires and your in-house team.
Even if you hire an experienced real estate virtual assistant, you can’t expect them to master everything in one to two days. Take your time in the onboarding process and make sure your real estate VA is comfortable with your business’s daily workflow. You can supervise them for one to weeks, so they won’t struggle much after getting comfortable in their role.
Feedback is critical to improvement. As your real estate VA learns the ropes, conduct regular feedback sessions to highlight their strengths and weaknesses and provide action plans for improvement. These sessions also serve as an avenue for your VA to share their concerns and struggles.
Unfortunately, not everything works out well. If you think your real estate VA has not shown improvement, you can let them go and hire a replacement.
As the real estate sector continues to evolve, real estate agents must keep abreast of emerging trends to stay relevant in the field. Juggling administrative, marketing, and property management services is not always feasible. A real estate company is not complete without a real estate VA.
Packaged with the skills of general VAs, real estate virtual assistants are the industry’s heroes. They improve efficiency, reduce expenses, provide market insights, and build long-lasting client relationships. If you’re looking for a reliable VA team, check out KDCI Outsourcing.
KDCI Outsourcing excels in providing world-class yet cost-effective real estate services. Building your real estate team with us ensures your offshore team is composed of not just a real estate virtual assistant, but also a real estate telemarketer, real estate legal consultant, lead generation specialist, and other related roles.
Contact us now, and let us assist you in your path to real estate success!
With a massive workforce of over 1.3 million customer support agents and more than 700 call centers in the Philippines, there’s no question why plenty of international online retail brands have been recognizing the opportunities offered by the country’s call center industry.
To help you choose which Philippine call center company to work with, we listed the top 10 call centers in the Philippines based on their Google ratings, ranked in no particular order. Let’s go through each one in the following sections.
The call center industry in the Philippines first emerged when Frank Holz founded the first call center company in 1992. Three years later, in 1995, the Special Economic Zone Act was passed by the Philippine Congress — which underscored the establishment of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA). Since then, it has been a significant part of the country's BPO industry.
Fueled by a large, English-speaking workforce, cultural alignment with Western countries, and competitive labor costs, the Philippines quickly became a global hotspot for call centers. Over the years, the call center outsourcing field has expanded dramatically, contributing significantly to the nation's economic growth and becoming a key employer for a diverse range of skills and educational backgrounds — thus becoming the world’s call center capital.
Although there are hundreds of BPO companies and call centers in the Philippines, only the following Filipino call centers have made the cut.
Based in Pasig City, Metro Manila, KDCI builds a call center team for businesses looking to build an extension of their customer service in the Philippines. They focus on delivering high-quality and efficient customer service by offering tailored solutions for every business’s call center needs. Here are the features you can expect from their call center services:
KDCI ensures that your call center team can provide digital customer service support according to your brand’s voice, values, and goals by providing on-brand training to customer support agents. The process starts with a call with KDCI to talk about your call center needs.
From there, their recruitment powerhouse will find, screen, interview, and hire the right call center agent. They will train the agents who passed the hiring process based on your brand’s training manual.
With KDCI’s personalized call center solutions, you can deploy as many offshore customer service agents as you need for whatever channel — be it email, live chat, or phone. These agents are already certified, which means they have passed assessments to ensure they can provide the level and quality of customer service you need.
KDCI’s call center operations don’t end with providing you with a reliable call center agent support team. They will also manage your customer service operations for more efficient quality assurance. You will also get a dedicated account manager who will gather relevant customer service insights and data to give your business an overview of the necessary improvements.
One of the best call centers in Taguig, Philippines, Sutherland Global Services offers a comprehensive suite of customer interaction services designed to enhance customer engagement and improve business outcomes. Their call center services focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences across various channels. Here are the key features of their call center services:
Sutherland Global Services provides support across multiple channels, including voice, chat, email, and many more. This ensures a seamless and consistent customer experience, regardless of the channel.
