Author: Sabeeha Banu

How Can Insurance Verification Specialists Help Healthcare Providers Operate Efficiently

Posted on by Sabeeha Banu

Claim denials can be complex and frustrating. They are the most prevalent barriers to effective revenue cycle management. In addition to taking extra time and resources to process the claim, it slows down the cash flow. Poor insurance claims experiences may also lead to a $170 billion threat to global insurance premiums by 2027.

While Insurance Eligibility Verification is a vital process, it is also considered a tedious task. Therefore, it is ideal to hire an insurance verification specialist. 

Insurance Claims and Underwriting

Next in Insurance: Top Insurance Industry Trends in 2023

Massive hurdles over the past few years have compelled insurance carriers as a whole to become more adaptable, and technology-focused. Insurance companies must continue to discover ways to innovate cost-effectively, given the impending global recession and ongoing geopolitical unpredictability.

The Adoption of AI

Insurance claims

Artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting one of the most significant changes in the insurance industry as a technology driver. The insurance sector will experience a substantial shift from "pay for damage" to "prevent damage" as biosensors, intelligent gadgets, and deep-learning algorithms are integrated into products.

The proliferation of IoT and AI in the general population will render the current method of processing claims outdated and pave the way for automated claim processing. Therefore, businesses must develop plans and stay current on industry trends in the insurance sector.

Digital Convenience

91% of today's insurance customers are willing to use online buying platforms and demand digital convenience from their insurance companies.

As a result, carriers and agencies should focus on enhancing how digitally friendly the customer purchasing process is. One strategy is to improve the application and intake experience across numerous scenarios and channels. 

Consumers are embracing insurance technology trends as they become more tech-savvy to make purchases, manage policies, make payments, file claims, etc. Giving customers more power and control would enhance their experience. However, businesses would also gain from this change by reducing the cost of customer acquisition, increasing insurance agent productivity, increasing customer retention, speeding up claims processing, and securing brand value and position. 

Streamlining Mobile Applications

Presenting tailored premiums is quicker with mobile apps' improved access to consumer location and essential data. Carriers that adopt mobile apps for policyholder acquisition, maintenance, and retention become long-term, crucial partners by raising the value they provide to customers. 

Today insurance companies should focus on robust features, an appealing user interface, and highly customized experiences. Prospective customers want recommendations automatically filled in and quick access to human connection. So businesses need to integrate telemetry tools and provide simplified claims processing to encourage policyholder engagement.

Focusing on ESG

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts continue to be a strategic and compliance focus for insurers, giving both a considerable challenge and a chance to have a positive influence. 

According to Capgemini's study, 85% of global insurers anticipate that ESG will have an impact on every aspect of their operations, with investments leading the way (91%), closely followed by risk and internal audit (90%) and underwriting (88%).

For insurers, implementing strategic ESG practices has several benefits, such as enhanced reputation, potential loss reduction, and contribution to a more eco-friendly environment.

Embracing Blockchain Technology

Cyberattacks on multinational corporations significantly rose during the pandemic by 81%. For tech-savvy scammers, it is simple to target the insurance industry. To this end, blockchain technology can help in fraud detection and risk reduction. Operations will be secure and efficient, resulting in openness between insurers and reinsurers, with smart contracts for insurance policies and the encryption of medical records.

Businesses of any size should incorporate Blockchain into their core business processes and stay up with technology improvements in the insurance industry. They should get familiar with the deployment of blockchain technology as it affects the insurance sector.

What Does an Insurance Verification Specialist do?

Also Read: Prepare for Emerging Challenges in 2023 (and beyond) with a Virtual Insurance Assistant

An insurance verification expert confirms a patient's insurance details and their eligibility to get medical care. They look at the patient's insurance papers to determine their coverage and limitations before escalating any problems to the supervisor for quick resolution. 

Insurance Verification specialist Responsibilities

An insurance verification specialist job may require post-secondary training with a high school degree. Certification may be advantageous even though it's not required. They must have prior experience in customer service or a related field.

Why Is Insurance Eligibility Verification Important?

Medical practitioners can estimate the patient's financial liability by verifying insurance coverage before the required surgeries. Verifying insurance coverage ensures payment for the services provided by medical providers. 

Insurance eligibility verification enables healthcare professionals to assist their patients in gathering all the information they require in advance. In the same way, confirming insurance eligibility beforehand safeguards healthcare professionals from circumstances in which insurance has expired. 

Insurance Verification Checklist:

Insurance eligibility verification will need to validate many specifics, including:

  • Patient’s name
  • Date of birth
  • Address
  • Social Security number
  • Insurance carrier’s name
  • ID number
  • Type of plan
  • Coverage details
  • Policy status
  • Effective date
  • Payable benefits
  • Plan exclusions
  • Co-insurance, co-pays & deductibles
  • Pre-authorizations & referrals
  • Health insurance caps
  • Type of Medicare coverage
  • DME coverage
  • And more

What Does the Insurance Eligibility Verification Process Look Like?

All insurance eligibility verification solutions adhere to a set procedure to ensure that insurance coverage is in place. The following steps make up the process:

Insurance Verification Checklist

When verifying insurance, ask the correct questions. Staff at the front desk should input data obtained from the insurance card, phone calls with the insurance provider, or computerized eligibility systems. Each patient's electronic medical record should have the following information to verify insurance eligibility:

Collect a Copy of the Patient's Insurance Card

Gather data for the insurance eligibility verification by requesting a copy of the patient's most recent insurance information. If the insurance information was input incorrectly, your electronic health record has an updated photo of the insurance card on both sides. Before submitting claims, medical billers should verify that ID numbers match cards.

Contact the Insurance Provider

Contact the insurance company directly to verify eligibility. Call the provider hotline or use your connected EMR and billing system to ping significant payers like Medicaid, Medicare, or Blue Cross for eligibility details. 

Insurance Assistant

Record Information

Be extra careful while putting patient information into the patient record. Because the data serves as the foundation for the medical claim, a single missed figure can mean the difference between a clean claim and a denial. Rushing through insurance verification processes and entering incorrect data may cause payment delays of several days or weeks or even a complete claim denial.

Follow Up

Follow up with the patient regarding insurance details if there are any queries or worries. Use a patient portal for email or online contact to tell patients of eligibility, or office personnel can also call the patient to inform them of copays or other concerns. 

Update Billing Software

Update the details on insurance coverage, pre-authorizations, and particular patient information to issue medical invoices.

5 Key Reasons to Hire Virtual Insurance Verification Specialist

There has been a noticeable increase in the insurance verification process in recent years. It is essentially a result of the elevated priority given to streamlining administrative procedures, enhancing cash flow, and lowering claim denial rates. 

Insurance Eligibility Verification
Source: Benzinga

The above market research analysis for 2023 to 2030 depicts the present situation and potential growth of the "Insurance Eligibility Verification Market".

According to projections, the worldwide Insurance Eligibility Verification market will surpass $1 billion by 2030, growing at an astonishing CAGR between 2023 and 2030.

Insurance verification is necessary to guarantee that the services rendered are paid. Inaccurate insurance eligibility verification may result in claim denials, holdups in reimbursement, and delays in the patient's visit. Here are the top five reasons to hire virtual insurance verification specialists:

Streamlining the Verification Process to Save Time and Effort:

Outsourcing Insurance Eligibility Verification to a skilled team with a streamlined workflow to handle every verification, from calling the insurance company to documenting the most recent revisions to the insurance policies, can speed up the processing of your claims. It will cut down on unnecessary delays.

Reduce Claims Denials and Waiting Time:

An outsourcing company is adept at submitting more accurate claims. They are specialists at identifying false information, which reduces the need for claims rework. A skilled virtual insurance verification specialist keeps up with changes to regulatory policies, figures out previous authorization requirements, files better claims, increases income flow and follows up with the insurance company regarding authorization issues. 

Enhance Patient Satisfaction and Reimbursement:

Virtual insurance verification specialists have access to updated insurance eligibility information. They can advise the patient whether or not they are eligible for insurance coverage. Furthermore, they increase the possibility that claims will be approved, handled quickly, and paid out on time.

Address Security Concerns

Hospitals save a vast amount of patient information on their portal. These details are open to hackers who might use them for financial gain. Keeping sensitive personal information in medical records secure is thus mandated by law and morality. For this, it's critical to address cybersecurity issues and stay current with technical advancements for data protection. You can get the best safety guidelines from a reliable virtual insurance verification specialist supplier with specialized tools.

Cost-Effective Solution:

An outsourcing firm offers the highest caliber insurance eligibility service at a reasonable rate. A medical billing company that outsources has the cutting-edge infrastructure and dependable staff to process your claims swiftly and correctly at a reasonable cost.

End Points

Insurance Specialist

Virtual insurance verification specialists offer a ton of benefits. For this, medical professionals need to hire skilled insurance verification specialists, which can be time-consuming and tiring. To this end, Flowz can help. Flowz is a pioneer in providing skilled insurance verification specialists to avoid the risks connected with denials, inaccurate insurance eligibility, and benefits. For 23 years, Flowz has provided perfect end-to-end medical claims processing services.

