Apple has released the newest iPhone, the iPhone 11. The 11, like many of its predecessors, comes different versions for you to choose between. Before you buy, you want to compare iPhone 11 models so you can pick the phone that suits your needs. The 11 and 11 pro max actually have a number of differentiating features. Apple, once again, corners the market on giving you options. The 11 starts at $700 while the Pro Max starts at $1100. But what are you getting for that extra $400? Let’s dive in.

For a comparison of all three models of the iPhone 11 check out our video on youtube!

Colors Offered

The colors offered for both phones highlight just one of the differences when comparing iPhone 11 models. The interesting thing is that none of the colors cross over. While the 11 comes in red, black, green, purple, yellow and white, the 11 Pro Max gets “fancy” with Gold, Midnight Green, Silver, and Space Gray (think dark/slate gray).

For the base model 11, the black, yellow, and red are vibrant colors while the green and purple are both muted pastels. You have a choice of a bold statement or a soft hint of color. For the Pro Max, the colors have more of an industrial feel to them. But the color differences are just the beginning.

Cameras Front and Back

Smartphone cameras have become one of, if not the biggest selling point when getting consumers to upgrade. One of the biggest things to consider when you compare iPhone 11 models is the camera. The base model 11 comes with two rear-facing cameras plus the front-facing camera. The front-facing is the same across all three models. The front-facing camera is Apples TruDepth camera with 12MP and f/2.2. The new addition to the front camera is the “slofie” which allows you to record slow-motion selfie videos.

The rear-facing cameras differentiate the two devices. The base 11 comes with two cameras on the back while the pro max comes with 3. Both models have a 12MP wide, f/1.8 and a 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4. The Pro Max adds in a telephoto lens with 12 MP, f/2.0, and 2x optical zoom. Both models also shoot video at 4k.

Displays for Days

Another difference you’ll see when you compare iPhone 11 models is the display size. The 11 base has a 6.1-inch display, while the Pro Max has a 6.5-inch. Both offer Apple’s Retina display, if you’ve never seen one, they’re vibrant and offer beautiful images. The differences in display sizes along with the different cameras also affect the weight of the phones. The Pro Max weighs a little over an ounce more than the base.

Compare iPhone 11 Prices

So the base model 11 starts at $700 while the Pro Max starts at $1100. The starting prices of both are determined by the amount of storage. So when you compare iPhone 11 models, it’s important to remember that if you want more than 64 GB of space, you’re going to pay more than the starting price. The base comes in three stages, 64, 128, and 256 GB. The Pro Max comes in at 64, 256, and 512 GB. While the secondary and tertiary models offer far more space, you’ll pay for it. The 512 GB clocks in at $1,449. So for more than twice what the base 11 costs, you’ll get 8 times the storage, an extra camera, and a slightly bigger display.

Check out our video where we compare iPhone 11 models (all three of them) over on our youtube channel. 

If you need help setting up your new iPhone, or with any other tech questions, give OneSupport a call at 844-818-3415 today. Our friendly, 100% U.S. based Technology Advisors are ready to help you with whatever you need. We’ll tech it from here.

Most college students are away from home for the first time. They have newfound independence and rather than call home the moment something goes wrong, students want to try and figure out how to do things on their own. When it comes to laptop issues for college students, they often don’t know where to turn for help, and they certainly don’t want to be subjected to getting scolded for not being careful with their computer. So, we came up with this simple troubleshooting list to help students maintain their freedom from mom and dad and get their computer back on track. 

Your Laptop’s Battery Won’t Hold a Charge

Laptops have lithium-ion batteries. Eventually, over time, the battery can lose its ability to hold a charge or charge completely. Sometimes replacing the battery is the easiest way to rectify this situation. If your laptop is set up with what’s known as a user-serviceable battery, you should be able to buy and replace your battery easily on your own. If not, you’ll want to contact a technology advisor to be sure the replacement goes smoothly. 

Sometimes replacing a battery means the back of the laptop has to be unscrewed and removed. We do not recommend trying to do this at home by yourself. You could break the computer this way.

