In business, knowing how to best communicate with people will make or break a relationship. This is especially true when working with Filipinos. I’ve learned a few ways to help you and your Online Filipino Specialist stay on the same page and develop a trusting, successful partnership.
Filipinos need communication
Daily email
Other emails
Use a project management system
Chat and Video Call
Pick up the phone
Screen capture and recording
Ask a lot of questions
Don’t forget the feedback
Effective communication goes a long way
Filipinos need communication
Frequent, regular contact is important for your OFS—and it’s not just because they’re working remotely on the other side of the world.
By nature, Filipinos love to please and earn your approval. By communicating with them often, you give them that reassurance. It validates the work they’ve been doing. Through your training, teaching, and constructive feedback, you let your OFS know how they can improve and what they’re doing well. Your OFS will appreciate this and thrive because of it.
A simple “thank you” is always appreciated. It validates their work and motivates them. It helps them feel valued and important.
If you fail to communicate with your OFS, their work will slow down and their performance will suffer. Why? Because if you don’t bother to talk to your OFS or send emails, it sends a message that you simply don’t care about what they’re doing. A lack of communication tells your OFS that they’re not important. Their desire to fulfill assignments will diminish—and eventually, you’ll lose them.
Don’t be that boss who forgets about employees. Make communication a top priority. Let me outline some of the ways you can do this.
Daily email
We’ve covered this in other sections, but it’s so important we had to include it again here. That’s because the daily email is the best way to maintain good communication with your OFS.
Make the daily email a requirement. It’s a non-negotiable task they should complete every single workday.
It’s your OFS’s chance to ask questions and share frustrations, confusion, or achievements. You can then respond and address anything they brought up.
Not only does it make your OFS accountable—it keeps you informed on what they’re doing. It provides the connection your OFS needs and wants. Anything can be expressed in the daily email.
Other emails
Feel free to send additional emails to your OFS as needed—and invite them to do the same. Email is probably the fastest and easiest way to communicate back and forth. Respond to their emails as soon as you can. Don’t let them sit in your inbox and ignore them. This will destroy trust. You expect your OFS to answer your emails, so do the same for them.
Use a project management system
You might already be using a project management system to help keep track of your OFS’s assignments, deadlines, milestones, and other project essentials. A project management system can also be a great communication tool, since most of them come with built-in messaging features.
There are a number of project management systems out there, but I like Basecamp. It’s simple and thorough, and it works well with my Filipino OFSs. It’s easy to send messages through Basecamp and give your OFS directions and feedback. In turn, they can respond with questions and updates.
Chat and Video Call
Video calls can be a wonderful way for you and your OFS to get to know each other. It gives both of you a chance to see each other. It helps your OFS realize you’re not just some faceless figure from far away. From there, you slowly develop a sense of comfort and trust.
If both you and your OFS prefer chat over video calls, you can use Google Talk, Slack, Facebook Messenger, or even WhatsApp.
Pick up the phone
If you prefer, you can also call your OFS. This can be helpful if you have urgent, time-sensitive information.
There are a few things to keep in mind when calling the Philippines. First, your OFS is many hours ahead of you. If you’re in Los Angeles, for example, and your worker is in Manila, there’s a 15-hour time difference. That’s significant. Be aware of that when calling so you’re not trying to reach them in the middle of their night.
Second, calling the Philippines is expensive. The call could cost between $0.02 to $1 per minute, depending on your provider.
Ask if it costs them money to receive a phone call. Depending on the provider, your OFS may also be charged about $0.14 per call. Some phone companies offer it for free, so check that out.
Even if you and your OFS don’t plan on chatting much on the phone, it’s good to have their number in case you need to reach them in an emergency.
Screen capture and recording
If you’re not familiar with Snagit, you’ve got to get to know this screen capture and screen recording application. It’ll be one of the most valuable tools in working with your OFS. I use it all the time, and I absolutely love it. It makes giving feedback and instruction so easy.
I use Snagit to record audio and video and to send screenshots. Taking screenshots and recordings is so much easier than trying to write it all out in an email. With a video, I can just show my OFS exactly what they need to do.
Ask a lot of questions
When it comes to communicating with your OFS, the more you ask, the better. The more you ask, the more you know. The more you know, the easier it is to manage them and ask the right kinds of questions in the future. Here are a few I like to ask:
- Do you know how to do this?
Your OFS might know what you want them to do—but do they know how to accomplish that task according to your standards? Asking this helps you know what training or guidance they need. - Do you enjoy your job?
This is a straightforward question, but one you should ask often—especially if you see productivity or quality slipping. Your OFS’s answer may help you adjust the type of work you give them. It also gives them a chance to tell you what more you can do for them. - What do you think about this strategy?
