Doing Offshoring Right – with Rob Brough of Agility Staffing Solutions
Agility Staffing Solutions
This week, Derek talks to Rob Brough, the chief executive officer of Healthscope Services and Agility Staffing Solutions.
In Derek’s 45-minute chat with Rob, they exchange their first-hand experience in setting up teams–both in-house and offshore.
Rob has broad experience in setting up traditional and offshore teams. He talks about the challenges he encountered along the way, as well as the benefits of outsourcing jobs.
Rob has a deeply rooted expertise in the healthcare industry and sales. Now, he provides outsourced healthcare services.
There are many opportunities in the healthcare industry
Rob tells Derek that he and his business partner, a few years back, set up a health services firm in the United States (U.S.). They opted to hire and set up a team in the Philippines.
“I got into a healthcare business with my partner and we ended up going to the Philippines to hire people to work for the healthcare business,” Rob says.
Rob shares that the U.S. healthcare sector presents many opportunities, so he and his business partner decided to expand their business further. That is how their second business – Agility Staffing Solutions – came into existence.
Rob combines his expertise in setting up offshore teams and experience in sales to grow their businesses. He lets listeners in on his secret sauce for securing businesses. He says consistency and timing are essential.
“Sometimes the timing is just right. And your consistency helps you. You email them, email them, your message, you call them,” he tells Derek.
Speaking of timing, he recounts how the Covid-19 pandemic presented so many opportunities for the outsourced healthcare services industry. He also notes that the pandemic allowed the world to welcome new ways of communicating.
Through technology-enabled communication, physically visiting doctors’ offices can be replaced by a Zoom or a video call. He, however, explains that initial meetings done face-to-face are still important in building rapport.
“Personally I find that it’s much easier to do business if we know each other. It’s easy to talk on the phone and perhaps follow up with a Zoom call or times call,” Rob says.
Moving operations to the Philippines is cost-effective
Outsourcing is a cost-saving business strategy. Rob recounts how he and his business partner tried to outsource part of their team to the Philippines some 25 years ago.
He says in two years he moved the operations to the Philippines and it proved to be the correct decision.
“I moved 120 jobs to the Philippines and saved about $6 million a year with and maintaining… the same quality of patient care that we had with our American team,” Rob says.
Now, with Agility Staffing Solutions, Rob helps companies to set up shop in the Philippines.
He shares that most companies’ reservations about putting up a team offshore is sometimes due to racial reasons. Rob says that this is a misconception that he tries to break.
“Every single person we employ has a good degree and sometimes two or three degrees. These are smart people with good English skills,” Rob says.
Rob also says that most firms are initially adamant about outsourcing because they are fearful they will lose “control” over their employees if they are in another country, more so, another continent.
He says this is because the majority of people do not know much about outsourcing. That is why they make sure they “educate” them about the complex outsourcing sector.
“I think it’s still a journey for many people there. And there’s a lot of education that’s required,” he says.
Setting up an offshore team is about building a process
Rob explains that setting up an outsourced team is worth the time and effort. He explains that it’s just important to set up a solid process and everything will fall into place.
“Building a team just like you’ve got to get grounded,” he says.
Rob explains that time is the biggest investment when building offshore teams. But he explains that it is an investment with good returns.
“This is so powerful for business because, you know, it’s very difficult now to find employees,” he tells Derek.
Connect with Rob through his LinkedIn profile. To know more about Agility Staffing Solutions you may visit: https://www.agilitystaffingservices.com/
Independent