A Damaged Keyboard

Sometimes bad things happen. You spill something on your laptop and the keys get sticky, the keys fall off, or the letters wear off the surface. Whatever the issue, there is typically a solution as long as you didn’t spill such a large quantity of liquids that you fry the motherboard. If you can’t fix the issues by cleaning the keyboard, many laptop manufacturers provide replacement keyboards or keys. To find out how to do this, consult the user’s guide or search your laptops “help” section.

Don’t Let Your Laptop Overheat

One of the main reasons a new laptop will crash or freeze up is that it overheated. Computers generate heat, and when they don’t get proper ventilation, this can cause laptop issues. Be sure to keep the air vents free of dust and dirt. The last thing you want is for them to become clogged and your laptop to disable its built-in ability to cool itself down properly. 

You don’t need complex tools to keep your laptop dust free. A smooth cloth and some q-tips can go a long way to cleaning out all the nooks and crannies on your computer. Also, don’t use your laptop on a blanket. The blanket, while keeping you comfy and cozy, can block the vents disabling its ability to self-cool. 

If cleaning the laptop doesn’t help and you allowed time for it to cool down, update your computer’s BIOS. The BIOS is the laptops heat management system. Just be sure that you have your laptop connected to its power supply while updating the BIOS; it takes a bit of time, and if the battery dies, the BIOS won’t update properly.

Virus and Malware

A computer virus or an embedded malware file can wreak havoc on a laptop, and nothing can be more frustrating than trying to get your computer up and running again in time for your next big assignment. 

The best way to avoid viruses is prevention with antivirus software. Be mindful, however, that the longer a virus is in your computer the more damage it does. 

If you find yourself too far gone, you can do a couple of things:

• Call your laptop company and see if they can provide you with support
• Head to your college IT department and see if one of the tech students is willing to help you. You may find you made a new friend at the end of the ordeal. 
• Give OneSupport’s Technology Advisors a call and let them clean up your computer and help protect you from future viruses.

These are all common laptop issues for college students but other less common issues may arise too. OneSupport is here to help 24/7. Professors don’t accept the computer problem excuse, so don’t let laptop issues stop you from making the grades you’ve been working toward. Give OneSupport a call at 844-818-3415. We’ll tech it from here.

We’ve Got Great Prizes

The first product review and prize is a JBL go 2 Bluetooth speaker. The speaker is waterproof with an IPX 7 reading and “ultra-portable.” It offers 5 hours of music play. For more information, head to our YouTube channel and watch the review! Take this speaker with you wherever you go, even the beach, and don’t worry about the wind, water, or sand. A little speaker, but it offers a big sound. 

Our second-day giveaway bis for a set of JBL endurance Sprint headphones, because who doesn’t want a great set of headphones? The headphones also boast an IPX 7 rating with up to 8 hours or battery and speed charge. They also allow for hands-free calls, so you don’t have to fumble around with your phone. These headphones are perfect for work or leisure. You can study with them in or workout while you’re wearing them without worrying about sweat ruining them. 

How to Enter the Holiday Giveaway

Find the winners of each daily prize in the holiday giveaway on our Facebook and Twitter profiles. If you have any questions or comments, let us know! Reach out on any of our social channels. We’ve included convenient buttons here on the blog. To enter, click this link and fill out the information required. Check back with our YouTube channel daily to see, and enter, for each day’s prize. *The shipping address included must be within the United States. 

One more thing, included with each of the 12 prizes, will be a free year of our OneSupport services. You’ll have great new devices that we’ll support. You’ll have access to our 24/7, 100% U.S. based technology advisors with just a quick phone call or the click of a button.

**We’ve included links to the products, we hope you like them. We do collect a small amount of money for affiliate links.

Many companies are allowing employees to work remotely, either all or part of the time now that technology allows for this. Whether you have a loved one in your life that works remotely or you have a remote employee that you’re looking to find an excellent gift for, OneSupport has you covered. We’ve found you some great gifts for remote workers! If you’re interested in winning these great gifts, there is a link at the bottom of this post for more information! 

