Frequently Asked Questions

How can we help you? Choose a category to find the answers to the commonly raised questions.

General

How does Booth & Partners outshine the competition?

B&P is more than just your outsourcing partner, but an extension of your business. We take pride in the work we do as much as we value our partners. We know that the best way to provide you with unmatched staffing solutions is to generate a deeper understanding of your business coupled with our own proven process.

We offer exceptional tailored outsourcing solutions to local and global clients—helping you build high-performance teams across various industries through our comprehensive talent acquisition process and dynamic sourcing strategies to help you find the right people.

More than the outsourcing services we offer, we also make sure that our business impact isn’t just customer work. We genuinely play our part in our environmental and social responsibility by integrating sustainability into all areas of our decision-making. We are a Climate Neutral certified business and a partner of 1% for the Planet organization. Partnering with us gives you the opportunity to take part in reducing the global carbon footprint and achieving a sustainable future.

How would you describe the company culture of Booth & Partners?

The fabric of our company culture is created everyday by all of the driven, committed people who work with us. We recognize and value our people as our most important assets in achieving both our company and client’s goals.

We bring a spirit of innovation to our employee engagement and wellness initiatives, and give them the same energy and care as our core products and services and we believe this is what makes our approach exceptional. We always have been people first and understand our employees’ well-being from a holistic perspective.

We make this possible by implementing a company-wide well-being survey for us to deeply understand our employee’s fears, needs, wants, problems and concerns. From the results we gather, we work into determining well-being initiatives and campaigns that align with their needs.

We echo Gallup’s concept of employee engagement: “Engaged employees are those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.” We regularly launch fitness campaigns, Yoga classes, local health-related wellness events, regular slack games, online webinars which have resulted in positive feedback and high engagement from our employees. These initiatives contributed to increased employee morale, increased productivity, work quality, and talent retention.

Recognizing employee contribution is the fuel that fires our employees’ strong engagement and performance. We make sure to recognize our employees in technology-savvy and efficient ways, be it peer-to-peer, manager-to-subordinate, and from the management.

At the core of every process and initiative is our company culture. For us this embodies the values, behaviors, and shared vision that contribute to the environment of our organization. An engaging, enjoyable company culture can attract the right talent, and can also inspire employees to perform at their best. The culture sets the tone and outlines our values and this ultimately drives Booth & Partners under a common vision.

What are the benefits of outsourcing to the Philippines with Booth & Partners?

The value of tailored outsourcing service.

One size doesn’t fit all. We believe everyone needs a partner who can seamlessly and uniquely integrate their services to your business without offering the same thing twice.

We strive to deliver the top-quality, tailored staffing solutions and recruitment process for businesses of all sizes that can significantly reduce your operating costs for up to 70%.

We can be the extension of your team, providing you with the right people, right solutions that could help scale your business while growing your market.

How will outsourcing impact my in-house staff?

Offshoring allows you to seamlessly integrate your offshore team with your in-house operations. It helps free up your onshore staff with the non-core business processes. It allows them to focus on the core business functions or their original role in the company. They’ll surely be grateful for allowing them to do what they do best.

When done right, outsourcing can help strengthen your business and ensure long-term sustainability, which is excellent for local employees as it eliminates the possibility of reducing local staff.

Can I outsource even if I’m a small or medium-sized business?

Outsourcing as a business strategy is often misunderstood as a tool that large corporations can only use. Small companies routinely outsource their payroll processing, accounting, distribution, and many other important functions to focus their human resources where they need them the most.

Outsourcing is a way for SMEs to scale their business quickly and more efficiently while saving costs. It helps reduce overhead expenses, which results in increased revenue for operational growth. Here are some of the well-known benefits of outsourcing:

1. Lowers operational expenses (due to economies of scale or lower labor rates)
2. Increases efficiency
3. Variable capacity
4. Increases focus on strategy/core competencies
5. Provides access to skills and resources
6. Increases flexibility to meet changing business and commercial conditions
7. Accelerates time to market

How do I get started?

To start your outsourcing journey, get in touch with us! There are three ways to connect with us:

You can chat with one of our representatives through our website’s live chat feature.
Give us a call through our hotline number PH: +632-8529-4491.
Fill out our Contact Us form and we will get back to you.

