In times of calamities, SM always ensures to be one of the first responders that provide immediate relief to affected individuals and families. Through its corporate social good arm, SM Foundation (SMFI), SM activates Operation Tulong Express (OPTE) as the need arises.

Just before the year 2021 ended, Super Typhoon Odette struck the country and left thousands of families homeless. Staying true to its commitment, SM Foundation, together with SM Supermalls, SM Markets, and other SM affiliates and partners, immediately mobilized its disaster response.

No one left behind

As of writing, more than 33,000 Kalinga packs have been allocated for the victims of the typhoon. The said Kalinga packs consisting of rice, bottled water, and other basic essentials were distributed to over 35 barangays in the Visayas-Mindanao region, which were heavily devastated by Typhoon Odette. Included in the recipient areas are Butuan, Cebu, CDO, Iloilo, and Palawan, among others.

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The relief operations became part of SM’s Christmas drive, “100 Days of Caring,” which was launched in September and aimed at giving back to various communities and groups in need during the holiday season. The humanitarian response to Odette began almost as soon as the super typhoon hit.

“We are one with the nation in bringing normalcy back to the lives of families affected by Super Typhoon Odette in the VisMin region. It’s already part of our culture in SM to always extend a helping hand to those in need, especially in grassroot communities,” SMFI Executive Director Debbie Sy said.

Highlighting the Bayanihan spirit

Aside from its relief efforts under OPTE, SMFI also partnered with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) in providing aid to families affected by Typhoon Odette through the donation of P5 million. The cheque donation was turned over to PRC Chairman Richard Gordon and PRC Secretary-General Elizabeth Zavalla. Through this initiative, SM hopes to reach more affected families by partnering with other humanitarian organizations to fast-track and meet the post-disaster needs in critical areas.

Ms. Sy further expressed her gratitude to all partners and SM employee-volunteers who went the extra mile and dedicated their time and efforts for the mobilization of OPTE.

“As a company that has been committed to social good since it was founded, it is part of SMFI’s vision to engage our employees through volunteeriSM. Regardless of their location or role, our volunteers are all about giving back — spreading social good in the communities where they personally live and work. We thank our employees and partners in collaborating with us in aiding those who were affected by the typhoon. Through our collaborative efforts, we will be able to help our country rise above this crisis,” Ms. Sy added.

Filipinos here and abroad can also donate through direct deposit to the Philippine Red Cross by scanning the PRC QR on SM Supermalls’ posters. For more information, visit www.smsupermalls.com.

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Anyone who experienced unforeseen adversities knows how important it is to have immediate access to money. During these times, insurance has to prove its value. Singlife proved that getting the right insurance can be easy and fast, and having your claims paid is pretty much the same. In 2021 Singlife insured more than 300,000 clients and paid out nearly 2,000 claims to its customers.

Singlife has entirely digitized insurance — from purchasing a product, getting your policy (saved to the GCash account and e-mailed to the client), to the filing of claims. Customers can do all of these without having to leave the mobile platform. This sets Singlife apart as the only life insurer in the Philippines that offers a fully digital customer experience that lets clients have full control, anytime, anywhere through their mobile phone.

Apart from its convenience, Singlife ensures that the cost advantages of being self-insured go directly to the customer, by giving meaningful protection for a price that is very competitive and fits every budget. Singlife believes that suitable financial protection is not a privilege for the rich; it is essential for all the hardworking Juans and Marias that are building towards a better financial future for themselves and their children.

Just over a year into its operations, proof of how meaningful its products can be surfaced in social media. One story is about a client from Pampanga, who was struck with a case of severe COVID-19 that had him needing treatment in the ICU. His hospital bill was close to P400,000 when he recovered. The P700 he paid for buying Cash for Dengue Costs with free COVID-19 coverage, turned out to be a wise move as it paid for more than 90% of his bill. Another is of the parents who lost their son in a terrible accident. Their son supported them financially. Their son knew his financial responsibility to his parents and bought Cash for Income loss for only P320 monthly. The grieving parents are now receiving P30,000 per month and will continue to do for the next three years to support them financially. They are deeply grateful to their son for taking care of them even after he had left.

“Insurance benefits need to be meaningful, and it needs to fit the customers’ personal financial situation. We don’t want to do empty promises. We want to be direct in offering the financial protection almost everyone needs for a price almost everyone can afford,” said Rien Hermans, Singlife’s chief executive officer.

Singlife Philippines’ Cash for Dengue Costs (with free COVID-19 cover) provides coverage of up to P421,500 for only P700/year; Cash for Income Loss pays out P60,000 for 36 months (P2,160,000) for only P577/month*; and Cash for Medical Costs covers up to P1,275,000 in medical cost for only P848/monthly**.

