If your business wants to expand or hit a new target demographic, the number one way to get in touch is through sms blasting services. Each company that operates locally have their own strengths and have their own specialty. Like there would be one company that offers great returns with the basic bulk sms messaging while there are other companies and service providers who excel in delivering results using text poll service. The trick, really, is to find which one excells in which area and utilizing them for your business’ advantage.

For this article, lets take a look at text poll services, what made them click before, what’s the biggest challenge and how it can be taken to the next level especially when the users are coming from a new generation. 

First off, the whole sms based voting system has been around since the time text messaging had been around. We’ve seen it grow and evolve through the years and even through the decades. It was also a big help that texting services operated in this country, which was once referred to as the “Texting Capital of the World”, 

The biggest challenge that this type of sms service being offered by various providers is the fact that messenger apps have popped up recently. Whether its Whatsapp or Viber or even Facebook’s very own Facebook messenger app, it’s become quite a breeze reaching out to audiences and even friends. Texting can be costly with the going rate before being a peso per text message, you can see why people aren’t keen on doing sms anymore. They would rather spend their hard-earned cash buying up load to use for mobile internet which will then be used to communicate with friends and relatives through the apps. So who would actually still need to spend money on texts?

But where is texting or sms messaging going in 2019 and beyond? There are alot of places that it could still be used for. First and foremost, its still a very alive means of communication. While the kids may prefer another medium to communicate with each other, it doesn’t mean that they don’t do texting anymore. They get messages from a lot of people at any given day; from their parents, peers, service provider and the ever reliable spammers. Parents also have the same amount of people who would text them including their kids, colleagues in the office and more. 

Just to add more credibility, there’s a big number of adults who do not have access to good internet or do not own a smartphone that would be able to use app-based messengers. These men and women do however own a mobile phone that would still be able to send out and receive SMS messages. And the fun thing is, they don’t really have any interest in going beyond what they have. For them, as long as they would be able to call in and send out messages, that’s good enough for them.

Every employed individual has had a memorable experience at one point or another with regards to how they got their first job. For Filipino employees, most would say that their first foray into the corporate world was joining a BPO or a contact center. Others would want to dive directly into a place they are more familiar with or where their passions really lie. It also ties up neatly with getting the job related to their college course. 

Whether people want to admit it or not, there are a lot of IT jobs opportunities for fresh graduates in the Philippines. They just need to look deeper or find the right places where to actually look for work. And take note, with the current today, IT jobs aren’t just strictly for IT course graduates. Even college graduates who took different course can find entry-level work in the IT industry. Who knows, that entry level career may become that graduate’s actual career for his or her entire life. They could even get promotion from time to time if they play their cards right.

Here are example of IT jobs in Manila, Philippines that are more geared towards IT graduates with a short description of what they do in those particular job openings.

Systems Admin - Basically in charge of the network for an office or a company. 

Programmers - programmers are responsible for developing the design and function of a software or a website. 

Mobile App Developers - these are the men and women in-charge of creating an app for smartphone or tablet use. They create the app from the ground up and working together to make everything work. So when you click a certain button on the app, you will open the right page or see the appropriate response by the program. That’s their basic function.

And here are some examples of IT jobs that are very welcoming of non-IT graduates. 

Graphic Designers - check any and all job opening sites and you will see that there is a continuous need for graphic designers. These designers are responsible for creating the necessary imagery or art for a specific software, website or even app. Graphic designers can also hired based on their skill when it comes to looking at other art works.

Community Managers - the digital age has developed new jobs for a lot of people and that includes community managers for social media spaces and pages. A community manager is tasked with looking after a specific social media page either to currate content and comments. They are, however, usually hired to look out for queries on the page and give the necessary responses.

Social Media Specialist - here’s another work that’s currently highly in-demand in the country. There are a lot of companies that want to hire a social media specialists to help boost their social media’s rankings and brand awareness. These specialists are also tasked with the responsibility of dealing or developing content that can be used and shared for both target and non-target audience.

One of the toughest challenges that a BPO or any outsourcing company faces on a regular basis is IT staffing. We are not in anyway saying that other careers and other jobs within the BPO industry is easier compared to things related to IT though. Remember, each job will have its own specialty, own skill and own challenges. That means that you need people with experience or are considered professionals for a specific task.

You just don’t send a surgeon to fix your pipes. You obviously can’t call in an electrician to do a double bypass heart surgery neither. You need people who knows what they are looking, know how to deal with the problem and people who know what they can actually do to either solve the problem or avoid it entirely. 