We will respond to your request as soon as possible or within 24 hours.

Location and Operations

Where are your offices located?

Our offices are strategically located in one of the well-known central business districts in the Philippines, Makati CBD. We have 5 sites in 3 different buildings

We focus our facility expansion in this area as it is the best location for talent recruitment within the Philippines. The location is well-served by public transportation, making it easier for our team members to access the office as compared to other areas in Manila and beyond. There are many international hotels and F&B options around the area that suit our team members’ needs and yours as well.

What are Booth & Partners’ facilities like?

Our office spaces are designed with an intention and purpose to cue and sustain good work habits and create a real work environment. We want to focus on what really matters: impacting people and processes through physical space, top-notch amenities, and high-grade facilities that support our operations.

Workspace features:

Well-designed work zones

-Private Office Spaces
-Open Work Area
-Break-out Room
-Meeting Rooms
-Interview Pods

Professional Amenities:

-Super Fast Internet Connection
-24/7 High Security Access (biometric scan)
-Concierge & IT Support
-Access to Meeting Rooms
-Access to Pantry
-Inclusive Utilities
-Cleaning Services

Take a virtual tour of our office here.

Which time zone are Booth & Partners’ offices in?

Our offices are located in Makati City, Philippines, which is UTC+8, but there’s nothing to worry about as you have the freedom to decide about your team’s work schedule. They are flexible and are willing to work at any given time. They can adjust to your business hours if that’s what you need.

Here’s a comparison of Manila time to a few major cities around the world:

Manila (PHT) California (PST) New York (EST) London (GMT) Paris (CET) Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane (AEST)
8 AM
Tuesday
5 PM
Monday
8 PM
Monday
12 AM
Tuesday
1 AM
Tuesday
10 AM
Tuesday

 

Will my clients know that my business calls are coming from or going to the Philippines?

No, we use VOIP services that can match area codes, private or toll-free numbers of your choice. Plus, our agents have a neutral accent and our telephone lines transmit excellent quality.

Are site visits possible?

Yes, we encourage you to visit our site to get a good grasp of our company culture and facilities. You may contact our team if you want to schedule a visit. We’re looking forward to seeing you!

Recruitment

What roles can I outsource with Booth & Partners?

Booth & Partners offers a wide range of roles you can outsource. You may visit our talent specializations page to check the available roles.

Didn’t see the role you’re looking for on our talent specializations page? Get in touch with us and let’s see what we can do for you.

What languages can your employees at your center support?

Our employees are bi-lingual. They are fluent in both Filipino and English languages with natural speech accent.

Other languages we support are Vietnamese, Spanish, Japanese, and Mandarin.

What is Booth & Partners’ recruitment process?

To make sure we get the most ideal candidate for the role, we have a 9-step tailored recruitment process:

1) Sourcing
2) Profiling & Matching
3) Shortlisting
4) Go-see
5) Aptitude Tests
6) Second Interview
7) Final Interview
8) Background Checks
9) Final Approval / Job Offer

Our standard lead time to source candidates for back-office roles is 30 days. We provide 2 days of onboarding training prior to releasing the employees to our clients to start client process training.

At B&P, we recognize diversity and the value it brings to our customers and employees. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

Do I get to speak or interview potential candidates before hiring?

Definitely! You’re a part of the recruitment process as we want to make sure you’ll get the employees fit for your campaign requirements.

Once we have selected the potential candidates, we will schedule an interview with you and the talent. You get to choose the best candidates for your team.

Describe your vetting/background check process.

Our standard background check consists of the following:

1) NBI (National Bureau of Investigation)/Police clearance
2) Employment background check from both the HR and immediate supervisor/manager from the candidate’s previous employer. These commonly take about 2 weeks up to a month to be completed.

At cost, we can also provide an in depth background check which consists of educational, community, and credit checks which will take up to a month or longer to be completed.

We also have Pre-Employment Medical Exam (PEME) under our HMO provider which should be completed within the first 2 weeks of the employee. This covers physical exam, laboratory tests, and drug tests.