Gifts for Remote Workers That Make Travel Easy

Working remotely doesn’t just mean working from your house. Remote workers often have the freedom to work anywhere; they have a reliable internet connection. Consideration needs to be taken when traveling to ensure that electronics are safe. The first place to start is with a highly rated backpack. Regular backpacks might be more convenient, but when you travel with electronics frequently, you need something made to keep your laptop and other tech safe.

This Swissgear Laptop Backpack makes an excellent gift for the remote worker in your life. Added bonus, it’s easy for the traveling remote worker, and it’s TSA friendly. The backpack fits most 15 inch laptops and tablets easily. It has padded straps (because electronics get heavy), and it’s very highly rated with 4.4 out of 5 stars. 

Accessories to Accompany Your Technology

Being able to put your laptop into a backpack and not worry about is great, but what about all the cords and other accessories? This great Universal Electronics Accessories Organizer is a great gift, remote workers. It easily stores cables, SD cards, portable chargers, and more. This organizer has tons of pockets to separate all of your accessories, so you never have to untangle the dreaded cord knot. 

This travel organizer is highly rated on amazon and reviewed by our video expert, Chris. He liked it so much that he picked it as one of the prizes for this giveaway. This isn’t just an excellent gift for a remote worker. This is a great gift for anyone that lives a busy life on the go. College students need something like this in their life, and their bags, to keep all of their chargers and gadgets in order. Check out day 3 of our giveaway with more on this product here. 

Repairs on the Go

The next great gift for remote workers is this 80-in-one electronics repair kit. You never know when you might need to make a small repair on one of your gadgets, or so many other things. This repair kit includes tweezers, cleaning brushes, an interchangeable screwdriver set, suction cup, and so much more. A kit like this doesn’t just come in handy for repairing gadgets, and it never hurts to be prepared.

*We do not recommend attempting repairs inside of your electronics, leave this to professionals. 

Check out these three great gifts in our video reviews over on our YouTube channel. While you’re there, check out the video about holiday giveaway and enter to win. You could win one of 12 great prizes. Each prize will also include a free year of OneSupport. With OneSupport yearly, you get 24/7 access to our 100% U.S. based technology advisors. To sign up for OneSupport call 844-818-3415 or chat with an agent today. We’ll even be open on Christmas day to help you set up all of your electronics and more. To win these great gifts for remote workers, and all the other prizes we’ve picked, check out our holiday giveaway blog!

**We’ve included links to the products, we hope you like them. We do collect a small amount of money for affiliate links.

If you’re still looking for tech gifts for grandparents, we’ve got some straight off our giveaway list for you to check out. Grandparents need to be connected but also need tech that is easy to use and helpful. Here are a few great gifts for grandparents that you can order right off amazon and still have in time for Christmas. 

Tech Gifts for Grandparents That Simplify Life

The Google Home Mini makes a great prize because of the versatility it offers to users. With a Home Mini, you can do as little or as much as you want. Set the home mini up like a hub for your speakers and play your music in every room. If you want to get a little more involved, set the mini up to control lights in your house. The Mini is a great choice for grandparents because they never have to walk into a dark room. Say, “Hey Google, turn on the kitchen light.”  You can even dim the lights with his option. You do have to buy special bulbs for this, but they’re available in stores and online. 

The Roku Premiere is one of our favorite tech gifts for grandparents because it allows them to watch all the shows and movies they want at home or on the go. Once the Roku is set up, plug it into any TV in an HDMI slot and then connect it to the wifi and you’re good to go. Grandma won’t miss her stories, and grandpa can watch the game. A bonus with the Roku, you could help Gramps save some money on his cable bill with all the streaming options available today. 

Gifts to Keep Grandparents Connected

The Kindle Fire has been around for a while now, but it’s a fan favorite for a reason. The Fire tablets are easy to use, lightweight, and they hold up well to usage. A tablet is an excellent option for grandparents because it allows for scrolling through social media sites, reading, and video calling. The Fire is affordable and always prime eligible, so there’s plenty of time to get one before Christmas. 