When it comes to IT though, that’s where everything goes hairy. Its easy to think that from an outsider perspective that IT deals with mostly wires and cables and being in front of the computer most of the time. But that’s far from the truth. Ask anybody working with the IT staffing services industry and you will find out that there’s a multitude of things they need to consider before they hire a person or recommend a person to their clients. For one they need to look at the applicant’s work experience. And that’s crucial too for the BPO companies because they pay handsomely for employees working for them. So they will definitely look for the applicants or individuals who have had a good run. 

There’s also the educational background. This comes in handy or as an additional booster in cases where the applicant has little to no work experience. School or academic experience can help jobhunters and staffing services to determine whether the applicant has had experience. For example, an IT staffing firm gets a request from their clients to look for an applicant who either has experience with system networking or is an expert in the same field. The problem is, all the applications that got turned in either come from new job applicants or fresh graduates. There are a few who have had one or two IT-related jobs that doesn’t really relate with the job posting. The recruiter will then follow protocol and start looking at the academic backgrounds of would-be applicants. The recruiter can then check whether or not this would be a good fit for them or not. 

This is also the main reason why BPOs still love to work with and get the services of IT staffing service providers. Because it frees up their hands from looking into each and every resume that lands on their laps and let them focus on the more important aspect of running the place and overseeing all the small details. They let the recruiters do their job and trust them to send over really good picks to work not just as a member of the IT department but even work as an executive or some higher up within the company.

Startup companies are often the companies that are considered by many as bold and avant garde. These companies as well as the people who are running them can be seen as the forward thinking and even brave because they like to take risks especially when it comes to how they do their business. But ever noticed or asked what made them develop this attitude and feel?

From the outside, the startup companies and employees and even bosses who are all considered as millennials can be seen as people who understand how important technology is to developing a business. And that is true as well. One reason is that they grew up using technology as part of their everyday lives. They know how well it works and how it makes things easier. This is why there are services like sms marketing solutions to help them get a hold of their clients or would-be-customers. 

What are the other reasons why startup companies as well as their millennial crowds look for sms marketing service provider? Another good reason is because these service providers help out in more than one aspect. So while they are marketed and branded as a company that offers sms or text message-based solutions, they have evolved to such a point where they do more than just that. Some companies in key areas of the country will gladly point out that they have been working with various software and systems to really help out and become an one-stop shop for everything related to technology.

For example, did you know that there are now softwares and solutions for businesses that will help lessen the number of people falling in line or queuing? There actually is one and what it does is it will take customer’s numbers and file them up neatly. The SMS system will then notify the customer of how long it will take until they will be served. This gives the business a little more breathing space (literally and figuratively) while the customer maximizes his or her time outside to do other things. 

The modern startup company will also rely on SMS marketing companies and service providers for smaller things like an text blast for special occassions. This works well if the startup is dealing with products and services and they need to notify anybody and everybody to learn of this special event like a sale for example. Another good example of the emerging dependence of startup companies on SMS services offered by companies is when it comes to gauging popularity of a topic or a product. The SMS messages can be spread out on a specified number of people, who could be considered as potential respondents, and get a response that can either be translated into data. This is great for startups that deal with numbers involved in their main line of business. Or if the startup company is there to prove a point and they need statistical data or even just plain old numbers to make the argument better for them.

If you need any proof at all that there is still a massive demand for a bulk sms provider in the Philippines service provider then you don’t have to look further than the Philippine Midterm and National Elections. 

Ever since sms messaging became a thing there are a lot of companies who have seen the value of getting their messages sent on a grand scale to a target audience. This could either be set by location I.e. from one region in the Philippines to another or it could also be set to a specific age group. Among the two though, the one that has proven to be more successful are the location based settings. 

That power and that capability did not elude the hopeful mayors, senators, congressmen and even presidents from getting the services of a business sms service provider. After all, they have the technology and the training. And while these hopeful candidates do have the budget for acquiring the same technology, they just don’t have the time to do it. It’s an actual fact that when election time comes, its really “all hands on deck”. Everybody is hustling, everybody needs to be somewhere at some point and nobody can take the time to sit down, read the instruction manuals and do the text blast themselves. So they would rather sit this one out and have the professionals do the work themselves. 

While it may seem like SMS messaging is the unseen factor behind the success of a politician running for a specific spot, we have to warn you that it’s not. This is only one factor in a huge net of variables. This can just nudge things or rub people in a certain way but it can’t be the deciding factor for winning. There are still other stuff that needs to be considered like the actual popularity of the candidate, the effect of his or her campaign materials, visibility. The list goes on and on with regards to actual winning rate. But don’t worry, text messaging a candidate’s platform or message still ranks high up.