HR & Payroll

What is Booth & Partners's attrition rate?

Our retention rate is at 99.08%.

What if one of my agents is not performing well, how will you deal with it?

We hire candidates culture-fit to your business requirements. This helps us future-proof your campaign, preventing issues like this to arise.

However, in case this happens, our first step is to have the employee undergo some training sessions to help him improve within a period of time. If the KPIs and other expectations are still not met after the observation period, we will then proceed with the proper termination process as follows:

1. For probationary employees or employees undergoing the first six months of employment, they may be terminated from their position in the company upon receiving any of the following:
a. A performance evaluation grade lower than 3 over 5.
b. Second Written warning or the 4th level in our Disciplinary Process

2. For regular employees or employees who have been with the company for 6 months or more, the Philippine Labor Law requires us to go through the entire Disciplinary Process until termination of employment is reached, which is the 7th level in our Disciplinary Process.

Does B&P have a telecommuting policy?

Yes, our telecommuting plan has been carried out successfully with support from top management, our crisis management team and our IT team to make sure our team members are provided with the technology and tools to ensure smooth operations. Here are some of other things we do:

1) We encourage our Supervisors and Managers to conduct weekly virtual meetings with their team to check-in, give announcements, share ideas, and many more through Zoom or Google Meet.

2) Use multiple message boards and platforms for company communication. It includes Slack, HR Intranet Site, Self-Service Portal, company email, and social media announcements.

3) Conduct a Focus Group Discussion and Employee Satisfaction Survey. Here, a number of employees are invited to sit with HR on a monthly basis to discuss their overall experience with the company. A satisfaction survey is sent after the session. The results are then shared with the concerned parties for further improvement of the employee experience.

Beyond technology and functional processes, we have also established a virtual open-door management policy, just as there is in the office. Making sure people are accessible and can be easily engaged. We have also made sure our Technical Support Team is always available so all of our remote workers can get help when needed. But the core of any telecommuting program is trust and we are lucky to have amazing people working with us that made this transition less bumpy.

How have your employee engagement strategies evolved to support remote and/or physically distanced work environments?

We bring a spirit of innovation to our employee engagement and wellness initiatives, and give them the same energy and care as our core products and services. We believe this is what makes our approach exceptional.

We learned to adapt to the new normal not only in terms of doing business, but also in keeping our employee engagement activities active and efficient. The development in technology has made it easier for us. We utilize digital tools and equipment, and have successful held remarkable company events such as the following:

1. Training sessions and seminars on employee welfare and development through webinars
2. Monthly competitive engagement activities through virtual meetings
3. Virtual Company-wide Year-end Party
4. Virtual Sportsfest
5. Team Building
6. Virtual Town Hall Meeting
7. Various contests through photo and video submission

What are the standard employee benefits?

Our standard employee benefits include the following:

1. Leave Benefits (Filed and tracked through our Human Resource Information System)
2. Healthcare Coverage
3. Life Insurance (Based on the tenure of the employee)

What additional benefits can I give my offshore team?

If you’re happy with the performance of your outsourced team and looking at possibilities to give additional benefits or perks to them, feel free to speak to your account manager to discuss additional ways you can further show your appreciation to the team for a job well done.

What does Booth & Partners do to retain employees?

Booth & Partners is passionate about retaining its employees. We conduct monthly engagement activities and regular surveys to assess the pulse of the staff. We have built-in performance incentives that help inspire the punctuality and productivity of our employees. Basically, we always make sure that our people are happy and satisfied with their roles and responsibilities in the company while helping them advance in their personal and career goals.

Services

What services do you offer?

We have 3 main services: Staff Leasing, Managed Services, and Employer of Record

1) Staff Leasing Services – Also known as our “co-managed” staffing solution. Here, we will provide you with the right people tailor-fit to your business requirements. The best part is, you get to retain full operational control. You will manage your team and give directives while we, as your outsourcing partner, will oversee the operations and provide regular reports. Additionally, we will be your support arm that will take care of non-core business activities such as recruitment, HR, IT, payroll, and other processes for you.

