Technical Support Can Play a Key Role in Business

For the very first time, small businesses have the opportunity to implement business technology and level the playing field with larger organizations, a chance that should not be taken lightly for those looking to remain in the game of business. One of these beneficial aspects is the outsourcing of technical support to a professional third-party vendor that specializes in computer and technical support.

Whilst the list of advantages are too long to document, here are a few key advantages to how your business will improve as a result of outsourcing technical support outside of your company.

It reduces business costs

Small and medium-sized business owners can use outsourced technical support to reduce business costs. Outsourcing to a tech support company can also help automate back office functions, such as record keeping, accounting, and even payroll. Business owners can also use outsourcing to create secure environments for maintaining sensitive business or consumer information, such as storing company files in secure clouds.

Improving communication

Outsourcing technical support can help small businesses improve their communication processes. Outside tech support for e-mails, texting, websites, and personal digital products applications, known as “apps,” can help companies improve communication with consumers. Using several types of information technology communication methods allow companies to saturate the economic market with their message. These can be installed and maintained by the tech support company that offers packages for this purpose.

Remember that technical support is not just limited to computer repair and solving technical issues as they appear on a computer or device. Professional tech support also gives business technology support for any business that needs it.

Potential increase in business

Outsourcing technical support allows small businesses to reach new economic markets because it can expand by concentrating all resources on the business’ focus without worrying about hiring or maintaining an IT department. Rather than just selling consumer goods or services in the local market, small businesses can reach regional, national and international markets. Retail websites are the most common way small businesses sell products in several different economic markets.

Websites represent a low-cost option that consumers can access 24/7 when needing to purchase goods or services. Small business owners can also use Internet advertising to reach new markets and customers through carefully placed web banners or ads. All this can be inquired from the tech support company that the business is subscribed to since many tech support companies don’t just focus on technical repairs.

Outsourcing technical support also allows companies to outsource business functions to other businesses in the national and international business environment. Outsourcing can help company’s lower costs and focus on completing the business function they do best. Technical support and customer service are two common functions companies outsource to, though tech support is important to all businesses, but not all businesses require customer service.

Read More

Try These 6 Best Android Games to Play on Your TV with Chromecast

When you want to do some gaming on your TV, the Google Chromecast isn't probably the first thing that would come to your mind. For your information, there are many good trivia, card, and strategy games that lend themselves to this format, as everyone's phone serves as their personal controller and the TV is the main hub for the action.

The Chromecast may not meet the standards with that of Android TV gaming, but here are some options you may want to check out for yourself. These games are nearly all family-friendly and designed for group playing, which is a great idea for those hangout nights with your family or friends.

Scribble Blitz

Scribble Blitz is a great adaptation of the classic word-making game. It's a fast-paced game and you have to form as many words as you can from your block of letters. If ever you don't like the batch of blocks you were dealt, you can shake your phone for a new batch. Since it's a play off of the traditional board game, some letters will have double letter or word point value if you use them during the game play.

Scribble Blitz can be downloaded for free in the Google Play store.

Connect 4 Quads

Another well configured play for Chromecast is Connect 4 Quads. Up to four players can join using their phones to drop the virtual checker pieces onto the virtual game structure. You can use gestures to swipe, rotate, or direct the pieces into specific slots on the gameboard.

You can still play this even if you're going solo, trying to outdo yourself each time by coming up with the highest score. Enjoy this smooth and lag-free game by downloading it from Google Play for free.

Emoji Party

Emoji Party is definitely a party game for the big screen. Compete with your friends using your phone in a funny battle for points. Guess movie titles based on emoji pictures, use action cards to fight your friends, be fast and you'll surely win this game.

Emoji Play is a fun choice you can share with everybody. It throws in a good competitive element by letting you zap other players with cards that slow their progress. This game can also be downloaded for free from Google Play.