By leveraging data analytics, Sutherland offers insights that help gain better insights into customers’ needs and preferences, enabling more personalized interactions.
This Taguig-based call center company offers support in multiple languages. Their global presence also enables them to understand local market nuances, making their services more effective.
The outsourcing call center services of Sutherland Global Services are designed to be scalable, allowing businesses to adjust their level of support based on demand.
Sutherland Global Services invests in thorough training programs for their agents, ensuring high-quality customer service and support.
The call center company integrates advanced technologies like AI and machine learning to streamline processes and enhance customer interactions.
Concentrix, a global leader in customer experience solutions and technology, offers a comprehensive customer experience (CX) Strategy designed to enhance customer engagement and drive business growth. Their approach to CX strategy revolves around several key components, including the following:
Concentrix’s call center operations focus on understanding the customer journey to identify critical touchpoints and opportunities for enhancing the customer experience.
This call center service company emphasizes the importance of a cohesive experience across all channels, ensuring that customers receive consistent and effective service whether they interact online, over the phone, or through other channels.
Concentrix uses data and analytics to tailor experiences to individual customer needs and preferences, aiming to make each interaction as relevant and engaging as possible.
By leveraging the latest technologies, Concentrix aims to constantly innovate and improve the customer experience.
Recognizing the link between employee and customer satisfaction, Concentrix also focuses on enhancing the employee experience to ensure their Filipino call center agents stay motivated and engaged.
Alorica offers a range of customer experience solutions aimed at transforming the way businesses interact with their customers. Their call center operations are designed to cater to the diverse needs of their clients and ensure exceptional customer experiences. Here are some key aspects of their call center services:
Alorica specializes in creating customized customer experience strategies that are aligned with the unique needs of each business. This includes everything from customer service to technical support and sales solutions.
Embracing the digital transformation, Alorica provides digital solutions that enhance online customer interactions, including chatbots and other AI-driven technologies.
With a widespread global presence, Alorica offers multi-language support and understands the nuances of various local markets.
Utilizing data analytics, they offer valuable insights to help understand and predict customer behavior, enabling businesses to make informed decisions.
Alorica provides tailored solutions for various industries, ensuring the unique challenges and requirements of different sectors are effectively met.
Recognizing the importance of human resources in delivering quality customer service, Alorica also offers workforce management solutions.
A product of the Sitel and Sykes Enterprises merger, Foundever offers a suite of customer experience solutions aimed at fostering meaningful customer interactions and driving business growth. Here are some of the key components of their outsourcing call center services.
Sitel provides a range of CX services including customer support, sales, technical support, and social media management. They focus on creating a seamless and positive experience across all customer touchpoints.
Their services are designed to deliver a consistent and integrated experience across various communication channels, such as voice, email, chat, and social media.
Leveraging advanced data analytics, this call center outsourcing company offers insights to understand customer behavior and preferences, enabling businesses to tailor their services accordingly.
With operations around the world, this call center outsourcing company is equipped to handle customer interactions in multiple languages and cultural contexts, ensuring a global reach with local expertise.
The integration of AI and other cutting-edge technologies into their solutions helps enhance efficiency and customer engagement.
Foundever places a strong emphasis on their human resources, providing training and development to ensure a skilled and motivated workforce.
Teleperformance offers a host comprehensive suite of digital customer experience solutions, enhanced with AI technologies, to provide effective and efficient customer service. Their digital CX services include the following.
Based in the cloud and powered by AI, Teleperformance’s TP Microservices features scalable Customer Experience Management (CEM) solutions that summarize text, create content, determine intent, and many more.
An AI-powered chatbot that enhances the customer experience by providing instant, automated responses to customer queries. It can also seamlessly transfer complex interactions to human agents.
This call center outsourcing company provides social media and messaging services to engage customers on platforms where they are most active.
Leveraging data analytics, Teleperformance offers insights that help businesses optimize their customer service processes and strategies.
