Top Offshoring Destinations with Manageable Time Zones and Great Talent for Australian Businesses

In the 2022 Skills Priority List Key Finding Report by the National Skills Commission of Australia, there are 286 occupations with talent shortage problems at the national level. That’s nearly double from last year’s figure (153 occupations). It’s no wonder that more than 30,000 Australian companies are currently offshoring part of their business functions to other countries.

Talent and time zone differences are among the major concerns that often come up when companies are considering offshoring business processes. However, the right solution provider can ensure the remote team is fully capable of aligning with your preferred Australian time zone. As a result, both you and the remote team can maximise the time difference and gain great value from the following benefits:

1. Minimise or avoid delays

If you’re ahead of time, you can schedule tasks that will enable your remote team to deliver on time or even earlier than your deadline. They can focus on the tasks you’ve assigned to them during their work hours whilst you review the work they’ve accomplished the day before or prep their succeeding tasks for the next day.

2. Extended availability of service

Your remote team can provide 24/7 support to address customer concerns that may arise beyond your regular office hours in Australia. Late night enquiries and escalation issues can be efficiently covered by a remote team. Customers will get the reassurance that someone will be there to assist them at any time.

3. Enhances productivity

Empower your staff to accomplish their tasks. Trust them to focus on their job responsibilities during their work hours. This will drive their efforts to be more output-based, thereby increasing productivity levels and improve your customers’ experience when dealing with your company.

Selecting the right country is therefore crucial to offshoring success. Here are recommended locations that provide the most favourable talent pools and manageable time zone differences where Australian companies can set up offshore teams. Depending on your agreement with the offshore staffing solutions provider, remote teams from these countries can adjust their local work hours to match your business operating hours (with consideration to Daylight Savings Time, as well).

THE PHILIPPINES

Based on Kearney’s Global Services Location Index (GSLI) 2021 report, the Philippines is in the top 10 key locations for offshoring operations. The country is known for having a highly skilled and industrious workforce that can provide a variety of business processes for different industries: from back-office tasks to high-level, more technical work.

In the Education First’s English Proficiency Index (2021), the country ranks at 18th place globally and 2nd place in Asia. English remains the dominant medium of instruction in the Philippines. Combined with a high level of cultural compatibility with developed countries, the Philippines has a definite advantage in bridging communication gaps and adapting to Australian business standards of compliance.

Time difference to Australia:
Australian Eastern Standard Time – 2 hours behind
Australian Central Standard Time – 1.5 hours behind
Australian Western Standard Time – Same time zone
Australian Daylight Savings Time – 3 hours behind

MALAYSIA

Malaysia has become an IT powerhouse in Asia with robust resources for IT and software development offshore talent. The country is known to have strict censorship and data privacy laws. This is perfect for Australian businesses that are heavily dependent on maintaining high levels of data protection and security.

As of 2021, Malaysia ranks #28 globally and #3 in Asia in the English Proficiency Index. In Kearney’s 2021 GSLI ranking, the country holds a strong position at 5th place. Aside from its high IT capabilities, the country’s multi-cultural diversity makes it an ideal hub for business expansion into Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Australia.

Time difference to Australia:
Australian Eastern Standard Time – 2 hours behind
Australian Central Standard Time – 1.5 hours behind
Australian Western Standard Time – Same time zone
Australian Daylight Savings Time – 3 hours behind

VIETNAM

Vietnam’s progressive economic policies have made the country a magnet for investors, including offshoring IT services. Vietnam is also tied at 10th place with the Philippines in Kearney’s 2021 GLSI report. The calibre of IT talent in Vietnam is highly sought after, as evidenced by the numerous technology hubs and factories established by the world’s leading tech giants.

The country is at 66th place globally in the 2021 English Proficiency Index and 12th place in Asia. The government has been proactive in establishing policies to improve English competencies. Bridging the communication gap may be challenging at first. For Australian companies that want to build a remote team in Vietnam, it is advisable that they first hire a team leader with high levels of English Proficiency.

Time difference to Australia:
Australian Eastern Standard Time – 3 hours behind
Australian Central Standard Time – 2.5 hours behind
Australian Western Standard Time – 1 hour behind
Australian Daylight Savings Time – 4 hours behind

FIJI

As a neighbour to Australia, Fiji is also an ideal offshoring destination. Over 3,000 Australian companies are conducting business with the island country. In 2017, the Fiji BPO council was created to enhance the country’s development of offshoring services such as customer service, sales telemarketing, insurance claims processing, financial services and back-office functions.

Fiji has a literacy rate of 99.08% and its citizens are highly proficient in English, which is widely used as the language of instruction. Fijians and Australians share a strong cultural familiarity with each other. The country’s telecommunication infrastructure is linked to Australia via the Southern Cross Cable, ensuring fast and reliable internet connection with remote teams.

Time difference to Australia:
Australian Eastern Standard Time – 2 hours ahead
Australian Central Standard Time – 2.5 hours ahead
Australian Western Standard Time – 4 hours ahead
Australian Daylight Savings Time – 1 hour ahead

Time zone management tips

Here are some essential reminders to help you maintain your connection and maximise business hours with your remote team, despite the different time zones:

• Be clear in communicating your time zone boundaries with your team. Be mindful of their designated work hours as well.
• Be specific when discussing dates and times to avoid confusion. If you’ll schedule a meeting, mention your time and theirs, too. In scheduling meetings, you can set your calendar tools to automatically convert your proposed meeting time to your remote team’s time zone.
• Leverage instant messaging apps, task management software, and progress tracking tools to keep your team working efficiently and productively.
• Be flexible with each other. Understandably, there will be times when you have to jump on an unscheduled call or meeting with your remote team.
• Use the time gaps efficiently. If your time is ahead of your offshore team’s working hours, you can use the time to provide feedback on the work they submitted yesterday. Or prepare tasks for the team to work on for the day.

The premium offshore service provider in Australia

AS White Global gives full support to the Australian business community with its expertise in providing offshore staffing solutions. We also help build dedicated remote teams for companies based in New Zealand, US, and the UK. You’ll have access to our talent resources from Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines who are highly skilled to perform tasks for various business processes in IT and software development, accounting and finance, insurance, healthcare, marketing and creative services, among others.

One of our client partners – Koda Capital – continues to enjoy the benefits of having offshore teams in Vietnam and Malaysia. Koda Capital Founding Partner and COO Andrew Rutherford explains, “Having that 3-hour time difference has been a huge advantage. We are very focussed on the client outcome, and as a result of having the teams in Ho Chi Minh and Kuala Lumpur, a lot of that administration distraction is outside our line of sight, which is fantastic.”

For enquiries regarding our offshore services in Australia, book a free consultation with us today.