Just Dance Now

Just Dance was a trending choice on the Wii, and it makes a pretty good transition to the Chromecast. Launching the game for the first time may take a while, since it will need to download a playlist of 97 different songs.

The game is similar to what it was known to be -- you mimic a translucent dancing figure to rack up points. Your phone's accelerometer tracks you along the way, rewarding you for getting down.

If you enjoy the game with the full song library but don't want the commercials, you can purchase a VIP pass as an in-app purchase. The rates though are quite expensive: $0.99 for an hour, $1.99 for two hours or $54.99 for a year. Because of that, we suggest you to skip the upgrade and just put up the commercials.

Alien Invaders

As a Space Invaders knockoff, Alien Invaders is played by controlling the spaceship with your phone, moving it to the left or to the right using the middle button to blast the aliens. The game is pretty easy at the beginning, but as you reach round 10 there's an almost indefensible armada of aliens to shoot down. The best odds are if you gather as many players as possible to form a stronger defense line.

This game is also free on the Google Play store.

Monopoly Dash

Similar to Scrabble, Hasbro has scaled down its popular real estate game for Chromecast. Both iOS and Android users can play, which involves a mixture of Monopoly and a Go Fish-style element of trying to guess other player's cards.

Once you collect an entire collection of cards from the same real estate group, you can then build houses and start collecting rent. If you're playing against the computer, be patient as the back-and-forth jockeying can drag on sometimes.

You can get Monopoly Dash from Google Play free of charge.

Read More

Ways on How to Minimize Your Business Expenses

As a small business owner, you'll only be too aware that running a business is expensive. This includes day-to-day costs, the odd unexpected cost that crops up; it all mounts up. And that's before you look at the costs involved when trying to grow your business.

Business owners sometimes go out of their comfort zone and spend more than they can afford. These things can greatly affect the business, which can lead to bankruptcy if not eliminated on time. You would be surprised how even the smallest changes can actually reduce the business costs and improve the profitability at the same time.

With this note, one way to decrease costs is by looking at your day-to-day functions and asking if you could make some small changes that would give you incremental savings. Here are some money-saving tips that every small business owner should know:

Environmental Savings

Becoming more environment-friendly doesn't necessarily mean you have to make drastic changes. Even small adjustments that you implement on your business can create a significant contribution to saving the environment, as help you save some money for your business at the same time.

• Shut down your computer and other equipment when you leave. It could cost you around $71 per year if you leave your computer on for a day - even leaving the computer monitor on idle can also add up to your yearly expenses. You can decrease your business costs if you implement a "complete shut down" rule at the end of your business office hours. You can also introduce a "Switch Off" campaign at work, with posters or stickers placed in key areas, such as the printer, photocopier, or even by the stock room light switch.

• Go Paperless. Even though the cost of printing and mailing might seem insignificant, they still cost you a lot of money. Going paperless is one of the options you may want to consider in order to cut some business expenses. Instead of printing, you can save some important paperwork on your computer and pay the bills online. Not only you will eliminate some costs, you will also make your office less cluttered.

Contract Savings

Similar with our personal lives, it is a smart way to shop around to get the best deal on insurance and utilities for your business. Here are some things you can try:

• Make a note on your calendar to determine when existing contracts are due to end. Set a reminder at least a month before the said due date so that you'll have ample time to search the market.

• Make a note of how long your notice period is (usually between 28 and 120 days). If you missed it, your contract will automatically roll-over.

Office Savings

• Evaluate your staffing costs. The first thing business owners should do is to identify your business costs and to eliminate some cost categories that may cause some negative effects. Identify what is a fixed cost and what is an optional cost. Your employees, for instance, are your fixed cost, so make sure that they actually contribute positively to your business. If you want to reduce the employment costs, it's considered better to offer three-quarter-time job that includes benefits instead of a full-time job.

• Cut travel expenses. Small businesses don't really need to allocate to much budget on travel. But if your business is a big one, then make sure you plan every trip you make wisely. There are times when people get carried away and spend more than they allowed to do. Even if you plan to outsource some services, make sure you stay local in order to cut some expenses.