How to Boost Your Sales with a Virtual Sales Assistant

Posted on by Sabeeha Banu

Businesses striving to increase revenue amid a cutthroat marketplace need a solid sales framework. However, building a revenue-generating sales cycle requires skilled staff. Companies invest an average of $2,020 per sales rep on training. Here is where a sales virtual assistant acts as an asset. They give companies access to a vast talent pool and affordable support services.

Sales Strategy

Who are Virtual Sales Assistants?

A virtual sales assistant is a skilled sales professional who offers support from a distance at a competitive rate. They employ their in-depth understanding of current trends, industry knowledge, and technological insights to identify opportunities and issues in their customers' sales pipelines. 

Remote sales assistants can perform many crucial tasks, including lead creation, customer interaction, and sales follow-up.

Virtual sales assistants take care of both vital and non-essential sales tasks. Even if a business already has an in-house sales team, outsourcing time-consuming and dull sales tasks to these virtual assistants will lessen the workload and free up management time to focus on their core skills.

Tasks to Delegate to a Virtual Sales Assistant to Boost Sales

Virtual sales assistants can be a valuable addition to the sales team. Here are some tasks they can do for your organization:

Sales Strategy

Virtual sales assistants improve the in-house team's capabilities by bringing fresh perspectives and expertise. They have specialized skills in sales, which could help the in-house sales team attract more clients and increase sales.

  • Researches the current trends in the market and the demographics of the target audience
  • Strategizes ways to increase monthly and annual sales revenue. Creates frameworks to increase sales win rates.
  • Tracks sales progress and analyzes metrics and much more.

Sales Activities

A virtual sales assistant unburdens the in-house team’s activities by carrying out sales activities. They schedule meetings with prospects and initiate communication with them.

A virtual sales assistant can assist in managing a list of both new and old leads in the sales database. They make contact to see whether the old leads are still interested in the product or service.

Virtual sales assistants create sales reports, close deals, and keep track of sales activities. They devise ways to meet the sales goals daily.

Sales Pricing

A virtual sales assistant boosts revenue by assisting businesses in setting sales rates. In contrast to an in-house employee, virtual sales assistants are paid per project without any benefits. 

A Virtual Sales Assistant:

  • Analyzes the pricing and discount plans.
  • Performs research to understand how much the potential customers are ready to pay for a service or a product.
  • Collaborates with the in-house sales and marketing team to create newsletters, social media posts, and other creatives to advertise pricing schemes.
  • Maintains a detailed database of customer feedback.

Sales Metrics

Tracking sales metrics gives a good understanding of business growth. Virtual sales assistants have intense experience working with various firms and are aware of the best practices involved in sales metrics. They get accurate sales forecasts by timely gauging metrics reports. 

Virtual sales assistants also identify sales funnel leakages by conducting complete funnel analysis. Sales funnel leakage is identifying if prospects drop out of the funnel mid-way.

Administrative Tasks

Updating the sales database is crucial in keeping accurate records and preventing mistakes. Businesses can save time by cleaning and updating the database with the help of a virtual assistant.

A qualified virtual assistant ensures that businesses don’t run out of prospects. Virtual sales assistant answers pre-sales questions and replies to inquiries.

Customer Service

Virtual assistants are skilled in problem-solving techniques, inquiry management, and customer satisfaction enhancement. To aid you in pre-and post-sales transactions, enlist their assistance.

They answer questions from prospects to convert them into leads. They take care of customer inquiries so businesses can focus on increasing their revenues.

5 Best Sales Strategy Practices for 2023

Sales Strategy 2023

Also Read: Why Every Small Business Needs A Virtual Assistant

A business needs a sales strategy in place to be successful. A sales strategy encompasses how a business will market and do business with its target market. It identifies the target market, comprehends customer demands and the purchasing process, strategies pricing, channel sales funnel, development of a sales process, and performance evaluation.

Any business that wants to boost profits and achieve its sales targets should have a sales strategy. A sales plan can help a business connect with its target market, turn leads into consumers, and communicate the benefits of its goods and services.

A sales strategy can help a business with:

Identify Target Market:

A sales strategy can assist a company in determining the particular market groups it wishes to target by using demographic, psychographic, and purchasing trends.

Optimize Efficient Sales Channel:

A sales strategy helps a business optimize its sales operations, from lead generation to closing deals, by identifying the most effective sales channels, streamlining sales workflows, and providing sales training to sales staff to improve their skills.

Track and Measure Sales Performance:

A sales plan has objectives and indicators that enable a company to assess the success of its sales operations. Key performance indicators (KPIs) like conversion rates, average deal size, and customer lifetime value (CLV) can help a company spot areas for improvement and modify its sales strategies.

Identify Sales Opportunities:

A sales plan helps a business identify sales opportunities. It may entail locating new market niches, creating innovative goods or services, or collaborating with other brands.

Stay Competitive:

A sales strategy aids a company in remaining competitive by analyzing the competition, recognizing market trends, and adapting its plans to changing market conditions. It helps businesses to stay relevant, remain competitive, and progressively boost sales and revenue.

How to Build a Sales Strategy?

There are two types of sales strategies; inbound and outbound strategies. 

Inbound sales strategy seeks out potential leads along the buyer's journey, engages with them, and attempts to convert them into customers.

Inbound sales strategy aims to provide customers with information using emails, social media, and other channels.

On the other hand, outbound sales strategies are conventional sales techniques that entail contacting potential clients and starting a conversation about a sale. These sales tactics emphasize aggressively seeking out and interacting with potential clients through different media, including cold calling, mailing lists, and advertising.

Building a sales strategy entails a systematic procedure that calls for thorough research, knowledge, and experience. 

Understand the Customers

Understanding customers is crucial for providing high-quality service. Businesses can do this in many ways, including by subscribing to research reports, speaking with current customers, and creating a customer persona highlighting the benefits, pain points, and reasons why they would use your product or service.

Businesses must comprehend what motivates their clients to purchase the goods or services to meet their needs. 

Use Reciprocation

The foundation of the reciprocity principle in sales is when consumers receive something, they are obliged to return the favor. Businesses typically provide some of their knowledge through free eBooks, movies, articles, and podcasts on their area of expertise to attract new customers.

Reciprocation is one of the simplest ways for businesses to increase sales and brand recognition. Consider what you can do to provide value to your clients. Create a sense of obligation in the customers so they will buy the product, and the sales will increase.

Leverage Social Proof

In sales, social proof refers to the practice of influencing leads by pointing to the actions of other customers and prospects as models. For marketing and sales professionals, it is a great advantage. Social proof can help businesses win over more customers, influence their purchasing decisions, and eventually boost sales.

Many companies employ social proof to pique customers' interest in their products and services.

Quick Lead Response Time

The speed of lead response will impact sales performance. Conversion rates go up if businesses respond to leads in no time. Increasing the response time will have an impact and won't cost businesses anything.

Thus, increasing sales lead response times will help brands get the most out of their marketing spend.

Leverage the Power of CRM

It can be difficult for businesses to keep sales data organized. Using CRM software, businesses can keep track of all memos, data, and communications with prospects and clients. They can streamline the sales process by handling time-consuming, repetitive tasks. Some CRM tools collect, track, and store lead data. 

Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Sales Assistant

A virtual sales assistant can effortlessly carry out all the sales team's responsibilities. They:

Helps in Expanding The Reach

Lead creation is crucial if a business wants to stay competitive. However, doing marketing tasks like answering online questions and monitoring social media demands time. Businesses most likely lack the time to handle it by themselves. And hiring an in-house sales team to do it on top of their regular fees might get pricey. Therefore, hiring a virtual sales assistant who can handle all marketing chores is a great option.

Helps in Enhancing Customer Service

Your clients might not like to wait. Customer service will probably suffer when your current workforce is overworked. When you engage a virtual assistant to answer calls, make appointments, or complete orders, your customers will enjoy timely service that makes them love the brand.

Manages Sales

Understanding how to adapt to and manage evolving market trends is crucial for boosting sales. To do this, an online sales assistant is adept in developing sales techniques. They monitor your sales activity to gauge performance. A virtual sales assistant creates a detailed sales report for a business to review and analyze. They also prepare a complete sales report and help in interpreting results.

Renews Focus on Business

The majority of businesses probably perform all sales-related responsibilities independently. However, as the company expands, it gets difficult to do everything. Businesses must decide which tasks they must manage and which they can outsource. Since no one knows the organization's objectives better than a business owner, it makes much more sense to concentrate on macro decisions like the business strategy, annual budget, or product development.

Improves Work-Life Balance

Entrepreneurs suffer from the strain of running a business. It is hard for businesses to separate personal life from work as they micromanage every task. 

Hiring a virtual personal assistant can add great help. A skilled virtual sales assistant unburdens businesses of tasks that they find difficult and time-consuming to do by themselves. 

End Points

It can be challenging to entrust virtual sales assistants with important sales tasks, given that they operate remotely. For this, businesses need to outsource to a trusted outsourcing partner. A reliable outsourcing partner like Flowz has professionals with broad experience and skills. A virtual sales assistant devotes time and effort to increasing sales revenue. Additionally, most companies rely on their sales staff to provide them with client information. A virtual sales assistant can help brands forecast the market climate for the products and services. Such minute details are essential for businesses to thrive in a cutthroat market.

