Case Study: Building an Onshore Customer Support Team at Neon One
About Neon One:
Neon One is a B2B SaaS company providing technology that helps nonprofit organizations manage fundraising, donor engagement, events, and day to day operations. Serving a growing customer base across North America, Neon One delivers an integrated platform designed to reduce administrative complexity and empower mission driven organizations to operate more effectively.
18
Hires made
12
Days average time to hire
35
Days to hire entire team
The challenge
Neon One set out to build a high performing, regionally based customer support team to better align with its long term operational strategy. This required standing up a new team that could work remotely day to day while coming together in person for onboarding, training, and ongoing team connection.
Before hiring could begin, Neon One needed to determine where in North America this team should be built. The location had to offer access to strong talent, a balance of experience and availability, and the ability to support in person onboarding without limiting the hiring pool.
Once the location was selected, the team needed to be hired quickly, onboarded together, and fully operational within a tight timeframe. This was not simply a hiring exercise, but a coordinated effort involving strategy, speed, and close collaboration across leadership.
“HighlightTA was instrumental in helping us navigate a complex hiring project with moving timelines and remote vs. in-person uncertainty. Their team was flexible and went above and beyond by offering in-market testing to help us make a strategic decision. With their excellent partnership and advice, we successfully landed on a clear best direction and hired a team of 12 culturally aligned individuals in just eight weeks. An impressive and highly effective experience.”
Key challenges
Evaluating multiple locations across North America to identify the right talent market
Standing up a brand new regional support team from scratch
Hiring a support leader early to help shape the team and process
Responding quickly to live market data and adapting the hiring model to unlock the right talent pool
The delivery
HighlightTA partnered closely with Neon One’s leadership team to design and execute a strategy led hiring plan.
Location mapping and market strategy
HighlightTA conducted talent mapping across approximately ten locations in Canada and the United States, analysing talent availability, experience levels, and long term sustainability. Based on this data, Oklahoma City was selected as the location that best aligned with Neon One’s goals for building an onshore support team.
Leader first approach
The first priority hire was a customer support leader with experience building and managing support teams. Bringing this leader in early created alignment across stakeholders, enabled faster decision making, and strengthened candidate assessment throughout the remainder of the hiring process.
Data informed hiring model
As hiring progressed, HighlightTA monitored application volume, candidate feedback, and market response in real time. Early insights showed that a fully in office model significantly limited the available talent pool at the agreed compensation range. Based on this data, the hiring model was adjusted to a regional remote approach, expanding access to high quality talent while preserving in person onboarding and team connection.
Fast, collaborative execution
A streamlined two stage interview process was designed to balance speed and quality. HighlightTA worked closely with the VP, Chief People Officer, and support leader to enable quick, confident decisions, supported by dedicated recruiters and talent leaders coordinating delivery at pace.
From the point Oklahoma City was confirmed as the hiring location, all roles were filled within approximately 35 days, with an average time to hire of 18 days across all 12 roles. Because onboarding and training were delivered in person, candidates were hired within a defined regional radius, ensuring the full team could onboard together as planned while continuing to work remotely day to day. Careful coordination around availability, travel distance, and start dates ensured operational readiness from day one.
The impact
By the end of the engagement, Neon One had a fully built, regionally based customer support team in place, led by an experienced support leader and ready to scale further. This flexibility proved critical in building a high quality team that could scale quickly while remaining aligned to Neon One’s operational goals.
Hiring the leader early proved critical in establishing momentum and alignment, while the broader hiring strategy ensured speed, consistency, and quality across all roles. The result was a support function designed not only for immediate needs, but for long term growth.
This partnership gave Neon One a clear, repeatable approach to building regional teams quickly, using data informed location strategy, collaborative decision making, and disciplined execution.
“HighlightTA is the employment acquisition partner I had been searching for, truly exceeding all expectations. They do what they say they will do! They have multiplied our small HR team by delivering an awesome candidate and hiring manager experience allowing us to meet our goals for hiring quality candidates, staying within our compensation budget, and improving our overall time to fill for Neon One.”
“What sets HighlightTA apart is how seamlessly they integrate with the way we work. From day one, they’ve been a true partner — responsive, strategic, and genuinely invested in helping us build the right team. I recommend them without hesitation.”