• Reduce the number of phone calls. Most business owners use the phone for advertising purpose. If you want to actually advertise your business and attract new clients, it's recommended to spend more on mailing services instead of doing it over the phone. It is a must to cut the number of phone calls, or to hire a person that will manage the incoming calls instead of you.

It won't hurt practicing some of these money-saving tips and see how your business will benefit from it in the long run. After all, every penny counts.

Read More

HP Pro Slate Tablet Review: HP's Giant Android Tablet

With the hopes of boosting its market sales for large-screen Android tablets, HP rolled out its very own Pro Slate 12, which stands out with a rugged 12.3-inch display and its ability to digitize notes from regular paper. The new HP Pro Slate 12 is considered to be a standout when set against a backdrop of seven other tablet announcements. Despite its enormous display, this tablet is surprisingly easy to handle. And weighing at 850 grams, it's somewhere in between heavy and light -- in short, it's just perfect to bring along.

Let's take a closer look at its specs, as well as its features, to give you a better visibility on the HP Pro Slate 12 tablet.

When it comes to this tablet's screen, it's 1600 x 1200 display is fairly good. Similar with the iPad, the company chose to go with a 4:3 layout, since consumers spend most of the time using tablets in portrait orientation. The tablet is the company's first with a durable screen based on Corning's Concore Glass technology, which protects the glass from drops on rough surfaces such as asphalt. Another first with the Pro Slate 12 is that it comes with a "Duet Pen" stylus that you can use to take notes on paper and on the tablet. When you're using it, the pen emits an ultrasonic sound that the tablets can track and triangulate with internal microphones, which is supposed to increase suspension. You can also swap the tip out for an actual ink tip, and the tablet will map and store whatever you're writing on actual paper. Pretty neat, huh.

Under the hood, the Pro Slate 12 packs a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage, along with an 8-MP rear camera and a 2-MP shooter at the front. Weighing a little less than two pounds, you can say that it's actually light for its gigantic size. It also sports a microSD slot and microUSB 2.0 input -- sorry, but it doesn't have any USB 3.0 or HDMI port. Of course, it also supports the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi networking.

If you want to experience the Pro Slate 12's feature set and Duet Pen but in a smaller and sharper display version, you can go with the Pro Slate 8. It utilizes a 7.9-inch, 2048 x 1536 Gorilla Glass 4 screen, starting at $449. As for the Pro Slate 12, you'll be shelling out around $569.

The Pro Slated 12 was one of many ElitePad, Pro Slate, and Pro Tablets with Android and Windows OSes announced by HP. Screen sizes of the new tablets range from 8 to 12 inches, and are now shipping. Its closest competitor is the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, a $749 mega-tablet known for its rich 12-inch display and the ability to multitask four apps at once. Apple has also been rumored to enter this super-sized space, with a possible 12-inch "iPad Pro" expected to be in the company's pipeline sometime in the future.

Read More

A Guide to Getting Better Tech Support Service

In spite of your best efforts to fix the problem on your own, sometimes you just really need to call for a little help -- whether it's because of a broken gadget, a downed connection, or just need to fix a company's mistake. Getting the assistance you need by calling customer service can be a miserable experience, but when it comes to bite the bullet and give them a ring, you may want to check out these tips to make it go as smoothly as possible.

STEP 1: Get Through a Real Person

We all know beforehand that our problem will not be solved by a robot with a pretty voice, yet it's every company's first line of defense. These automated systems filter out the easy and obvious problems, but you need an actual human to solve your problem. One of your dilemmas in getting what you want is getting through to an actual person. Depending on when you call and whether it's a widespread problem, this part of the process may see you stuck listening to some crappy music while waiting for someone to pick up the phone -- "You're call is important to us. Please stay on the line..." There's nothing you can actually do at this point but wait. So here are few ways to make it a bit more bearable.