If you’re looking to splurge on the grandparents this year, look no further. This Acer Chromebook is the perfect choice for grandparents who like to be online. The Chromebook is fantastic because it is more secure than other laptop choices. As of the time of this post, there are no known viruses for Chromebooks. 

Each webpage on the Chromebook runs in a sandbox environment, which means that even if you land on an infected page, it can’t compromise the rest of the machine. This makes Chromebooks ideal tech gifts for grandparents because you know they’re secure while they’re online. 

The Gift of Support

Help your grandparents stay connected to loved ones and technology with these tech gifts, and help them stay secure with OneSupport. Give one of our technology advisors a call today at 844-818-3415 and learn about all the ways having a personal tech team benefits you. OneSupport is open 24/7/365. Get a great new piece of tech for Christmas? We’re here to help you get it running. To enter our 12 days of Christmas giveaway, check out the OneSupport YouTube channel for instructions. We’ll tech it from here. 

*We have included links to some products we hope you love in this post. We may collect a small share from the links we provided.

Microsoft has 1.2 billion users worldwide. With that many users, it’s a safe bet that there is a multitude of scams targeting Microsoft accounts. One of the latest Microsoft spoofing scams attempted to hit one of OneSupport’s Technology Advisors recently. Luckily she was well versed in identifying these scams. Some of them are harder to identify than others. Knowing how they work and what they’re after is a good start to keeping yourself and your loved ones safe. 

What is a Spoofing Scam

Most people think phones when they hear spoofing, but the scam happens with email accounts as well. A spoofing scam creates an email address that looks like a legitimate account, in this case from Microsoft help, and asks you to reset your password, or tries to collect other sensitive information. Often the emails will include a logo from the company they claim to represent. Having an email address that appears to come from the company and a logo is enough to confuse most people.

When the user opens the email, they are often asked to reset a password or update their user information. Some of these emails may tell you to click a link, and that link downloads a virus to the machine. This is a common way that ransomware makes its way onto a computer. Ransomware is malicious software that locks up the computer and the files and demands money to get the information back. 

How to Stay Safe from Microsoft Spoofing Scams

In the case of our technology advisor, Lara, the email address that the message came from only one character off from the real one. It took her a minute to realize what was going on. The most significant clue that the email was not legitimate were typos in the body of the email. However, some scams don’t have typos in their messages. 

So how do you know what’s safe and what isn’t? Here are some questions to ask yourself: 

1. Did you request a password reset? 
2. Have you attempted to use or log into the account recently?
3. Would a company randomly email you and tell you you need to update your information?
4. Is the company name spelled right?
5. Are there punctuation, spelling, or formatting errors?

Chances are a random email without your request to reset or update is not real. When in doubt, you should call Microsoft. There may be a number provided in the message in question. DO NOT CALL THIS NUMBER. You’ll fall into the same spoofing scam if you call this number. Instead, google the Microsoft help number or the number for the company in question. At the very least, you should be able to find either a phone number or a live chat option to verify the legitimacy of the message in question. 

What To Do if You Encounter a Suspected Scam

If you believe you may have encountered a Microsoft spoofing scam, take some steps to ensure your security. Run a scan on your computer; make sure nothing was downloaded by opening the email. Take a screenshot of the email, then delete it, and contact the company in question and your support company. If you don’t have a support company, get one! 

Give OneSupport a call at 844-818-3415 and signup today. OneSupport’s technology advisors can help you identify malicious messages and software and keep your devices safe and secure. We’re always open and ready to help. OneSupport: We’ll tech it from here.

Setting up a Gmail account is quite easy; managing it, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated. With all email platforms, there are a few daily tasks seniors should know how to do. Gmail is a great email platform for seniors because, with a Gmail account, they have access to several Google services, such as YouTube, Google Drive, and Google Docs. However, seniors should monitor their email accounts closely and use these tips when managing and creating their Gmail accounts.