This is a virtual solution that offers flexibility and scalability in managing remote teams, enabling efficient and effective customer service operations from anywhere.
Previously named TeleTech, TTEC offers a broad range of customer experience and contact center services designed to enhance customer engagement and business outcomes. Their services focus on integrating technology and human expertise to deliver seamless customer interactions. Here are some of the things they offer:
This Philippine call center company provides end-to-end customer service solutions, handling everything from basic inquiries to complex issues across various channels.
They offer sales and marketing solutions that help increase customer acquisition, retention, and growth.
TTEC utilizes analytics and consulting expertise to help businesses understand customer behaviors and preferences and optimize their customer engagement strategies.
Incorporating advanced technologies, the Philippine call center company offers solutions such as omnichannel platforms, AI, and automation tools, to enhance customer interaction and operational efficiency.
Recognizing the importance of a skilled and engaged workforce, TTEC provides solutions for workforce training, management, and optimization.
TTEC also offers specialized customer services for the healthcare industry, ensuring compliance and high-quality customer interactions.
Sourcefit specializes in providing customized outsourcing solutions, including customer support services. Their customer support services are tailored to meet the specific needs of businesses across various industries. Below are the key features of Sourcefits’ call center services:
Like other BPO companies, Sourcefit focuses on understanding each client's unique requirements to deliver tailored customer support services.
They offer support across various channels, including phone, email, chat, and social media, ensuring a seamless experience for customers.
Sourcefit employs experienced Filipino call center agents who are trained to handle a wide range of customer queries and issues effectively.
Their services are scalable, allowing businesses to adjust their level of support based on fluctuating demands and growth.
Sourcefit aims to provide high-quality customer support services at competitive rates, helping businesses manage costs without compromising the quality of service.
Their approach is centered on enhancing customer satisfaction, which is crucial for building customer loyalty and improving business outcomes.
VXI Global Solutions, or VXI, offers a comprehensive suite of customer experience and care solutions designed to enhance customer interactions and drive business growth. Their customer experience care services are focused on several key areas, specifically the ones below:
VXI provides support across multiple channels, ensuring a consistent and seamless customer experience whether through voice, chat, email, or social media.
They offer a range of customer support services, from basic inquiry handling to more complex issue resolution.
VXI places a strong emphasis on high-quality customer interactions, employing rigorous quality assurance processes to ensure high standards are met.
Utilizing advanced analytics, VXI delivers insights that help businesses understand customer needs and improve service delivery.
With a global presence, VXI can scale operations to meet the demands of businesses of all sizes across various regions.
This Philippine call center incorporates AI and machine learning to enhance efficiency and customer engagement.
ManilaPros’ call center services revolve around providing the best customer care for retail businesses. They offer dedicated customer service solutions that are designed to meet the specific needs of businesses seeking outsourced support. Their customer care plan includes the following key features:
They provide customer support services that can be tailored to fit the unique requirements of different businesses, ensuring a personalized approach to customer care.
ManilaPros will provide you with professional Filipino call center agents who went through specialized on-brand training, making them capable of handling a wide range of customer inquiries and concerns while still being able to showcase your brand’s voice and values.
Their services are not limited to voice calls; they also extend to email, chat, and other digital communication channels, offering an omnichannel experience to customers.
ManilaPros aims to ensure that your call center stays at the top of its performance by managing your customer care operations for you. This is crucial in quality assurance, so you can focus on your core business operations.
ManilaPros provides valuable data-driven insights and feedback to help your business understand its current state and potential needs and improvements.
To successfully outsource your customer service needs to the Philippines, choose a call center company that understands your needs and knows what steps to take to bring you closer to your business goals.
At KDCI, we will build you a competent call center agent team based on your unique requirements. We will thoroughly vet and train your agents for your brand, integrate them into your environment, and manage your customer service with you. Whether you need one agent or a full offshore team, and whether you opt for call centers in Cebu Philippines or call centers in Manila Philippines, KDCI has got you covered.
