The Challenge
The fast-expanding company needed staff that covered a full range of skill sets from project management, developers, SEO specialists to complex design. Most of its business was in creating and developing apps with Shopify Plus, an enterprise-level platform for eCommerce. Local talent wasn’t always available to take advantage of the power of Shopify Plus, either because they were satisfied with their existing employer, or because their experience didn’t match the remuneration they were looking for.
Recruiters tended not to focus on the requirements of the business, but just wanted to get a job description, match a resume with keywords, and fire it over to the client. These one-off transactions were merely filling empty slots in the business, not building strategic advantage for growth.
The company’s CEO considered several options for expanding his talent pool. He looked offshore, to countries like the Philippines, India, and Vietnam. After a short experience in these various countries it showed the CEO that not having a common language was a significant barrier, so he concentrated on the Philippines. The continued growth prompted the need for a longer-term, more strategic partner that could help them build out a team that was a true extension of their current team.
The Requirement
The company looked for a partner that would take a more holistic view of its team development. The requirement was not just to fulfill individual job descriptions, but to develop multiple level teams that would expand and extend the capabilities of the Sydney-based office, adding a Manila-based team leader or general manager. They evaluated several partners, but they fell short in the areas of cultural ‘fit’ and managing the employee experience. This was a high priority for the company, as it was the ‘secret sauce’ that fuelled its Sydney business.
“Filta fit the bill. Filta took ownership of the Philippines expansion, developing HR and hiring strategies that tracked and matched the growth of the business.”
The Outcome
Retention
Metrics for the Philippines operation are very positive. In the two years since Filta and the client have been working together, staff retention is at 100%. Nobody has left. Even the client says that “this is a crazy metric” and is a result of “alignment on both sides. The person really wanted to work for us, and we set expectations up front.” The company hires a full spectrum of skills in the Philippines, from entry level to very senior front-end and back-end Shopify Plus developers, project managers, digital marketing, and content writers. The team started with 3 people and is now at 20 people.
100%
Staff Retention
Advantage of
40%
for the overall project cost.
Cost
The cost advantage across that spectrum has allowed the business to be more agile and manage the ebb and flow of work. That advantage is around 40% of the overall project cost. For some roles they are paying around 30% of the expected salary for the role. The company can, therefore, hire more people to handle that fluctuating workload, and thereby have a better work/life balance for all their staff.
Productivity
The cost advantage across that spectrum has allowed the business to be more agile and manage the ebb and flow of work. That advantage is around 40% of the overall project cost. For some roles they are paying around 30% of the expected salary for the role. The company can, therefore, hire more people to handle that fluctuating workload, and thereby have a better work/life balance for all their staff.
Culture
Filta focuses strongly on culture – both the culture within offshore teams and the ‘fit’ between those teams and head office. Onboarding, setting expectations and creating strong lines of communication is crucial to the success of the venture. For this client, the attention Filta pays to such issues, as well as the close attention paid to HR issues as they arise is a key component of their continued relationship.
Based on the trust and confidence built up between the two companies, Filta is now working with the client on expanding its Sydney operation and discussing expansion into other time zones in the Americas.