Your 2023 Guide to Redefining Your Brand with an Online Graphic Designer

Posted on by Sabeeha Banu

To create a winning content marketing strategy, the ‘design element’ plays a major role in attracting more readers. Thus it has become increasingly important for businesses to pay special attention to graphics design. When done correctly, graphic design may increase a company’s credibility, solidify customer connections, and spark interest in its goods or services.

Graphic design for brands is more than just creating a logo; it entails consolidating a brand’s identity in the minds of the target consumer.

5 Branding Trends to Follow to Build a Distinct Brand Identity

Branding Trends

In the digital age, branding has become incredibly challenging. Today's consumers look for brands that provide value. 

The biggest challenges for brand managers include finding the right message for the right audience and balancing customization with brand voice.

Therefore, brands should ensure their target market finds their logo and color scheme appealing. 

Companies should know current branding trends to draw in and retain customers. 

Logo Adaptability

For their visual identity, brands often stick with a few logo variations. They have style guides that outline the brand colors and tools to help create a consistent, recognized brand identity. Today, a growing pattern in logo design is adaptive logos - designs intended to go through multiple iterations. The idea is that variations are for different purposes. For this, brands need to create an adaptable brand logo like Apple. It is easy to use Apple’s logo to promote events because of its simplicity. 

Adaptive designs are easy to modify and apply in various formats, such as a billboard, an email footer, and an app symbol.

Graphic Designer

Brands can consider creating logos for different occasions to provide customers with visual variation and avoid monotony.

Retro - Relishing the Past

Today, designs from the past are resurrected with a contemporary twist. Retro design is a strategy that enables companies to interact with customers in a fun way that appeals to their emotions. 

This design establishes an immediate connection with clients by using historical allusions that they may easily recognize, such as a bold, wavy typeface from the 1970s or a cheerful color scheme from the 1990s.

Spotify
Image Credit: Marketing Magazine Asia

Spotify's throwback advertisements reviving the aesthetic of the 1980s and 1990s while tying it to present trends are examples of retro branding.

Overstimulated Branding - Captivate the Senses

Brands will use more powerful color schemes in 2023 for their branding and graphic design, from social media to newsletters.

Overstimulated branding uses eye-catching graphics and brilliant hues to grab attention and tickle the senses. This design usually employs garish hues, distorted fonts, and loud symbols or logos. Brands also use clashing and contrasting tones to create an impact. 

With its bright energy and happy colors, overstimulated branding captures the audience's attention and makes them happy. It offers a gratifying experience.

Simple Maximalism - Bigger Impact

Brands don't need to go overboard with creativity to stand out. It only takes a bold font, an eye-catching color scheme, and careful use of white space to make an impression.

Visually, in simple maximalism, brands stick to one or two hues and utilize bold, legible typography. They use what is required to convey the message, tone, and personality. 

In 2023, advertisers may choose simple elements to create a significant impact through their brand message. Brands can achieve clarity without compromising distinctiveness.

Simple maximalism uses a modern aesthetic that fits well with businesses that offer unique products or services. 

Mascots Galore - Humanizing Brand

In 2023, brands may leverage mascots more frequently in branding with prominent positioning. Instead of just being a fantastic visual element for a brand, these mascots add a distinct personality that relies on human attributes.

Using a mascot in an increasingly competitive environment is a great way to connect with customers in a fun way. People yearn for that emotional connection and a fun-loving experience that brightens their day.

Moreover, utilizing a mascot to give businesses some extra personality adds a new dimension of warmth and character that customers can identify with.

5 Ways to Get Better Results with Online Graphic Designer

Working with a virtual graphic designer can be a joy or a downright pain. Simply put, it relies on the graphic designer's skill level and how well you get along with them.

Here are eight important things to keep in mind to make it easier to work with graphic designers.

Use Visual References

Working with a graphic designer can make you realize how challenging it may be to verbalize graphics. To this extent, it becomes difficult for brands to express their goals to designers. As a result, the designer is likely to make mistakes without a clear brief. For this, include visual elements in your brief. Using visual examples helps the designer understand the design process. The more visuals you employ, the better. Use good graphics as examples that will give an idea about the preferred typefaces, colors, and visuals for the designer.

Know Your Needs First

Businesses aware of their design goals can communicate with designers more effectively.Knowing your needs doesn’t mean that you dictate everything to the designer. The designer should have creative freedom to deliver bespoke designs. Understand the scope of the design project from the beginning. It will help the designer create better designs, making it easier to work with them. 

Graphic design is more than just an artistic endeavor; it also calls for strategic consideration. You must have a thorough understanding of your business with a clear understanding of the graphic design goals.

Create a Common Ground

Establish realistic deadlines for design projects. While dealing with deadlines, timetables, revisions, deliverables, and payments, look for areas of agreement about the creative components. You may prevent many problems by addressing these early on in your project rather than later.

These in-depth discussions are worth having even though neither party particularly loves them. Finding concrete solutions provides a more effective design process, where businesses don't get caught up mid-argument over anything with the designers.

Give Feedback

Even the most seasoned designers err from time to time. Giving feedback to the designer will help the designer to understand the expectations and deliver great designs. 

Let's imagine, for illustration, that the graphic designer designed the webpage, and the graphics are not good. The most effective strategy would be to state, "I don't like it." The graphic designer will have no trouble finding a quick solution.

Promote Efficiency

Even having the top designers on the team, poor management can hamper the performance. To maximize graphic designers' productivity, ensure every designer understands the team's shared goals. 

Business needs the right mix of diversity, leadership, and communication to work with remote graphic designers. Additionally, employing efficient conflict-resolution strategies inside the remote team fosters positive relationships among all members, directly impacting work efficiency.

5 Tools for Working with a Remote Graphic Designer

Also Read: Is a Remote Assistant Worth the Investment?

Here are the top design tools and virtual collaboration solutions for businesses working with remote graphic designers: 

Procreate

Procreate, a digital illustration application, allows designers to create graphic designs. The software's plethora of capabilities designed specifically for mobile art production enables users to realize their ideas. Using Procreate, designers can create and enhance drawings, photographs, and 3D artwork.

The tool helps create and design anything, from logos and banners to posters. The user-friendly and streamlined interface of Procreate makes it possible for designers to produce their work more quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, it offers multi-touch gestures for straightforward control.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Creative Cloud is a powerful designing tool in a graphic designer's arsenal. Adobe Creative Cloud's graphic design, web development, and video editing features let designers create and display their original works of art. Acrobat DC, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Illustrator, and InDesign are the centerpiece tools in the suite.

graphic design

Graphic designers use Adobe Illustrator to create captivating vector graphics and images. The tool offers many features, including word layout, animated lettering, individualized effects, and recoloring. 

Adobe Illustrator is a vector drawing and editing application that works with many kinds of media. Adobe Photoshop users have access to a wide range of tools for editing, from straightforward adjustments to intricate compositions.

Amazon S3

Amazon S3 is another powerful tool for graphic design experts for managing and storing documents. It comes with performance, scalability, security, and data accessibility. Utilizing Amazon S3, businesses benefit from unequaled compliance and audit features while managing and storing files and documents.

Amazon S3 has many helpful capabilities for data replication, access control management, data transfer, and versioning.

Remote graphic designers can rapidly share their work with clients using the application's file-sharing feature. Many document management tools in Amazon S3 enable designers to arrange, enhance, and customize data access for their business needs.

Dropbox

Online graphic design teams often use Dropbox for file storage. They store documents, analyze and sync large files, and get quick client responses.

Dropbox provides robust file sharing, collaboration, and storage options that are ideal while working with a graphic designer online. It enables designers and creatives to collaborate in groups.

The application enables remote designers to examine files in full resolution, allowing users to send Photoshop, PostScript, SVG, Illustrator, and Sketch files to clients without compromising file quality.

Slack

With its user-friendly layout, Slack offers a simple communication route that can keep businesses connected. It is compatible with other software, including G Suite, Dropbox, Adobe Creative Cloud, and more. 

It offers screen sharing, file sharing, audio discussions, real-time chat, and a searchable archive. It's the perfect tool for remote designers because they can effortlessly collaborate with businesses.

Businesses can organize communication channels by project, topic, or team. Slack also offers search features to find information when businesses need it. It also secures the privacy of the conversations and files.

InVision

For businesses looking to work closely with their remote graphic designers, InVision is a great platform. It makes building interactive prototypes and team collaboration easy. It also offers the ability to comment and receive feedback. When a company provides digital design mock-ups to the team, the tool makes it easy to receive feedback and iterate quickly. It offers strong templates to help designers get their creative juices flowing. 

It can be linked with Microsoft Teams and Zoom to enable real-time business collaboration.

Conclusion

Any effective brand design needs to create a solid reputation in the industry. The value of your brand sets your business apart from rivals.

A company's name, logo, and marketing can affect how consumers perceive a brand.

Hiring the best designers by posting virtual graphic design jobs can be challenging. Flowz offers seasoned and skilled remote graphic designers, using which businesses can gain cutting-edge design solutions, decreased operating costs, and enhanced brand recognition.

Why Businesses Need a Remote Graphic Designer in 2023 & Beyond

Posted on by Sabeeha Banu

User experience is at the forefront of the digital age. Graphic design today needs to go beyond the basics to influence a larger spectrum of experiences. Having a dedicated graphic designer ensures that the business has a cohesive look and a strong presence.