Learn more about how we will build your offshore customer service team. Contact us today!
Occasionally, a graphic designer comes along who ticks all the right boxes: a strong portfolio, solid work experience, and great qualifications. While there’s no denying the importance of these requirements, the cost of a graphic designer is one thing business owners should not overlook.
Let’s face it—graphic design can be costly, and it's not surprising, though. After all, graphic design is an art as much as it is a science of problem-solving and adding value through visual means. According to Piktochart, 32% of businesses invest $1,000 to $5,000 and $5,000 to $10,000 every year.
While the above budgets are steep, there are ways to reduce graphic design costs — especially if you’re a small business owner. You can go the DIY route or hire a graphic designer from the Philippines. The latter is always the better option as a Filipino graphic designer is cheaper and has the right skills to design any visual material. Whether you’re opting for a full-time or freelance graphic designer, this guide gives you an idea of the cost of hiring a Filipino graphic designer.
The Philippines is a talent hotbed. Situated in Southeast Asia, the country’s low cost of living and welcoming culture, combined with its thriving business processing outsourcing (BPO) industry and highly educated, customer-oriented workforce make the Philippines a go-to outsourcing destination for overseas companies. Below are three reasons why Filipino graphic designers are preferred over other nationalities.
For Filipinos, education — especially a college degree — is central to success. Most jobs in the Philippines require a college degree, so Filipino students study hard or balance work and studies to finish school with flying colors.
When you hire graphic designers from the Philippines, expect them to hold a four-year degree in graphic design or any related creative course. While some clients prefer self-taught graphic designers or don’t care about degrees, always remember that the college degree of a Filipino designer is a testament to their hard work and dedication to their craft.
Through mastering design principles, completing design projects, and working at internships, college education prepares Filipino students for the rigors and challenges of the creative industry.
The high English proficiency of Filipinos is enough to give them an edge in various fields. Graphic designers from the Philippines — whether they’re working as freelancers or as BPO employees — are not only focused on delivering stellar designs, they also use their near-native English skills to pitch ideas and offer creative insights to foreign clients.
Filipinos are born hard workers. From taking care of their families to climbing the corporate ladder, their industriousness and dedication know no bounds. That’s why foreign business owners often onboard Filipino professionals.
As such, you can expect your Filipino creative team to exceed your expectations and go beyond the call of duty to produce meticulously crafted designers. Because Filipinos are reliable, there’s little need for frequent supervision.
Like any profession, graphic designers have different types of employment. Companies can hire a full-time, part-time, or freelance graphic designer depending on their needs, budget, or the flexibility of the graphic artist.
While there are no hard and fast rules for hiring a skilled graphic designer, exploring how each employment type can affect your daily operations and budget is key to helping you make the right decision for your business.
A typical full-time graphic designer works the standard 9-5 hours from Monday to Friday. They receive a monthly salary and employment benefits such as insurance and PTOs. As such, full-time graphic designers are costlier than part-time graphic designers.
In addition, an outsourced graphic designer or a team of graphic designers can be onboarded as part of a design agency, creative agency, or a BPO company. Direct communication with the agency’s creative may be minimal, as client relationships are handled by a supervisor or a project manager. Hiring offshore graphic artists for full-time work is only recommended if you have ample projects in line as well as the budget for their salary and benefits.
A part-time graphic designer does not follow the same schedule as their full-time counterparts. Part-timers have shorter shifts, working only at set hours or days. Because of their flexible schedule, part-time graphic designers are more cost-effective than full-time graphic designers. This type of employment is best for business owners who prefer flexibility, scalability, and short-term commitments.
Freelancers juggle projects from different clients. As self-employed virtual graphic designers, they provide their own benefits, work directly with clients, and exercise control over their choice of projects. In short, freelancers are their own bosses. Businesses hire freelance graphic designers due to lower hiring costs and risks, increased productivity, and more streamlined communication with their freelance graphic design team.
