admin, Author at Virtual Business Partners

Watch: 2017 Year in Review

by admin | Jan 28, 2018 | VBP Milestones

2017 was a year of new opportunities and milestones for VBP. Although we had a few bumps along the road, VBP continued to soar.

We always live our core value of celebrating ‘Little WOWs’ but sometimes, it’s also more fun to celebrate the ‘Big WOWs’. From 55 advice firms, we wrapped up the year with 65 firms across 12 licensees, a 45% growth in client number. And of course, along with that is an increase in our staff number. From 123, we grew to a total of 183 employees.

Client satisfaction rate is up by 38% and employee satisfaction and engagement also went up by 55%. This is a great thing for a culture-led business like VBP, as we always aim to keep everyone in the family happy and engaged, both clients and staff. Of course with all of these, revenue growth is up by 47% as well. Plus, there’s a lot more to celebrate. Watch more of the business highlights from the previous year:

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Sharing #JustLove to the kids of Adlaon

by admin | Jan 15, 2018 | VBP Culture

2017 Outreach Program – Barangay Adlaon, Cebu City

Last 21 December 2017, the VBP Caring Kangaroos and VBP Trekking Kangaroos visited the remote town of Barangay Adlaon, Cebu City to conduct the company’s annual outreach program. It was a long way up to the mountains of Adlaon, taking almost 2 hours travel time along steep and narrow unpaved roads.

The Trekking and Caring Kangaroos chose this community mainly because of its location. Sitio Gubang Bukid, Adlaon is one of thousands of remote areas in the Philippines where residents face the daily struggle of poverty and lack of access to basic necessities, that includes support and resources for education.

With the town being secluded, students need to walk kilometers on rough terrain just to get to school. When it rains, it is more difficult because the path becomes slippery and muddy. They also have very limited access to school supplies and other necessities.

As VBP supports the importance of education, the community of Sitio Gubang Bukid has become the beneficiary of our most recent company outreach program. The goal of the activity was to provide 50 young students with complete sets of school supplies, clothing and other school necessities.

We arrived in Sitiong Gubang Bukid where the teachers and parents of the beneficiary students awaited to welcome us. Since the rain was pouring hard, we commenced the program, in a small chapel, with introduction of the staff and the Carney family. We facilitated a few games to entertain and warm the kids up.

When the sun finally decided to shine, everyone transferred outside where the residents initially had a set up for the activity. It was under a “tent” in an open area with a scenic view of the mountains. After enjoying the delicious meal provided by the staff, excitement filled the air as the kids fall in line to get their backpacks full of educational materials like notebooks, pencils, crayons, storybooks, raincoat, etc. Gratitude was seen in the children’s eyes and it was a heart-warming experience for the VBP staff to be able to make a significant impact to these kids’ lives.

The smiles in their faces were enough to tell how happy they were with the simple gifts they have received which in turn gives the company the sense of accomplishment and gratification.

In the years to come, VBP wishes to extend help to more people in need and support more valuable causes with the sole purpose of giving back to the community. It is the company’s social responsibility and is a good way to boost employee morale. Making a difference, contributing to the society and doing this together is a good way to build respect and strengthen relationships within the company. After all, this is the true meaning of one of VBP’s core values—One World, One Family Spirit.

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VBP as finalist for SME Company of the Year

by admin | Oct 23, 2017 | VBP Milestones

Last 17^th of October 2017, the Asia CEO Awards held its annual grand awards night at the Manila Marriott Grand Ballroom. Asia CEO Awards is one of the largest awards event in the Philippines and the Asia Pacific region. Their purpose is to promote the ASEAN region as a premier business destination and is considered one of the most prestigious events for business leaders in the region. The awards recognise extraordinary leaders who have demonstrated outstanding achievement for their organizations and contributions to others.

Virtual Business Partners has been selected as one of the finalists for the SME Company of the Year. This award is for small and medium sized (10-500 employees) non-subsidiary, independent, profit-making companies that achieved relevant success in the past year.

“Being the first award we have nominated for, to have been chosen as a finalist, was a real validation of all the hard work over the past four years. We have been building a business that focuses on developing and inspiring the best from our team. I am very proud of the team’s efforts to continually look for ways to improve our system, client experience, and staff development and this was noted from some of the judge’s feedback and a key contributor to our results,” said VBP CEO David Carney.

It is VBP’s honor to be recognised as one of the most successful firms in the category. With over 180 employees to date, VBP has grown into an established back office solution firm, specialising in financial planning services. For over 4 years we have successfully launched new offices, hosted client conferences and have expanded our key services.

“For us, we see ourselves as more of a back office solution rather than just purely an outsourcing business. Key things we talked about is being a specialist not a generalist so we specialise in financial services and will continue to provide and look at value added on areas of business processes, systemising,” Carney added.

Reference: http://www.asia-ceo-awards.org/

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Hardwork Never Goes Unnoticed

by admin | Sep 8, 2017 | Working at VBP

I’ve spent 8 years of my life working in a call center industry. Talking and working with clients from around the globe and always finding solutions to resolve their technical issues. Awarded as a top support for providing exemplary service and being an expert in leaving positive impressions, still had me feel unsatisfied.

I thought I would be feeling that for the rest of my life.

While enjoying motherhood, the story of my life went on and I found VBP along the way. I was assigned as a dedicated CSR to clients who opened my eyes and made me realize that I still have more to give – that I am capable of doing more than what I have achieved.