However, hiring the right graphic designers is becoming taxing as 54% of graphic designers leave their jobs frequently. As a result, businesses of all sizes now need remote graphic designers more than ever.

Graphic Design

5 Graphic Design Trends That Will Dominate 2023 & Beyond

The post-pandemic chaos has expedited rapid changes in graphic design. Interesting videos disrupt sluggish streams. Web 3.0 developments showcase the modern user's appetite for eye-catching visual experiences. Moreover, increasingly Internet-connected lives have made visuals matter more than ever.

So, what is in the store for graphic design? 

Graphic Design Trends

Expressive Typography

It should come as no surprise that words have evolved to become more pictorial in today's visually focused world. In 2023, Expressive Typography will become the most essential part of graphic design. Designers use expressive typography to give each letter more personality and to communicate their message. Moreover, readily available tools like Glyphs, make it easier to design a font to fit your brand requirements.

Expressive Typography reinforces the meanings of the text and conveys brand messages subtly. Businesses can use Expressive Typography with a unique message on posters, website homepages, and more to effectively convey their brand message.

3D Graphics

3D graphics are becoming prominent and swiftly garnering favor in the design world due to their many applications. They give brands a modern and futuristic look. A skilled graphic designer combines depth, shadows, textures and outlines to convey innovation and modernity. In 2023, through 3D models, animations, or virtual reality, designers will utilize abstract 3D elements to create eye-catching and engaging designs.

Additionally, graphic designers will use three-dimensional, immersive, and virtual reality to explore the metaverse.

AI Design

The increasing use of algorithmic and generative design is evident in how artificial intelligence revolutionizes graphic design. With advancing technology, designers can create things that would be challenging to make by hand. Whether through generative design tools or AI to optimize and improve existing designs, expect to see more artificially augmented or manufactured designs in 2023.

Creative Graphic Designs

Riso Print

Riso Print will return to graphic design by offering a unique aesthetic. Businesses can benefit from rough, organic textures and vibrant hues of Riso Print to add originality and character. When replicating the stencils, soy-based inks give risograph printing its distinctive, organic appearance. Bold, vivid colors and rough textures set Riso Print designs apart. 2023 will see an increase in the use of risograph effects in graphic design through print or digital media.

Holographic Surrealism

Holographic surrealism aims to create an ethereal, futuristic mood. The use of iridescent colors, holographic patterns, and neon lights define this science fiction and technology-inspired fashion trend. In 2023, holographic elements will create striking, alluring, and futuristic designs. Holographic vibes will likely be a big trend in 2023, whether as holographic elements in packaging, digital graphic, or branding.

What is a Virtual Graphic Designer & What They Do?

A remote graphic designer is a creative individual with extensive training and experience in design. They provide high-level creative and technical assistance and can take on all the tasks of an in-house graphic designer. 

Here are the tasks a graphic design virtual assistant can undertake for you, freeing you up to focus on your core:

Brochures

A skilled remote designer will turn your ideas into an eye-catching design to make your brochure stand out. They will also be able to help with the layout and ensure that all the information is easy to read and understand. A graphic designer can also ensure that your brochure is print–ready, which will save you time and money.

Billboards

The best billboard designs are creative and attention-grabbing. Business messages vary depending on the billboard advertisement’s placement. People at a traffic signal have more time to view a billboard than those driving fast by. An online graphic designer  should consider the complexity of the marketing message and the audience when designing.

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Business Cards

Business cards make a good impression on potential customers. In the Internet age, business cards have been converted to digital format. They can be on product slips, box inserts, and other brand collateral, among many other things. 

Infographics

A graphic design virtual assistant with experience creating infographics for your niche can aid in boosting sales, traffic, and brand recognition. They are skilled at designing infographics in an attractive and simple manner that makes the design easy to understand and adds value to the reader.

Website Design

A great website can enable businesses to stand out from the crowd. Skilled virtual assistants help businesses to create professional and aesthetically pleasing websites. Remote graphic designers create great websites that will help reach the target audience. 

Graphic Design

Flyers

When designing flyers, a graphic designer can be of great assistance. They can be a terrific source of ideas and inspiration in creating a bespoke design that meets business requirements. They may also assist in making sure that the flyers look effective and professional.

Is It Worth It to Hire a Remote Graphic Designer?

Businesses are often in a dilemma whether it is worthwhile to hire a remote graphic designer. A virtual assistant (VA) might be a fantastic alternative if you have a project that needs graphic design but doesn't have the funds to engage a full-time designer. Hiring a graphic designer VA also helps businesses avoid errors. Having a skilled professional assess your creatives before they go live can help you avoid costly mistakes that could hamper your business.

Here are the perks of opting virtual assistant graphic design services:

Remote Graphic Designers are Visual Storytellers

When a company employs a remote graphic designer, they are not merely engaging someone to produce attractive graphics. They are going to employ a visual communicator. You may create and implement a visual identity for your brand with the aid of a graphic design virtual assistant. They could aid in the generation of ideas for you. Although it takes time, brainstorming design ideas is crucial if you want to produce high-caliber designs. Businesses can realize their ideas with the aid of a design VA.

Remote Graphic Designers are Time-Savers

Businesses often waste a lot of time trying to handle everything. However, if you delegate some of the work to a virtual assistant for graphic design, you may focus on the tasks that are critical to you. A skilled graphic design virtual assistant (VA) can handle everything, so you don't have to. They can manage everything, from locating photos to creating social media postings. As a result, you'll have more time to focus on other tasks, like meeting with clients and developing company strategy.

Remote Graphic Designers are Economical

Hiring a full-time designer might not be possible if you have a limited budget. The best approach to get the designs you need is to hire a graphic design VA. You pay for the time you use because VAs typically bill by the hour. You're also getting a lot for your money because a graphic design VA is skilled in marketing and other business-related areas, such as social media. With an online graphic designer, you can get the high-quality designs you need without shelling big bucks.

Remote Graphic Designers Build Your Brand

Virtual graphic designers maintain a recognizable brand image by creating a visual identity that is memorable and easily recognizable to customers. Keeping a consistent brand image is essential to developing a solid brand reputation. As a result of growing customer confidence, consumers are more likely to select your brand over competitors. Hire a virtual assistant to contribute original designs to enhance your brand's appearance.

How to Hire a Remote Graphic Designer

Also Read: Is a Remote Assistant Worth the Investment?

Hiring a remote graphic designer can be a tedious task. From many virtual graphic design jobs, it becomes to screen the right candidate. Here are some tips on how to find and hire the best freelance graphic designer for your needs.

Research

When a business looks to hire a freelance graphic designer, it’s crucial to do their research and ensure they are hiring someone who is skilled and has experience. There are a few ways to do this:

  • Check out work portfolios
  • Read customer testimonials
  • Interact with the graphic designer

Allocate Budget

Before businesses start looking for a virtual graphic designer, know how much they are likely to spend on the project. Once they know their budget, they can narrow their search to designers to fit within the price range.

Define the Project Scope

Before looking for a designer, it's crucial to establish the project's scope. It entails having a specific vision for the design and knowledge of any deadlines or other requirements. You will find it easier to identify a graphic designer who is a suitable fit for the position if you outline the project's needs in advance.

Conduct a Test Run

Give the remote graphic designers a sample project once you shortlist the potential candidates. Businesses can see how remote graphic designers work and decide if they can fulfill your expectations.

Document Everything

Before beginning any project, it is critical to document everything in writing to avoid misunderstandings later. It encompasses:

  • Scope of the design project
  • Graphic design deadlines
  • Payment terms

Keep Lines of Communication Open

It's critical to communicate with your designer often to ensure everyone is on the same page during the project.

  • Give feedback on designs
  • Ask questions

Hire a Remote Graphic Designer Today

It is tiresome to hire, monitor, communicate and track a remote graphic designer. Enter, Flowz that offers vetted graphic designers who are available around the clock and create bespoke designs. They offer:

  • Global infrastructure and customer support 
  • Latest design software and technology 
  • Worry-free enterprise software licensing

Flowz’s virtual graphic designers designs:

  • Banners
  • Billboards
  • Brochures
  • Business Forms
  • Catalogs
  • Embroidery Digitizing
  • Flyers
  • Infographics
  • Prepress Art
  • Signage
  • And more

Hiring an Flowz Graphic Designer Gives:

  • Access to full-time or part-time designers without the overhead costs
  • Premium and fully licensed design tools 
  • Seamless communication 

Conclusion

Graphic Design

Virtual graphic design plays a significant role in businesses. However, creating great designs requires time, effort, and resources. To this end, a remote graphic designer can help. They exhibit many abilities and solutions that can reduce stress, costs, and time commitment. Hire a remote graphic designer with experience, evaluating their portfolio, and communication skills. Flowz offers fully managed and committed graphic design virtual assistants to ensure you receive the complete creative help that your company requires. 

The Only Guide You Need to Outsource Apparel Design Work in 2023

Posted on by Sabeeha Banu

Outsourcing apparel design work encompasses the entire design supply chain, including trend forecasting, apparel, graphic, accessory, and packaging design. 

Today consumer awareness has grown, the design element is gaining precedence, and outsourcing the design to niche service providers is becoming imperative. 