Project-based graphic designers are only hired for a particular project. Since it’s a form of short-term employment, business owners can slash hiring expenses and temporarily acquire new talent for specific graphic design needs. Project-based graphic designers are recommended for clients who want temporary access to high-caliber talent without the costs that come with long-term employment.
This is every client’s million-dollar question. The cost to hire a graphic designer depends on the following factors: location, expertise, work experience, and employment type. Simply put, there are no set-in-stone graphic design rates.
While there’s always the temptation to go for Filipino designers with dirt-cheap graphic design rates, the value for money may not be as good as other virtual graphic designers with higher price points. Before hiring Filipino graphic designers for your graphic design needs, let’s learn about the profession’s salary range as well as the factors that influence graphic design rates.
Philippine graphic design rates range between ₱25,000 ($430) to ₱37,250 ($641) each month. According to Glassdoor, monthly salaries for Filipino graphic designers in Manila can earn around an average of ₱21,000 ($361) to ₱44,000 ($756) a month.
Due to the high cost of living, graphic design rates in the United States are costlier than in the Philippines. On average, US graphic designers between $4,288 to $5,126 each month — depending on the location.
Do steep graphic design prices scare you? Higher rates signify the expertise and professional growth of a Filipino designer. Below are six factors to get you started on charging better graphic design rates or finding the right Filipino graphic designers.
More experience = more pay! Before hiring a Filipino graphic designer, look at how many professional experiences they have had as a designer. If the designer is a fresh graduate with little professional work experience, they’re more likely applying for the position of junior designer — a role with lower pay.
As they climb the career ladder, gain more work experience and skills, build their portfolio, a Filipino graphic designer can apply for senior positions — which demand higher salaries.
Project scope refers to a project’s goals, deadlines, and deliverables. Projects involving multiple deliverables or complex design work entail higher graphic design rates, as both require more time and skills.
Great designs take time. From ideation to design creation and execution, there’s a lot going on in the graphic design process. Ideally, an outsourced graphic designer should be given ample time to complete a project. Of course, it can’t be helped that, sometimes, you need a graphic designer for an urgent project. In this case, you’ll need to pay for rush fees. Before committing to a graphic designer, read their rush fee policy first.
Revisions are inevitable in graphic design. Yes, they do incur additional charges. A freelance graphic designer may establish a set number of revisions you can request, ranging from one to three revisions per project.
Be wary of graphic designers who offer unlimited revisions. While this perk has its appeal, it can mean that the designer lacks the skill and confidence to nail their design projects. Clients can, unfortunately, abuse a designer’s unlimited revisions policy for the sole reason they don’t have a clear goal in mind. This can compromise turnaround times and project quality.
If you don’t want to waste your graphic designer’s time or pay revision fees, your design brief must contain the goals and vision of the project.
Filipino graphic designers have bills to pay. A freelance graphic designer, for instance, factors in the cost of utility bills, taxes, insurance, and other expenses, which influence their graphic design rate. Graphic designers also pay for design software and assets. Understandably, these affect how much they charge their clients.
The 13th-month pay is the most anticipated annual benefit for Filipino rank-and-file employees. As mandated in Presidential Decree No. 851, Philippine companies must provide the 13th-month pay on or before December 24 to ensure the employees’ financial stability during Christmas.
Businesses not under Philippine jurisdiction are not legally required to pay this benefit. However, a token of appreciation in the form of a 13th-month pay or performance bonus can make your Filipino designer’s day. Regardless, bonuses and 13th-month pay are additional expenses on your end, and therefore, should be taken into account when hiring a Filipino graphic designer.
In the Philippines, Paypal is a go-to payment platform. Although some freelancers prefer Paypal, the high transaction fees significantly add up over time. Bank transfer is another option, too — albeit it requires your Filipino graphic designer to share their account details with you. Long processing times and transaction fees are also the drawbacks of bank transfers.