This is a great question for more experienced OFSs. When you ask for their input, your OFS feels more included in the decision-making process. Be ready to listen—and if they have good ideas, consider using them. You’re the expert in your business, but you may be surprised by the insights your OFS can offer.
Don’t forget the feedback
Every time I ask my VAs what I do well, they always say I give great feedback. They love that I use Snagit and send them video feedback and instructions. The problem is—I don’t give enough of it.
Over the years, I’ve realized how important feedback is to Filipino culture. They want to know what they’re doing right. They want to get better at their jobs.
When they’ve done a good job, let them know. Go heavy on the compliments. Filipinos need praise. They need to feel like they’re doing things well.
Don’t be afraid to give negative feedback—but always start with the positive. Even if your OFS did something poorly, find something to compliment them on before pointing out what they did wrong.
Giving both positive and negative feedback has at least three benefits:
- It builds trust
- It builds a loyal, long-term, hard-working employee
- It builds your relationship
And when something goes wrong, take the blame first. Remember—you’re the one giving directions. Instead of berating your OFS, say something like, “I know I probably didn’t explain this very well,” or “We have a problem, and I know I probably messed up.” It shows you want to work with them to improve the situation.
Effective communication goes a long way
You didn’t hire a perfect person or hire a robot and a mind reader. You hired an Online Filipino Specialist. And you can’t expect your OFS to be successful without communicating with them.
About John Jonas
John helps business owners learn to outsource to the Philippines and replace themselves with virtual assistants.
Founded and owns OnlineJobs.ph.
He currently employs 14 amazing Filipino workers full-time and loves every one of them. He lives in Utah, has a wonderful wife, 4 amazing kids, and golfs 4-5 times/week.
Find John at JohnJonas.com and Facebook.
If you liked this, you’ll probably also like reading
– How To Overcome The 9 Biggest Challenges With Filipino VA’s
– Four Pillars of Managing Filipino Virtual Assistants
One thing I would add is that most Filipinos are very social and family oriented. Unlike the typical McMansion in America with large amounts of personal space for a huge desktop PC, in the Philippines people tend to rely on mobile devices for communication since it is more flexible that a PC. A messaging app like Whatsapp may work well or if you want them to to have a real USA phone number/SMS one option is a magicApp. I use it now in Asia and it works great.http://www.magicjack.com/magicApp.html
Hello. I am currently a customer. I need answers to the following to make me feel comfortable hiring a filipino employee. I want to hire a salesperson. They will be making outbound calls to USA.
1) VOIP- Which provider do you recommend? This is what I need in a VOIP provider
A) I need VOIP reporting to track calls they have made
B) I need them to have a voicemail box
C) I need them to have a USA phone number
D) Cost effective- I would prefer unlimited calls and not have to pay per minute
2) CRM
A) I need to have a relatively robust and relatively inexpensive CRM to track sales prospecting.
B) CRM that has email templates and auto responders
C) CRM that has both user and administrative access.
D) Hopefully the CRM will allow me to email directly through it.
3) Internet Connection
A) What is minimum bandwidth freelancer needs to have 100% clear voip calls to usa?
B) What type of internet connection do you recommend to be installed in frelancers home?
C) What are the names of the reliable ISP’s you can recommend?
4) Work Environment
Do you think it is possible that my filipino salesperson can have 100% clear voip sales calls to usa AND a quiet and productive work environment by working from their home?
Or do I need to get them office spae?
What are the different names and URL’s of office space providers in philippines?
Which one do you recommend that has good internet/facilities along with good value?
Hi Matt!
Based on your requirements and specification, I think the best option would be to hire a call center. They would have most of your requirements built in the service.
There’s no such thing as 100% clear calls from the Philippines to the USA, especially for individual freelancers. And the set up process is especially difficult if you (and the VA) would be doing it yourselves.
Hello! I am just asking about VA whats all about for, or Do you manage drop shipping store?
Where is the information on the EasyPay service? Costs? Requirements?
For more information about easypay: https://www.onlinejobs.ph/easypay
I am paying member
Can I use timeproof
For track my va from different countries
Hi Silvio,
Thank you for your email. If you click the ‘Mark as Hired’ button on a worker’s OnlineJobs profile, you are able to monitor your worker’s progress. Your worker needs to download the TimeProof app so that you can monitor them
Heading misleading/confusing: Jing no longer exists.
Regular communication with Filipino virtual assistants is very important. They value feedback and approval, so staying in touch helps them understand expectations, improve their work, and feel appreciated, which makes them more motivated and effective in their tasks.