The entire design-outsourcing strategy has enormous value for apparel firms since it allows them to have a strategic partner to comprehend the evolving consumer needs and create novel designs. 

For this, apparel businesses are embracing cutting-edge outsourcing tactics. 

Technology Trends Reshaping the Apparel Industry

Tech Trends

Technology has permeated every aspect of our lives, including the apparel industry.

Apparel firms are realizing that technology is essential to increasing their bottom line.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the apparel industry will revolutionize business operations. It will allow companies to optimize design, streamline production planning, and implement advanced quality control systems.

For instance, generative AI might increase the garment market’s value by $150 billion to $275 billion by 2028.

Integrating inventory tracking with AI’s robust data prediction tools enables trend forecasting. Firms may instantaneously access data that permits quick planning of the designs and quantities rather than relying solely on traditional techniques of trend forecasting, which necessitate the observation and data collection of fashion designers, trend spotters, and influencers.

Sustainable Fashion

Take STITCH FIX, for instance. The British clothing brand has developed an automated technique for creating a virtual wardrobe for its female clients that monitors their purchases using analytics. Additionally, the platform enables women to put together outfits using the items in their closets and even shop from more than 10,000 stores.

Smart Textiles

Smart textiles have ushered in a new era of innovation as soft robotics and fabrics come together. In addition to offering greater functionality and a wide range of uses, businesses are now developing connected clothes that go beyond standard apparel. 

It involves the incorporation of soft robotics and electronics into fabrics, resulting in garments that can adapt, respond, and interact with the wearer’s environment. These textiles are flexible, lightweight, and comfortable, blending technology into clothing.

In clothes sensors, color-changing vests react to ambient conditions. Usually, fitness trackers and heart rate monitors are integrated into shirts.

Apparel Business

Google-branded clothes may soon be available to its fans. Project Jacquard is a collection of conductive threads developed by Google's ATAP lab (Advanced Technology and Projects) for weaving touch-responsive textiles, such as garments, tablecloths, rugs, and other items made of fabric.

3D Printing

3D printing technology opens new possibilities for customization, sustainability, and innovation. Many fashion brands use 3D elements in their designs. In contrast to conventional production methods, 3D printing takes a long time to create but results in substantially less waste and needs less work. On-demand printing reduces fabric waste by about 35%. 

Iris Van Herpen
Image Source: Google Arts & Culture

Since 2010, the Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen has been utilizing 3D printing. The "Crystallisation" shirt, made of white polyamide and one of her most recognizable designs, was 3D printed. Van Herpen is possibly the only fashion designer to display at the coveted Haute fashion weeks in Paris using high-tech materials. She has created unique 3D-printed fashion creations for clients, including Bjork, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga.

Interesting Read: Outsourcing 3D Printing: Is It The Best Bet For Your Business?

Digital Twins, AR/VR and IoT

By combining digital twins, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and the Internet of Things (IoT), it is possible to reproduce real-world objects digitally. It leads to improved decision-making techniques, modeling, and real-time monitoring.

One of the most intriguing uses of virtual reality has been blurring the lines between the offline and online retail worlds. In the apparel sector, it allows shoppers to utilize VR to try clothes virtually. It uses augmented reality technology and customized measurement functionality to provide improved precision. Additionally, it implies that consumers would be more inclined to purchase goods if they feel like they tested them. 

Customers can visualize and customize apparel before making purchases using AR/AR technology, which helps exhibit products in interactive and engaging ways. 

For instance, Virtusize enables online fashion shops to depict the size of their products and determine the precise fit for the clothing their clients select virtually.

Apparel Design

Outsourcing Apparel Design Work

Designing is the core of the business for apparel companies. Well, it ought to be. Good clothing designs help businesses win customers. Designers with expertise are aware of the subtleties and significance of clothes design. But managing an internal team of designers is a problem that most firms struggle with. Since design companies can provide their end clients with remarkable finished works at competitive prices and promptly, outsourcing creative design services has become a well-accepted phenomenon in the apparel sector.

Significant Time Savings

The mountain of design work that goes into the apparel business can be time-consuming. Hiring an in-house team takes time and requires additional management, training, etc. Outsourcing your design work will save you a bunch of time. You have more time to focus on other aspects of your business while better-qualified hands take care of your design needs.

Increased Productivity

Outsourcing can also help companies with an in-house design team. When your internal design team gets overwhelmed with design projects, an outsourced team can cover the extra load. Thus, outsourcing increases your capacity to take on more projects. With more hands on deck, you can take on several design projects and meet your deliverables.

Diverse Range of Services

Finding a skilled designer can be challenging. Outsourcing may therefore be the perfect solution to your issues. Design outsourcing gives you access to a big talent pool of competent designers with unique design skills. Outsourcing allows businesses to diversify their services. 

Increased Revenue

Skilled virtual staff can increase the revenue of the apparel business over time. Apparel brands can gain exclusive access to resources that would create new opportunities and boost profitability through outsourcing.

When You Shouldn’t Outsource Design Work

Outsourcing cannot be the solution to every problem with apparel design. In some business scenarios, this tactic won't be the most effective, so you should consider your alternative possibilities.

Don’t Outsource When Things Are Not Clear for You

For businesses, it's acceptable not to have a strategy or plans. Take time to determine the best course of action. A skilled designer cannot help you if you are unclear about your goals. Instead of seeking design outsourcing, choose consulting, auditing, or just a piece of advice.

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Not Before You’ve Done Your Homework

When you outsource the operations of your apparel business, you might be confiding in a firm with which you have never before done business. Before outsourcing, study the firm you intend to deal with. Ask about their security credentials before sharing any information. 

When Outsourcing Costs You More

The primary reason for outsourcing is cost savings, so if that gets expensive, you might want to rethink your options. In some cases, outsourcing may be more expensive than having an in-house team, which could lead to a financial loss. For this, choose a reliable outsourcing partner that doesn't exhaust your budget.

How to Outsource Apparel Design Work

With Flowz's design and editing specialists, apparel manufacturers can enhance their designs. Our virtual assistants are skilled in designing personalized clothing patterns to promote clothing brands through social media postings and newsletters.

Flowz provides a broad range of apparel design services. Our skilled graphic designers use leading design technologies to create trendy apparel designs. As a top outsourcing business, the following are the design services we provide:

Custom Apparel Design:

We personalized your garment designs to create digital art. We will reproduce your apparel designs just as you had imagined.

Bespoke Graphic Design:

Flowz offers bespoke graphic design services to produce intriguing apparel designs. Further, we provide different clothing design options to suit your preferences, from eccentric characters to elegant scripts.

Expert Advice

If you're having trouble with design or other issues in your apparel business, our specialists offer consultation services and can help you overcome the roadblocks. We will perform a market analysis to understand apparel trends and to help you fill the gap with apparel designs, sales support, and more. 

Conclusion

Apparel

Outsourcing apparel design work yields positive ROI for businesses. It helps them to broaden their apparel design while saving time and money.

On the other hand, outsourcing your apparel design work may seem like an overwhelming endeavor. It takes experience and subtlety to conduct interviews and evaluate portfolios.

At Flowz, we house skilled designers that will be a valuable addition to any apparel business looking to outsource. Our designers use the latest tools to deliver impeccable designs on time. They will communicate with you directly and work as members of your team. 

Moving Through the Storm’s Eye – Automotive Engineering Current State & Future Scope

Posted on by Sabeeha Banu

The COVID-19 outbreak hampered the production of automobiles. Vehicle sales took a hit. As the pandemic recedes, automakers have resumed vehicle manufacturing with limited capacity and safety measures in place. Amid talent scarcity, automotive firms are opting to outsource. 

The global automotive engineering outsourcing industry is skyrocketing owing to soaring demand for electric vehicles and autonomous vehicle innovative technologies.

Top businesses use outsourcing to beat rivals in the race for innovation by boosting value generation and slashing time to market. Automobile companies profit from flexible staff to fill skill gaps, respond more swiftly to demand surges, and free up in-house employees for more challenging jobs.

Automotive Engineering

The Game-Changing Technological Trends in Automotive Engineering

Technology played a crucial role in overcoming global headwinds for the automotive industry. It paved the way for automakers to leverage emerging trends like virtual showrooms, electric vehicles, and more.

The Rise of Autonomous Vehicles & Self-Driving Cars

AI has gained favor for ushering in the era of self-driving automobiles. The system uses machine learning algorithms, computer vision, and sensor fusion techniques to comprehend the environment around a vehicle, make judgments in real time, and control the automobile across the full range of driving situations. Autonomous cars reduce the need for human drivers and increase efficiency, convenience, and safety.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk, the founder of electric car vehicles Tesla, has kept the viewers eagle-eyed on delivering full self-driving cars. Tesla’s campaign to produce a fully autonomous vehicle has suffered amid mounting safety concerns. It will be interesting to see how Musk will cater to what he has promised.

Skilled Virtual Assistant

Penetration of the Internet of Things(IoT)

Automobile engineering technology uses the IoT to connect and communicate with other systems for many purposes. Apart from providing customers with infotainment and entertainment, connected vehicles offer a wide range of features, including traffic alerts, real-time location sharing, tracking, emergency SOS calls, roadside assistance, remote vehicle diagnostics, downloading critical software updates from the maker, detecting pedestrians to prevent accidents, and much more!

