Payday is one of the best moments for humans. It is this day when you treat yourself for all the broke times you endured across the month. Frustrations come in when you have spent everything, your account reads nil, and there are outstanding bills that need to be cleared. Ironically, these expenses are not usually there when money is plentiful. Emergencies always pop up, whether you have excellent budgeting skills or not. For this reason, you need to have a backup in case things get messy for you.
When plagued with emergencies, many turn to fast cash loans. Hospital bills, compensation fees, and repair expenses are some of the costs that come uninvited. They can be solved with a fast cash loan. So, the question becomes, how exactly do fast cash loans help you? We will help you in this regard. Let’s first see what they are and how they work.
In simple terms, a fast cash loan is a loan that you can apply for to get money into your account quickly. The first step when applying for any loan is finding out how it works. Knowing the dealings of your loan lender will protect you from fraudsters. Since there are many scum deals, you need to be sure that you are dealing with a legit lender.
Most fast cash loan lenders are legal lenders approved by the government. Once you borrow the money, you receive the funds on the following business day. However, there are cases where funds can be accessed the same day the application is approved. It is reliable during desperate times when money is needed urgently.
Do recent statistics show a surge in the popularity of fast cash loans? Why? It is because of the benefits they offer. Now that you know what it’s all about let’s discuss how exactly you can benefit.
Retail Lenders’ Market Share in India by Loan Volume in FY 2022
Benefits of Fast Cash Loans
Fast cash loans are a big-time savior, especially at times when you do not have funds to deal with an immediate crisis. Here are the benefits that make fast cash loans so helpful:
It’s a Savior During Emergencies
Every person has a story to tell when it comes to the terrible situations they experienced while looking for money urgently. Emergencies are unpredictable and unavoidable. Unfortunately, you have to fix the issues.
As mentioned earlier, a fast cash loan offers loans almost immediately after you apply. Most loan lenders take time before granting your request. They take days to respond to you as they confirm your details. This becomes inconvenient in cases where your problem demands an immediate solution. It’s easy with a fast cash loan because you don’t have to attend meetings with their team for you to acquire the loan. You can quickly fill out the online form and wait for their response.
The Application Process Is Friendly and Simple
Applying for a loan from conventional lenders is hectic. There are so many documents that need to be put in place. Some of these forms take a long time to be ready, and this delays your application process. Although each moneylender has its own requirements, fast cash loans are still convenient. They demand fewer details, and their dealings are open from the start.
Their application process is broken down into four steps, including personal, contact, employment, and financial details. These details can be easily filled in without moving from one agent to another.
Many loan providers hide their terms and conditions. Occasionally, you’ll make a deal with them only to regret it later after finding out harsh consequences you were not aware of. Fast cash loans often display their policies clearly in the beginning.
Saves You From Extra Expenses and Protects Your Credit Rating
Unplanned expenses are the cause of poor financial health. The first thing that comes to mind when having financial issues is taking out a loan. Desperation makes you seek assistance from various lenders, and in the long run, you will have considerable interest to pay back. However, you can avoid all these by settling on a fast cash loan. The terms are often good, and you won’t have extra expenses to worry about in the future. It’s a one-touch thing that solves your problems instantly.
Important Things to Consider Before Applying for a Fast Cash Loan
Serious consideration must be taken while deciding on taking a fast cash loan. The fact that it’s genuine and lifesaving doesn’t mean it’s always the best solution for you. Sometimes, there can be a better option. Keeping this in mind will make you consider the following aspects:
How Urgent Is It?
Fast cash loans shouldn’t always be your first option. Try to look for other possible ways. Like other loans, late payments hurt your credit score. Avoid borrowing money to buy unnecessary things; only use the funds to purchase what you need.
Understand the Fees and Costs Involved
It’s easy to assume terms when you are in a hurry to apply because you are in need. But make sure you understand and agree to the terms of the loan before going ahead with the agreement. Do enough research and get to know how it operates.
Request Only What You Need
It’s tempting to request the highest amount offered by the agent. Take the exact amount you need. Keep it in mind; you will still be the one to pay it back. Borrowing more means paying more. It’s better to borrow less than a large sum that you’ll struggle to repay.
Conclusion
Applying for a loan is a big step that needs serious consideration. Choosing the wrong lender is costly. A fast cash loan is the best option when you need urgent financial assistance. It is beneficial and convenient. You now know how it works, its benefits, and important things to look for before applying. All the best!
FAQs
What is a fast cash loan?
In simple terms, a fast cash loan is a loan that you can apply for to get money into your account quickly.
What are the benefits of fast cash loans?
The benefits of fast cash loans include the following:
It’s a Savior During Emergencies
The Application Process Is Friendly and Simple
Saves You From Extra Expenses and Protects Your Credit Rating
What things should be considered before applying for a fast cash loan?
Before applying for a fast cash loan, you should consider the following aspects:
We are all surrounded by countless pieces of software—system software, programming software, application software, embedded software—you name it, and we have it around us. In today’s world, companies that require software can easily make one in-house for them, but not every company chooses to do the same with their internal resources, mainly due to the high costs involved. So, many companies prefer to outsource the work of software development to agencies or individuals instead of opting for in-house development. In this article, we will find out how to find the right candidate while outsourcing software development. So, let’s get down to business.
Software development is a process that involves planning, requirement analysis, designing, development (coding), testing, deployment, and maintenance of the software components. In modern business operations, software development is an essential aspect, as companies rely on it to differentiate themselves from their competitors and engage with customers. Building computer programs and applications that meet the needs of businesses and their customers is what software development is all about.
Number of Software Developers Worldwide
Why Should You Outsource Software Development?
Outsourcing software development can be greatly beneficial for businesses. Here are some of the reasons why you should consider it:
Cost savings: When you try to develop software in-house, it costs a ton of money as it requires someone specializing in this field as well as additional equipment for the deed to be done. However, when you outsource it, it saves a lot of money by reducing the cost of the development of the software.
Focus on core competencies: Not every business is about technology. By outsourcing software development, you get to focus on your core business and leave the task of development to the experts.
Access to a larger talent: When you outsource, you can hire someone from any corner of the world. This can be especially beneficial for companies that are located in areas with limited talent pools.
More flexibility: Outsourcing software development allows companies to adjust quickly to changing market conditions or business needs. They can easily scale up or down the size of their development team, depending on the requirements of the project.
Innovation: Outsourcing software development can be beneficial for companies as it can bring different perspectives and new ideas to the project. Developers who specialize in the field can offer insights and ideas that might not have been considered otherwise.
Factors to Consider When Outsourcing Software Development
Outsourcing software development can be a cost-effective solution for businesses, but finding the right candidate for the job is crucial. So, when you are outsourcing the development of software for your business, you must consider some factors. These are:
Experience
The candidate or agency you’re hiring for the job to be done has to be experienced in this field. Not only about the matters related to developing the software but also they should have the experience of the industry that your business is based on. Software for the healthcare industry is completely different from the entertainment industry.
Technical Expertise
One of the most important factors to consider is that the candidate must be technically sound. It is essential for you to make sure that the candidate has the required skills, knowledge, and experience that is needed to handle the project.
Security And Quality
The person you are hiring must consider the factors of security and quality. No matter what, these two factors should not be compromised while outsourcing software development. You can test their proficiency by asking for samples or references from previous projects.
Cost
The main reason that businesses decide to outsource software development is to cut off the additional costs that are required for developing in-house software. However, it should not be the only criterion for choosing a candidate. One should conduct market research to be well aware of the industry rates in order to find the perfect fit. Look for a candidate who offers a fair price for their services and provides value for money. Be wary of candidates who offer extremely low rates as it could compromise the quality of the work.
How to Choose the Right Candidate for Outsourcing Software Development
To choose the right candidate for outsourcing software development, follow these steps:
Briefing
Hold recruitment meetings. This step is extremely important to provide the necessary project information to the potential candidates.
Conduct Technical Interview
The next thing to do after the briefing is to conduct a technical interview. This will help you to determine whether the candidate has the relevant knowledge and expertise in the technology stack that you need for your project.
Soft Skills Evaluation
Once you are satisfied with a candidate’s technical skills, it is now time to test their soft skills. This step is often overlooked by many, but it is essential to make sure that a particular candidate will be able to work well with others and communicate effectively. Especially for remote work, it is important that a candidate possess excellent communication skills.
Portfolio Review
After this, you can request the candidate provide a few examples of previous projects that can help you determine the candidate’s proficiency and quality of work in the field.
Check Candidate’s Availability
Now that you have decided to select the candidate, you should confirm the candidate’s availability and flexibility to work on the project as per your specifications and deadlines. Also, discuss the contract terms of the project, such as deliverables, intellectual property, and payment terms.
Follow-Up
Finally, when you have successfully selected a candidate while outsourcing software development, stay in regular communication with the candidate and monitor the progress of the project to ensure that everything is on track.
Outsourcing software development can be a great option for businesses, as it can save time and money, and provide access to specialized expertise. However, it is important to carefully consider the factors mentioned above before making a decision. It is also essential to follow a structured process for selecting the right candidate because ultimately, choosing the right candidate for outsourcing software development can lead to successful outcomes and contribute to the growth and success of a business.
FAQs
What is software development?
Software development is a process that involves planning, requirement analysis, designing, development (coding), testing, deployment, and maintenance of the software components.
Why should one outsource software development?
Here are some of the reasons why one should consider it:
Cost savings
Focus on core competencies
Access to a larger talent
More flexibility
Innovation
Which factors should be considered while outsourcing software development?
The factors that should be considered while outsourcing software development include cost, experience, technical expertise, and security and quality.
Even if you’re not a natural wordsmith, having an eBook in your arsenal is a must for business owners and start-up founders alike. As the shift towards digital consumption continues to grow, eBooks offer a convenient and accessible way to share your expertise with a wider audience. eBooks have become a popular medium for sharing information and knowledge. They offer a convenient and accessible way for authors, business owners, and entrepreneurs to share their expertise with a wider audience.
However, creating a high-quality eBook can be a daunting task, especially if you’re not familiar with the tools and software available. You could hire a professional to handle the task, but this can be costly. Alternatively, you can take on the challenge yourself with the help of various software tools available in the market.
Navigating the plethora of options can be overwhelming, which is why we’ve curated a list of top eBook creation software for you. But before we dive into the list, let’s take a moment to consider the various eBook formats that your readers might prefer. The chosen format can also influence the software you ultimately decide to use, so it’s worth keeping in mind.
The Best Format For Your eBook
There are several eBook formats available. Here are some of the most popular eBook formats:
1. EPUB – ePublication
This is the most widely used eBook format and is supported by most e-readers and mobile devices. It allows for reflowable text, which means that the text can be resized and repositioned to fit different screen sizes.
2. PDF – Portable Document Format
The PDF is the most commonly used eBook format today. Whether your goals for publishing an eBook is to generate leads, sales or to build community – formatting it into a PDF will help you achieve your desired outcome. Authors who use the PDF format have the ability to deliver their eBook however they please as it is the most user-friendly format available.
3. MOBI
This format is specifically for Kindle readers. As Amazon dominates the lion’s share of global publication profits, formatting your eBook to Mobi will help you reach a larger audience. You might choose to refrain from using this format, and that’s not a big deal but it might restrict your reach if you want to distribute your eBook through Amazon.
4. iBooks
This format is used by Apple’s iBooks app and can include interactive elements such as videos, images, and audio.