Building trust is never easy, especially if you’re miles and miles away from your clients. It’s normal for them to be skeptical and not fully give you their confidence at first.

That’s what it was like when I first started working with Prime Partners.

They were guys who never had experience with outsourcing. So during my early days, I was keen to prove to them that I am worthy of their trust – giving my best in everything, while highlighting that I am willing to learn.

True enough with the saying “sow the seeds of hard work and reap the rewards of success”, I slowly earned their confidence and it’s been self-fulfilling, knowing that my hard work didn’t go unnoticed. It’s flattering to know straight from the directors, that I got them to believe in this kind of business and acknowledged that they made the right decision because of my performance.

Every CSR must remember that it is our responsibility to make our clients feel that they have someone whom they can rely on. It is expected that we give them that assurance – that aside from working hard, we also have that appetite to learn new things.

We do not have daily huddles, no video calls. Only rare quick conversations over the phone. However, we’ve built a special relationship – even though we mostly communicate through emails, there’s that feeling that I am valued as a person.

When tasks are given, I always make sure that I understand them and if not, I am honest enough to let them know. They always remind me not to be afraid to ask questions because no matter how busy they are, they always make time to explain further until I understand what I need to do.

While we are all busy doing our own jobs, I still go out of my way sometimes to learn more about their personal lives. I know when their birthdays are, to make sure I prepare something for them, at least in ways they would feel valued and cared for. I got the chance to know some of their family members, their hobbies, their favorite NRL teams, even the places they’ve been to! They are not required to share all of these with me, but they are willing to build a strong relationship, that they are keen to share a few pieces of their life stories with me.

They are men of few words. But, they never fail to commend me and show their appreciation for a job well done.

Being a CSR is a smooth sailing job if you just stay calm despite pressure. Always have that attention to detail and if you make mistakes, be humble enough to accept correction and carry on with your job.

I consider that being a CSR at VBP is a privilege.

VBP gave me a second home that helps us deliver high quality work to clients and have provided us the resources to be comfortable in doing our jobs.

Being awarded as the Employee of the Year is something I didn’t expect, yet it’s something I will remember for the rest of my life.

For me, the award is a message to all CSRs – to always believe in yourself. This is for those who are silent but are doing their job well and maybe thinking that their hard work are unnoticed.

I was in that situation too.

But when you believe that you have done enough to deliver good service to your clients, always remember that your success will speak for your silence and it will return rewards when you least expect it.

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Work, Fun and Glam!

by admin | Aug 31, 2017 | VBP Milestones

On the 8th-9th of August 2017, clients from across Australia arrived in Cebu, Philippines. They stayed for five days with a series of conferences and tours, where a mix of fun and blissful adventure entertained them.

A day after their arrival, Madz, one of the Client Services Managers and Angeli Bas, the Talent Acquisition Manager, aided our clients and became their tour guides on a whim.

Angeli collected our clients every day from their hotel to the office where they spent most of their visit, whilst Madz accompanied them on most nights, together with the bosses DC and DD – from dinner to early night drinks.

In between conferences, clients utilised their time to sit in and get to know their CSRs. They caught up with them, not only on their daily tasks but also on what went on about their lives outside of work – from small talks to deeper conversations.

The conference consisted of a barrage of substantial presentations that enriched both VBP and the clients. From tips and tricks, to the introduction of business game changers.

“Sitting with other business units was also helpful as it gave me an insight of some of the processes that we could implement with our CSRs,” she added.

For Lia Etika of Financial Investment Solutions, she felt that some of the session contents and applications introduced were very valuable.

Jennifer Mogg, Operations Manager of Invest Blue saw the most value in meeting her team and seeing them in person.

It was an immersive series of events that is now cemented in our VBP-Client relationship history. They’ve witnessed how we work as a team and how we bond as a family.

It was also a great way for Matej Mandic, Client Experience Officer of Inspired Money, to see exactly what the company is about – how VBP processes work the way they do. Also, he sees the conference as a valuable way to explore different options from an outsourcing perspective within the company.

Recognition and Celebration

Dressed up for a night of glamour and celebration, VBP Back office solutions held the annual Talent and Awards Night last August 12th 2017 at Cebu Parklane International Hotel. Anticipated as an annual event where employees are recognised for the year’s wins and wows, awards were given out to outstanding team members whose contributions continued to nurture not only the business’ operations, but most importantly, those who cultivated VBP’s growing culture.

Also, performances that exhibited the VBP and Filipino cultures were one of the highlights of the night.

Nine Awards were given out this year, an increase from last year as VBP grew to a larger team and as employees demonstrated abilities deserving of recognition. Here are the list of the awards and their recipients:

Rising Star Award – Manuel Jacob Jamio, Paraplanner
Consider it Done Award – Christy Limotan, CSR
Core Values Award – Chowdee Tugaoen, CSR
Beyond the Call of Duty Award – Renz Salares, CSR
Servant Leadership Award – Lailani Santos, CSM
Team of the Year Award – Team Jabber
Support Person of the Year Award – Kay Jongko, Learning and Development Manager
Paraplanner of the Year Award – Giovanni Hermoso, Paraplanner
Employee of the Year Award – Anthonette Macawile, CSR

Staff members who have been with VBP for 3 years were also awarded.

As the visit ended, VBP and the clients have nurtured a strong working and cultural relationship – both parties were able to deepen the understanding each other’s’ beliefs, values, and principles.