Customer support and back office · US, UK and Australia
One agent, your accounts only, the same person every shift. A team lead on the office floor in Davao City checks their work and answers you, usually the same business day. From USD 10.50 an hour. Our partner provider employs and bills your agent; Distal Desk finds the fit and introduces you.
I am paid a commission by the provider for clients I introduce. The provider bills you at the rate shown on this site. How I'm paid
One agent on your accounts only, a team lead who supervises them, and a Davao City office. Each takes a chore off your list.
A dedicated agent works your accounts only, on your shift. Employed full time by our partner provider in Davao City, with the 13th-month pay Philippine law requires, not a freelancer. You interview and approve them before they start.
Removes: reposting the job ad.
A team lead is the provider's manager on the same office floor, supervising up to 15 agents. They check your agent's work and answer you, usually the same business day.
Removes: re-explaining your rules.
Agents work from the provider's Davao City office, not from home. Attendance shows on a live reporting sheet.
Removes: wondering if they logged on.
Your agent starts 5–10 working days after you sign. The provider recruits and trains; you interview and approve.
Day 0
Book a 20-minute call, or email hello@distaldesk.com.
You: 20 minutes. Distal Desk: writes the brief and introduces you within 24 hours of our call, or of my reply if we skip the call.
After you sign
The provider recruits; nobody joins your account until you approve them.
Before the first shift
Your procedures, saved replies and tone, taught by the provider, not by you.
You: send written procedures and logins.
5–10 working days after signing
A live sheet, updated in real time: attendance, productivity, performance targets and campaign results.
The provider employs, supervises and bills. Distal Desk checks in each quarter.
Weeks one and two, you answer their questions. After that, the team lead checks the work.
You stop answering overnight tickets, re-explaining rules and chasing replies. You still decide what gets done.
Now
With a supervised agent
You still decide what gets done. You stop doing the follow-ups.
Six roles: customer support, tier-1 tech support, back office, dispatch, bookkeeping and sales support. Pick one to see a typical week.
Filter by industry
A dedicated customer-support agent answers your customers by email, chat and phone on your shift, in your help desk, under your name.
Tools: trained in your help desk and store admin during onboarding, for example Zendesk, Gorgias, Freshdesk or Shopify.
Rate band: USD 10.50–12 an hour, indicative; role rates confirmed on your quote.
Common in: E-commerce, Home services, Property management, SaaS.
A tier-1 technical support agent takes the first call or ticket, fixes common problems from your guides, and hands the rest to your engineers with the steps already tried.
Tools: trained in your ticket and remote-access tools during onboarding, for example Zendesk or ConnectWise.
Rate band: USD 10.50–12 an hour, indicative; role rates confirmed on your quote.
Common in: IT managed service providers, SaaS.
A back-office agent keeps your orders, records and files up to date, so the work behind the customer gets done every day.
Tools: trained in your spreadsheets, store admin and customer database during onboarding, for example Google Sheets, Shopify or HubSpot.
Rate band: USD 10.50–12 an hour, indicative; role rates confirmed on your quote.
Common in: E-commerce, Home services, Property management, Accounting firms.
A dispatcher books jobs, assigns them to your technicians, and keeps customers updated when plans change.
Tools: trained in your field-service software during onboarding, for example ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or Jobber.
Rate band: USD 10.50–12 an hour, indicative; role rates confirmed on your quote.
Common in: Home services, Property management.
A bookkeeping agent records your transactions and keeps the books ready for your accountant to review.
Tools: trained in your accounting software during onboarding, for example QuickBooks or Xero.
Rate band: USD 10.50–12 an hour, indicative; role rates confirmed on your quote.
Common in: Accounting firms, E-commerce, Property management, Home services.
A sales-support agent follows up your leads by phone and email and books qualified appointments into your calendar.
Tools: trained in your sales software and calendar during onboarding, for example HubSpot or Google Calendar.
Rate band: USD 10.50–12 an hour, indicative; role rates confirmed on your quote.
Common in: Home services, SaaS, IT managed service providers, Property management.
