Rapid team ramp up for critical government project

In a short timeframe, Davidson’s surge recruitment process secured high quality contact centre agents to staff public health hotline.

CHALLENGE

When COVID-19 struck Australia, the public turned to government organisations to answer their questions. Our client is a large state agency that coordinates and delivers a diverse range of support services to Queensland communities. 



As the crisis took hold, the department faced an unprecedented number of calls from community members in urgent need of assistance. 


Our client planned to implement a dedicated public health hotline to manage this rapidly evolving crisis and needed to urgently recruit 70 contact centre agents to field calls.


After contacting Davidson on a weekend, the department engaged us to assist with quickly deploying suitable candidates to commence the following week.


SOLUTION
Assessment and selection process measured best-fit


Our focus was on sourcing and securing contact centre agents who had the aptitude and capabilities to align with the department’s needs. The hotline called for individuals with strong resilience and emotional sensitivity, in addition to their skills and experience, to engage with callers. 


We defined required skillsets, competencies and attributes of the ideal candidate. We then created a competency profile to benchmark the assessment and selection process.


Our Business Advisory team customised an assessment centre to evaluate role and culture fit minimising the risk of poor hires. 


Following resume screening, our team contacted candidates and conducted telephone interviews. Each individual was reviewed and selected according to the competency profile. 


We then invited shortlisted candidates to the assessment centre, where they completed in-depth interviews and took part in role plays. As the applicants progressed through the assessment centre, we scored and ranked them based on their performance and suitability to the role. 


In the final stage of the assessment process, we conducted reference checks to verify quality and alignment with the skills and traits required and adherence to labour hire requirements. 


A dedicated project inbox enabled our team to respond in a timely manner to all enquiries. We also conducted regular check-ins to ensure contractor performance and customer care, which reduced engagement risk and ensured we addressed all issues.


OUTCOMES
Reliable talent provider 


Our evidence-based talent selection solutions sourced and secured sufficient numbers of high quality candidates in a short timeframe. We recruited 70 ongoing temporary staff to enable the successful stand-up of the COVID-19 hotline. We also established and maintained a merit talent pool for contractors to meet future workforce needs. 


Based on the success of this project, we developed an ongoing exclusive relationship with the department. Our team supported further major volume recruitment campaigns, including sourcing and selecting 160 temporary staff for a state election. 

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