• Avoid wait times with LucyPhone
  
  LucyPhone is a neat service that will wait on hold for you, so you can hung up your phone and get back to what you were doing. Once a customer rep picks up your line, LucyPhone will call you back and connects you. 
• Disregard the phone tree's options
  
  Before you even arrive the "wait-while-you-listen" period, you'll probably have to make your way through that company's phone tree -- "Press 1 for billing inquiry. Press 2 to locate a store. Press 3..." And usually, you would wait until the end of the list before picking an option, since they would normally have an option for "other questions." Why? Because this would always get you to a customer rep. Even if your concern covers one of the existing options, rarely do those options actually give you what you need. 
  
  If it's a system that asks you to say words instead of pressing numbers, you can try saying the words "agent," "representative," or customer service" -- this could sometimes work.
• Learn that system's secrets 
  
  If you're still having a difficult time, try visiting sites like GetHuman or ContactHelp, which can help you get instructions on how to get through to any given company. Just enter the company you're calling and you'll have a few user-submitted options on how to get in touch with a real person, and on average how long it should take.

STEP 2: Solve Your Problem

Most of the time, all you need to resolve your device problem is a minute on the phone with a human. Other times, you need to do a little bit of preparation. Here are few things you can do before calling, which can speed up the process.

• Research your issue
  
  There's no denying that you're not the only person in the world who had to call customer service with this particular issue at hand, so you may want to find out more information about the problem and what solutions were been given. You can search your issue on Google and check if there's someone who posted the same type of problem online, or visit a forum or community site and find out if it's a common problem encountered. If you're lucky, you may be able to get some direction on how customer service can best resolve your problem when you call.
• Gather all important information beforehand
  
  Information like your account number, your account password, your device's serial number, and a reference number in case you've called before are just some of the most common things the customer rep would likely ask from you. Gather and prepare all these stuff beforehand and write it down, so that your call won't take much longer than it needs to be. Putting all these references like Google Docs, Evernote, or Simplenote is best to use so that you can easily access it anytime. These are also good tools that you can use to jot down notes, so you can explain your issue as clearly and as concisely as possible.
• Record the call
  
  The only person you can trust to make sure things are done is you, so do yourself a favor and record the call yourself even if the company records their calls for quality and training purposes. You can accomplish this with the help of services like Fonolo, which is also capable of skipping the phone trees for you. This is useful, especially in cases when something goes wrong later, you have some proof on your end. 
• Don't give them your life story
  
  There are some information you may think is significant to the problem, but aren't. For example, you'd like to ask for assistant on how to enable remote management on your wireless router -- you don't need to explain what a wireless router is. The more concisely you can lay out your concern, the easier it is for the tech support to arrive at a solution. 
• Request for a next level support if you don't get what you want
  
  If things aren't going your way, don't be afraid to ask for a representative's supervisor -- that's part of their trained process. It's also part of their directives to give their customers' request whenever they ask for a supervisor. Often, these representatives can be a little more helpful, especially when the solution they provided to your problem requires authorization that first-tier representatives may not have. There's actually no harm to ask for a supervisor to get second-level support, as long as you're doing the proper approach.
• Get the representative's name and ticket number
  
  When you're done with the call and hung up the phone, thinking that your problem is not solved -- think again, because that's not how it is in the real world. Sadly, there will come a time where you need to call back for another follow up. Those succeeding calls will go much more smoothly if you can provide them with a ticket or reference number, or get a hold of the same representative if possible. Some companies will even let their representatives to give you their direct line, which can be greatly helpful especially if your call will be regarding the same problem.

STEP 3: Call Executive Customer Service If All Else Fails

If you think you're simply getting the runaround treatment from the representatives and their supervisors, or if your concern just leaves them baffled, it's to move on to the next level of support. Beyond the regular customer service group, there is the "executive customer service" representatives, which are considered the escalation team who are supposed to resolve your concern when others can't. Just keep in mind that you don't want to do this on your first call because these elite team aren't there to solve everyone's problems every single day, and oftentimes you shouldn't go that far every time you call. But in case the customer representative wasn't able to solve your problem, this option will come in very handy in these situations.