So, the short answer? It depends. Overall, the best course of action is to ask the designer or check their profile. Freelance websites also feature a dedicated payment system, guaranteeing safe transactions between you and your freelance graphic designer.
Because visuals make or break first impressions, brands are now upping their design game. That’s why graphic designers are an investment. Their creativity, problem-solving skills, and tech-savviness are worth more than a measly pay of peanuts. At the end of the day, great visuals come with business growth and significant returns on investment (ROI).
If you’re looking to outsource graphic design services and form your team of Filipino graphic designers, choose KDCI. KDCI is a BPO company that has solidified its reputation as a provider of world-class graphic design outsourcing services. Our graphic designers’ creative and technical acumen are demonstrated in our design portfolio — which consists of finished projects from different clients, such as Art Brand Studios, Nielsen, and Fitlife.
Whether you’re on the lookout for a motion graphics designer or art director, we hire and onboard the right people for your business. No matter how complex your design needs are, KDCI is here to tailor an appropriate creative solution that meets your goals.
Graphic designers are the unsung heroes of businesses. Without a graphic design team, how can companies establish a solid brand identity and create visually appealing social media posts? While some people underestimate design and visual content in general, there’s a reason they are now taking center stage.
According to 99designs, 49% out of 1,500 founders of startups and small businesses perceived the role of design as a “very important” contributor to success. In a report by Piktochart, graphic design is leveraged not just to communicate within the organization (19% of participants), but also to improve customer communication (55%), and encourage engagement on social media (24%).
To fully take advantage of the perks of good design, business owners like you must invest in a graphic designer who is creative, tech-savvy, and an excellent communicator. If you can’t afford in-house designers, then going the outsourcing route is a wise move. Before outsourcing graphic design services, here’s our detailed guide on hiring a Filipino graphic designer.
Located in Southeast Asia, the Philippines is a linguistically diverse country with an English-proficient populace. As the BPO and call center capital of the world, the country’s outsourcing industry has been the driving force of economic growth, creating numerous employment opportunities for Filipinos.
Although the Philippines’ outsourcing sector sparks images of customer service agents, its scope of services spans across industries, from accounting to graphic design. Let’s find out why foreign businesses outsource their design needs to a Filipino graphic designer.
The creative prowess of Filipino graphic designers is not to be scoffed at. With a strong background in the theoretical and practical application of design principles, their skills bring to life original designs that incite customer engagement, drive business innovation, and maintain visual consistency across different materials. As a country that values education, a college degree is seen as the ultimate goal of Filipino students. Because of college, students are exposed to different design concepts and projects, priming them for what’s ahead outside the classroom. Since the best BPO companies and top creative agencies require college degrees, Filipino graphic designers already have the edge when applying for work.
Hiring in-house graphic designers is costlier than hiring virtual graphic designers. When you hire in-house, you shoulder the cost of training, employee benefits, and additional office spaces and equipment. But when you outsource a graphic design to the Philippines — a country with a low cost of living — you spend less on labor and overhead costs as outsourcing companies take care of the recruitment and training process. Salaries are also lower in the Philippines, with Filipino graphic designers earning around ₱25,000 ($426) to ₱35,000 ($597) per month. Contrast this to the United States, where graphic designers earn $4,309 to $5,107 per month. While these don’t account for experience and skill level, it’s evident that graphic designers from the Philippines are a better option for cost-effectiveness.
Real-time collaboration and round-the-clock productivity are the advantages of working with an outsourced graphic designer: real-time collaboration and round-the-clock productivity. When you hire a graphic designer from the Philippines, they can work on projects at night — most likely, from 8 pm to 5 am local time — and collaborate with you as if they’re in your office, preventing delays and communication hiccups. You can also build another offshore creative team to cover downtimes. Either way, you don’t have to adjust your business’s usual working hours. Filipinos are adaptable and hardworking, so they’re more than eager to lend you a helping hand in your design needs — even if it means working at odd hours.