5. HTML
This format is used for eBooks that will be read on the web. It allows for easy integration of multimedia content such as videos, images, and audio.
Choosing the right format for your eBook will depend on several factors, including the type of content you’re publishing, the audience you’re targeting, and the devices you want your eBook to be compatible with.
How to Choose an ebook creator software?
Choosing the right eBook creator software can be a daunting task, especially with so many options available in the market. Here are some key factors to consider when selecting an eBook creator software:
Features: Look for software that offers a range of features, such as customizable templates, the ability to add multimedia elements such as images and videos, and the ability to create interactive content.
Ease of Use: Consider the software’s user interface and ease of use. It should be easy to navigate and use even for those who are not technically proficient.
Pricing: Check the pricing options and plans available for the software. Some software offers a one-time fee, while others may require a subscription or offer a freemium model.
Compatibility: Ensure that the software is compatible with the eBook formats you want to create and the devices you want to publish on.
Customer Support: Look for software with good customer support, including access to online resources such as tutorials, forums, and support communities.
Reviews: Check reviews and feedback from other users to get an idea of the software’s performance and reliability.
By considering these factors, you can make an informed decision and choose an eBook creator software that best fits your needs and requirements. Let’s get to it!
Top 6 eBook Creator Software Tools That You Can Use
If you’re looking to create an eBook, you may be wondering what tools are available to help you get started. One option is Microsoft Word, a popular word processing software that many people are already familiar with. While Microsoft Word may not be a dedicated eBook creator tool, it can be used to create basic eBooks with text, images, and multimedia elements.
The software is so common that people use and trust Microsoft Word for so many reasons. It’s biggest advantage is its credibility and reliability when it comes to content creation. However, it’s only limitation is that you can create an eBook in PDF format.
But this can be easily remedied, as many online eBook distributors honor MS Word documents and will automatically format it for you.
If you’re looking for a free and easy-to-use tool to create an eBook, Google Docs can be a great option. Google Docs is a cloud-based word processing software that allows you to create and edit documents online. It’s accessible from anywhere with an internet connection and offers collaboration features that make it easy to work with others on your eBook. If you are new to writing and are under a budget, then this should be your go-to software.
The best part is that Google Docs offers two types of formats : PDF and ePub.
And if that weren’t enough, Google Docs is a cloud-driven software, so you will never lose a document even if your computer crashed.
It makes for a great collaborative tool that allows multiple people to work on the same document simultaneously. Meaning, you can create your content and have other people give you feedback or edit your content at the same time.
Scrivener is a popular writing software tool that is commonly used by authors, screenwriters, and other types of writers. To create an ebook with Scrivener, you can export your project as an ePub or Kindle file.
It allows you to research, outline, write and view your notes all in one place and you can print your whole draft with a click of a button.
The only downside is that Scrivener has a bit of a learning curve, but to make things simple, it comes with built-in tutorials and is available for a modest price.
What makes this tool so popular is that it works with Mac, Windows, iPad and iPhone and has good organizing capabilities.
Ulysses is an ebook creation software especially tailored for writers, journalists, and other professionals who work with text. This software is exclusively for Mac,iPad and iPhoneusers, anyone who is serious about leveling up their writing content, Ulysses is the tool to use. It provides organizational tools, filters, writing goals, document attachment and automatic back up.
With a distraction- free, easy to use interface this tool is available on a subscription basis or you can simply pay once for lifetime use.
Vellum is a dedicated ebook creation tool that allows you to create professional-looking ebooks quickly and easily. Vellum is available for Mac OS and offers a range of features that can help you create high-quality ebooks that look great on any device. It also offers various format options to make your eBook visually appealing and command a reader’s attention.
Vellum will automatically format your PDF for print books and export your manuscript in ePub. You can download it for free but if you want to export to eBook, you will have to pay a fee.
As they have a pay-per-eBook option available, you can always take it for a spin without buying it outright.
Adobe InDesign
Tool
Adobe InDesign
Rating
4.8 out of 5
Free Trial
Available
Starting Price
$20.99 per month
Platforms supported
Web
Adobe InDesign – eBook Creator Tool
The ultimate software you need for eBook creation is Adobe InDesign. The reason it might not come up in other articles or content creator lists is because it stands out of all other software, InDesign demands time, patience and an eye for layout and detail.
If you want to create an interior which nudges your reader from one page to another without breaking their attention then InDesign, is for you.
You might be publishing a children’s book or a magazine. Using InDesign that syncs pretty well with other Adobe programs, you can add .psd or .ai files in your ebook with relative ease.
It also provides you with a lot of tools for resizing, layout and a number of templates for you pages.
Adobe InDesign comes with a monthly subscription and will format your eBooks in ePub or PDF. Even though this software might not be beginner-friendly, it tends to produce visually stunning interiors.
Overall, InDesign is a powerful ebook creator tool that offers a range of features to help you create professional-looking ebooks. If you are already familiar with Adobe tools and have access to the Adobe Creative Cloud, InDesign may be a good option for your ebook creation needs.
Creating an ebook can be a challenging task, but with the right tools, it can be made much easier. In this blog, we have discussed some of the top ebook creator tools available today, including Scrivener, Ulysses, Vellum, and Adobe InDesign.
Each of these tools has its own unique features and benefits, and the choice of which one to use will ultimately depend on your individual needs and preferences. With these top ebook creator tools at your disposal, creating a professional-looking ebook has never been easier.
FAQs
What is an eBook creation tool?
An eBook creation tool is software that allows you to create digital books in various formats, including EPUB, PDF, and Kindle. These tools often offer features such as customizable styles, automated formatting, and the ability to add multimedia elements to your book.
What are the 7 steps to create an eBook?
Here are the 7 steps to create an eBook:
Choose your topic and target audience.
Outline your eBook.
Write and edit your content.
Choose an eBook creator tool.
Format your eBook.
Design your eBook cover.
Publish and promote your eBook.
What are the benefits of using an eBook creator software?
eBook creator software can help you create professional-looking books quickly and easily, with customizable styles and layouts. They also offer automated formatting options, which can save you time and hassle when publishing your book.
Which eBook creator tool is the best?
The best eBook creator tool will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Some popular options include Scrivener, Ulysses, Vellum, and Adobe InDesign. Consider the features you need, your budget, and the level of expertise required to use the tool before making your final decision.
Can eBook creation tools help with distribution and publishing?
Yes, many eBook creation tools offer features that allow you to publish and distribute your book directly from the tool. For example, Vellum offers the ability to publish directly to platforms like Amazon and Apple Books.
Is InDesign good for eBooks?
Yes, Adobe InDesign is a great tool for creating eBooks.
Luxury brands have long been associated with exclusivity, sophistication, and elegance. Their marketing strategies have always been a crucial component of their success. Luxury brands use a range of tactics to build brand awareness, create demand, and build a loyal customer base.
Let’s explore the world of luxury brand marketing and highlight the tactics used by some of the world’s most iconic brands.
One of the most important aspects of luxury brand marketing is exclusivity. Luxury brands are known for their exclusivity, and they use this to create demand and increase brand value. The idea is simple: if everyone can afford a product, it’s no longer a luxury item. By keeping their products exclusive and limiting access, luxury brands can create a sense of scarcity and demand.
One brand that has mastered the art of exclusivity is Hermès. The French luxury brand is famous for its handcrafted leather goods, including its iconic Birkin bag. Hermès has created a waiting list for the Birkin bag, which can sometimes take years to obtain. This creates a sense of demand and exclusivity, which drives up the brand’s perceived value.
Luxury brands don’t sell products; they sell experiences. They use emotion to create a connection with their customers and build brand loyalty. This means that luxury brands must understand their target market and create campaigns that speak to their emotions.
By tapping into customers’ emotions, luxury brands can create a sense of exclusivity, inspire loyalty, and increase brand recognition. Here are some examples of luxury brands that have successfully used emotional marketing:
Tiffany & Co.
Tiffany & Co., the American luxury jewelry brand, is known for its iconic blue box and its emotional connection with customers. The brand has used emotional marketing in its advertising campaigns, showcasing heartwarming moments such as a couple’s engagement or a mother and daughter sharing a special moment. These emotional ads not only promote the brand’s products but also create a strong emotional connection with customers, making them feel special and exclusive.
Tiffany & Co. – Believe in Love
BMW
BMW, the German luxury car brand, has used emotional marketing in its advertising campaigns, showcasing the thrill of driving and the sense of freedom that comes with owning a luxury car. The brand’s ads often feature sweeping vistas and winding roads, creating an emotional connection between the driver and the car. BMW’s emotional marketing not only promotes the brand’s products but also reinforces its commitment to quality and craftsmanship.
Chanel, the French luxury fashion brand, has used emotional marketing in its advertising campaigns, showcasing the timeless elegance and sophistication of its products. The brand’s ads often feature a strong, independent woman, who embodies the Chanel brand and its values. These emotional ads not only promote the brand’s products but also create a sense of exclusivity and sophistication, making customers feel like they are part of an elite group.
The Film of the CHANEL Coco Neige 2021/22 Collection Campaign
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton, the French luxury fashion brand, has used emotional marketing in its advertising campaigns, showcasing the sense of adventure and discovery that comes with traveling. The brand’s ads often feature exotic locations and stylish travelers, creating an emotional connection between the customer and the brand. Louis Vuitton’s emotional marketing not only promotes the brand’s products but also reinforces its commitment to quality and luxury.
Louis Vuitton Spirit of Travel 2019 Campaign
Apple
Apple, the American luxury technology brand, has used emotional marketing in its advertising campaigns, showcasing the sense of innovation and creativity that comes with owning an Apple product. The brand’s ads often feature creative professionals, artists, and musicians, highlighting the emotional connection between the user and the product. Apple’s emotional marketing not only promotes the brand’s products but also reinforces its commitment to innovation and design.
The Greatest (Audio Descriptions) | Apple
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has become an increasingly popular marketing tactic in recent years, and luxury brands are no exception. Luxury brands are using social media influencers to promote their products and reach a broader audience. Influencers are people with large social media followings who can influence their followers’ opinions and behavior.
Here are some examples of luxury brands that have successfully used influencer marketing:
Chanel x Kristina Bazan
Chanel, a French luxury fashion brand, collaborated with Swiss influencer Kristina Bazan to promote its new Rouge Coco Lip Blush product. Bazan, who has a large following on Instagram and YouTube, created content featuring the product and shared it with her followers. The collaboration allowed Chanel to reach a younger audience and create buzz around the new product.
Gucci x Harry Styles
Gucci, an Italian luxury fashion brand, collaborated with British musician Harry Styles for a photoshoot promoting the brand’s new genderless fragrance, Mémoire d’une Odeur. Styles, who has a large following on social media, shared the photos on Instagram, generating buzz around the fragrance. The collaboration helped Gucci reach a younger audience and reinforce the brand’s commitment to inclusivity and genderless fashion.
Harry Styles in Gucci Mémoire d’une Odeur – The Campaign Film
Omega x Cindy Crawford
Omega, a Swiss luxury watchmaker, has a long-standing partnership with American model Cindy Crawford, who has been the brand’s ambassador since 1995. Crawford has appeared in several Omega ad campaigns and has helped promote the brand on social media. The collaboration has helped Omega maintain its status as a luxury watch brand and reinforce its commitment to quality and craftsmanship.