A full-time dedicated agent costs USD 1,817 a month at USD 10.50 an hour for 173 billable hours, billed by our partner provider in Davao City. A US customer-service hire costs about USD 6,159 a month fully loaded (BLS median wage May 2025 plus benefits June 2026). Change the market, role, team size and shift to see your number.
The local-hire comparison needs a display exchange rate, which we have not set yet.
24/7 cover needs 5 agents per seat, so 5 agents in all: 168 hours a week ÷ 40 hours per agent = 4.2, plus 15% for leave and absence (shrinkage), rounded up.
Every role uses the starting rate. Your quote confirms the rate for your role.
A dedicated agent costs USD 10.50 to 12 an hour by role: USD 1,817 to 2,076 a month for the average 173 billable hours (full time, weekdays). The rate includes night-shift pay. The provider bills you one month in advance, in USD, with no setup fee and no deposit; you end the service with 7 days' written notice. If your agent leaves, a replacement starts in 3–5 working days on average, free for as long as you are a client, and the empty seat is not billed.
GBP and AUD are indicative, at November 9, 2026 rates; billed in USD.
| Included in the hourly rate | Not included, or your decision |
|---|---|
| Your agent's pay, 13th-month pay, the employer's SSS, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG and Employees' Compensation contributions, and all other staffing and employment costs | Industry-specific software, hardware, CRMs or apps the role needs, such as help-desk, phone-system or CRM seats |
| Recruitment, screening and initial training | Your national holidays: agents observe your country's national holidays, not Philippine public holidays, and you decide whether those days are paid |
| Ongoing team lead supervision (up to 15 agents per lead); live reporting sheets, updated in real time | Anything not on this list: ask, and we get the answer in writing |
| Standard operational support | |
| Night shift differential (extra pay for work between 10pm and 6am Philippine time) | |
| A replacement if your agent leaves: 3–5 working days on average, free for as long as you are a client, and the empty seat is not billed |
I am paid a commission by the provider for clients I introduce. The provider bills you at the rate shown on this site. The full explanation is on the How I'm paid page.
A Davao agent can work your business hours, overnight, or 24/7; you choose the shift. The Philippines runs on Philippine Standard Time (UTC+8) all year, with no daylight saving. An Australian 9-to-5 is an ordinary Davao day, a UK 9-to-5 ends at midnight or 1am in Davao, and a US day is a Davao night shift. Hours from 10pm to 6am carry a night shift differential of at least 10% under Article 86 of the Labor Code, which the hourly rate already includes.
We could not read your time zone, so this shows New York.
Your 9am–5pm in New York is 10pm–6am in Davao today. 8 of those 8 hours fall in the 10pm–6am night window, with night pay included in the hourly rate.
| Your city | Hours ahead in Davao | Your 9–5 in Davao time | Night-window hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York (EST / EDT) | 13 / 12 | 10pm–6am / 9pm–5am | 8 / 7 |
| Chicago (CST / CDT) | 14 / 13 | 11pm–7am / 10pm–6am | 7 / 8 |
| Los Angeles (PST / PDT) | 16 / 15 | 1am–9am / 12am–8am | 5 / 6 |
| London (GMT / BST) | 8 / 7 | 5pm–1am / 4pm–12am | 3 / 2 |
| Sydney (AEST / AEDT) | −2 / −3 | 7am–3pm / 6am–2pm | 0 |
| Perth (AWST) | 0 | 9am–5pm | 0 |
Pairs show standard / daylight time. A minus sign means Davao is behind you.
The provider's team lead, who supervises up to 15 agents on the office floor, checks your agent's work as part of the hourly rate and answers you, usually the same business day. You check the results on a live reporting sheet, updated in real time.
The sheets cover attendance, productivity, performance targets and campaign results. Open them any time; there is no weekly report to wait for. If you track first response time (how long customers wait for a first reply) or average handle time, ask on the call whether they can go on the sheet.
The provider replaces them free, for as long as you are a client.