Like virtual assistants, graphic designers offer different services, from logo design to web design. Although there’s a misconception of graphic design being an “easy” job, or that a designer can do anything and everything you ask for, it’s important to understand that graphic designers have their own niche and specialization. Yes, some designers are jack-of-all-trades, whereas others choose to excel in 3D design, product design, and branding. So without further ado, let’s explore some of the most common graphic design services.
A logo designer creates a symbol representing the client’s business. It involves the use of visual elements — from imagery to color choices — to create a recognizable brand image that drives customer loyalty.
Social media design involves the production of visual content for social media platforms to engage users and solidify a business’s online presence.
A web designer focuses on conceptualizing and creating a visually appealing and user-friendly website. Web design is different from web development, where the latter centers on the technical side of website creation such as coding and debugging.
Illustrators create professional, beautifully rendered artwork for marketing campaigns and print or digital media.
3D designers use 3D modeling programs like Blender to produce high-quality 3D models according to the visual and creative requirements of the client. Because of the inherent complexity of 3D design, this graphic design service requires technical and artistic knowledge.
A motion graphics designer is responsible for producing captivating animations that enhance visual storytelling and communicate information. Motion graphics design also requires graphic designers to have expert knowledge of Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, and many other programs.
Before you hire graphic designers and create your first job posting, it’s always important to learn the different hierarchy levels of the graphic design ladder. Doing so helps you gain a clearer goal and vision of the type of expertise you need for your project.
A junior graphic designer is a newcomer to the professional world. While they are degree holders, a junior graphic designer has little to no job experience. To build their experience and design expertise, junior designers are responsible for assisting other graphic designers in various design projects. On top of that, they can also design logos, edit typography, partake in design decisions, and the like.
Mid-level graphic designers have, on average, around three to five years of job experience under their belt. Unlike a junior graphic designer, a mid-level designer is expected to take on more complex projects with little supervision and execute innovative design solutions. Mid-level graphic designers also work with project managers and senior and junior graphic designers.
With over five years of job experience, a senior graphic designer is responsible for leading mid-level and junior graphic designers, providing creative direction, overseeing the quality of outputs, and collaborating with clients. Overall, a senior graphic designer must have the creative and leadership prowess to thrive in this role.
Being an art director and creative director is one of the highest roles a graphic designer can achieve in their career. An art director takes on more leadership roles than a mid-level or senior graphic designer. They visualize ideas, provide input on a project’s visual aesthetics, share design drafts with the client or creative director, and disseminate feedback to the graphic design team.
On the other hand, a creative director is the equivalent of a project lead. Their job responsibilities include pitching ideas to clients, supervising their graphic design team, providing feedback and revisions, and executing design ideas.
Hiring a Filipino graphic designer is not a complete cakewalk. Without a solid plan or a clear idea of your design project, your potential candidates will be left hanging and confused. If you want the best graphic designer for your creative team, here’s how to get your hiring process on the right track.
One mistake you should not make when hiring graphic designers is expecting them to do every task — from designing a website to creating a motion graphics animation. Remember, Filipino graphic designers are not superhumans; they have their niche too. If you’re having trouble identifying your design needs, these questions will serve as your guide:
Don’t forget to identify the scope of your design needs, as this will influence the position’s type of employment. If you’re outsourcing graphic design, your answers will be of great help to graphic design firms and outsourcing companies.
A job posting is like a resume but for businesses. Like resumes, job postings should be tailored to the position. If you’re hiring an art director, the job listing should include all the skills, qualifications, and responsibilities of that position.
To craft a compelling job description, begin with a catchy summary of the role. Briefly include how the role will impact your company and the Filipino graphic artist. This should answer the question: “Why should the candidate apply to my company?”