Cindy Crawford opens OMEGA Her Time exhibition in Sydney
Dior x Bella Hadid
Dior, a French luxury fashion brand, has collaborated with American model Bella Hadid on several occasions, including a photoshoot promoting the brand’s Dior Makeup line. Hadid, who has a large following on Instagram, shared photos from the shoot with her followers, generating buzz around the brand. The collaboration allowed Dior to reach a younger audience and reinforce its status as a luxury fashion brand.
Rouge Dior, the new lipstick – The date – Bella Hadid Makyaj video
Rolex x Roger Federer
Rolex, a Swiss luxury watchmaker, has a long-standing partnership with Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, who has been a brand ambassador since 2001. Federer has appeared in several Rolex ad campaigns and has helped promote the brand on social media. The collaboration has helped Rolex maintain its status as a luxury watch brand and reinforce its commitment to precision and excellence.
Federer Rolex Ad Black and White
Influencer marketing is an effective way for luxury brands to reach new audiences and create buzz on social media. By collaborating with influencers, luxury brands can leverage their large followings and reinforce their commitment to quality and craftsmanship. Successful collaborations not only promote the brand’s products but also reinforce the brand’s status as a luxury brand.
Storytelling
Storytelling is a powerful marketing tactic that luxury brands have been using for years. Luxury brands use storytelling to create a narrative around their products, build brand awareness, and create an emotional connection with their customers. The idea is to create a story that customers can relate to and that adds value to the product.
One brand that has successfully used storytelling in its marketing is Rolls-Royce. The British luxury car manufacturer has been using storytelling to build its brand for decades. Rolls-Royce’s ads often feature images of travelers embarking on epic journeys in the comfort of their Rolls-Royce cars. These ads create a narrative around the brand, suggesting that Rolls-Royce cars are not just vehicles; they’re a means to explore the world.
Introducing Rolls-Royce Dawn. Experience open-top driving like never before.
Customer Experience
Luxury brands understand the importance of customer experience. They know that their customers expect a high level of service, and they go above and beyond to deliver it. They understand that the experience is just as important as the product itself.
One brand that excels in customer experience is The Ritz-Carlton. The luxury hotel chain is known for its exceptional customer service and attention to detail. The Ritz-Carlton’s “Gold Standards” program outlines the brand’s commitment to providing a personalized and memorable experience for each guest.
Digital Marketing and E-commerce
Luxury brands have traditionally relied on in-store experiences and personal relationships with customers to drive sales. However, with the rise of e-commerce and digital marketing, luxury brands are now embracing digital channels to reach new customers and drive sales. This strategy increases accessibility and convenience for customers to buy the products they want.
For example, Burberry, a British luxury fashion brand, has launched a successful e-commerce platform that allows customers to shop online for their products. Burberry has also embraced social media and influencer marketing to reach new audiences and engage with its customers.
Partnership Marketing
It is a marketing strategy where two or more brands collaborate to create a product or service that leverages each other’s strengths and appeals to a broader audience. The partnership allows brands to tap into each other’s customer base and create unique offerings that cannot be found anywhere else. Luxury brands have been using partnership marketing as a way to increase brand awareness, reach new audiences, and create memorable experiences. Here are some examples of luxury brands that have successfully used partnership marketing:
Louis Vuitton x Supreme
Louis Vuitton, a French luxury fashion brand, collaborated with Supreme, a New York-based streetwear brand, to create a limited-edition collection of clothing and accessories. This partnership created a unique blend of high fashion and streetwear, which appealed to both brands’ audiences. The collaboration was heavily promoted on social media and created a buzz around the two brands.
The collaboration of Louis Vuitton and Supreme
Aston Martin x TAG Heuer
Aston Martin, a British luxury car brand, partnered with TAG Heuer, a Swiss luxury watchmaker, to create a special edition watch that celebrates the launch of the new Aston Martin Vantage. The watch features design elements inspired by the car, such as the carbon fiber dial and Aston Martin’s winged emblem. The partnership allowed both brands to leverage each other’s prestige and create a product that appeals to their shared audience.
The collaboration of Aston Martin and Tag Heuer
Bentley x Breitling
Bentley, a British luxury car brand, collaborated with Breitling, a Swiss luxury watchmaker, to create a special edition watch inspired by the Bentley Continental GT. The watch features design elements that pay homage to the car, such as the knurled bezel and the Bentley emblem on the dial. The partnership allows both brands to showcase their commitment to craftsmanship and luxury.
Breitling for Bentley Premier Mulliner Edition Watch | Bentley
Emirates x Bulgari
Emirates, a luxury airline based in Dubai, partnered with Bulgari, an Italian luxury brand, to create an exclusive amenity kit for their first-class passengers. The kit includes a range of Bulgari products, such as perfume, hand lotion, and eye mask, which allows passengers to indulge in a luxurious in-flight experience. The partnership highlights both brands’ commitment to luxury and creates a memorable experience for passengers.
Emirates: BVLGARI Amenity Kits (Business Class)
Montblanc x BMW
Montblanc, a German luxury brand known for its writing instruments, partnered with BMW, a luxury car brand, to create a limited edition set of writing instruments inspired by the BMW 7 series. The set includes a fountain pen, a rollerball pen, and a ballpoint pen, each of which is adorned with design elements inspired by the car. The partnership allowed both brands to showcase their commitment to design and craftsmanship and create a unique product that appeals to their shared audience.
Montblanc Pen For BMW Individual 7 Series
Luxury brands have mastered the art of creating a sense of exclusivity, building emotional connections with customers, providing exceptional customer service, and maintaining a consistent brand image. Marketers can learn from these strategies by implementing them into their marketing plans to create a strong brand identity, build customer loyalty, and drive business growth. Are you ready to take your marketing game to the next level? Start implementing these tips today and watch your brand soar to new heights of success!
FAQs
What are a few examples of influencer marketing done by some of luxury brands?
Here are some examples of luxury brands that have successfully used influencer marketing:
Chanel x Kristina Bazan
Gucci x Harry Styles
Omega x Cindy Crawford
Dior x Bella Hadid
Rolex x Roger Federer
What are a few examples of partnership marketing done by some of the luxury brands?
Here are some examples of luxury brands that have successfully used partnership marketing:
Young companies that are founded on the idea of developing a unique product or service and making it irresistible and irreplaceable to their customers are called startups.
Many startups, within, their industries, are termed disruptors. This is because startups are rooted in innovation and aim to remedy existing deficiencies of products already in the market or create entirely new categories of products or services. They disrupt existing ways of thinking and doing business for the industry they belong to.
Within the scope of various industries, there are usually five different types of startups.
Small Business Startups – Self-starters With Small Teams
A small business startup is usually a solo or partnership business with a small team. Their growth is slow, if at all and their framework is similar to a mom-and-pop store. They are usually self-funded and under no pressure to scale at speed. Their team is close-knit, almost like a family.
Buyable Startups – Built To Be Bought Out
Startups that begin with the idea of being bought out are usually associated with software and technology. The concept is for small teams to build a business from ground zero and sell it to a bigger player within their industry. Giants like Amazon and Apple are always in the news for buying small startup businesses. Mergers and acquisitions are a common occurrence in this space.
Scalable Startups – Seeking Capital
Most consumer and business apps are excellent examples of scalable startups. The initial work is to create and build a buzz and from there it’s a snowball effect of acquiring new customers. This kind of start-up raises capital from external sources – angel investors, venture capitalists, business partners, etc. This money goes towards supporting growth initiatives and building a strong base of customers. Eventually, this will grab the attention of someone who is either willing to fund them for a speedy scale-up or buy them out.
Offshoot Startups – Branch-offs From Bigger Corporations
This type of offshoot startup from a bigger company is usually an effort to enter a new market or disrupt a smaller competitor. It is not a company built from the ground up. Acting independently of its parent company, this start-up can experiment without too much scrutiny.
Social Startups – Not-for-Profit Companies
Startups that are specifically designed for charity or socially enhancing work usually scale up for philanthropy. They function with the help of grants and donations.
Common Types of Industry-related Startup Businesses
Contrary to common thought, startup businesses are not always tech related. Opportunities to start and scale up non-tech businesses are many and varied.
The founder/founders’ capability, business type, model, scalability, and industry are all crucial factors that influence how a start-up business starts its operations and grows.
Reasons Why Most Startups Fail
Globally, almost 90% of all start-up businesses fail. 10% of this number fail within the first year. The most common period for startup failures is within the first two to five years. This number seems to be approximately the same across all industries.
The reasons for failure are many and varied depending on the specific industry. There are, however, some common reasons that affect all startups regardless of their business model, industry, or size.
Lack of Innovation
One of the most common reasons for start-up failure is a lack of innovation. Most businesses try to emulate and replicate global successes rather than create their models. Innovation in business helps to stand out, beat the competition, and increase productivity. Some guidelines can help startups avoid piggybacking on the success of others.
Proper research and understanding of the needs of the local market
Hire talent that has the technical expertise and a drive for innovation
Plan for long-term sustenance before venturing into trending ideas
Find the right resources to power a start-up
Lack of Funds
There is no doubt about it. Insufficient funds are a roadblock to growth and scalability. To transform an idea into a business, financial resources are essential. Once the funds are procured, the immediate need is a scalable and profitable business model. From there on, there might be a consistent need to raise follow-up funds to grow. If these needs are not met, then disaster strikes. How to avoid this?
Build an effective business plan and a revenue model
The focus on revenue and profits needs to be equal to the one on product and service
What happens when the start-up business tries to sell a product or service that consumers don’t need? Simple – They won’t buy. While it is great to develop and offer a unique product or service, it is equally important to understand if there is an existing need for it. Some steps to ensure this is as below –
An in-depth understanding of customers and if they need the product or service
Finding new customers via word-of-mouth before spending on devising expensive marketing plans
Gaps in Leadership
Startups are driven by the vision and ideology of their founders and core team members. It is one thing to have a great idea and quite another to turn it into a functional reality. The leadership has to drive the company with clarity of thought and action, strength, and conviction from the first day of operations. What are the ways to do it right?
Delegate to someone who can do it better
Study and practice leadership
Get training and mentoring to assume such a role
Why do Startups fail?
Lack of Agility and Adaptation
A know-it-all attitude is the fastest way to the failure of a start-up business. As a new setup, it can have various challenges and teething issues. This is where agility and adaptation play a large role. It can bring a competitive advantage to a start-up.
Learn continuously
Have a fluid workforce
Engage in research and development
Exchange ideas
Business Model Failure
Building an impressive website, and indulging in large marketing spends for a good product are great smokescreens and most new entrepreneurs are convinced that these are enough. The behind-the-curtain reality is harsh and unforgiving. Customer acquisition and customer retention demand huge investments. Start-up businesses need a strong and foolproof business model to sustain and record profit. Here are some questions that need to be answered –
Is there a scalable plan to acquire customers?
Can those customers be monetized?
Will the customer give us revenue that is higher than his acquisition rate?
Incorrect Hiring
Easily solvable, isn’t it? Not really. Most entrepreneurs are blind-sided by the difficulty in hiring the right talent and competency. The reasons?
Cost cutting by hiring mediocre talent results in mediocrity in all functions across the business
Inability to hire experts or experienced employees due to cash constraints or other reasons
Hiring people who do not share the same vision
The steps to correct such a scenario are simple and easily implemented
Chalk out the hiring process with care
Create alternate working methods like free-lance, contractual, or on a project basis with expert professionals
Make a strict hiring process by giving candidates real issues to solve
There are also issues like ignoring customers, regulatory and legal challenges, heavy competition, lack of passion or burnout, disharmony among the founders, investors, and team members, internal power struggles, etc.