Exploring Digital Buying in Metaverse

Customers can purchase vehicles in virtual showrooms made with metaverse technologies that are entertaining and interactive. They undergo a unique buying experience with virtual test drives. Auto experts have discovered that employing metaverse technologies has increased client reach for the auto industry. Additionally, it enhances sales, develops brand loyalty, and enables them to reduce showroom and inventory costs. Some automakers are making virtual environments where consumers may interact with the brand.

Electrifying Vehicles

Sales of EVs are soaring globally. EVs already account for 21% of the automotive market in China, the largest automotive market in the world. By 2029, nearly 26% of all vehicles produced worldwide and a third of the North American market might be electric vehicles, according to consultancy AutoForecast Solutions.

Automakers are creating electrification solutions like renewable energy-based charging infrastructures to address environmental issues and increase the accessibility of EVs. These initiatives lower the cost of EVs and offer renewable energy options for environmentally friendly transportation.

Leveraging Advanced Supply Chain

Automotive firms can learn more about their supply chain processes with data visualization (DV). They can pinpoint areas that need improvement and boost productivity. Also, automakers employ data visualization to manage inventory levels and evaluate supplier performance. It leads logistics optimization, forecasting consumer demand, analyzing quality control data, and identifying cost-saving solutions.

Ford Motor Company, an American multinational automobile manufacturer, uses visual analytics tools and dashboards to monitor supplier performance and identify potential issues.

Automotive Business

Outsourcing Powers the Automotive Engineering

Automakers require a flawlessly planned supply chain to avoid delays and satisfy client demands. Amid the push for competitiveness and innovation, efficient logistics operations are highly advantageous. Hiring professionals to manage the logistics task can be helpful in this situation.  Automakers spend an enormous time and resources on logistics work beyond their core business. They can delegate such tasks to skilled logistics experts. Virtual automotive experts carry out the typical warehouse management, inbound logistics duties, and other value-added services like sequencing or assembly operations. Additionally, they serve as a point of contact for OEMs, second- and first-tier suppliers. 

Building Competitive Edge in the Cutthroat Market

The automobile industry frequently sees an unexpected rise in demand, such as a sharp surge in client inquiries. With the help of a reliable outsourcing partner, they can streamline corporate operations and achieve set objectives even when circumstances are rough.

A reliable automotive outsourcing firm offers a wide range of services to participants in the automotive sector that reduce costs, boost profitability, prevent price wars, and outperform the competition.

Working with an outsourcing provider can help automakers spot potential threats, implement practices that cut down on losses, and ensure the most accurate data possible. So always make a decision based on which provider will work well with the team and promote an open environment.

5 Benefits of Outsourcing Automotive Engineering

Automotive Outsourcing

The automotive industry is suffering a great deal as a result of the world economic crisis. Experts estimate that the shortage of semiconductor chips alone will cost the auto industry more than $200 billion.

Automobile manufacturers are embracing outsourcing given the advantages it offers:

Cost Reduction

Automobile manufacturers continually invest in technology and systems to manage operations. At times, it becomes difficult for an auto company to match the expertise and level of software and communications infrastructure. An experienced outsourcing provider has years of experience with sophisticated technologies that enhance automotive engineering operations. They offer better staff at a significantly lower cost in technology and training.

Flexibility

Running an automotive in-house will subject an in-house team dealing with high operations volumes. When automakers are constantly getting side-tracked by filling in customer service gaps, their focus gets disrupted, and productivity decreases.

Outsourced automotive has the size and staff to ramp up operations quickly, leaving automakers to focus on tasks critical to improving and growing the business. 

Subject Matter Expertise

Automakers want to ensure that the in-house staff is experienced in all facets of support. However, in-house employees cannot cater to all the lucrative automotive industry needs. On the other hand, outsourcing automotive engineering gives access to trained and experienced automotive engineers to handle all automotive industry tasks, take care of clerical tasks, and more.

Identify Inefficiencies & Propose Solutions

Automotive outsourcing service providers will have the necessary skills to identify and resolve areas of inefficiency while enhancing the bottom line. They will also be able to offer advice specific to your automotive industry, based on years of experience, to ensure all automotive engineering functions are well optimized for success.

Unifies Teams

The in-house employee conflict exists in almost every company and often comes to the forefront, especially when discrepancies arise. Outsourcing automotive engineering can be an effective way to unify the team and minimize conflict. Outsourcing automotive engineering specialists will work as a mediator, helping the teams align their goals while unburdening them of repetitive tasks.

IT Services That Can Be Outsourced in the Automotive Engineering Industry

Automotive Engineering Benefits

The automotive industry outsources a wide range of IT services to outsourcing businesses.

Embedded Solutions

The automobile industry will see demand for embedded systems in the upcoming years. Automobile outsourcing providers improve the power efficiency of vehicles and automotive equipment. It denotes the active application of embedded hardware and software in the automotive sector. GPS, fuel injection systems, parking sensors, airbags, and anti-lock brake systems are examples of the embedded solutions used in portable computing devices found in cars.

Process Automation

Vehicle manufacturers can use outsourcing technology to gain real-time insights into different automobile components' operations. Outsourcing automotive engineering ensures results with more precision and increased productivity. It optimizes automotive tasks and also enhances end users’ experience. For instance, collaborative robots (Cobots) increase manufacturing efficiency and productivity.

Enterprise Mobility

Automotive companies are rapidly adopting mobile solutions to enhance business processes. Outsourcing mobile solutions in the automotive sector brings competitive benefits across all divisions, from production lines to logistics and inventory management. It allows transmitting data more efficiently within an enterprise. Also, it makes operations more transparent, predicts the delivery time, and gets information in real time.

Dealer Management

In the automobile business, software development is necessary for auto distribution. Automakers often outsource dealer management systems. To this end, outsourcing firms connect dealer management systems to IoT sensors. They are flexible to accommodate new stakeholders in the existing supply chain. 

Conclusion

Automotive Services

It's staggering how cutting-edge technology is driving the automotive industry. Automotive businesses fundamentally lack the technical know-how to implement advances. Some firms cannot afford to establish an internal R&D department. Therefore, automakers must choose automotive engineering outsourcing to hasten the creation of novel solutions to stay ahead.

How to Outsource Information Technology in 2023

Posted on by Sabeeha Banu

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered industries, ushered in new-age customer demands, and stimulated technology advancement. It prompted companies to rethink their business operations. Outsourcing has burgeoned, where some IT firms streamline their business while cutting costs and minimizing risks. 

The IT outsourcing market has grown tremendously for hiring the best talent and discovering hitherto untapped outsourcing benefits. Global IT outsourcing contracts are staggering $66.5 billion. It’s obvious that IT outsourcing is in demand, but how can it help small firms expand, especially if they’re still in the early stages of growth?

This blog explores how IT outsourcing solutions can help businesses of any size to meet their business goals and increase revenue.

IT Outsourcing

What Is IT Outsourcing?

IT outsourcing is a business practice that involves managing IT infrastructure, providing software service offerings, developing robust design apps, and managing many service desks using outside service providers. 

It is turning to outsourcing providers to access the best technology and talent at a low price to maximize profits. 

When Eastman Kodak took the historic decision to outsource its IT operations in 1989, there weren't many significant suppliers. Today IT firms have many options for delegating their IT needs.

IT Outsourcing Types

Offshoring

Offshoring is outsourcing IT operations to a partner in another country. Businesses use offshoring to hire a larger talent pool at affordable costs. Usually, firms offshore their services to countries with low labor costs, political stability, and tax savings. The main downside of offshoring is the distance which can make communication difficult and lead to cultural differences. It can also be challenging to manage and monitor an offshore team. 

IT Outsourcing

Nearshore Outsourcing

In contrast to offshore, where the service provider is in a foreign country, nearshoring uses a local service provider. With nearshoring it's simpler to coordinate and communicate with a team in a similar time zone. Additionally, it is less likely that cultural differences may cause problems.

Onshore Outsourcing

Onshoring is outsourcing IT operations to a service provider within the same country. Organizations onshore either acquire skilled labor that is not accessible locally or benefit from tax incentives. Onshoring allows IT firms to coordinate and communicate easier. On the other hand, onshoring doesn't likely provide the same economic advantages as offshore or nearshoring.

Multisourcing

Multisourcing refers to the use of several outsourcing providers. By working with several vendors, businesses reduce their risk. The main benefit of multisourcing is IT firms can mix and match vendors to get the optimal balance of cost, quality, and service. The biggest drawback is that maintaining several providers and managing several vendors in various time zones can be more challenging.

What Drives a Business to Choose IT Outsourcing Over Hiring In-House

IT Outsourcing

Outsourcing allows IT companies to save costs while focusing on their core business activities. It is a practical means of addressing capacity issues. With outsourcing amid growing market share and elevated product value, businesses can work on projects with the most potential.

Companies outsource their IT process owing to limited resources and resource optimization. With outsourcing, IT organizations can easily bypass the drawn-out and time-consuming hiring process and onboarding. Businesses that outsource are more adaptable and can scale up or down as needed.