Next, list down the key job responsibilities of the role. Again, this depends on the position. Leadership responsibilities, for example, should be reserved for a senior graphic designer, art director, or creative director.
Then, write down the qualifications of the position — whether that’s a four-year graphic design or fine art degree, or experience working as a graphic designer in a related industry as your business. In addition, don’t just include “proficient in various design programs” without specifying the names of the software. List down the role’s salary range and soft skills, as well.
After reviewing your job posting, it’s time to put it where everyone can see it. You can post your job advertisement on LinkedIn, Upwork, and other online platforms. Optimizing your listing goes a long way, too. Use keywords and sprinkle them throughout your listing as needed, potentially reaching more Filipino graphic designers.
As your inbox gets swamped by cover letters, resumes, and project proposals, it’s time to shortlist candidates for the position. Read all your candidates’ resumes and curate their portfolios. Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself when screening Filipino graphic designers:
Shortlisted candidates are, of course, qualified for an interview. Ask the right questions — both icebreakers and open-ended questions — and you’ll know by the end of the interview if a Filipino graphic artist is the right one for the job, at least for now.
For candidates, a test task is the final battle. Test tasks should not only mirror real-world tasks, they should also be related to the job position and your company. They test a Filipino designer’s ability to think outside the box and solve design problems. Include the following elements in your test task:
Congratulations! Your Filipino graphic designer is now onboarded into your team. These tips to ensure a smooth onboarding process:
No matter the industry, graphic designers are always in demand. Because the creative industry is competitive, graphic designers must invest in their skills, widen their expertise, update their portfolios, keep up with design trends, and network with other creatives. With a rich pool of graphic designers abroad and in the Philippines, finding and hiring the right graphic artist is a job in itself.
Fortunately, foreign businesses love the creativity and resilience of Filipino creatives. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of hiring an in-house or freelance graphic designer, you can — instead — outsource to KDCI.
KDCI is a Philippine-based BPO with extensive experience in providing exceptional graphic design services to clients. Because of our dedication to success, we only hire and onboard the best graphic designers. Our graphic designers are not only equipped with creative and technical skills, they also have the grit and industry knowledge to scale your business.
Sounds exciting? Contact us to kick off your outsourcing journey with a bang!
What started out as a few agents, has grown into an invaluable partnership with KDCI. With more than 40 team members, we are lucky enough to count as part of our Cedar Family. Thank you so much KDCI for making our Company better!
We have found KDCI to be a consistently reliable partner, always willing to ‘go the extra mile’ to ensure our valued customers receive the best possible service.
KDCI plays a very important role in our catalog and content operations. They are responsive, kind, and always willing to help us as much as possible. We have been working together for more than 4 years, and we hope our partnership will be even more fruitful in the future.
Having collaborated with KDCI.co for our creative needs, I can confidently attest to their unparalleled expertise and dedication. Their team consistently delivered innovative solutions that not only met, but often exceeded our expectations. Their professionalism and attention to detail are commendable.
KDCI were able to grow with us with any future requirements. We have a lot to do when it comes to our business, and everytime we come back, they're right there with us and able to deliver.
KDCI's team has been instrumental in helping us not only modernize our platforms but also increase the experiences for the customer, and to deliver on the tsunami of content that came their way.
We had a lot of difficulty finding qualified talent in the United States. Honestly, I don't think we had thought about outsourcing at all as a potential option, but we were very open to it once we heard about it. We love our KDCI team. They're just like a regular part of our team, it's just that they're thousands of miles away.
It's been five years since we started working with KDCI, and it just keeps getting better and better. We've grown together and achieved a lot of shared success. Overall, they're incredibly professional yet fun to work with. We are incredibly happy to have found them.
We're so glad we partnered with KDCI to develop a unique platform that delivers personalized customer experiences without compromising functionality or security. It was an amazing experience, I won't hesitate to start another project with them again.