A startup business that succeeds pays equal attention to most of these issues and will struggle through challenges and objections. The leader of such a business is a student who is continuously learning, a leader who communicates with clarity, and a worker who understands the need for collaboration and togetherness.
FAQs
What are the types of startups?
There are five types of startups which are listed below-
Small Business Startups
Buyable Startups
Scalable Startups
Offshoot Startups
Social Startups
What are the major reasons behind the failure of a startup?
The reasons for failure are many and varied depending on the specific industry. There are, however, some common reasons that affect all startups regardless of their business model, industry, or size.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Aircall.
In this globalized corporate market, the significance of effective communication has increased to a great extent. Businesses need to communicate internally with employees and management and externally with clients, suppliers, and customers.
Telecommunication platforms have emerged as an ultimate solution for modern businesses. Annually, around $145 trillion is spent on telecommunications globally. Telecommunication technology enables companies to communicate directly with customers, access real-time information, create relationships, and stay competitive.
Aircall is a 100% cloud-based telecommunication platform enabling companies to make national and international calls. Let’s uncover everything from Aircall’s startup story, founders, funding, and growth to partners, investors, and competitors.
Aircall – Company Highlights
Company Name
Aircall
Headquarters
New York, United States
Industry
Telecommunications
Founders
Olivier Pailhes, Jonathan Anguelov, Pierre-Baptiste Bechu, Xavier Durand
A cloud-based call center and phone system, Aircall meets modern businesses’ communication needs. This voice platform can seamlessly integrate with popular productivity and helpdesk tools for sales and support teams. The call center makes phone systems easy to manage, transparent, accessible, and collaborative.
Founded in 2014, Aircall is based in New York and has multiple branches in Paris, Madrid, Sydney, London, Singapore, and Berlin. The platform integrates with 80+ major CRMs, marketing software, help desks, chatbots, eCommerce platforms, and more.
Olivier Pailhes, Jonathan Anguelov, Pierre-Baptiste Bechu, and Xavier Durand founded Aircall in 2014.
Olivier Pailhes
Graduated from HEC Paris with a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Economics, Management; Olivier Pailhes is an Angel Investor in Entocycle, Regroop, and Nelson. In addition to co-founding Aircall, he is a board member of French Tech Madrid and an Advisor at Metomic.
Aircall, Co-founder – Olivier Pailhes
Jonathan Anguelov
Jonathan Anguelov graduated from ESCP Business School with a Master’s in Finance, General. He co-founded Aircall and is working as its CSO. Moreover, he is the co-founder of Aguesseau Capital and Hotel Maison Barbes.
Aircall, Co-founder, and CSO – Jonathan Anguelov
Pierre-Baptiste Bechu
Pierre-Baptiste Bechu has completed his Masters from Ecole centrale de Lyon in Computer Engineering and is the co-founder and VP of Aircall. He also worked as the co-founder and CTO of ClickJob.fr till 2014. In addition, he is a Partner(Digital IV) in 50Partners and a self-employed Angel Investor.
Aircall, Co-founder, and VP – Pierre-Baptiste Bechu
Xavier Durand
Xavier Durand was the technical co-founder of Aircall and worked with the company until 2020. At present, he is the co-founder of Regroop company.
Aircall is currently working with more than 800 employees.
Aircall – Startup Story
The idea of setting up Aircall was born at the eFounders studio in Paris in 2014. Founders- Olivier Pailhes, Jonathan Anguelov, Xavier Durand, and Pierre-Baptiste Bechu recognized that a telephone system is complex and costly enough to set up. It is when the co-founders took the challenge of revolutionizing corporate telephony.
After the first few weeks, they developed an MVP: an easy-to-use phone system named Aircall to get numbers worldwide and share calls across the team. With this product, the company got a handful of customers.
On June 1, 2014, the company charged firm time for the service for $19 per month. Davy Kestens was Aircall’s first angel investor, who invested $5,000. In 2016, the company’s growth accelerated, hitting $210K MRR. And in 2022, it raised funding of $132 million.
Aircall – Mission and Vision
According to Aircall, conversation is the most powerful way to communicate with colleagues, customers, prospects, and candidates. Therefore, the phone system enables delightful moments of human connection.
Aircall – Business Model
Aircall uses VoIP technology to integrate with the company’s CRM systems and Helpdesk solutions to sync information. By setting up Aircall, companies can make calls using computers or mobile phones and monitor individual and team metrics in real-time. In addition, the platform allows companies to enhance productivity by creating new numbers, teams, and workflows.
The call center has many additional built-in features, like smart routing, sorting calls into call queues, live call monitoring, callback, warm transfers, call whispering, and more.
Aircall – Revenue Model
Aircall charges a subscription fee for its products and services. The company offers three subscription plans- Essentials for $30/user, Professional for $50/user, and a custom plan. Its pricing is estimated at $360 per year.
Aircall – Products and Services
The company offers several solutions, including Sales, IT & Operations, Customer Service & Support, and the whole company. Moreover, it provides the Aircall Phone app for Desktop, Aircall Phone App for Mobile (iOS and Android), and Aircall Browser Extensions.
Aircall – The phone system for modern business
Aircall – Challenges Faced
After 2017’s New Year’s Eve, it was a war-like situation for Aircall, named ‘The Quality War.’ The company’s product was broken as nothing was working as per plan. Calls may or may not come through, and Aircall couldn’t attract new customers. The management decided to stop the entire company. This crisis lasted for around three months.
Furthermore, six months after building the first US team, Aircall faced a challenging situation again. The company was finding it difficult to achieve its goals, and it wasn’t working as a team. Aircall rebooted and restarted with a much smaller team.
Aircall – Funding and Investors
Aircall has undertaken 10 funding rounds and has successfully raised $225.6.5 million. Its latest funding round – Venture Series Unknown Round, was conducted on February 23, 2022, and raised $300 million. The company has over 27 investors with 6 lead investors- HubSpot Ventures, NextWorld Capital, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, DTCP, and others.
Date
Round
Number of Investors
Money Raised
Lead Investor
February 23, 2022
Venture Round
1
–
Hubspot Ventures
June 23, 2021
Series D
8
$120 million
Goldman Sachs Asset Management
May 27, 2020
Series C
9
$65 million
DTCP
May 15, 2018
Series B
7
$29 million
Molten Ventures, NextWorld Capital
July 1, 2017
Venture Round
1
–
–
September 15, 2016
Series A
7
$8 million
Balderton Capital
June 25, 2016
Seed Round
2
$2.8 million
Balderton Capital
December 24, 2015
Venture Round
1
–
–
June 2, 2015
Seed Round
7
$800K
–
June 1, 2014
Seed Round
1
–
–
Aircall – Growth
With the company’s annual revenue estimated at $161 million per year ($199,951 per employee) in 2022, its current valuation stands at $3 billion.
Aircall’s employee figure increased by 18%. Moreover, the monthly website visit growth rate is 3.69%. The Aircall app has more than 9,130 monthly downloads.
Aircall – Partners
Aircall has collaborated with many partners, some of these are:
SnapCall
Klaus
Gorgias
noCRM.io
Re:amaze
Plecto
Segment
Aroma
Zendesk Sell
JobAdder
Aircall – Awards and Achievements
Aircall is recognized as one of the leading, tech-savvy call centers in the United States. And the company has garnered multiple prestigious awards in its lifetime. Some of these are:
RemoteTech Breakthrough Award for “Business Phone System Innovation of the Year”
Ranked no. 1 call center in GetApp Analysis
GetApp Analysis declared Aircall a Call Center Software Leader
Aircall – Competitors
Some of its main competitors are:
Dialpad
RingCentral
Twilio
Nextiva
Talkdesk
OpenPhone
CallRail
YodelTalk
Aloware
FAQs
What is Aircall and what does it do?
Aircall is a cloud-based phone system that helps businesses manage their phone communication with features like call forwarding, call recording, and IVR. It integrates with other tools and improves customer service, sales performance, and collaboration.
Can Aircall integrate with other tools and software?
Yes, Aircall can integrate with a wide range of other tools and software, such as CRMs, helpdesk software, and team messaging apps.
What pricing plans does Aircall offer?
Aircall offers three pricing plans:
Essential: starting at $30/user/month
Professional: starting at $50/user/month
Custom: tailored pricing for enterprise-level businesses
What type of businesses can benefit from using Aircall?
Businesses of all sizes and industries can benefit from using Aircall. It is particularly useful for businesses that rely heavily on phone communication such as customer support teams, sales teams, and call centers.
Company Profile is an initiative by StartupTalky to publish verified information on different startups and organizations. The content in this post has been approved by Sidecar Health.
With the rising cost of healthcare, having a health insurance policy has become a necessity rather than a choice. Health insurance is what provides financial protection to individuals and families against the high costs of medical treatments and services.
In today’s time, having access to quality medical care without incurring significant financial burdens has become critical. Given the increased demand for health insurance among people, many new insurance companies are emerging to provide the best possible solutions to individuals and businesses.
Sidecar Health, an American health insurance company based in El Segundo, California, is one such company. In this article, learn about Sidecar Health, its founders, startup story, business model, and more.
Sidecar Health is a personalized health insurance platform that strives to make health care more transparent, personalized, and affordable. This American company is headquartered in El Segundo, California. Its plans cover employees through employer-sponsored coverages, families, and individuals. Apart from covering the treatment requirements from consultation to medical billing, it also provides insurance claim assistance solutions. With a well-rooted health insurance plan integrated with a tech-forward approach, Sidecar Health equips users to make smart decisions and helps them provide a seamless experience and excellent care to its clients.
Sidecar Health – Industry
Sidecar Health belongs to the US health and medical insurance industry which is the largest of its kind in the world. As per the reports of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, more than 68% of health care coverage is being provided by various private insurance programs. With increasing medical inflation, employment, and health awareness, the health and medical insurance industry will continue to grow in the years to come. Further, the increasing popularity of individual and employee-sponsored health coverage will also contribute to this growth.
The global health insurance market was valued at approximately $2.10 trillion in 2021, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.50%, and is anticipated to reach over USD 3.619 trillion by 2028.
Sidecar Health was founded by Patrick Quigley and Veronica Osetinsky to tap the sparsely tapped market of health insurance in Texas.
Today the team is led by Patrick Quigley as the Chief Executive Officer, Veronica Oestinsky as the Chief Operating Officer, Rodney Barlow as the Chief Technology Officer, Alex Coonce as Chief People Officer, and Monica Auciello as the Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance & Risk Officer,
Patrick Quigley
Patrick Quigley – Chief Executive Office, Co-founder, Sidecar Health
Patrick Quigley is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Sidecar Health. With more than 20 years of experience in marketing, product, and engineering, Quigley has employed all of his expertise to fuel the growth of his brainchild. He worked as the Chief Executive Officer of Katch apart from being a part of the founding management team at QuinStreet which is a consultant at McKinsey & Company.
Veronica Osetinsky
Veronica Osetinsky – Chief Operating Officer, Co-founder, Sidecar Health
Veronica Osetinsky is the Chief Operating Officer and Co-founder of Sidecar Health. Veronica leads the company with attention to even the smallest details ensuring that the ideas cascade into reality. She played a significant role in a key leadership position at her previous workplace – Katch- where she helped the company grow from its nascent stage to become one of the significant businesses in the area of Katch in over 5 years. She had also worked with QuinStreet, Bank of America, and Paramax Capital.