How to Set up a Gmail Account

To set up a Gmail account, navigate to Gmail, and create a new account. From here, you will need to fill in your first and last name, birthday and choose a username and password. 

When seniors choose their username, they should keep in mind that periods in Gmail usernames don’t make a difference. For example, emails sent to johnsmith@gmail.com and john.smith@gmail.com would go to the same person. Since periods are often left out when people send emails, it caused emails to be sent to the wrong person all too often.

You should try to use a robust password. Use both capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. However, choose a password that’s easy to remember, then write it down and keep it safe.

Another step seniors can take in making sure their email is hack-proof is to enable two-step verification. With two-step verification, you get a unique code texted to your phone or device, and you must enter it after your username and password in order to log in. 

How to Manage a Gmail Account

In addition to making sure their accounts are locked tight to deter hackers, seniors should continuously monitor their Gmail accounts for scammers. These daily tasks will keep them on track.

Unsubscribe From Newsletters

Certain companies and websites sell personal information to marketing companies, which gives them access to email addresses without the user’s permission. When these companies gain access to seniors’ email addresses, they spam their accounts with junk mail.

Seniors should monitor their emails for these unwanted subscriptions. As they see these emails, they should go in and unsubscribe, so they stop receiving messages.

Organize Gmail Accounts With Folders

Inboxes get cluttered with emails quickly. While some emails get deleted, most emails need to be stored just in case you need to refer back to them in the future. To make it easy to find specific emails, organize your Gmail account with folders of categories. For example, create folders for emails about insurance, mortgages, family, and shopping. The more organized your inbox is, the easier it will be to locate emails quickly.

Be on the Lookout for Scams

Last, but certainly not least, seniors should always be on the lookout for scam emails. Email scammers specifically target seniors. A few types of scams to be on the lookout for include:

• Emails from companies asking you to verify sensitive information via email (SSN, credit card number, etc.)
• Messages stating you won a sweepstakes or lottery prize
• Emails from unrecognized senders with links in them
• Messages from people claiming to be a grandchild requesting money

These are just a few types of scams aimed at older adults. If seniors see any suspicious email but are unsure of its true nature, they should contact the actual company they deal with for the product mentioned and verify whether they sent the email or not. 

For example, if a senior gets an email asking him to update his checking account information for his Medicare plan, he should call his Medicare plan carrier and verify that the company sent the email. In a case like this, it will always be a scam, as insurance carriers don’t ask seniors to update their account information via email. Seniors who set up and manage their Gmail accounts using these tips are far less likely to encounter hackers and scammers.

If you need assistance making your Gmail work better for you, give one of OneSupport’s Technology Advisors a call today. Our highly trained, 100% U.S. based staff is available 24/7/365 to help with all of your technology needs. Call us at 844-818-3415 or chat with an advisor today. OneSuppport: We’ll tech it from here. 

Danielle K. Roberts is a Medicare insurance expert and co-founder at Boomer Benefits, where her team of experts helps baby boomers with their Medicare decisions nationwide.

Businesses are always looking for ways to stay ahead of the competition. Unfortunately, even if you’ve had success in the past, the same strategies don’t guarantee you success in the future—especially if those strategies don’t involve making your business as efficient as possible. Many companies have begun to transform themselves digitally. A new McKinsey Global Survey reports that more than eight in ten respondents say their organizations have undertaken digital transformation efforts in the past five years. 

So, what is a digital transformation exactly?

According to The Enterprisers Project, a ‘digital transformation’ is “the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how you operate and deliver value to customers.” 

This process doesn’t happen overnight. Digital transformations require businesses to rethink how they operate, even if it means revisiting long-standing business processes. However, once all processes are fully aligned, the benefits are innumerous.

Better Customer Service

In an ideal world, we’d be able to respond to every customer inquiry immediately. However, given the volume of customers and questions, this isn’t always possible.

Or is it? 