So as a business or an entrepreneur, what does this all mean? It’s not just meant to be white noise. If you look closely, you will realize that the market is still receptive of text messages even if there are people who have fully embraced messenger applications including Facebook messenger. It would also do well to remember that there are still a significant number of voters who still do not have smartphones or access to high-speed internet. If you are selling a product or a service that has the older generations then its still a good bet to go and get the services of business sms service provider and other similar companies. 

So there you go, more reasons why you really ought to consider getting these types of services for your own business. While politics may be tricky and dirty, there are still a few golden apples you can pick from it once in a while.

Decades ago, ask anybody entering college what some of the courses they are considering and you will probably hear a good number of students say IT-related courses. It became such a big deal years ago in the Philippines because the digital age was emerging. Plus there was the promise of a lot of IT jobs in the Philippines coming to our shores. 

While things panned out for some it did not work that way for others. There were a lot of different factors that needed to be considered for that decade. One was the delicate political climate in the country in the 90s and there was also problem of getting in the necessary technology to actually work and operate in the country. Still it did not deter the Philippines from growing in terms of companies operating locally. Fast forward decades later and we are still a hotbed of activity for IT-related things. We are still a goldmine when it comes to talent and staff and there are still a lot of people who feed their families with what they earn from the IT industry.

This also means that IT careers in the Philippines is still a big thing in the age of Facebook and Instagram. In fact, with the changes and advancements in the last 20 years for IT, it has unwittingly spawned a lot of new careers. While we won’t dive into those careers, we can touch on it briefly. Some of these careers that pay handsomely or at the very least above average the normal work salary, are careers in SEO or Search Engine Optimization. You can also see a lot of jobs for community managers and social media specialists. This is in line with companies looking to develop their social media image and branding. 

But still, there are a lot of “traditional” IT jobs available and the demand is also strong. People can go and check out various websites to see that there are still companies who are looking for I.T. administrators and networking engineers. These are still heavy hitting jobs with a good pay for the Philippines. Would you believe that there are a lot of individuals who have sent their kids or relatives to school with the amount of money they earn with these types of jobs? Some have even retired or started their own business with the money they get from these careers. 

Also thanks to leaps in telecommunication and technology, the Philippines is slowly closing in on the industry standards. We have a lot of grounds to cover still, but at the very least, we are a step in the right direction. Schools and universities are also caught up with what to teach students whether they are still in junior high school or hitting the college level. 

So now you see, the IT industry is still a big deal in the country. It never left. Maybe it took a nap or something but it was always here and will likely be here for a long time. As long as somebody will use a computer or some task will require the use of the Internet or some form of software, IT will always be here.

In the last decade or so, a lot of global brands and international companies have shown heavy interest in setting up an additional office in various parts of the Philippines especially in Metro Manila. And they are right in doing so because Filipinos are talented and highly skilled. They are also better equipped to converse in English which is an important part of the work. No matter what industry these businesses are, they will find the right employee in the country. This is also the reason why there are a lot of IT staffing company in the Philippines to date.

The IT industry is a vast and complex industry. It can go anywhere from web content creation and development to running servers and creating system networks for offices. And there’s a lot more stuff in between those jobs we mentioned. There won’t be a shortage of Filipino employees to do that for any company. It’s really just a matter of finding the right middle man who can connect the company and the applicant. And while that seems simple, it can be very challenging.

Many companies based outside the Philippines have tried doing it their way and tried getting the right people into their umbrella. The numbers show however that this sort of model yielded a low success rate. Meaning one way or another it was bound to fail. This was also the catalyst for the birth of IT staffing companies who operate in the Philippines.

Still, there are a lot of international companies and brands who have managed to find success not just in operating and branching out to the Philippines but also in getting the right people to work for them. Some companies took the time to prepare their branching out by spending countless hours on phone interviews with potential employees. And this isn’t just for their IT positions either. Some companies send a year at most just to be able to hire people for their main work, support departments and again, their IT department. And guess what. These companies are still going to eventually connect with an IT staffing firm to help them out when it comes to staff augmentation.

Nothing is permanent especially when it comes to business and employment. The same team a company had when they started out may not be the same set of people in two years time. Attrition has always been an issue and employees resigning or being fired by the company is always a part of the deal. Seasoned managers and even business owners know for a fact that maintaining a job can be difficult too. So there’s always room to hire more people to expand the staff.

Also because BPOs are ever-evolving, there’s nothing set in stone. Well maybe the company guidelines in the employee handbook could stick like that forever but staff will always change and be in constant flux. So its still a good idea to get in touch with a staffing agency or company to help companies pick out the right candidates and employees for them.