The complete reference for terms used in Filipino remote work, BPO, virtual assistant hiring, e-commerce operations, and offshoring. 41 definitions.
A mandatory year-end bonus under Philippine labor law equal to 1/12 of annual earnings. Paid by December 24. Strongly expected as a cultural norm even for contractor relationships.
Enhanced product detail page content for Amazon sellers — images, comparison tables, and branded modules. Commonly managed by Filipino Amazon VAs.
A cold caller or SDR whose primary goal is booking qualified meetings for the sales team, often paid base + per-appointment commission.
The practice of contracting business operations (typically customer service, back-office, IT) to external providers. The Philippines is the world's largest BPO destination, with 1.8M+ workers.
The central bank of the Philippines. Regulates Philippine financial services including cross-border USD-to-PHP transfers.
The time window when outbound calls can legally be made in a target market. US: 8am–9pm local time. Often the constraint for cold caller timezone planning.
A senior operations role supporting an executive with strategic coordination, cross-functional ops, and communications. Senior Filipino EAs can grow into this scope.
A remote worker engaged without formal employment — they pay their own taxes, provide their own equipment, and set their own methods. The most common engagement model for Filipino remote workers.
A sales professional making unsolicited outbound calls to prospects. Filipino cold callers are prized for neutral accents and US/UK BPO training.
Learn more →An automated sequence of emails or SMS messages sent to leads over time. Commonly set up and maintained by real estate and marketing VAs.
A third-party service that formally employs workers on your behalf in their country. Handles payroll, benefits, and compliance. Useful when you need Philippine-employee status vs contractor.
A senior VA supporting executives with calendar, communications, travel, and operations. Distinguished from general VAs by judgment and discretion required.
Learn more →Amazon's service where sellers store inventory in Amazon warehouses; Amazon handles picking, packing, and shipping. Managed by Filipino Amazon VAs.
A project-based independent worker, typically with multiple clients simultaneously. Distinct from a dedicated contractor/VA who works full-time for one client.
A customer support platform built for Shopify stores. The leading helpdesk in the Shopify ecosystem, commonly used by Filipino e-commerce VAs.
Industry-standard Amazon seller tool suite for product research, keyword research, and PPC optimization. Core tool for Filipino Amazon VAs.
Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines — the industry body representing the Philippine BPO sector.
Outsourcing of higher-complexity knowledge work — financial analysis, legal process, healthcare admin — vs basic BPO. Growing segment in the Philippines.
A VA focused on B2B prospecting — LinkedIn outreach, cold email sequences, Apollo/Sales Nav list building, and CRM enrichment.
Learn more →The Philippines' premier financial district in Metro Manila. Source of senior professional Filipino remote talent.
Learn more →Real estate listing databases used by agents. Common systems include Matrix, Flexmls, and Stellar MLS. Filipino real estate VAs work within MLS platforms under the licensed agent's account.
A speech pattern with minimal regional marker, widely understood across English-speaking markets. Many Filipino BPO-trained workers have neutral or near-neutral accents.
The largest dedicated Filipino remote worker database. Employers pay $69–$99/month to message candidates. See our comparison article.
A non-attorney legal support professional working remotely. Filipino virtual paralegals handle drafting, research, and case management under US/Canadian attorney supervision.
Learn more →A payment platform popular with Filipino remote workers for receiving USD payments. Competitive exchange rates, stable USD-denominated balances.
UTC+8. Most experienced Filipino VAs working US clients operate on overnight Philippine shifts to align with US daytime hours.
A charge paid by a job seeker to access job listings. Illegal in many contexts under Philippine labor law. WorkFil never charges placement fees.
Paid advertising where advertisers pay per click. Covers Amazon Sponsored Products/Brands, Google Ads, Meta Ads. Commonly managed by Filipino agency and Amazon VAs.
A sales role focused on outbound lead qualification and meeting-booking. Similar to appointment setter but typically more consultative.
A member of the upper chamber of the Philippine legislature. Relevant to labor law and BPO industry regulations.
Amazon's admin platform where sellers manage listings, inventory, and PPC. Core platform for Filipino Amazon VAs.
Learn more →A VA specialized in Shopify store operations — product listings, Gorgias support, Klaviyo email campaigns, theme customization.
Learn more →A written process document. Critical for successful remote team management. Each recurring VA task should have its own 1-page SOP.
The hours when two remote parties are both available. US EST and PHT have no natural overlap — Filipino workers typically shift to night hours to create overlap with US daytime.
Providing legal advice without a license. Relevant to how virtual paralegals can (and cannot) support US law firms.
A remote professional providing administrative, operational, or specialized support. Rates typically $4–$18/hour depending on role and experience.
Learn more →A Philippine remote work platform offering managed payroll and employer-of-record services for $69/mo subscription + $99/staff/mo. See our comparison article.
The most popular payment service for paying Filipino contractors. Offers 0.5–1% all-in fees for USD-to-PHP transfers.
'Where Is My Order' — the most common support ticket type in e-commerce customer service. Handled by Filipino support VAs using Gorgias, Zendesk, etc.
A free Philippines-focused remote work marketplace. No subscription, no placement fee, for employers and Filipino job seekers.
The industry-standard SaaS customer support platform. Widely known among Filipino support professionals.
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