While your employees only work a handful of hours each day, a 24/7 support team catered to your needs responds to inquiries around the clock. The process of transforming your customer service department into one that’s better equipped to handle the volume of customers doesn’t just take the weight off of your employees. It also improves customer satisfaction.

Better Decision-making

Businesses generate lots and lots of data. Some estimates indicate that we generate 7.5 septillion gigabytes of data every single day. While this volume of data can be overwhelming, it is also beneficial for businesses that learn to utilize it appropriately. Equipping your business with systems that capture, analyze, and store data all in one place allows you to convert complex information into valuable business insights for better decision-making.

More Efficient Employees

Most of the core business functions that make up your company require numerous manual processes. While important, these processes often comprise multiple hours of highly-skilled employees’ schedules. This is where digital transformation comes in. Robotic Process Automation is a type of automation that can replicate computer-based manual tasks. This provides the means to automate many business processes. This includes functions within the scope of finance, accounting, and other departments that are regularly bogged down by repetitive processes. Once automated, workers can devote more time and energy to pressing duties that relate to their primary job role.

Better Security

With great data comes great responsibility. As customers provide businesses with more information about themselves, companies become more liable for keeping this information safe. Businesses should take special measures to help ward off the threat of a security breach. Start by employing the help of cybersecurity professionals who regularly update security networks with the latest technology and encryption available. It’s not always an easy task, as hackers consistently find new ways to thwart safety and security measures. However, investing in updated cybersecurity will allow your business to enjoy a reputation as a company customers feel safe with. Ready to dive into a digital transformation? Give OneSupport a call at 877-588-7437 and set up a demo today. 

Today’s workforce is experiencing growth and change when it comes to workforce obligations and expectations. The structure of the 9-5 workday has shifted to allow employees a better work-life balance. Now with the spread of Covid-19, millions are working from home. Organizations must trust employees to make the most out of their remote work schedule. These tips for remote employees ensure that employees are physically and mentally healthy. 

Create a Dedicated Office Space 

The first step to creating a healthy and beneficial remote work atmosphere is establishing a dedicated office space. A large part of what keeps employees focused at the office is a dedicated workstation. Work stations are usually equipped with all of the necessary supplies to get them through the day. At home, employees are inclined to work from their living room or bedroom because it’s convenient. Employees are more productive when working from an ergonomic desk chair designed to provide back support with a desktop or monitor that is in their sightline, rather than a couch or bed intended for relaxation. 

However, a home office space doesn’t need to be in a dedicated room. This is likely unrealistic for most people, as many don’t have an extra room to spare. A home office can take shape in the corner of the living room, kitchen, or in any other functional space that the home allows. Employees should have a dedicated space for work. Having that keeps them productive and creates a separation between their work-life and home-life. 

Maintain a Routine

This is one of our most essential tips for remote employees. It’s easy to roll out of bed and begin the day right then and there when working from home. After all, why should they get dressed and ready when they don’t have to go into the office?  It’s common to hold that belief, but employees should try to avoid it at all costs. Take the time to get up early and get dressed as if you are going into the office. This will motivate employees to maintain a start time and an end time for the day. Additionally, a lot of employees adopt the ideology that because they have their work with them at all times, they should be working at all times. This idea creates overworked and burnt-out employees.

Be sure to set boundaries with schedules.  A daily routine can be set up in no time at all! Simply determine a start time and wake up about an hour beforehand. This will allow enough time to shower, get dressed, have coffee and breakfast, and watch the morning news. Once they’ve woken up and are in the right frame of mind, they can begin their day without any distractions and go from there.

Security Tips for Remote Employees

Keeping employees secure is vital for individuals and companies alike. Many find this much harder when working from home. With the intensely quick shift across the country, millions find themselves working remotely. Ensuring that you and your employees are secure when working from home will save you lots of money and frustration in the future. There are numerous tools available for remote employees and companies.