Booth & Partners has 3 staff leasing models to choose from:
a. Remote Work – When you want a highly-skilled full remote team.
b. Dedicated Office Space – When you need office-based employees.
c. FlexiPlace – When you want a mix of remote and office-based work setup.

2) Managed Services – Most commonly known as the “fully managed” or the “traditional” staffing solution. Here, we will build a curated team of highly skilled professionals for the specific business function you need to outsource. You will be the one to identify the KPIs and SLAs while our management team will oversee your offshore team’s day-to-day operations. We will ensure that we are meeting your requirements to help achieve your business goals.

3) Employer of Record – An outsourcing strategy for businesses in need of additional staff temporarily to augment the capacity of their in-house team. In most cases, the clients under this service only need a presence in the Philippines and a little back-end support, such as in HR, payroll, and administrative tasks.

4) Workspace Solutions – With offices nestled in the Makati Central Business District, Booth & Partners offers premier serviced offices thoughtfully designed to support individual and team needs. Our modern serviced office amenities, concierge support, and flexible plans is especially made to foster a culture of professionalism and purpose to help you create your best work.

Is there a minimum service contract term?

Our minimum service contract term is 6 months for trial term. After the trial term and you would want to continue partnering with us as an extension of their team, the minimum service contract term is 1 year thereafter.

Is there a minimum number of agents we need to hire?

When you outsource to Booth & Partners, there is no minimum number of agents you need to hire. You can hire at least 1 full-time employee with the provision to expand or scale the team as we and your campaign progress.

Can I hire part-time staff?

Yes, you may hire part-time staff from Booth & Partners. However, we recommend that you get in touch with one of our Operations Managers to explore more about our services and how you can maximize your costs. We will be happy to assist you on your initial requirements provided that you have a plan to hire full-time employees and grow your offshore team.

What hours do staff work?

Our staff are flexible and are willing to work the hours your business requires them to. This is especially helpful for clients who work in different time zones to the Philippines. If you need your outsourced staff to work according to your in-house team’s business hours, we will accommodate and make sure they will work and stay connected during your preferred schedule.

Are the agents dedicated or shared between clients?

Our agents are dedicated as we want to ensure the quality of result by letting them focus on a specific campaign.

Cost & Benefits

How much can I save by outsourcing to the Philippines?

When you outsource some of your business functions to the right service provider, you can save up to 70% on your operational costs. The labor cost in the Philippines is relatively lower than other well-known outsourcing countries in the world. You can get the business help you need at a more affordable price without compromising the quality.

Plus, you don’t need to purchase equipment, tools, and other materials that your outsourced staff needs. We will provide it including the office space and other perks and benefits for your team. Also, we use up-to-date tools to speed up and simplify work.

What are the benefits of outsourcing to the Philippines?

Outsourcing to the Philippines offers many advantages to businesses of all sizes. Here are just some of the benefits you can expect when you get an offshore team in the Philippines:

1) Save up to 70% on your operational costs.
2) Business flexibility
3) Access to advanced technology and infrastructure
4) Access to the professional and highly skilled talent pool
5) Government support (Tax benefits and exemptions)
6) Better communication as Filipinos have a high literacy rate and English proficiency
7) Allows you to focus on the core business processes

To know more about the benefits of outsourcing to the Philippines, read these articles:
Business Advantages of Outsourcing in the Philippines
– Outsourcing to the Philippines: Why It’s The Best Decision You Can Make for Your Business
– 14 Reasons to Love Outsourcing

What is your pricing structure?

Our pricing model is structured in a cost + model. There is an initial recruitment fee per employee. It is a one-time charge to get client commitment and cover cost of Marketing & Recruitment for the role. The costs per month are broken into 2 categories:

1. Staff Costs
2. Management Fees

The staff costs cover the following:

1. Basic salary & allowance
2. All Philippine government mandated and standard benefits being offered to the employee (SSS, PhilHealth, PAGIBIG, 13th Month Pay, Sick & Vacation leave, Medical Insurance (HMO), Life Insurance, premium pay for working on Philippine holidays and / or night shift, and performance incentive bonus.