Ask on the call who covers your queue in those days.
| Column | Example entry |
|---|---|
| Attendance | In 9:02am, out 5:00pm |
| Productivity | 58 tickets answered |
| Performance targets | First reply within 1 hour: met |
| Campaign results | 12 refund requests closed |
Your agent works in the provider's Davao City office, not from home. The provider signs UK and EU data protection agreements and HIPAA Business Associate Agreements. It is not currently registered with the National Privacy Commission and holds no security certificate.
The provider's office at 4th Floor, 8000 Elpidio Quirino Ave, Barangay 10-A, Poblacion District, Davao City, 8000 Davao del Sur, Philippines. You decide which of your tools they log in to. Ask on the call about company machines, personal devices, and how access is removed when an agent leaves.
Under the Data Privacy Act of 2012, the provider processes your customers' personal data as a personal information processor, regulated by the National Privacy Commission (NPC).
You stay the data controller; the provider is your processor and needs a GDPR Article 28 agreement. The Philippines has no EU or UK adequacy decision, so add the EU Standard Contractual Clauses or the UK Addendum. US healthcare data needs a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA). California's CCPA expects "service provider" terms, and Australian Privacy Principle 8 keeps you accountable for the provider.
None at present, as the provider confirmed in writing, so there is no badge here.
The Philippines has English as an official language and a large outsourcing industry. Davao City shares Manila's UTC+8 time, has a separate hiring market, and has an office Distal Desk can visit.
The Philippines' IT and business process management industry earned USD 40.3 billion in 2025, according to the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP). The country ranked 28 of 123 in the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index. English is an official language, used in schools, business and government.
Davao City is the most populous city on Mindanao, about 950 km south-east of Manila (Wikipedia, November 2026), on the same UTC+8 time. Many providers that serve small businesses deliver from Metro Manila, Cebu or Clark, where call centers recruit from the same pool. Davao has its own universities and English-speaking graduates. The provider's office is in central Davao City. Distal Desk is based in Davao too, so the person who introduced you can walk the floor.
Outsourcing customer service to the Philippines: costs, team structure and the laws that apply
The difference is not the person but who employs and manages them: on a job board you are the employer, the trainer and the backup; with a supervised office team, the provider is. A US local hire costs about 3.0 to 3.4 times as much for the same hours (BLS wage and benefit data, May 2025 and June 2026).
| Question | Supervised office team (this site) | Hire direct on OnlineJobs.ph / Upwork | Local hire (US example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who employs the agent | The provider in Davao City, as its employee | You, usually as a contractor | You |
| Who trains and manages day to day | The team lead on the floor | You | You or your manager |
| Monthly cost for 173 hours | USD 1,817–2,076 | USD 400–800 pay (VA Masters, Aug 2026), plus USD 69 or 99 a month for an OnlineJobs.ph plan (OnlineJobs.ph, Nov 2026) | About USD 6,159 fully loaded (BLS) |
| If they leave | Replacement in 3–5 working days on average, free; the empty seat is not billed | Repost the ad and hire again, on your time | Recruit again, on your time |
| Your time per week | Questions and approvals; the team lead supervises | "20+ hours" in the first weeks (VA Masters, Aug 2026) | Normal management load |
| Where they work | The provider's office in Davao City | The agent's home | Your office |
| Data protection paperwork | Processor agreement (yes); HIPAA BAA (yes) | Usually none | Your policies |
| Moonlighting (a second job on your time) | Full-time, in the provider's office during your shift; ask about second jobs on the call | Possible: some Filipino freelancers advise keeping a second client as a backup ("Always on two", r/buhaydigital, May 2025) | Low |
Sources: VA Masters (20 Aug 2026); OnlineJobs.ph pricing (checked 10 Nov 2026); moonlighting: r/buhaydigital thread (May 2025; archived copy); US hire: BLS median wage, May 2025, plus benefit costs, June 2026. The supervised model is a form of staff leasing: the provider employs and supervises, unlike an employer of record, which employs on paper while you manage.