• Set up a virtual private network for your employees to connect to
• Ensure that all employees are running security software
• Set up two-factor authentication
• Be sure your employees aren’t working from outdated operating systems

Take Advantage of Breaks  

Whether employees work from the office, a coffee shop, or at home, it’s easy for them to get lost in their work and lose track of time. Although this is common, it also leads to some unhealthy behaviors like employee burnout, over-engagement with digital devices, and inactive lifestyles.  When employees are overly committed to their assignments and don’t take frequent enough breaks, they can become overworked, leading to exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffective or careless work ethic. They can also start experiencing side effects of computer vision syndrome, which occurs as a result of excessive interaction with digital devices, and inactive lifestyles that can cause chronic health issues. 

By taking short 10-15 minute breaks during the day to let the brain recharge, the eyes readjust, and the body move, employees can avoid burnout. They can also use time management techniques, get some blue light filtering eyeglasses, and exercise regularly to combat employee burnout further.

Exercise Regularly  

A common problem among remote employees is inactivity. Remote work does have its advantages, but not needing to commute to work or move around throughout the day leads to less movement overall. Although working in an office can also lead to not meeting the recommended amount of daily activity because employees spend the majority of their day sitting, remote workers are suspected of getting even less exercise. Remote employees can introduce more movement into their days by going for walks, doing home workouts, and stretches during breaks and going to the gym on lunch or after work.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and a healthy work-life balance can be difficult as a remote employee. Still, it’s important to consider to maintain productivity and focus during work hours. OneSupport offers remote work opportunities based out of 22 states around the U.S. If you need more tips for remote employees, or you’re looking for a job, we’re here to help. 

Executive Summary:

Seasonal volume fluctuations present a familiar challenge for many types of businesses, including those that utilize contact center-based customer care representatives to help meet additional demand. Oftentimes, leaders choose to hire temporary employees to supplement their internal customer care teams during high season, but this choice creates a “Temp Cycle” that brings with it numerous costs, knowledge retention, and efficiency challenges that can have a significant strategic impact on the business.

In this paper, we will discuss how to use outsourcing as an approach to break the Temp Cycle, and the significant advantages that come with shifting to an outsourced partnership strategy.

Defining the “Temp Cycle”:

The “Temp Cycle” is created by finding temporary staffing during times of peak seasonal volume demand. Onboarding temporary workers requires a significant investment of time and operational resources by permanent staff and management, only to turn around and release these newly trained supplemental staff from employment once volume declines again in the off season. This cycle offers temporary solutions for recurring strategic challenges, and creates a loop of seasonal “brain drain” within the operation.

Brain Drain – A Major Cost

Key Challenges:

• Spending time and resources training new employees
• Losing an employee who is trained

One of the largest downsides to hiring temporary staffing is the loss of resources, time, effort, and training, invested at the end of the season. Releasing an employee that is trained and knowledgeable is what we refer to as “brain drain.” An employee who is hired to be temporary still requires significant training time and onboarding investment that is cycled out at the end of the season. This presents a temporary solution for a recurring problem.

Training and Onboarding – A Major Investment

Key Challenges:

• Training is expensive
• Training takes time away from strategic initiatives

The onboarding process for new employees is an expensive cycle that takes time and resources away from daily operations. Removing a veteran employee from daily operations to train a new recruit leaves a void where the veteran was, disrupting productivity and quality. The financial cost of training new hires is a burden that all companies are familiar with. The cost of recruiting, hiring and training is such that many employers rarely see a ROI from the temp cycle. 

Employee Engagement – A Delicate Balance
Key Challenges:

• Hiring employees that are not as invested as FTEs
• Temp employees identify with, and support the brand less than FTEs

Full Time Employees (FTEs) often feel pride in their position in an organization. This is a feeling that is often missing from temp workers, as they know their help will no longer be needed once volume fluctuation returns to normal. Entrusting a customer-facing position to an employee who may view this job as expendable is extremely risky.

Many temporary employees enter the position with a temporary mindset. Their overall purpose in an organization is a means to an end. Oftentimes their morale is affected by workload, pressure to perform, pay rate, and a lack of benefits. Temporary employees have less motivation to commit to an organization’s goals, values, and company culture, as they understand they will be cycled out at the end of the season. 