The Management fees cover the following:

1. HR support
2. Payroll processing
3. Computer equipment
4. IT Support
5. Engagement Activities
6. Client Services Support
7. Facility usage (if office based)

Training

Who will provide the training?

Our certified trainers will be facilitating the training. Our trainers have more than 10 years of experience in the industry and have facilitated multiple classes under different verticals.

What training programs do Booth & Partners offer?

We organize training programs for the purpose of developing our employees in line with the corporate strategy, target, mission, and principles of service quality. The training programs are intended to provide our employees with the competencies and skills required for professional performance of the job.

At Booth & Partners, it is our goal to create a learning organization and supply our employees with continuous improvement. We are aware that becoming leaders of our industry depends on sustainable learning and development. We encourage a life-learner attitude that fits our company culture by offering career development opportunities both within and outside the organization.

As we look to a future that has become even more digital, and given our work-from-home setup, we have reimagined our learning workplace through the B&P Academy—our very own learning program which provides on-boarding training, technical skills development training, soft skills development training, products and services training, leadership training, and others to our employees via online training and webinars.

Performance Measurement & Reporting

What KPI will be used to measure the effectiveness of your service?

Our standard KPI includes Attendance of at least 95% and Competencies of 3 (Meets). Apart from these, we identify and choose KPIs by collaborating with you based on the role description and business requirements directly related to business goals.

How do you measure the productivity of the team and how is it tracked?

We measure the teams’ productivity by extracting reports from platforms being used by different campaign to determine the productivity scores. In addition to this, we have a Reports Analyst who sends weekly productivity report.

Quality Assurance

Are the call recordings archived and available for client review? If yes, how long will it be archived?

Yes, calls are recorded for training and quality purposes. These recordings are automatically saved in call logs for up to 90 days, with up to 100,000 recordings per account, and are available for your review upon request.

Can you describe Booth & Partners’ quality assurance practices and internal evaluation for agents?

We have robust practices in maintaining our quality assurance. We have bi-monthly calibration with the stakeholders and we coach every opportunity we find to always exceed your expectations. We also revisit our QA guideline every now and then to maintain quality and address new concerns. We have a structured QA Coaching evaluation that helps our agents succeed with the guidance of Training, Quality and Operations.

How do you handle call monitoring on and off-site?

Onsite monitoring is done by sitting beside the agent in the office and offsite monitoring is done via video call and screensharing.

Data Security

How do you ensure data management and information security, especially for work-from-home employees?

In compliance with Philippine Data Privacy Act, and other data privacy act (i.e. GPDR) as requested by clients.

Depending on the requirement of each campaign (i.e. restriction to save files in local drive, restriction on printing information on paper, restriction on file access through VPN, etc.)

We utilize Google workspace as collaboration tool. Rules are in place for email and chats wherein potential malicious content (virus, trojan, phishing emails) are flagged and/blocked. Users can also report spam and phishing emails wherein a notification to IT department is setup. Single Sign-on and multi-factor authentication are enforced accordingly.

All devices has ZScaler Secure Internet Access installed which filters the URLs that the employee is accessing. Restrictions are applied but not limited to the following:

o Adult Material
o Drugs
o Some Entertainment and Recreation sites
o Gambling
o Games
o Sites with Illegal content
o Malicious Sites
o Violence, Weapons, and Bombs
o Alcohol, Tobacco
o Most Social Media Sites

All traffics are passed through the filter to be analyzed but no data is stored.

We have a NOC room that is used to monitor service status and stability. This includes the volume of calls with Ring Central for potential frauds and number of threats blocked by ZScaler.

How will I know if the data and information of my business are secured and protected in the employees side?

Booth & Partners takes data security seriously as we are aware that data is the new oil of businesses. Many of our clients have their own platform for data and information. They manage the storage of their data to keep it safe. In addition to this, we have security measures and procedures in place to help protect the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of our client’s data such as the following:

1. We properly screen all candidates and our employees, and make sure that they have submitted NBI (National Bureau of Investigations) clearance in the Philippines before hiring them. Plus, we provide them with the tools to keep our workplace safe and secure.
2. Our employees’ computers and laptops have limited and restricted access to the internet.
3. All servers and workstations run Virus Scan software that is always updated.
4. Our internal network is protected with a firewall and monitored daily by our IT team for performance and security.
5. We have a strict computer security policy that is enforced and monitored by our IT team.
6. Our employees sign NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) that could help protect all the data and information you share with us.