Why your virtual assistant keeps quitting, and what a replacement costs
From USD 10.50 to 12 an hour, depending on the role: about USD 1,817 a month at the starting rate for an average 173 hours, billed one month in advance by the provider. The rate covers recruitment, initial training, ongoing team-lead supervision, standard operational support, and all staffing and employment costs, plus night-shift pay and free replacement. The only extras are industry-specific software, hardware, CRMs or apps the role needs. There is no setup fee and no deposit. See the full rate card and terms.
The provider's team lead does; you give direction and approve policy. The team lead works on the same office floor, supervises up to 15 agents and answers you usually the same business day. Live reporting sheets, updated in real time, show attendance, productivity, performance targets and campaign results, so you can check the work without asking. Distal Desk introduces you and stays on the email thread but does not manage the agent. See who manages your agent.
The provider replaces them at no charge, in 3–5 working days on average, for as long as you are a client. Until the replacement starts, the seat stays empty and is not billed, so you never pay for a gap. Who covers your queue in those days is not yet confirmed in writing, so ask on the call. The steps are under what happens if your agent leaves.
Yes. You interview candidates and approve one before anyone is assigned to your account; if none fits, say so before anyone starts. Use the interview to check what a résumé cannot show: how they write to an upset customer, how they sound on the phone, and whether they ask good questions. Bring one real ticket from your queue and ask how they would answer it.
Yes. The provider staffs your business hours, overnight, or 24/7. The Philippines is on UTC+8 with no daylight saving, so a US day is a Davao night shift, a UK day is a Davao evening, and an Australian day is an ordinary Davao day. Work from 10pm to 6am carries at least 10% extra pay under Article 86 of the Labor Code, included in the hourly rate. The time-zone table shows what a 9-to-5 in your city becomes in Davao.
You judge that yourself, because you interview candidates before one is assigned. The Philippines ranked 28 of 123 countries and regions in the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index, and English is an official language, used in schools, business and government. Accents vary, so test for your market: ask the candidate to explain one of your policies back to you, then to write a short reply to a real customer email.
Your data is handled in an office, not a home: your agent works from the provider's Davao City office, and you decide which of your systems they log in to. The provider signs data protection agreements for UK and EU clients and HIPAA Business Associate Agreements for US healthcare clients. It is not currently registered with the National Privacy Commission and holds no security certification at present. Ask on the call about devices and how access is removed when an agent leaves. Details are in the security section.
5–10 working days from signing the service agreement to your agent's first shift. Before anyone is assigned, you interview candidates and approve one; the provider then trains your agent in your systems. Have your logins, help-desk seats and written procedures ready on day one, so training time goes to your customers, not to waiting for access. The onboarding plan walks through each step.
A minimum term, if any, is not yet confirmed in writing, so ask on the call. To end the service, you give 7 days' written notice. The provider bills one month in advance, with no setup fee and no deposit. You sign these terms with the provider, not with Distal Desk. If this page and the service agreement ever differ, the agreement is what you signed; tell me and I will fix the page. See the terms on the pricing page.
You contract with and pay the provider in Davao City, not Distal Desk. I am paid a commission by the provider for clients I introduce. The provider bills you at the rate shown on this site, and my commission comes out of that rate. Distal Desk does not employ, manage or bill agents; it finds the fit, introduces you, stays on the email thread and checks in each quarter. The full explanation is on the How I'm paid page.
No. You do not browse profiles, set a salary or run payroll. The provider employs the agent and the team lead; Distal Desk introduces you to the provider and keeps the record of that introduction. On a job board or freelance marketplace, you are the employer, the trainer and the backup when someone leaves. The full comparison of a managed team, OnlineJobs.ph and a local hire goes row by row.
With this provider, agents observe your country's national holidays, not Philippine public holidays, and you decide whether those days are paid. So a US client's agent can take Thanksgiving off, and a UK client's agent Boxing Day. Philippine law pays 200% of the daily wage for work on a regular holiday (Article 94 of the Labor Code) and 130% on a special non-working day (DOLE advisories, 2026). That extra pay is the provider's cost as the employer, inside the all-inclusive rate, not a line on your bill.
Check the monthly cost for your role against a local hire. If it fits, book a 20-minute call.