OneSupport – A Significant Advantage
Key Advantages

• Focused and invested employees and tenured management team
• Increased workforce flexibility and redundancy during times of increased volume, vacation, holidays, etc.
• Built-in business continuity and redundancy programs
• Access to advice, innovation, and best practices developed over 27+ years in the contact center industry
• Full Stack IT & Software Development team – ability to integrate and streamline systems and processes, and provide better Business Intelligence through quality reporting.

OneSupport is a flexible, dynamic, data-driven, outsourcing partner capable of providing advice, innovation, and best practices developed over 27+ years in the contact center industry. Our experience, knowledge, and logistics are the key differentiating force behind our success. In the ever-changing world of customer support in the digital age, OneSupport has assisted in emergency relief, mergers and acquisitions, business continuity in the face of disaster, and helped to evolve support channels and the brands with which we partner.

One of the biggest financial advantages in breaking the temp cycle and moving to an outsourced partnership is freeing up the capital expenditure and human resources that are spent each season on the onboarding and training process. OneSupport’s team is able to train, retrain, maintain and build upon knowledge of products, services, and strategic insights gained each season. This provides redundancy and supplementation to the internal team, creating a reliable ally and partner that allows teams to stay focused on meeting upcoming seasonal demands, and relief from the hiring and training cycle.. By moving to an outsourced partnership with OneSupport, partners gain operational flexibility through persistent access to best practices and knowledge management, the ability to easily  adjust to seasonal volume demands, and relief from after-hours on-call and staffing requirements, all while freeing core support and management resources to tackle the strategic initiatives that drive the business forward.. 

One example of OneSupport’s unique ability to deliver for our clients occurred during the Covid-19 crisis in April of 2020. OneSupport was approached by a State Government Agency to provide direct contact center support. Due to the global crisis, the client was experiencing over 1 million unique call inquiries per day, and needed to quickly identify and engage an outsourcing partner to meet this challenge. OneSupport was able to work with the client to mobilize support resources within 10 days of the initial request, and has since grown the operation to over 650 FTEs. As a result of OneSupport’s efforts, transfer rates for COVID-19 calls dropped from over 36% to below 11% and relieved the pressure on the client’s internal telecenters and the bottleneck caused by the large disparity in headcount between Tier 1 contract call center operations and Tier 2 internal telecenters. 

OneSupport currently employs over 2,000 FTEs, amounting to 83.5% of our workforce, which does not include salary positions and management. Oftentimes FTEs are more invested in their position and the campaign they are working on than seasonal temporary employees, since they know their success is tied directly to the clients’ success. By maintaining a staff that consists of a vast majority of FTEs, we are able to provide invested and loyal agents that will identify with, and support brand management.

One of the largest benefits to outsourcing supplemental coverage is increased workforce flexibility and redundancy during times of increased volume, or when internal FTEs take vacation, have holiday time, or other planned or unplanned time off. OneSupport is uniquely equipped to fill the void that is left during these times by having staff available year-round.

Another benefit of outsourcing is the redundancy and business continuity vendors are able to provide during times of disaster and emergency. In 2017, one of OneSupport’s clients experienced heavy flooding and catastrophic damage to their five brick and mortar facilities due to the landfall of a category 4 hurricane in South and Central Texas. Due to OneSupport’s unique architecture and delivery  model, we were able to secure business continuity for our client by leveraging our multi-node, data center-based infrastructure approach and nationally distributed workforce footprint that ensured the majority of our team was available to work  and unaffected  by the hurricane.

Additionally, OneSupport’s Full Stack IT and Software Development team is effective in seamlessly integrating with tools and systems used by our clients. This allows our clients better Business Intelligence through quality reporting by streamlining these systems and processes, and can provide game-changing insights to leaders making strategic decisions to guide the operation.

To find out more about how OneSupport can become your strategic outsourcing partner, visit us at our website.