Benefits of Outsourcing Information Technology

Businesses can outsource their IT and gain the following benefits over time:

IT Outsourcing Benefits

Strategic IT Expertise

IT firms frequently experience difficulties in hiring people. 

Did you know that 53% of European businesses say it is tough to find qualified IT candidates? For this, IT firms need to seek assistance to have access to a skilled base of IT specialists.

Through Information Technology outsourcing, IT businesses can combine their internal resources with external knowledge. They can access staff with top-notch skills and technological expertise.

Increase in IT Efficiency

A top-notch IT outsourcing provider will have the tools to carry out the tasks effectively. However, handling the same project in-house, finding the candidates, and training them could take time. Reliable outsourcing partners like  Flowz brings years of knowledge, saving time and money.

Information technology outsourcing enables companies to optimize their internal resources and free up team members to focus on their competence. 

Support In-House IT Team

In-house IT teams usually become overburdened by handling general help desk requests, software updates, and other tasks. Employing an externally managed IT service can free up internal IT staff's time so they can work on core IT tasks.

With creativity and innovation at the forefront of every IT outsourcing operation, they complement the in-house team's endeavors.

Compliance & Security

With IT companies expanding into the digital sphere, cyber security is crucial to the operation of any successful company. Sensitive information about your business and clientele is at risk if you don't have a solid cyber system. IT companies can secure client information and other sensitive data by outsourcing with a PCI compliance provider.

A reliable outsourced IT team works around the clock, ensuring zero downtime. They are available 24/7 to tackle any IT-related issues promptly.

For instance, if a website is down, sales possibilities are lost. 37% of businesses have experienced client losses due to website outages. 

Low Costs

Hiring, training, and turnover in the IT department can be expensive. Above all, it means your employees are on a perpetual learning curve. Outsourcing IT services means dealing with experienced staff and a company that bears the financial burden. With IT outsourcing, businesses don't have to worry about paid time off, health insurance, or replacing outdated software or broken hardware. Now, IT firms can repurpose finances in other areas that help their business grow.

How to Build the Best IT Outsourcing Strategy

IT outsourcing demands the coordination of several departments, such as legal, HR, operations, etc. The top things that drive businesses to outsource are sophisticated technologies and resources at the lowest possible cost.

Here are a few best practices to follow to create the ideal IT outsourcing plan for IT businesses:

Outsourcing for the Right Reasons

IT Outsourcing

Many IT firms place a lot of emphasis on performance optimization while overlooking their primary goal to improve business performance. These business goals need additional space to experiment and test out novel ideas, new applications, new solutions, and more. Businesses need outsourcing to free up the resources for these activities. 

A good IT outsourcing strategy is where the business is upfront with its expectations from the external outsourcing provider. Also, IT businesses need to outline the business value of outsourcing and how it supports business goals. 

Utilize the Right IT Outsourcing Partner

Finding trustworthy, dependable, and high-quality service providers is a very crucial choice. An ideal Information Technology outsourcing partner needs to be capable of completing all the complex IT project requirements within the stipulated period. Before signing the contract, businesses should ensure they work with the right partner. 

Nondisclosure agreements, or NDAs, are the primary checkpoints to outsourcing collaboration. These contracts will help IT companies to conduct business without disagreements or issues. Therefore, the security of intellectual property must be kept in mind while selecting an outsourcing partner.

Gauge Communication Skills

When selecting an outsourcing partner, look at how well a company communicates. Start looking for a partner who discusses the need in detail. Communication can establish trust for IT businesses to create successful, long-term business relationships.

Also, keep track of the daily progress of virtual assistants. Get everyone on the same page by communicating frequently and defining KPIs.

These are the primary factors to consider when choosing the right outsourcing partner for IT business tasks.

Conclusion

IT outsourcing saves companies money and provides high-quality services at their discretion. An outsourcing partner with highly skilled staff and an appetite for growth can propel IT firms onward. Flowz assesses clients' needs to deliver the finest IT services possible. Ready to take the next step? Let's connect.

How to Wow & Win Customers with Promotional Swag

Posted on by Sabeeha Banu

In the dynamic digital media ecosystem, brands vie for consumers’ attention. It becomes challenging to connect with customers since their attention spans are getting shorter owing to the abundance of products available. In essence, marketers have a brief window of time to grab the audience’s interest before they scroll past to another product.

If we cast our eyes around, we probably see a promotional item or many.

Nowadays, it has become common to see social media influencers hawking merchandise, HR inundating branded merchandise to employees, and startups splurging on bags to commemorate their IPO. 

It’s interesting to realize that there are more uses for products with logos today than there were even ten years ago, which indicates that the market for promotional goods is growing.

Therefore, firms should now resort to promotional products as a successful marketing tactic to grab consumers’ attention.

Whitepaper

Breaking into the Promotional Products Industry

Often referred to as swag or giveaways, promotional products are branded objects featuring a company logo, phrase, or motto used in marketing, sales, and advertising. Promotional products broaden the target market, promote products and services, and raise brand awareness. Typically, businesses give free promotional items to their audience, employees, and clients at trade shows. 

Promotional products evoke positive emotions in the target audience. The customer feels happy, curious, appreciated, and connected when they receive promotional products. Through emotional engagement, brands establish a connection between their products or services and their target audience, which is the precursor to a purchase. 

The Most Popular Promotional Products

Depending on the organization’s needs, industry, and customer base, promotional products are of many forms. Promotional products measure through impressions over the lifetime of the item. 

The number of lifetime impressions is a good indicator of how effective promotional products are. It is crucial to consider how long promotional and marketing products will last. A promotional product can maximize the number of lifetime impressions and possible organizational gains if it is kept and used for a long time.

Based on anticipated lifetime impressions, PPAI claims that the following promotional goods are the most well-liked and successful:

Promotional Products

Outerwear — Rain slickers, jackets, and windbreakers can achieve an estimated 6,100-lifetime impressions.

T-Shirts — T-shirts can achieve an estimated 3,400-lifetime impressions.

Headwear — Hats, visors, and similar headgear achieve an estimated 3,400-lifetime impressions.

Bags — Backpacks, and tote bags can achieve an estimated 3,300-lifetime impressions.

Stationary — Pens, notebooks, and pencils can achieve an estimated 3,000 lifetime impressions.

Polo Shirts — Polo shirts can achieve an estimated 2,300-lifetime impressions.

Drinkware — Coffee mugs, water bottles, and glassware can achieve an estimated 1,400-lifetime impressions.

Umbrellas — Umbrellas can achieve an estimated 1,100-lifetime impressions.

Calendars — Calendars can achieve an estimated 850-lifetime impressions.

Why Do Businesses Need to Branch into Promotional Products?

Promotional Products

Promotional products are a powerful marketing tool. However, before using promotional products, businesses need to assess their goals. An organization can reap the benefits of promotional products when giveaways add value to the consumer and effectively communicate the brand message.

The following PPAI statistics demonstrate the effectiveness of promotional products as a marketing tool:

  • Consumers are willing to take action to get promotional products.
  • 88% of consumers who got a promotional product could recall the brand
  • 96% of customers want to be informed when a business plans giveaways.
  • 80% of consumers react strongly to promotional and marketing products.
  • Consumers relate a brand's reputation with the caliber of its promotional products in 72% of cases.
  • Promotional products rank as a highly effective marketing strategy by 70% of brands

Promotional products are a tangible tool that addresses a range of marketing issues, such as amplifying attempts to engage employees and raising brand recognition. They offer high ROI due to the impact on the public. 

Freebies Put the ‘Emotion’ in Promotion

Promotional Swag

Everyone loves free stuff. However, does it provide enough buzz for a brand to give out these gifts?

People often forget an advert on TV or billboard in a few seconds. However, a gift from a brand stays with the user. Promotional products elicit emotions. For instance, when you give a consumer a customized gift, they interact with your brand rather than just seeing it in an ad.

Freebies give people a feeling of accomplishment in general. Such an experience helps businesses grow by cultivating loyalty by establishing the business-customer connection.

A personalized promotional product imprinted with a distinctive logo, tagline, or text aid in achieving many business goals:

  • Keeps the brand in the minds of the customers
  • Increases a customer’s loyalty
  • Celebrates clients and employees
  • Encourages and promotes attendance at events, booth visits, and in-person interactions
  • Extends face-to-face communication beyond a single meeting

Tapping into Promotional Products to Fuel Branding

Promotional goods are a powerful advertising tool for businesses. Below are the four benefits of promotional products that boost marketing. 

Promotional Products Benefits

Attract More Eyeballs

Companies can increase the efficiency of their marketing campaigns and draw in new clients by using promotional handouts and thoughtfully crafted swag boxes. They are a great way to increase eyeballs on the brand and create more awareness. 

Branded merchandise acts as a marketing tool that allows brands to ensure that people will get to know their products. It increases the chances of the audience recalling the brand.

Increase Sales

Freebies are enticing and can increase sales. Half of the people who receive promotional products engage further with the advertiser. 

Promotional products serve as lead generators in addition to being branding tools. These products have demonstrated the ability to leave a lasting impression on clients. 

Therefore, working with brilliant designers has an immeasurable benefit because great designs are one of the things that draw in new customers. After falling in love with the brand, consumers eventually become paying customers. 

