The Challenge

The volume of work handled by telemarketing outsourcing organisation, Rubicon Connect (Rubicon), will fluctuate dependant on the number of contracts being handled at any given time. This is a fast moving industry and requirements can increase dramatically, with very little notice, as new contracts are brought on board.

Telemarketing is very tiring work and it is important that the staff making the calls are representing Rubicon’s clients in the most positive manner at all times. For this reason Rubicon ensures that all staff receive full product and operational training and restricts working days to a maximum of six hours.

Calls are made between 9am & 9pm, and teams must be fully staffed for all shifts in order to complete contracts within the agreed time frame. All temporaries supplied for work must be available for at least 13 weeks, to provide continuity of staff for the campaigns and ensure that investment in training is cost effective.

The Wise Solution

ver time Wise Employment (Wise) has developed a very close working relationship with Rubicon. We have worked very hard to really understand the way that Rubicon works, the environment that our temporary staff will be working in and the nature of the work that they will undertake.

Their Account Manager has personally conducted telemarketing campaigns for Rubicon and is able to brief and select temporary staff with the benefit of first-hand experience. She is a regular visitor to the site, where she meets with both the Human Resources Department and Line Management to ensure that service standards are maintained and early notification of changing requirements is promoted.

To recruit staff that can learn quickly, communicate effectively and provide the required level of flexibility, Wise has targeted very specific groups of candidates by networking with local organisations, advertising in areas where the target groups gather and incentivising candidates and temporaries to introduce a friend. However, the true secret of successful recruitment has been maintaining a consistent focus on this ongoing requirement, and highlighting it to all suitable candidates at every opportunity.

Our selection methods for Rubicon test listening, communication and key board skills. We ensure that staff are fully briefed on their assignment, the necessity for early notification in the event of absence, the working environment and the potential for permanent work. This combination of effective selection and thorough preparation has resulted in an excellent record for recruitment, retention and conversion from temporary assignment to permanent employment.

Our monthly reports for Rubicon detail our activity in respect of the contract and include statistics and other information relating to:

- CVs submitted
- Interviews arranged
- Absence records
- Turnover within assignments
- Feedback from exit interviews
- Temporary to permanent conversions

Analysis of these reports forms the basis of the agenda for monthly review meetings with Rubicon. These meetings also provide a regular forum for discussion of any issues arising and suggestions for service development.

A significant development to our service has been the introduction of a Master Vendor Agreement, under the terms of which Wise have management responsibility for the effective use of secondary suppliers. This Agreement means that Wise now:

- Briefs the secondary suppliers on all requirements
- Receives and checks all secondary suppliers’ CVs before submitting them to Rubicon for consideration
- Arranges interviews with suppliers to suit Rubicon’s timetable
- Provides a multi-timesheet for all temporaries irrespective of source
- Produces a consolidated invoice for all staff irrespective of source
- Provides one single set of management information
- Monitors the performance of secondary suppliers and implements operational changes where required

Another development has been the use of our permanent recruitment services for support areas within the organisation

The Outcome

Rubicon now enjoys the convenience of communicating with a single supplier, who will ensure that the appropriate action plans are in place to generate the required number of the appropriate standard of candidates at the right time. Administration time and cost has been reduced through streamlined accounting and control improved through the total picture provided by a single management report.