[00:00:01] Speaker A: This is Remote Rockstars, the Proximity Outsourcing Knowledge Suite.
Learn how we work, what makes us unique, how we stand out at taking care of our team, our client success stories, and get advice on the best practices that we discovered.
Listen in and let's scale your business fast and easy with Proximity Outsourcing.
[00:00:28] Speaker B: Hey guys, good morning. This is Karla Singh, son of Proximity Outsourcing. And welcome to Remote Rockstars, the Proximity Outsourcing Knowledge Suite. So we built this program for you because we want you guys to really have the best experience.
We want you to just review this, you know, on your own free time. I was actually going to make a series of videos, but I didn't want you sitting through all of them and staring at a screen when you could be doing something else. You know.
[00:01:00] Speaker B: As you know, time efficiency is the name of the game. And I'm a super big fan of that. That's why we are in the business of outsourcing. And so today I'm going to talk about the best practices of working with your RP or your remote professional and your csm, your client success manager. So at Proximity outsourcing, we call them RPS or remote pros, because we don't really work with just VAs. There's a huge range of remote professionals that we work with. We creatives, you know, the designers, video editors, content writers, we have managers, project managers, client success managers, operations managers. We have different kinds of assistance. There's Amazon vas, there's lead generation vas, we have appointment setters, we have email marketing managers, social media managers. So there's a lot of different kinds of remote professionals. And so that's why we call them rpm. Now when you start working with us, you're working with an RP and a CSM or client success manager at the same time. So you gotta understand that your CSM is your best friend, your main advocate in the business. And they are also the best friend and the main advocate of your rp. And so they will really be the bridge in terms of making sure that everything is working smoothly. And if there are any issues, you race it with your csm.
But of course, we also encourage an open line of communication with your rp. So let's start. This will be quick. I really wanted you guys to get the meat of the best practices. So let's start with onboarding. And so when you pay the recruitment and onboarding fee, onboarding is actually 70% of the reason why this hire becomes successful. A lot of the other companies out there outsourcing Companies, they just take your job description and then they maybe find someone for you, match you with an rp and then they don't really give you any guidance or they don't even facilitate the onboarding. So the onboarding is a huge part of the success of two companies or two entities basically working together. Especially that you guys work and are located in different countries, you grew up in different backgrounds and sometimes you need to communicate certain contexts and certain expectations. So to really make this onboarding magical and successful, of course we have the review of the job description that has been already discussed to you and presented to you before you even pay the investment to start the recruitment process. After that we go through recruitment, vetting, proficiency testing, we do interviews on our end. And that job description will also mention the success metrics. Usually these are three major things that really needs to happen in the role and it will also communicate the expectations which will make up the scorecard. And so at proximity outsourcing we have a 30, 60 and 90 day scorecard which will reflect the tasks in the job description, the expectations and the success metrics. Aside from that, there's two very important forms that we also give our clients. The first one is what we call the client chemistry form, which is kind of a qualitative interview, but like a text type interview on what it's like to work with you, what are you like as a boss, what is your leadership and communication style like? This is for us to really get to know what it's like to work with you as well. And so this is important because sometimes you've hired the perfect person, they're super skilled, but they do not match or they weren't aware of your communication style and your non negotiables and your leadership style. And so sometimes it raises problems. And so we definitely set that up at the beginning. You will be able to get this form as soon as you activate your contract.
The other form that we collect is the customer avatar form. So this is a way for your RP to get to know your clientele and really get to know your business. So we make you describe your business and your ideal client. And especially if it's a client facing role like a client success manager or maybe like an appointment setter or a project manager that also manages experts expectations of your client in your behalf. This is a very important document. Now let's talk about task management.
So here are just certain tips that you may think they're basic outsourcing tips, but a lot of our clients sometimes miss out on this and sometimes it's also your first time to outsource, your first time to work with a remote professional or your first time to work with someone from overseas who has a different culture. And so sometimes you're confused, but let's make it easy and simple for you.