Enhance Employee Engagement

When employed correctly, promotional products are an efficient external marketing method for elevating a brand among internal stakeholders of the business. Promotional products help to build relationships with employees and can increase brand loyalty. They improve a company's reputation. 

Employees find it easier to connect with a company that invests in meaningful gifts that make them feel valued. The Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) reports that 57% of American workers would stay with a company longer than one that didn't provide branded things to its staff.

Act as a Business Card

Business cards are an essential marketing tool that promotes brand awareness while establishing a connection with people. Promotional products with a brand name can act as a business card by introducing the brand and its services to consumers.

When distributing promotional products, businesses can introduce themselves to broader prospective buyers.

Promotional handouts include contact information, just like business cards. They bear the brand and graphics of your business together with a message that conveys your marketing strategy.

As a result, consumers can use the tangible brand-named product as a useful business card on a daily basis.

3 Ways to Align Your Market Presence Through Your Promotional Products

Every brand aspires to be distinctive in today's competitive business environment. Therefore, businesses need to understand who they are, what makes their product stand out from the competitors, and how they add value for the customer. Here are the three ways to align market presence through promotional products.

Ensure Brand Relevance

It's crucial to select a giveaway item relevant to the brand and encapsulates what your company does. Your target market will find it simpler to relate your brand to the product they have purchased. For example, T-shirts are a popular promotional item, but if the company doesn't perform promo shirts, they might not be the best choice.

Understand Buyer’s Personas

A consumer interacts with a brand through many touchpoints, and there is a potential to increase brand awareness, trust, and loyalty. Therefore, businesses need to recognize every stage a customer goes through. From the time they first learn about the brand until they make a purchase. Once a company has accomplished this, they ensure that their promotional products create an emotional connection. 

Establish Competitive Advantage

Businesses must be explicit about the advantages their promotional products offer to customers. They have to be upfront with customers about how the product will benefit them and improve their lives. By highlighting these advantages, brands make it simpler for customers to consider choosing their product over others.

Winning the Giveaway Game

If a promotional item is fun, practical, and stylish, people are more inclined to keep and use it. Mix fun in your swag with a dash of functionality to appeal to the social media-savvy audience. The third factor is to remain trendy. For instance, today's consumers are fun-loving while also being responsible. Customers love a brand that promotes ecologically friendly promotional items and cares about the environment. The industry witnessed a surge in sustainable promo product sales last year by 20%. Therefore, brands must use eco-friendly products to capture the attention of their target audience.

Wrapping Up!

Promotional Products

Promotional products remain a powerful marketing strategy. Whether you call them swag, branded goods, or promotional products, promo products are a fantastic way to engage with customers and demonstrate your concern for them. These freebies increase brand recognition. These products are also great for attracting a loyal fanbase and increasing sales.

Prepare for Emerging Challenges in 2023 (and beyond) with a Virtual Insurance Assistant

Posted on by Sabeeha Banu

Insurance companies are facing looming uncertainties. Mounting pressure from inflation, rising interest rates, and macroeconomic and geopolitical concerns dampen investors’ optimism. To this end, investors should concentrate on creating a lasting competitive edge. 

Often held up in daily responsibilities, insurancers find it hard to focus on the core business operations. With a virtual insurance assistant, insurance agencies can focus on growing their sales pipeline, generating leads, and more.

A virtual assistant can help insurance businesses with many back-office tasks, such as policy modifications, billing, and customer support, and ensure nothing slips through the cracks. This blog will discuss working with a virtual assistant and the services they can provide for insurance agencies.

What Is an Insurance Virtual Assistant?

A virtual insurance assistant works from a distance and handles different responsibilities for insurance companies. They take customer care calls, respond to general inquiries, research potential coverage options to recommend to customers, and more for the insurance industry.

Insurance businesses can utilize a virtual insurance assistant to maximize their productivity and performance. For example, if your insurance agents are stretched thin with incoming policy claims and queries, a virtual insurance specialist can come to the rescue and handle the situation.  

7 Key Tasks a Virtual Insurance Assistant Can Do for You

Virtual Insurance Tasks

For insurance companies, virtual insurance assistants carry out many activities. They frequently handle the following jobs:

Data Entry in AMS/CRM

Virtual Insurance Assistant

Insurance companies can hire virtual insurance assistants to do data entry or data “clean-up” inside the AMS or CRM. Virtual insurance assistants move data back and forth between different software programs and eliminate duplicate entries. Thus, these virtual insurance specialists ensure data is clean and up to date. They can override premiums and commissions inside the systems to ensure the reporting is correct. 

Administrative Tasks

Every insurance agency has to deal with administrative tasks such as transcription, file management, email management, and research. Insurance agencies can hire virtual insurance assistants to perform administrative tasks so they can focus on high-value business processes.

Also Read: Is a Remote Assistant Worth the Investment?

Insurance Assistance

A virtual assistant with phone skills can answer customer care calls and help customers with pressing issues. For instance, customers often inquire about what insurance policy they are eligible for and what kind of coverage might be best for them. A virtual insurance assistant conducts research, reviews policy information, and recommends options to clients. Similarly, a virtual insurance verification specialist can verify the claims faster and provide support to an insurance company.

Preparing Policy Information

Making bids and ensuring that the details of each client's policy are updated is part of any insurance agency's general practice. A virtual insurance assistant gathers policy information, modifies current rules, and provides bids for new clients because this requires a lot of administrative work.

Lead Generation, Nurturing & Management

A virtual insurance assistant can assist insurancers in effective lead management. They also ensure insurance businesses close more deals by converting prospects into customers.

Accounting & Bookkeeping

Insurance accounting services have emerged as a strategic approach for insurance companies. A virtual insurance assistant lessens the burden of staffing in-house bookkeepers and accounting professionals. They provide comprehensive services to insurance businesses that make it simple to comply with statutory requirements.

Website & App Development

Insurance businesses need advanced websites and applications that will reduce their insurance work and offer a seamless experience to their customers. A virtual insurance assistant offers top-notch web and mobile applications. They are well-versed in website and app development design to ensure all your insurance business requirements meet your business needs.

Benefits of Hiring Virtual Assistants for Insurance Agencies

Virtual Insurance Assistant Benefits

Employing a virtual insurance assistant might completely revolutionize the way insurance companies operate. Using virtual assistant services has several advantages, such as:

Improved Customer Service

In the competitive insurance industry, there is a need for insurance carriers to put the customer experience at the center of their business strategy. Insurers that offer superior customer service beat their peers. A virtual insurance assistant does research on your behalf for your support and sales teams. As a result, insurance businesses can save time by not undertaking policy research. 

Organized Leads

A virtual insurance assistant can aid insurance companies in managing their vast network of current, past, and potential clients. With a virtual assistant, insurance companies can keep their lead database in order and access it easily.

Focus on Insurance Activities That Drive Growth

An insurance business spends an average of 16 hours per week on administrative tasks and other work that doesn't require their expertise or authority. This substantial loss in productivity inhibits the expansion of crucial initiatives for the insurance industry.

Using a virtual insurance assistant allows business owners to focus on the efforts that promote growth.

By offloading all of the time-consuming and tedious administrative tasks, they free up a ton of time for insurance companies to improve their strategic projects and establish crucial contacts.

A Big Saving on Hiring and Employee Costs

While hiring a virtual assistant, there are no hiring or incentive costs, which can save your company thousands of dollars.

According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management, it costs $4,129 on average to fill a job opening. It includes:

  • Time invested in preparing job listings 
  • Cost of posting jobs on employment boards 
  • Recruitment advertisements 
  • Examining applicants and conducting interviews takes time. 
  • Background check costs 
  • Costs of training
  • Employees benefits

Increased Business Efficiency

Businesses are attempting to cut expenses by broadly sustaining the economic gains made by virtual staff. Salesforce and Airbnb have significantly reduced office space rent. Insurance companies can use virtual insurance assistants to increase business efficiency by taking a cue from these successful businesses. 

A virtual insurance assistant swiftly and accurately analyzes large volumes of data. They provide precise market information and help insurance companies make decisions more quickly. They can also speed up insurance back office support and accurately take the role of manual processes in customer service activities like generating quotes or processing payments.

Increased Insurance Sales

Virtual insurance assistants aid companies in boosting sales by enhancing the general consumer experience when using their goods or website. They achieve this by providing customers with quick responses. It increases engagement and leads to higher conversion rates for insurance businesses.

How Much Does a Virtual Insurance Assistant Cost

Generally speaking, a virtual insurance assistant costs $8 to $16 per hour, depending on where you hire them. In contrast, employing in-house employees costs between $17.00 and $19.83. 

Insurance companies need to evaluate if they are hiring a trained virtual assistant or whether they need to do so. 

Employing a qualified virtual assistant can save insurance companies money and effort on training, saving them up to $1,800 a month. 

To this end, insurance companies can save money by working with a reputable outsourcing partner like Flowz to hire a virtual insurance assistant while successfully streamlining operations to drive growth.

Conclusion

It has become imperative for insurance companies to acquire virtual assistants due to the many advantages they offer. Are you looking for an efficient way to manage your customers and optimize business tasks? If you nodded yes, Flowz could be of assistance by providing trained virtual insurance agents.

Talk to our experts now to see if hiring a virtual insurance assistant is best for your agency.

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