Every company and representative is somehow different from one another, especially when it comes to customer support. Admit it or not, there's no guarantee that you will get a great or even good customer service experience. However, keeping these tips in mind should be able to help you avoid, or at least survive, these customer service dilemmas.

Read More

Apple Watch: Apple's Very Own Wearable Device

Apple has finally announced its first ever wearable, the Apple Watch. It has a curved sapphire crystal glass Retina display in 38mm and 42mm case sizes. It comes in three different styles — basic Apple Watch (made of stainless steel or space black stainless), Apple Watch Sport (made of silver or space gray anodized aluminum), and the Apple Watch Edition (made of 18-karat rose or yellow gold) that surely fits any style preference. All three designs will have interchangeable wristbands, each with a quick-remove clasp.

It is extremely customizable, having 11 watch faces that include traditional analog options, playful characters, a contemporary sundial, and an interactive, real-time 3D model of the earth, sun, moon, and planets. Most faces allow you to change colors, choose design elements, and add functionality. You can choose from a variety of straps, including a sport band (made of tough, durable, sweat and chemical resistant rubber), link bracelet, leather loop, classic buckle, modern buckle, and Milanese loop, all made from a variety of materials.

Its screen is scratch-resistant and is highly sensitive that it can differentiate between a tap and a press. It can even vibrate with alerts using a haptic feedback component and a speaker.

It has a Digital Crown, which also serves as the Home button. The Digital Crown turns rotary movements into digital actions onscreen. Turning the Digital Crown will navigate through menus, zoom in and out, as well as scroll up and down depending on the app you are using.

Pressing the Digital Crown will bring you to the Home page while pressing the button next to it will bring out your Friends.

It has four IR and LED sensors protected by four sapphire glasses that are used to monitor a wearer's health and fitness, track movement, heart rate, and activity, which are fed into Apple's Health app.

The back of the Apple Watch is made of tough zirconia and is used as an inductive charging plate. With its inductive charging and magsafe magnetic locking, there's no need to align charging pins and expose contacts.

The Apple Watch runs with a custom-built S1 chip paired with Taptic engine — a vibrating motor that provides physical feedback on receiving notifications.

Like other smartwatches, Apple Watch is meant to be used in conjunction with an iPhone. Unfortunately, it will only work with iPhone 5 and later.

The Apple Watch has Siri for voice control and for dictating messages. You can reply to messages using Siri, animated emoji, or automatically generated responses. It can also be used as a walkie-talkie to chat with other Apple Watch users nearby. You can even send little sketches to your friends, as well as a recording of your heartbeat.

According to Apple, the Apple Watch can control Apple TV, act as a remote camera viewfinder when paired with an iPhone, and pay for goods using Apple Pay. Not only that, it can also support the Handoff feature introduced with iOS 8.

Apple Watch will be officially released in the US early 2015.

There is not much to learn about the specifications of Apple Watch as of yet. However, these are what we have gathered so far:

Specifications	Apple Watch
Display Shape	Square
Display Case	38mm (height) and 42mm (height)
Display	Sapphire Crystal Glass
Resolution	Retina
Color	Polished or space black stainless steel, space gray or silver anodized aluminum, or 18-karat rose or yellow gold
Strap	34 different band options
Dimensions	Unknown
Weight	Unknown
Touchscreen	Yes
NFC	Yes
GPS	No (needs to be paired with an iPhone)
Intelligent Assistant	Siri
Processor	Custom S1 SiP
Storage	Unknown
RAM	Unknown
Operating System	iOS
Battery Life	Unknown
Connectivity	802.11b/g, Bluetooth 4.0
Sensors	Accelerometer, Heart Rate
SRP	Starts at $349

Read More