Other prominent team members of Sidecar Health are:
Rodney Barlow – Chief Technology Officer
Alex Coonce – Chief People Officer
Douglas Lynch – Chief Actuary
Monica Auciello – VP, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance & Risk Officer
Chris Bussard – VP of Product
Jason T. Delimitros – VP of Insurance Operations
Chris Patton – VP of Channel Sales
Emily Porter – VP of Government Affairs
Meghann Seidner – VP of Marketing
Sidecar Health – Startup Story
Sidecar Health was founded in 2018 by Patrick Quigley and Veronica Osetinsky who were working in Katch (formerly Vantage Media). They initially opened only in Texas to provide affordable insurance to the uninsured. With their innovative strategies and intuitive approach, they were able to build a niche of their own in the industry. They ensured that their plans and processes are not only user-friendly but also transparent. Sidecar’s simple policies and transparent approach were a breath of fresh air for the commoners. Health insurance ceased to be a mystery to them. Further, the customers were able to avail of services at prices 40% lesser than the rest of the insurance companies. From being a small insurance company in Texas, Sidecar Health has expanded its services to 18 states in the US today.
Sidecar Health – Mission and Vision
The company works towards its mission to make healthcare affordable and accessible to everyone across the United States of America. It also aims to ensure transparency for its clients, so that they are aware of all the transactions and processes involved.
Sidecar Health – Name and Logo
Sidecar Health Logo
The idea behind the company’s name seems to represent its mission to provide an additional layer of support to traditional health insurance.
The logo of Sidecar Health appears to represent protection and security, while the cross in the center represents the idea of health and healing.
Sidecar Health – Business Model
Sidecar Health has a flexible insurance model that offers policies at varying costs depending on factors such as age, location, and health status. This flexibility has made it a popular choice among the more than 30 million uninsured people in the country. It allows its customers to pay their bills directly through the Sidecar Health payment card which helps them get the best deals that are 40% cheaper than traditional health insurance companies. Thus, reducing the overhead for care providers.
It has various products that will cater to the needs of different strata of society. However, its prime focus is on those individuals who earn more than $45,000 and less than $75,000 a year.
Sidecar Health has a cash pay model where it has also earned a popular reputation amongst the people for its extremely transparent functioning which further attracts more members to Sidecar Health.
Using Sidecar Health Payment Card at an ER
Sidecar Health – Funding and Investors
The funding details for Sidecar Health are listed below:
Date
Funding Round
Money Raised
Lead Investors
Jan 26, 2021
Series C
$125M
Drive Capital
Jul 23, 2020
Series B
$20M
Cathay Innovation
Aug 6, 2019
Venture Round
$18M
GreatPoint Ventures, Morpheus Ventures
Sidecar Health is funded by the following investors:
Investor Name
Lead Investor
Funding Round
Partners
Tiger Global Management
—
Series C
—
Alpha Edison
—
Series C
—
GreatPoint Ventures
—
Series C
—
Drive Capital
Yes
Series C
Molly Bonakdarpour
Bond
—
Series C
Noah Knauf
Menlo Ventures
—
Series C
Steve Sloane
Cathay Innovation
—
Series C
Alexandre Lazarow
Cathay Innovation
Yes
Series B
Alexandre Lazarow
Comcast Ventures
—
Series B
—
Anne Wojcicki
—
Series B
—
Sidecar Health – Growth
Sidecar Health grew popular because of the unique ways in which it addressed the existing gaps in the market. It focused on people who are not eligible for a government subsidy but cannot afford the cost of traditional plans either. The platform tailored its plans to open up affordable health insurance plans, which inadvertently got them millions of customers who were otherwise left out by the traditional plans.
It was launched in Texas in 2018 and soon expanded to Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina by the end of the year. Today, it operates in 18 states across the United States of America, namely Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.
Sidecar Health is a recent endeavor that has garnered widespread support. It competes with other health and medical insurance firms like Oscar, Devoted Health, Clover Health, PaySpan, and Friday Health Plans, among others. They all have well-integrated technological systems wherein they try to deliver the best plans for the clients.
Sidecar Health – Future Plans
On 1st January 2023, Sidecar Health announced a new plan for its Ohio employers where in they can choose one plan that covers those services that are frequently availed without any cost-sharing. These include primary care provider visits, Telehealth visits, specialist provider visits mental health provider visits, and generic Rx drugs. Very well anchored to its plan to offer better access and better coverage, Sidecar Health hopes to further reduce administrative costs without cutting down benefits. It is also on its path to achieving its goal – to provide affordable and accessible healthcare services to everyone in the US.
FAQs
What is Sidecar Health?
Sidecar Health is a personalized health insurance platform that strives to make health care more transparent, personalized, and affordable.
When was Sidecar Health founded?
Sidecar Health was founded in 2018.
Who founded Sidecar Health?
Sidecar Health was founded by Patrick Quigley and Veronica Osetinsky to tap the sparsely tapped market of health insurance in Texas.
Who are the competitors of Sidecar Health?
Sidecar Health competes with health and medical insurance firms like Oscar, Devoted Health, Clover Health, PaySpan, and Friday Health Plans, among others.
The rising prices of food and gas, the increasing rate of unemployment and layoffs, and the talks of recession are becoming the talk of the town. The massive layoff spree is one of the biggest contributors to the rising suspicions of a recession. Amid all this, a new element is emerging called stagflation. It is a relatively new term for many because people have not heard about it in a very long time.
Stagflation, however, has emerged as a result of the multiple events that are taking place and tearing through the economy. In this article, let’s gain a thorough understanding of stagflation, how it works, the factors driving it, and what we can do to be prepared for it.
In simple terms, stagflation can be defined as an economic condition that is a result of a combination of three key elements: low or negative economic growth, high inflation (rising prices), and rising unemployment.
The term stagflation is the combination of stagnation and inflation. In the stagflation period, the effects are both inflation and a decline in the country’s GDP. The term stagflation was first used by Iain Macleod in 1965. He spoke about this term in the British Parliament. But in reality, this term was experienced by the western countries in the year 1970, when they were dependent on crude oils and faced a huge recession along with inflation. This effect causes massive unemployment and also increases costs. After 1970, stagflation never happened, but analysts comparing the pandemic and high-cost commodities with 1970 stagflation expect that it might happen again.
Stagflation happens mainly due to supply shocks, hampering the country’s GDP. The main supply shock is caused by importing commodities from other countries. For example, India imports crude oil. The supply shock happens when the crude oil supply is not up to par. Due to this shortage of crude oil, the government increases the cost of fuel, and the cost barrier is faced by the common people. When this happens heavily, the usage of transportation decreases, the income to the government and to industries decreases, and some even go bankrupt. A lot of unemployment occurs; even the daily wagers lose their income, which leads to a decline in the country’s GDP and economic growth.
What is Stagflation?
How Does Stagflation Work?
As mentioned above, the economic forces, i.e., slow economic growth (or stagnation), high inflation (rising prices), and rising unemployment, are what control how stagflation works. The slow or negative growth of an economy leads to a high unemployment rate, with an increased number of people going after fewer jobs, leading to lower income. Then, the increasing unemployment and inflation would ultimately reduce the purchasing power of the people.
Stagflation also harms stocks and bonds. Investors tend to suffer losses as both stocks and bonds tend to underperform.
Factors Driving Stagflation
Due to the pandemic, most countries went into lockdown for a long period causing a high supply shock of commodities to the countries and leading to cost increasing and mainly affecting the common people. Adding to this, the Russia-Ukraine war effect also caused this supply shock. The main stoppage supply shock was crude oil and cooking oil, wheat, and some fertilizers too. The effect is again an increase in the price of those commodities.
“The war in Ukraine, lockdowns in China, supply-chain disruptions, and the risk of stagflation are hammering growth. For many countries, the recession will be hard to avoid,” said World Bank President David Malpass. He even stated “Markets look forward, so it is urgent to encourage production and avoid trade restrictions. Changes in fiscal, monetary, climate and debt policy are needed to counter capital misallocation and inequality.”
Different factors are driving the current stagflation. These are:
One of the main factors that are contributing to the current stagflation is the continuous supply shock of fuel and commodities. The pandemic adversely affected the global supply chain which has led to a shortage of semiconductors and shipping containers. This is ultimately resulting in higher prices for fuel, food, and other products, leading to high inflation.
Another prominent factor is the rising prices of goods and services. The fiscal stimulus by governments around the world is leading to increased demand for goods and services, causing a rise in prices. Also, the supply shock is contributing to the higher prices.
The longest continuation of monetary policies followed by some advanced economic countries is another factor contributing to the current stagflation.
Finally, developing countries with vulnerable monetary policies are experiencing a weakening of their economic growth rate. They are especially vulnerable to the effects of broken supply chains and increasing commodity prices, which can result in higher inflation and slower economic growth.
Among emerging markets and developing economic countries, excluding China, the growth is also observed to decrease from 3.8 percent in 2022 to 2.7 percent in 2023. This reflects a weaker external demand caused by rising inflation, currency depreciation, tighter financing constraints, and further domestic headwinds.
The growth in advanced economies is also expected to slow down, from 2.5 percent in 2022 to 0.5 percent in 2023.
Stagflation can be a challenging economic situation to deal with. However, there are certain steps that individuals, businesses, and governments can take to prepare for the impacts of stagflation.
Here are some ways to be prepared to face stagflation:
Diversify Your Investments
Stagflation can lead to a decline in the value of stocks and bonds, so it is important to diversify your investments to include assets that can provide a guard against inflation, such as real estate, commodities, and precious metals.
Cut Back on Spending
Another way to be prepared to face stagflation is to cut back on your spending. This can help you stretch your budget further and avoid accumulating debt.
Keeping a close eye on your finances and regularly reviewing your budget and investment portfolio is extremely essential to be well-prepared to face stagflation.
Advocate for Sound Economic Policies
Governments can take steps to mitigate the impacts of stagflation by implementing sound economic policies, such as monetary and fiscal policies that balance the needs of inflation control and economic growth.
In the words of Ted Jenkin, a certified financial planner and CEO of Oxygen Financial in Atlanta, “I think it’s inevitable that we’re going to hit a recession,” he said. “Whether this is a mild recession or we go into stagflation will be the big question.”
“This is the absolute time for people to batten down the hatches and beef up the foundation of their financial house.” Jenkin added.
He told us to be prepared with at least six months of savings in the bank accounts. That might help us as emergency expenses if in case any stagflation happens also we would be safe for some while. It’s better to cut down the trips and extra life costs that are unnecessary right now.
Adding to it we need to recheck the debts or credit card EMIs or any other one. It’s better to clear them as soon as possible and refinance them now itself. This is because once stagflation occurs the interest rates too increase and that’s a big burden then.
The best part is an investment in the growth of money by investing in good companies that gives good returns which helps even the loss of employment during a stagflationary period. Not only securing life to face the stagflation period but it’s always safe having a second source of income other than employment.
Avoiding stagflation is difficult because financial regulators have to balance two competing interests: inflation and unemployment. Dealing with inflation usually involves hiking interest rates, making it more expensive to borrow money that depresses consumer demand, and makes running a business more expensive. When the business is more expensive, ultimately the sales decrease because common people cannot afford such huge costs, and the employers cut down on the employees, leading to unemployment, and the remained employees have to face more burden with lower wages or salaries.
As the prices of commodities like oil, wheat, steel, and many more items rise, everything else in the economy becomes more expensive, too. One way to cut down on those prices is by deregulating those industries, more conservative economists say, but it can take months or years for those effects to reach a producer’s bottom line.