Singlife Philippines designed its products to anticipate the needs of the young at heart, middle-class, with ambitions in life. Cash for Income Loss, for example, has a feature that allows for financial support to be released even while the claims review process is still ongoing. The company allows advanced claim payouts worth up to three months of the income lost due to disability or death. This ensures a steady flow of income even while waiting for the claim assessment to be completed to minimize financial stress in moments that are emotionally stressful.

Singlife Philippines aims to process claims such as reimbursements for Dengue or COVID-19 testing within 24 hours; and cash allowances for hospital confinements and reimbursements within three business days from the time complete documents are provided.

Singlife Philippines has delivered on its promises. Now, you can get better coverage for less money and you have 24/7 control over your protection through your mobile phone where you can make changes and even file claims all through the GCash app or by simply talking to one of Singlife’s Customer Experience staff. It doesn’t stop here. Singlife will continue to develop tools and solutions that are digital to the core to empower customers with more control over their finances.

For more information, visit www.singlife.com.ph.

*Cash for Income Loss Quote is for a 30-year-old in excellent health, who drives to and from work, and works in an office. He earns P60,000/month.

**Cash for Medical Cost Quote is for a 30-year-old, commutes to and from an office job with no family history of cancer, heart attack or stroke

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For the last two decades, companies have reduced costs, improved business efficiency, and increased their ROI by outsourcing their business processes to the Philippines. Essentially, this process entails contracting with a third-party vendor that provides professional services. However, not all outsourcing solutions are created equal, and in fact, there exists much confusion about the terms offshore “outsourcing” and “staffing.” According to Ralf Ellspermann, CEO of PITON-Global, an award-winning BPO in the Philippines, “The terms are often used interchangeably, but there’s a fundamental difference between the two. For any organization that is considering offshoring some of its business processes, it’s important to know and understand the difference.”

Most organizations planning to migrate some part of their processes to a BPO provider in the Philippines are looking for a seamless outsourcing solution, in essence, a fully managed service. This type of outsourcing solution usually requires a larger number of agents. This could range from half a dozen up to a thousand. “The large majority of outsourcing vendors in the Philippines, especially premium providers, are almost always full-turnkey solution providers,” says Mr. Ellspermann.

One significant difference between these two solutions is that premium full-service outsourcing providers in almost all cases invest significantly more money back into their organizations than offshore staffing providers do. They allocate capital to acquire the most talented and skilled workers in the BPO industry, as well as spend heavily on ongoing training and processes. Another area of investment for full-service outsourcing provider in the Philippines is technology and infrastructure. Some of the largest, most successful organizations in the world, such as Amazon and Google, partner with these organizations and rely on their world-class technology platforms and facilities for their outsourcing solutions.

“Another key difference between the two is a full turn-key outsourcing provider typically will have much deeper domain expertise than an offshore staffing provider, often specializing in certain industries and services. With this deep industry-specific knowledge, turn-key BPO providers can adeptly manage and operate a client’s entire business process across a broad range of industries, whether it be data science, healthcare, or education,” explains Mr. Ellspermann.

As a direct result of their subject-matter expertise, a full-turnkey BPO provider will typically have full accountability for a program’s performance, while an offshore staffing solution provider does not. One of the primary motives for most companies in outsourcing — besides cost containment — is because they want to be able to leverage the domain expertise of the BPO provider. In doing so, they’re also able to take advantage of the premium technology platforms that these vendors utilize. What this essentially amounts to is having a more capable third party manage an organization’s business processes (either because they don’t have the time, money, resources, or manpower themselves), to achieve a higher quality of service, better efficiency, and enhanced program performance. “A fully outsourced BPO solution does not mean that the client is not involved in the day-to-day operation, just to a much lesser degree than with an offshore staffing solution,” says Mr. Ellspermann.

In contrast, an offshore staffing vendor provides a more hands-on, co-managed solution. This type of engagement is often more suitable for clients with smaller headcount requirements, perhaps up to a ten people. BPOs in the Philippines that specialize in offshore staffing solutions are typically low-cost providers that cater to micro- and small-scale clients with limited budgets.

Offshore staffing companies provide clients with HR, IT, and admin services and the necessary office space. They typically don’t specialize in any industry or service, nor do they have anywhere near the domain and management expertise of premium, full-service BPOs in the Philippines. “An offshore staffing provider is more like a BPO enabler (office & infrastructure provider) than anything else. When researching options for outsourcing key business processes, service buyers should not be confused with an offshore outsourcing provider and an offshore staffing provider. They cater to two different market segments,” says Mr. Ellspermann.

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