Finance & Accounting

What is Bookkeeping?

Bookkeeping refers to the process of recording transactions to general and special journals and posting these transactions to their respective ledgers. This should be done by applying generally-accepted accounting principles (GAAP) the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) for US companies. Bookkeeping is an important record-keeping function of financial accounting that is essential in a duly-registered business of any kind.

Bookkeeping function consists of the first three steps of the accounting cycle: analyzing transactions, recording transactions in the general journal, and posting the transactions to the ledger. Most businesses outsource bookkeeping because hiring bookkeepers is expensive and most small-medium businesses doesn’t do large volumes of transactions per day.

The bookkeeping function is best outsourced in order to keep administrative costs low while helping small businesses grow and become stable. Another advantage is that you are assured that you are working with a skilled and competent professional that has the appropriate experience and educational background for the job. Outsource Accelerator provides you the best bookkeeping outsourcing companies in the Philippines, where you can save up-to 70% on staffing cost.

What is a Customer Service?

Customer service is a process of delivering a product or service to a customer in an efficient, accessible, cost-effective, and satisfying manner. It is creating a relationship that involves trust and builds loyalty, even after the delivery is made. Customer service is knowing how to deal with customers and understanding their needs and wants. It is finding what customers want during the entire process of delivering the product or service.

Excellent customer service is knowing when to ask the right questions to get the correct answers. It is listening wholeheartedly to your customers as if you’ve known them for a very long time. Excellent customer service is learning to adapt and provide solution to each individual client. It is discovering the right level of judgment then and there. Most importantly, in-depth knowledge of the products or services you offer is the ultimate foundation of a great customer service experience. Communication skills, creating the right environment, and being friendly aren’t enough if you don’t have in-depth knowledge of the product or service that your company offers.

Outsource Accelerator provides you the best customer service outsourcing companies in the Philippines, where you can save up-to 70% on staffing cost. We have over 3,000 articles, 200+ podcast episodes, and a comprehensive directory with 700+ BPOs… all designed to make it easier for clients to learn about, and engage with, outsourcing.

What is Payroll?

Payroll can refer to three things: 1) the calculation and distribution of paychecks, 2) the record of wages, taxes, contributions, and withholdings of employees, and 3) the total amount paid to employees by the company.

Payroll is important in different ways. For employees, the payroll is important for living expenses, and a timely or late paycheck can spell the difference between good and bad morale. For businesses, payroll is important to see the actual net profit for the fiscal period. For business owners, a properly done payroll is important for compliance with the law. For this reason, many businesses entrust their payroll to dedicated professionals who can process them with speed and accuracy.

One of the more popular outsourced function is the payroll process. Because of the importance of having an efficient payroll, companies that can afford to do so tend to outsource it to dedicated professionals. Outsourcing companies in the Philippines are experienced with the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) that are being followed in the country they are servicing.

Outsource Accelerator connects you with payroll firms that have extensive experience with the regulatory framework in the US and have a proven track record in accuracy and timeliness in payroll delivery. We make it easier for clients to learn about, and engage with payroll outsourcing.

What is Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)?

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is the engagement of services from a third-party provider. BPO uses various technology-enabled services to hasten the delivery of services. The business activities could be back-office such as, but not limited to, payroll, accounting, human resources, or front office jobs like customer service, sales, and marketing, etc. In the case of content providers, these business activities could mean hiring writers, remote editors, or virtual assistants.

BPO speeds up processes and enhances efficiency. Companies that outsource some of their business activities use their time on core services and competencies. With this shift in focus, companies improve their current processes that may result in improved customer satisfaction. BPO helps companies divert their resources to more critical business strategies. Often, companies find it impractical to hire a full-time position in-house because of the cost associated with doing so.

When a business engages an external specialist to manage and operate some of its internal processes, it's referred to as business process outsourcing. Such ‘processes’ include customer service, accounting and finance, or sales. It is different from hiring an agency to do specific tasks, as the outsourcing provider (BPO) is more concerned with the ongoing production of labour-intensive tasks, instead of the higher-level strategy and guidance.

Now, business process outsourcing has broadened and is more akin to staff augmentation, or staff leasing.

There are many benefits to outsourcing, as well as some downsides and risks. The common benefits include:

The business process outsourcing sector is a vast industry, generating over $200bn annually, and employing many millions of people worldwide. Some examples include:

Facebook and Uber outsource many of their operational functions, including content moderation for Facebook, and customer service for Uber

A medium business with 50-500 staff might outsource the labour-intensive accounting and finance functions to a team in the Philippines.

It is common for small business owners to have a Virtual Assistant (VA) working for hem full time, remotely from the Philippines.

The type of business process outsourcing can be characterised by their specialisation, location, and size.

Business process outsourcing is in the human resources and professional services sector. However, their services extend across all industries. The majority of BPOs are generalist, in that they offer a full range of professional services, although some specialise in certain verticals (ie accounting, or animation).

Business process outsourcing typically operates form developing nations such as the Philippines, India, and Colombia. They typically have cheaper cost-of-living and bigger populations. Different locations offer different advantages.

The bigger BPOs employ more than 250,000 people. They are huge, global operations. Medium-sized BPOs range from 500-5,000 staff and offer a full range of services. The smaller BPOs might have 1-500 people.

Collectively, business process outsourcing provides any kind of staffing solution. Common functions of BPO include:

A wide range of BPO companies in different parts of the world provide utmost services to their Western and local clients. Many of them have even earned awards and recognitions by award-giving bodies due to their performance on both the roles they take and on their way of taking care of the employees.

Check out the top BPO companies in several outsourcing destinations below:

Outsource Accelerator is the most trusted source for independent information & advisory for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). We have over 4,000 articles, 200+ podcast episodes, and a comprehensive directory with 700+ BPOs… all designed to make it easier for clients to learn about, and engage with, business process outsourcing.