Addressing stagflation often involves dealing with inflation by raising interest rates. This can lead to a short-term sacrifice of economic growth and potentially higher unemployment, as borrowing becomes more expensive and businesses may struggle to expand. However, the rationale behind this approach is that the market tends to recover faster from unemployment than it does from persistently high consumer prices.
In the end, avoiding stagflation might not always be feasible, especially in the presence of external shocks like natural disasters or major economic crises. However, to prevent the consequences of stagflation and encourage long-term stability and prosperity, it is essential to opt for a proactive and comprehensive approach to economic policy.
Conclusion
To sum up, stagflation is a challenging economic circumstance that calls for policymakers to strike a balance between the conflicting objectives of inflation and unemployment. Although stagflation might be difficult to prevent, proactive measures like increasing supply-side factors and enacting focused fiscal policies can assist lessen its consequences.
FAQs
What is stagflation?
Stagflation can be defined as an economic condition that is a result of a combination of three key elements: low or negative economic growth, high inflation (rising prices), and rising unemployment.
How can you be prepared for stagflation?
Some ways to be prepared to face stagflation are:
Diversify your investments
Cut back on spending
Invest in in-demand skills
Monitor your finances closely
Advocate for sound economic policies
Is it possible to avoid stagflation?
Avoiding stagflation might not always be feasible. However, to prevent its consequences and encourage long-term stability and prosperity, it is essential to opt for a proactive and comprehensive approach to economic policy.
The growing discipline of content operations can be defined as behind-the-scenes work of managing content activities effectively and efficiently optimally utilizing a mix of people, processes, and technology.
Within these three main elements, various roles make up the entirety of each one. People include content roles, content responsibilities, company culture, content leadership, and content training. Content supply chain, content workflow, content localization, content governance, and content templates form a part of the Process element. Technology encompasses content management, content automation, content intelligence, artificial intelligence, and content translation.
Why Does Content Operation Matter
Creating and managing content has faced an unprecedented change from digital disruption. There is a high demand for customer expectations from content. Content Operation helps in aligning activities and strategies in a way to makes scaling and repeating success easier while reducing failure. It also helps in maximizing content assets and efficiencies.
It helps in correctly matching people to specific roles
It creates and streamlines repeatable processes
It distinguishes between content maintenance and ongoing content innovation
It also helps in choosing technologies and tools with the right support features
It optimizes processes like content creation, delivery, and management
It optimizes learning opportunities for business innovation with content-driven products or services
Tools for Content Operation
Out of the three elements of an efficient successful operation, technology is an element that can be utilized to maximize and optimize output. These technological tools can help a business across all the many and varied functions of content operation. This is a list of a few important tools that could add great value.
A collaborative documentation tool that helps small and medium-sized businesses to create, share and update their knowledge base, Slite helps to facilitate team meetings and employee onboarding. It helps content-based businesses to keep track of ongoing projects, manage project plans and receive regular updates about team activities. The tool offers multiple types of templates that include any Q&As about projects, project plans, project start, etc., which helps in creating and editing various ongoing and new projects as per individual requirements. Some key features of this tool include document management, discussion boards, real-time editing, content management, full-text search, knowledge base management, and brainstorming.
Pricing
Slite offers three pricing plans: Free, Standard, and Premium. Have a look at the pricing details of each package.
Plan
Price
Free
$0
Standard
$6.67 per member, per month
Premium
$12.50 per member, per month
Airtable
Website
Airtable.com
Rating
4.6 out of 5
Free Trial
Available
Airtable – Top tool for Content Operation
Airtable helps create and share relational databases through its user-friendly interface that is simple, colorful, friendly, and easy to use. The tool can help in storing, organizing, and collaborating information on various topics like employee directories, product inventories, etc. Essentially a product management tool, it unifies and stores data in the form of spreadsheets with database functionality. Some key features of Airtable include its user-friendliness, familiarity with the product, automation, and seamless integration.
Pricing
Airtable offers four pricing plans: Free, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise. Have a look at the pricing details of each package.
Plan
Price
Free
$0
Plus
$12 per seat/month
Pro
$24 per seat/month
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Workello
Website
Workello.com
Rating
–
Free Trial
Available
Workello – Top tool for Content Operation
A skills-testing platform, Workello is a single dashboard that helps content strategists to source and hire better writing candidates. The hiring funnel can evaluate, test, interview, and send offer letters to new hires with a single click, thereby greatly reducing human effort. Workello is a tool that tracks applicants, automates the testing process as well as communicates making it an ideal content operation tool.
Pricing
Workello offers four pricing plans: Free Forever, Start, Grow, and Scale. Have a look at the pricing details of each package.
Plan
Price
Free Forever
$0 per month
Start
$99 per month
Grow
$49 per month
Scale
$124 per month
Zapier
Website
Zapier.com
Rating
4.5 out of 5
Free Trial
Available
Zapier – Top tool for Content Operation
This online automation tool connects different apps to automate repetitive tasks without coding or building a separate integration. Zapier conserves time by automating workflows that trigger one or more actions. This feature allows businesses to set up and activate a new ‘Zap’ that will run its action every time the trigger event occurs. This particular tool is extremely helpful for content operation as it notifies editors when writers complete a particular piece. In effect, it is a glue that ties operations making it an easy and seamless flow.
Pricing
Zapier offers four pricing plans: Free, Starter, Professional, Team, and Company. Have a look at the pricing details of each package.
Plan
Price
Free
$0 per month
Starter
$19.99 per month
Professional
$49 per month
Team
$399 per month
Company
$799 per month
Wordable
Website
Wordable.io
Rating
4.0 out of 5
Free Trial
Available
Wordable – Top tool for Content Operation
Wordable is an app that is designed to work exclusively with Google Docs that can, then, be uploaded to WordPress. The app makes the transfer or uploads easier, especially as Google Docs and WordPress are both essential for working but do not seamlessly integrate. This tool allows for the transfer of written work from a team-friendly and collaborative environment to a publishing environment. The app is specifically designed for media companies, writing teams, blog editors, affiliate bloggers, etc.
Pricing
Wordable offers three pricing plans: Free, Do it Yourself, and Done for You. Have a look at the pricing details of each package.
Plan
Price
Free
$0 per month
Do it Yourself
$50 per month
Done for You
$500 per month
Zenbrief
Website
Zenbrief.com
Rating
–
Free Trial
Free training available
Zenbrief – Top tool for Content Operation
A free online tool, Zenbrief can generate content briefs containing guidelines based on top-performing sites like word count target, keywords to mention, frequency of keywords, internal and external links to include, and many more. It also allows the user to build reusable custom brief templates to remain relevant to the target audience. Zenbrief uses automation, data extraction, and NLP (Natural Language Processing) to deliver successful results.
Pricing
Zenbrief offers three pricing plans: Starter, Premium, and Pro. Have a look at the pricing details of each package.
An artificial intelligence program, Midjourney generates images called ‘prompts’ from natural language descriptions. Writers can create free custom imagery for every blog post quickly and easily. Currently, the app is only accessible through a Discord bot on the company’s official server. However, the company is working on a web interface that will soon be available in the market.
Pricing
Midjourney offers three pricing plans: Starter, Premium, and Pro. Have a look at the pricing details of each package.
Plan
Price
Basic Plan
$10 per month
Standard Plan
$30 per month
Pro Plan
$60 per month
Originality.ai
Website
Originality.ai
Rating
–
Free Trial
Available
Originality.ai – Top tool for Content Operation
In effect, Originality.ai is a tool that checks for plagiarism as well as acts as an AI detector for any content that is created or published. This tool is especially helpful if there is a need to manage a large team or to ensure that an entire website’s content is original and not created by AI. Other features of this tool include Team Management, Full Site Scan, Auto-Billing, Scan History by User, and AI Writing Detection Tool.
The cloud-based typing assistant helps review spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery mistakes in English texts. The tool also detects plagiarism and suggests replacements for these identified errors. Grammarly also allows users to customize style, tone, and context-specific language.
Pricing
Grammarly offers three pricing plans: Free, Premium, and Business. Have a look at the pricing details of each package.
Plan
Price
Free
$0
Premium
$30 per month
Business
$15 per month per member
Loom
Website
Loom.com
Rating
4.7 out of 5
Free Trial
Available
Loom – Top tool for Content Operation
An extremely helpful video recording and screen sharing tool that includes quick recording, screen sharing, link sharing, video editing, emoji reactions, comments, access controls, and advanced reporting, Loom helps businesses in increasing productivity. Other features of this tool include setting privacy filters, trimming, editing, and adding CTAs and custom thumbnails.
Pricing
Loom offers three pricing plans: Starter, Business, and Enterprise. Have a look at the pricing details of each package.
Plan
Price
Starter
$0
Business
$8 per creator/month (annually)
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Geekbot
Website
Geekbot.com
Website
4.6 out of 5
Free Trial
Available
Geekbot – Top tool for Content Operation
This particular tool helps businesses to run stand-up meetings in Slack and MS Teams, asynchronously. It reduces time spent in meetings and reporting while allowing users to keep abreast of various tasks and projects. Its automated system allows the user to send questions at a time of choice and then broadcasts the responses in Slack or MS Teams. This app is extremely useful for businesses that work in different time zones.
Pricing
Geekbot offers three pricing plans: Start-up, Scale-up, and Enterprise. Have a look at the pricing details of each package.
Plan
Price
Start-up
$0
Scale-up
$2.5 per participant/month
Enterprise
Contact Sales
Conclusion
Content is the new gold. Managing that content effectively determines the level of success. Customers, today, are looking for original content that adds value to their knowledge. Hence, the content operation becomes necessary to ensure that delivered blogs or articles are the writer’s original work. This is where technology plays an important role. There are many other tools available in the market and businesses can choose one that is best suited to their needs.
FAQs
What does content operation help in?
The content operation helps in –
It helps in correctly matching people to specific roles
It creates and streamlines repeatable processes
It distinguishes between content maintenance and ongoing content innovation
It also helps in choosing technologies and tools with the right support features
It optimizes processes like content creation, delivery, and management
It optimizes learning opportunities for business innovation with content-driven products or services
Name a few content operation tools.
Below is a list of a few important content operation tools-
In recent years, the concept of remote work has gained significant momentum, with the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating the shift towards flexible work arrangements. As a result, many companies have started offering permanent work from home options to their employees, recognizing the benefits of remote work for both the employee and the organization.
In addition to permanent work from home, many companies are also adopting a hybrid model that allows employees to work from home part of the time and come into the office for the rest.
Permanent work from home companies
In this article, we will explore some of the companies that are leading the way in offering permanent work from home and hybrid options to their employees.
Up until the novel coronavirus declared its existence, corporates were ruled by unforgiving and orthodox work settings where an employee almost lived a robotic life. This changed almost overnight since companies were forced to resume day-to-day activities to keep maintain the corporate status quo.
A lot has changed during the pandemic when employees were made to resume work from home. Companies made sure that everything is made available to them to keep the show running.
But as we move on to the post-pandemic world, corporate offices have dissolved so many of their office spaces and the employees are being asked to work from home on a permanent basis, while others have resorted to hybrid work cultures.
Companies Embracing Permanent Work from Home Culture
As we settle into the post-pandemic world, companies are willing to adjust and continue working from home as the “new normal”. Many companies have asked their employees to work from home as a permanent solution.