So first, definitely set realistic deadlines. And so I want you to really communicate with your RP what the deadlines look like. Not just like keep it in your head, really say it explicitly, documented if possible in an email and then ask them for feedback as well if they think it's realistic and you can negotiate on it if they think it's not. And my advice is if you are trying to see how long a certain task takes, I would definitely turn on some sort of a time doctor thing or basically a screen clock. Not to micromanage them because we actually don't advise this. But if you're trying to see realistically how long tasks take so that you as the client or as the boss is also able to manage your expectations, maybe on the first 90 days do a time doctor or a screen clock, that's my advice. And then after that then you have, you know, manage their expectations and you won't need it because we also don't advise using that for the long term.
Now if you have a certain task that is urgent and you want to insert it into their current task list, acknowledge its urgency and manage that two way expectation. So tell them, hey, I really need this and I want you to prioritize this. What does your plate look like? You have to talk to them instead of just dumping things.
[00:07:36] Speaker B: On their trello or their task list.
So obviously on top of that you also need to be able to deliver clear instructions because sometimes it gets too busy. Your VA or your RP may be juggling multiple tasks and they're pretty challenging. So deliver clear instructions. If you can even deliver it through loom or a video on top of just like writing an email, set your expectations properly, give them an idea what an ideal outcome looks like. If you require a report, then give them the format and the template. And the clearer you are with communicating what you need, the better the results will be.
So those are my tips for task management.
Now let's talk about your CSM or your client success manager. Just like what I shared with you before, they are your advocate, your best friend in the company, but they also serve as the coach of your RP or your moat professional. And so sometimes, you know, I'm not going to say we are super perfect as a company but. But if someone is if you're unhappy with someone's job or if you have a feeling that they're not doing their job.
[00:08:49] Speaker B: Talk to your CSM for feedback. Definitely talk to your RP and communicate how you feel and, you know, try to hear their side too. Also talk to your CSM so that they can pay more attention to your RP and they can monitor them and also see what's up, really, because there might be a lot of unspoken things, but they are able to really see, smell, you know, smell this out or like, really, because they have a pulse of what's really going on.
Moreover, there's also obviously the advantage of being Filipino, talking the same language. They might be able to really bring out certain solutions or to the problems that are arising and the reasons why the job is not getting done or the job is not getting done to the standard that you demand. And so the CSMs are ready to help you even to the extreme situations, like.
[00:09:43] Speaker B: If there's a typhoon and your RP ran out of power or your RP suddenly stopped coming to work. So these are very, very rare cases. But I want you to know that you can absolutely trust your CSM in having the ability to handle these situations. We can do a rehire for you that's prioritized because your CSM has already documented your onboarding will even give you credit on your first week. Or, or your, your CSM can give you more advice if you feel like you need a change of role or something like that, or if your business suddenly has a cash crunch and you want to pause your contract or cancel it or do less hours, just talk to your csm. Their only job is to make sure you're happy with your expenses, experience.
And so they are super dedicated to just making that happen.
And so lastly, my favorite best practice in working with your RP and your csm, definitely take a pause always and use positive reinforcement. And so if you've listened to my other episode about talking about what it's like to work with Filipinos, we avoid conflict and we try to avoid, not embarrass ourselves. And so the really, you know, the best way to motivate Filipinos and to encourage positive behavior is through positive reinforcement so they do something right, praise them, acknowledge them, go on the route of like maybe bonuses or a pat on the back or acknowledging them on your slack channel instead of punishments. It always works better. It maintains a positive atmosphere in the workplace. And most of all, they'll love you more as a boss. So. So it's really just wins all around.
And yeah, I hope you like this episode. I really wanted this to be quick. I want you to have.
[00:11:39] Speaker B: The best practices so that you have a better time working with Filipinos, working with remote professionals. And of course, we are just here to support you on your growth here at Proximity Outsourcing. So I'm super excited to work together. If you want to book a call, if you have a question, just visit our
[email protected] on the upper right corner. You can book a call with our growth team. And yeah, thank you so much and I hope to see you soon.
[00:12:07] Speaker A: This mini podcast is sponsored by brands under Proximity Solutions, LLC.
Visit our websites at proximityoutsourcing.com proximityplacements.com and proximityprojects.com.