Telecom Infrastructure

Can you describe the technology infrastructure of Booth & Partners including that of work-from-home setup?

On-Premise:

Internet – 2 ISPs setup in failover configuration, connected to PFSense gateway firewall which filters traffic. The access points are scattered in the office wherein only the allowed employees can connect. Our LAN connection is established through access switches and the traffic is segmented per department and firewall rules are applied for each segment.

Power – The building has backup power in case of interruptions. Our server room has 2 UPS connected to 2 separate power strips acting as redundancy in case of a UPS or power strip failure. Core devices has redundant power supply unit connected to different power strips.

Security – CCTV cameras are installed in common and administrative areas in which only the IT team has access. Footage requests can be made which is subject for approval. Our main doors are protected with biometrics door lock system while private rooms have standalone RFID door lock system.

End-devices and Work-from-home

Restrictions are in place in laptops and desktops which includes inability of employee to install applications (will require elevation to IT team), restriction of file saving to local drives, device authentication with Google Workspace, and secure internet access with Zscaler. Laptop and desktops has windows 10 Pro operating system and remote assist unattended access for remote support.

What is your internet bandwidth and what will you do in case there are connectivity issues?

Our primary ISP has a minimum bandwidth of 60 Mbps and our secondary ISP has minimum bandwidth of 30 Mbps. SLA levels with ISP providers were never breached and internet connectivity uptime is at 99.9902% for all sites.

For remote work setup, the company requires employees to have a minimum internet bandwidth connection as follows:

1. Data Entry, Chat Support, Sales, CS – At least 5 Mbps
2. Graphic Design, NOC, TSR – At least 10 Mbps
3. Marketing, Video Editing, heavy data – At least 20 Mbps

The company cannot ensure SLAs for remote work environment due to uncontrollable factors such as internet connection reliability, power interruptions, and many more.

Our office serves as a workspace hub for all employees where they can go to work in case that they cannot work at home due to power and internet related issues.

What is the quality of your telephone lines?

We utilize Ring Central for our VoIP in which we are at 98.9% Quality Score for end-to-end call sessions. Our MOS (Mean Opinion Score) is at 99% for scores of 3.5 and above for the first half of 2021.

Backup Systems

Do you have a backup Internet Service Provider in the event of outages?

We have a secondary internet service provider in case we experience interruption from our primary provider. It has a minimum bandwidth of 30 Mbps, which is adequate and can allow our employees to do their tasks.

Does the technical team monitor the network and servers and addresses general technical issues for staff 24/7?

Yes, we have our NASA (Network and Systems Administration) room or NOC (Network Operations Center). It is a control room that supports the team in responding to events and alert notifications through ITIL event management. It keeps in-office employees connected to the system and the central network so they can work continuously and efficiently. The same goes for the work-from-home workforce. It enables the IT team to remotely help resolve issues and keep on providing IT assistance even to remote work employees. Our IT team provides support 24/5 and have on-call assistance on weekends, enabling 24/7 support.

Can you also provide support to employes working from home?

Yes, our NASA room or NOC (Network Operations Center) enables the IT team to remotely monitor and help resolve issues for our remote work employees. It allows them to keep on providing IT assistance even from a distance. Our IT team provides support 24/5 and have on-call assistance on weekends, enabling 24/7 support.

In case of power outages, do you have a backup electric system?

In case of power outages, the office building has backup power. Our server room has 2 UPS connected to 2 separate power strips acting as redundancy in case of a UPS or power strip failure. Core devices has redundant power supply unit connected to different power strips.

How you deal with work-from-home employees experiencing power and internet outages?

For our employees working remotely, we have procedures to follow in case of power or internet connection interruption. They are required to report and provide updates about the situation immediately to their superior and should fill out a form we specifically created for situations like this. Work-from-home employees also have the option to work in the office when they experience power outages.

Others

I have a question not listed here.

For other questions and concerns, feel free to contact us.