Grow your business with Coursera. Learn top skills and thrive
Level up your business skills with Coursera courses. From marketing to management, our courses are designed to equip you with the latest knowledge and expertise. Learn from industry leaders and top educators, and earn a certificate to showcase your new skills. Enhance your career prospects and take your business to the next level. Start learning now and join the millions of professionals already on Coursera.
Atlassian is an Australian software company that manufactures and develops collaboration, management, and issue tracking software for the teams. The software company based out of Sydney, New South Wales, had effectively dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic by providing work from home for its employees.
The company announced permanent work from home for its employees first on August 8, 2020. Atlassian disclosed the all-new “Team Anywhere” policy in April 2021, which further cemented its decision to work from home.
Under this policy, the company allowed its employees to work from any location in a country where Atlassian exists as a corporate entity provided that the employee has the legal right to work and is aligned together with his/her team members, bound by the same time zones.
2. Brex
Brex is a fintech company headquartered in California, United States. The company is well-known for its distinguished credit cards and effective cash management solutions that they extend to their customers.
Though the COVID-19 posed a problem to many firms around the globe, Brex was one of the companies that tackled it efficiently. Brex announced work from home to be permanent for its employees on September 14, 2020, and emerged as a remote-first employer.
In Dec 2022, Brex cut its workforce by 11% bringing down its employee count to about 1,150 personnel.
3. Coinbase
Coinbase is a US-based company that acts as an online platform and allows merchants, consumers, and traders to transact with digital currency.
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, Coinbase allows its users to create bitcoin wallets, connect them to their bank accounts and then start buying and selling bitcoins. Coinbase has shifted to work from home ever since the coronavirus pandemic broke in.
Later in 2020, the company further announced that it will serve as a remote-first company, which will allow its employees to work from home for an indefinite period whoever chooses to do so.
Coinbase is minimizing its offices in a single location in order to distribute its offices far and wide and expand its geographical presence. The company is truly operating on a remote work basis and lacks a physical headquarters.
In Jan 2023, it laid off 20% of its workforce to reduce its operating expenses as part of a global downturn.
Dropbox is based out of the USA with its headquarters in San Francisco, California. A smart workspace company, Dropbox makes it easy for its users to store their files, share them securely and collaborate without any hassles.
The California-based company file-sharing firm hasdeclared work from home from March 6th 2020 onwards. Dropbox then announced that it will emerge as a virtual-first company in October 2020.
It also has plans of launching Dropbox Studios as collaborative spaces in its office locations. Furthermore, Dropbox agreed to follow the nonlinear workdays and allow their employees to design their own work schedules.
Dropbox conducted its first ever virtual survey in Feb 2023 to gauge the effectiveness of work from home and found that nearly all of its employees were able to work effectively from home.
Novartis is a healthcare company from Basel-Stadt, Switzerland that offers pharmaceutical and healthcare solutions to its customers from all over the world.
The Swiss healthcare company already had a manager-approved work from home policy for its employees.
Soon after the strike of the pandemic, the company opted for work from home policy and in July 2020, it further announced a shift from manage-approved work from home to manager-informed work from home.
To clarify things, Novartis has already declared that its employees can choose how, when and from where they would be working post-pandemic.
In 2021, Novartis management implemented a ‘Choice with Responsibility’ program, which offers flexibility to its employees regarding where, when and how they work.
6. ONVU Technologies
ONVU Technologies is an information technology company based in London, UK, with its offices operating globally. Some of the major locations that ONVU Technologies has its offices in include India, the USA, and Turkey.
The company has already announced a fully remote workforce back in the month of February. Ragini Sidhu, Human Resources VP, mentioned that ONVU Technologies is confident about its decision to work from home, which will enable the employees to adjust their time according to their preferences. This entirely comes from the trust that it places on the employees.
Distribution of Office Employees by Their Preferred Working Arrangements Worldwide in 2022, by Generation
7. Quora
The world-famous Question and Answer platform, Quora, is based out of California, with its office in Mountain View city of California, US. Quora allows numerous people from all around the world to post on the platform commenting on topics of mutual interest. The sole aim of Quora is to gather knowledge and expand its database of Q&A.
The Q&A giant has embraced a remote-first model early in the month of June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Adam D’Angelo announced that Quora would permanently allow for remote work.
The company has stated that more than 60% of its workforce had preferred doing work from home even post-Covid19, which is why they have made such a decision. The headquarters of the office in Mountain View would be emerging in a co-working space where only the cameras need to be turned on as part of their criteria.
One of the most popular social media platforms of the world, Twitter helps its users create micro-blogs of around 280 characters called Tweets and share their own views on their Twitter profiles concerning anything. The company operates from its headquarters in San Francisco, California, United States.
In May 2020, Twitter’s previous CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey announced staff could work remotely indefinitely as the coronavirus spread across the country. After his Twitter takeover, Musk took a dim view of remote work, making in-office presence one of a handful of policy changes that he initially enforced before shifting his stance on following a wave of employee resignations.
First, in early November 2022, Musk said that Twitter employees must work 40 in-office hours a week. Then, he revised this to say that their managers could allow those who were “making an excellent contribution” to work remotely.
Then in 2023, Twitter began shuttering offices, including in Seattle, Singapore and India, saying that staff could continue to work remotely in each location that was affected.
9. Shopify
The cloud-based multichannel platform headquartered in Ontario, Canada helps small and medium-sized businesses to create, design, and manage their stores and across multiple sales channels.
The company avoided confusion and decided to go to work from home since the pandemic struck. The physical offices of Shopify remained closed till 2021 when they were worked on to establish the required facilities to support working in the pandemic condition. Furthermore, Shopify had also let its employees know of the permanent switch to remote work via the tweet from the CEO of the firm.
In 2023, it cancelled all recurring meetings involving more than two people ‘in perpetuity’. Besides, it has also introduced a rule saying no meetings at all can be held on Wednesdays. The company’s latest guidelines stated that big meetings with more than 50 people can only be held during a six-hour window on Thursdays.
Slack is a California-based enterprise software platform that helps individuals and professional teams working under a company to communicate without any hassles. Slack was acquired by Salesforce on December 1, 2020.
Slack swiftly shifted its workforce to work from home as soon as the pandemic broke out and then decided to make it a permanent way of work. In Apr 2022, CEO of Slack remarked that he can’t see full-time in-office work ever returning and companies that push too far will lose talent.
11. Spotify
Spotify is a Sweden-based commercial music streaming service that extends a world of songs and music albums from diverse record labels to its members and other individuals. This company has quickly embraced the work from home policy for its employees as soon as the shadows of the Covid-19 pandemic started hovering over the world.
The music streaming company further confirmed in February 2021 that it has decided on a work from anywhere policy for its employees. According to this policy, Spotify employees can work from home or office, wherever they want, even after the pandemic ends. However, the decision should be a unanimous one, which will be decided between the employees and their managers.
Furthermore, the employees can even work outside of their city or country too, even at places where there aren’t any Spotify offices. Moreover, they can also obtain membership of Spotify co-working spaces, which they have set up in all those areas where they do not have any offices. The company reported a drop in its attrition rate by 15% in Q2 2022 in comparison to Q2 2019, a positive outcome of this policy.
Square is a financial service, merchant services aggregator and digital payments platform headquartered in San Francisco, California, and founded by Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey, and Jim McKelvey.
California-based Square, Dorsey’s company, was soon to follow the work from the home policy after Twitter agreed on it. Furthermore, the company also announced that they will allow their employees to continue working from home and anywhere they want to work from. However, only the employees whose physical presence is needed in the office have to work from the office.
13. Upwork
Upwork was founded in 2015 and is based in Santa Clara, California. It is a digital platform for freelancers around the globe where enterprises, entrepreneurs, and others offer short-term and long-term freelancing works for those who are eligible for them.
With the strike of the coronavirus pandemic, Upwork didn’t delay providing their employees with work from home opportunities to keep up with their productivity. The remote job listing platform then decided to practice what it preaches and in May 2021, with the Twitter announcement of CEO Hayden Brown, the company became a remote-first company. Square, is now a permanent work-from-home company.
Zillow is an online real-estate company from Seattle, Washington, founded in 2006. It offers a platform for its users who are looking for information regarding homes, real estate, and mortgages.
According to Dan Spaulding, Chief People Officer of the company, the employees can work from anywhere where they can be productive.
For this, they can choose to work from the office, from home, or a combination of both. As of 2023, 74% of its employees work remotely, 12 % work in Hybrid settings, 12 % are field employees and only 2% are office employees.
15. Tata Steel
Tata Steel Limited is an Indian steel manufacturing company. Originally founded in Jamshedpur as Tata Iron and Steel Company (TISCO) by Jamsetji Tata in 1907, Tata Steel Limited is currently headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The company now sees its operations across 26 countries with key operations in India, Netherlands, and United Kingdom, employing around 80,500 people worldwide.
Right from when the pandemic started dangerously spreading far and wide in 2020, Tata Steel declared a work from home policy for its employees. The company further announced on November 1, 2020, that it has embraced an ‘Agile Working Model’ policy for its employees from then onwards.
Under this new working model, the employees of Tata Steel could opt to work from home (WFH) for up to 365 days a year. Furthermore, even the officers who were required to be based out of a particular location can choose to WFH for an unlimited number of days per year.
16. Facebook/Meta
The social media behemoth Meta, which was formerly known as Facebook, Inc., is based in Menlo Park, California. Originally founded in 2004 as TheFacebook by Harvard university graduates, Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, the social media platform adopted the name Facebook ( Meta) and became incredibly popular all across the globe.
Meta had already been allowing its employees to work from home or wherever they find fit. The founder of the company, Mark Zuckerberg deems that the shift to remote work will be a lasting one at Facebook, which will allow its employees to work from wherever they can be live. Therefore, it is a permanent work from home for the employees of the world’s largest social network.
“We believe how we work is more important than where we work,” said Facebook when it shared an update to its remote work policy.
Meta has started an “office deferral program”, as per the reports dated December 8, 2021. This plan will help the Meta employees gain flexibility enough to return to their offices because a majority of the employees might not be confident to return back to their offices.
In Mar 2023, Mark Zuckerberg in a memo highlighted the findings of a new internal study which revealed that engineers that worked in person performed better, thus hinting at end of work from home for Facebook employees.
17. Swiggy
Swiggy is a popular food delivery platform based in Bangalore, India. Founded in 2014, Swiggy has rapidly grown to become one of the largest and most well-known food delivery companies in India, serving millions of customers across the country.
The foodtech decacorn,Swiggy announced a work-from-anywhere policy for most of its roles, as per news dated July 29, 2022. The popular food, and grocery delivery service company has extended its “Future of Work” policy, under which the Swiggy executives will work remotely from wherever they want and will meet on every quarter.
The Swiggsters or the employees of Swiggy are currently working from 487+ cities across 27+ cities and 4 UTs. Swiggy arrived at the decision of letting a significant portion of its workforce work from anywhere after learning the team’s needs and receiving feedback from both the managers and employees of Swiggy.
Popularity of Remote Jobs in India in 2021 and 2022, by Age Group
Companies Going for a Hybrid Model
Now let’s look at the offices that have decided on a hybrid model for the benefit of themselves and their employees:
Google, the Search engine giant from the United States, didn’t hesitate to go to work from home as soon as the pandemic broke out. It was a work from home throughout for the employees of Google in 2020 when the situation turned worse in America and elsewhere in the world.
Though there were words that Google will open its offices in 2021, according to the latest announcements of the Search Engine behemoth, the employees can continue working from home through June 2021. CEO of Alphabet and Google, Sundar Pichai also declared that those who need not be present at the offices for their work can continue their voluntary work from home for 12 more months.
In Apr 2022, Google evaluated its work-from-home policy and made it mandatory for employees to be in the office for at least three days each week. In Oct 2022, Google made further refines to its policy and allowed four weeks of “work from anywhere” in a year. In Jan 2023, Google allowed its employees to work from home on Fridays to absorb the difficult news of parent company Alphabet laying off 12,000 people.
The American multinational automobile company based in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, maintained a work from home policy for its employees when the pandemic struck. It then conducted a work preference survey in June 2020, where around 95% of the company’s employees preferred a combination of work from home and work from the office over working from either of the places permanently.
The Michigan-based vehicle manufacturers made an announcement on March 17, 2021, to opt for a hybrid working model for their employees. According to the announcement, Ford employees based in the United States can join their offices from July onwards for small team meets, if they want to. This option was, however not available to workers at the factory.
The software developer and marketer of software products based in Cambridge, United States, preferred to stick to a work from home policy in 2020, the year the pandemic went into a rage. However, with the start of the new year, in January 2021, Hubspot came up with 3 options for the employees where they can work from home, work from the office or opt for a hybrid model.
It also stated that those who want to work from the office can only do so for 2 days a week, where they will be allocated hotel desks. Furthermore, the employees choosing any of the above options can also change their working plans once a year.
HubSpot’s 2023 Hybrid Work Report highlighted the work preferences by its employees: 63.4% preferred work from home, 8.3% in the office, and 28.3% flex, a combination of the two.
4. Intuit
The financial software developer from California, Intuit Inc. is another company that chose to go for a hybrid model after the severity of the coronavirus pandemic lessened. The Quickbooks company declared their preference of opting for a hybrid work model that would be in effect from August 2021 onwards in April.
The decision that Intuit made was based on a survey of its employees where only 14% of the Intuit employees said that they want to work from home. The Inuit employees who want to work from the office can work 2-3 days a week.
Intuit is not imposing a return-to-work policy, but rather is allowing managers and teams to determine the hybrid work approach that best benefits them. It is also revamping its workspaces to give its workers an experience that they can’t get at home, thus more willingness to embrace the offices.
5. Microsoft
The American software giant, Microsoft, shifted to work from home to avoid the pandemic woes. Microsoft unfolded greater flexibilities around its work policy in October 2020. The company declared its hybrid work policy in October 2020, where Microsoft stated that its employees can telecommute for half of the week or might also have the option for permanent remote working, which they can go for with prior manager approval.
In Jan 2023, Microsoft announced a dramatic new policy “Discretionary Time Off” for its US employees. Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft’s chief people officer stated that Microsoft will offer 10 corporate holidays, leaves of absence, sick and mental heath time off, and time away for jury duty or bereavement alongside this new unlimited time off policy.
The engineering and electronics company from Germany, Siemens was yet another company on the list of the companies that are preferring a hybrid work model in sharp contrast to those who are opting for work from the office or work from home. (Know all about the subsidiaries of Siemens)
The Munich-based electronics manufacturer declared in July 2020 that its employees can telecommute 2-3 days a week and this shall continue even after the pandemic sees its end. The working policy would be applicable for 1,40, 000 employees of the company based out of 43 different countries.
7. Nationwide
The financial institution from the United Kingdom decided to let its employees work from home while the pandemic was still strong and following this the company also ramped down many of its small offices spread across the country.
Most of the employees that worked in these offices were thus granted permanent work from home. However, Nationwide opened 4 corporate offices of the company in Ohio, Iowa, Arizona, and Texas where they will continue to work from the office.
As of May 2022, 50% of its employees worked from home. Now catering to work from home and hybrid employees, Nationwide has spaces where people can come in to work by themselves in a pod or in a group in one of the collaborative spaces.
8. Reddit
The social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website founded in Massachusetts, United States, has granted work from home for their employees during the pandemic days. However, the company announced later in October 2020 that Reddit’s employees can decide which model of work they will be comfortable in.
The options were working from home, working from the office, and a combination of both of them. Most of the employees were flexible to decide their work model except facility and IT employees, who cannot work from home and will be required in the office.
For the payment of the employees, Reddit decided to pay its employees as per the payment standards in expensive areas like San Francisco and New York.
9. Salesforce
Salesforce is an American cloud-based company from San Francisco that offers enterprise-level applications, customer relationship management services, and more. The cloud-based customer service provider surveyed its employees and most of them (around 80%) were interested in keeping a close connection with the physical office space.
This is why Salesforce, which already decided to be flexible for the employees to choose their work preferences, decided that it will embrace a flex policy, which is similar to hybrid work culture.
In such a work model, the Salesforce employees would have to work from the office 1-3 days a week and for the rest of the days, they can work from home uninterruptedly. Salesforce announced reducing its workforce by 10 per cent in January 2023.
10. Amazon
One of the Big Five in the U.S, Amazon climbed the ladder of popularity via its eCommerce. The company started as an online marketplace for books and has eventually expanded to offer a range of products across countless industries.
The Jeff Bezos-founded company now stands as an American multinational conglomerate that focuses on eCommerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, artificial intelligence, and more. The company has often been cited as “one of the most influential economic and cultural forces in the world” and popularly dubbed as “the world’s most valuable brand.”
Amazon had previously announced that it expects its employees to return back office on September 7, 2021, however, this later shifted to 3rd January 2022. The company has told employees to return to offices three days a week starting May 1, 2023. That’s after CEO Andy Jassy said in October 2023 that managers would be able to decide how often, if at all, their staff should come in.
11. TCS
Indian IT giant, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is a multinational company from India, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. TCS is a subsidiary of the Tata Group, which has its offices in around 149 locations and across 46 countries of the world. Furthermore, TCS is also recognized as the largest IT services company in the world by market capitalization.
As soon as the pandemic started to spread like wildfire, TCS caught the drift immediately and decided to allow its employees to work from home. Around 97% of the TCS employees were working from home in September 2021.
The brand has shifted to the Work from Anywhere policy and has been following the same since March 2020. Last year 2022 TCS informed their employees to come back to offices 3 days a week according to the roster set by their team supervisor.
“The future of work will be somewhat hybrid where some people will work from home, sometimes people will come to the office. So, the hybrid will likely be the new normal,” said the Chairman of the company, Natarajan Chandrasekaran.
Infosys is an Indian multinational company that is known for its services in information technology. The company was founded more than 40 years ago in Pune and is currently headquartered in Bangalore. Infosys is known as the second-largest IT company in India after TCS. It is also one of the oldest IT companies in the subcontinent.
Infosys, much like many other IT companies, have decided to allow their employees to work from home ever since the coronavirus pandemic has hit hard. According to the previous reports,the company had announced that it will be exploring a flexible hybrid work model for its employees starting from 2021 owing to the uncertainty of the pandemic.
At a virtual event, addressing the work from home policy of the company, Infosys CEO & Managing Director Salil Parekh said that the company has already been successful in building a flexible model with regard to work from home, and now, it is time to start work on building ‘social capital’.
13. Wipro
Yet another Indian multinational corporation Wipro, might be going for the hybrid model of work. The company that allowed its employees to work comfortably from home during the coronavirus pandemic has given enormous hints that it would be starting a hybrid work policy even after things come back to normalcy.
Wipro founder Azim Premji has appreciated the hybrid work concept adopted by the tech companies during the pandemic times. He also pointed out that more than 90% of the technology companies’ employees continue to work from home till the present.
Wipro was founded in 1945 by Mohamed Premji in Amalner, Maharashtra and now has its headquarters in Bangalore, Karnataka. It is presently ranked as the 9th largest employer in India with over 200,000 employees.
In Nasscom Technology and Leadership Summit 2023, Wipro chairman Rishad Premji said that he wants employees to return to workplaces and get over the work from home mindset. Wipro had ended its work from home policy in 2022 and now offers fully office based and hybrid models to its employees.
Maruti Suzuki India Limited or Maruti Suzuki, as it is popularly termed, is an automobile manufacturing company based in New Delhi. The company initially started in 1981 as Maruti Udyog Limited and was owned by the Government of India until 2003, when it was finally sold to the Suzuki Motor Corporation.
Maruti has also thought it fit to let its employees work from home since the coronavirus pandemic broke out. The company has further declared in 2021 that “there will be a section of people who can completely work from remote locations without the need to come to the office.”
15. Philips
Philips is a popular Dutch multinational company that was originally founded as Koninklijke Philips N.V in 1891. Headquartered in Amsterdam and Eindhoven, Philips was hailed as one of the largest electronic companies in the world. The company is currently focused on the healthcare industry and is striving to develop unique electronic products to transform the industry.
Philips had also announced work from home for many of its employees since the pandemic onslaught in 2020. However, a major portion of its workforce who are associated with the healthcare industry also needed to visit their offices almost every day during the pandemic.
These employees were either involved with the healthcare providers or engaged in treating the coronavirus-affected patients in an attempt to fight against the dreaded disease. Philips employs over 100,000 professionals across 100 countries around the world and offers full-time and part-time, hybrid and 100% remote jobs, some of which have featured flexible schedules.
Ever since the pandemic forced everyone to literally lock themselves up in their homes, corporate employees have seen the silver lining in staying away from offices. No hectic commutes, spending time with friends and families, and better productivity are some of the positive changes that employees are seen marveling at.
Benefits of Working from home
Employers too are not far from noticing these changes and also seeing the perks attached to them. Saving up on office space, electricity, supplies, and other expenses, employers have found ways to get work done remotely and more so, efficiently.
In a study conducted by Leadership IQ, the State of Working From Home, only 9% of the employees said they wanted to get back to their offices. The rest 91% stated that they would prefer working from home permanently while 39% of them they’d like hybrid work culture.
Working from home is going to be the near future for most employees and none of them seem to bat an eyelid. Companies have now learned that work done remotely is giving them better results and employee retention has gone far from disappointing.
Conclusion
Employees are now experiencing the new normal and adding their own terms to it by rerouting back to lost hobbies and passions. Taking care of the elderly and sick at home, helping spouses share the household chores, and sharing the responsibilities towards kids is now the new normal.
Zoom calls have transformed office meetings with interruptions by pets and babies. People are less anxious and trying to do more in every aspect. The quality of life has surely turned around as work from home is becoming a permanent thing.
FAQs
Which are the companies working from home permanently?
Some of the companies that are presently embracing the Permanent WFH Culture are:
Atlassian
Brex
Coinbase
Dropbox
Novartis
ONVU Technologies
Quora
Twitter
Shopify
Slack
Spotify
Square
Upwork
Zillow
Swiggy
Are employees who work from home more productive?
Yes, most data show that employees are more productive in remote work. Statistics reveal that 77% of the employees who work from home show increased productivity at least a few times each month, while 30% of them have also been discovered to do more work in less time.
Why companies should let employees work remotely?
Companies today should let the employees work from home because it boosts employees’ productivity, bears lesser costs for the companies, helps in employee retention, and also ensures a flexible work culture to be followed.
What are the benefits of the permanent work-from-home model?
Better flexibility for the employees, less commute time, cost-savings for companies, and to an extent for employees too, more independence are some of the benefits of wfh (work from home) model.
What is Hybrid WFH?
The hybrid working model is a location-flexible arrangement, allowing employees to combine onsite and offsite work as they and their employers see fit.
What are the top remote-working tools?
Google Drive, Dropbox, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet are some of the top remote working tools.
Yash Gupta
