Case Study

Keeping Queenslanders connected while COVID-19 was keeping people apart

Meeting immediate staffing needs for response and recovery operations; building workplace solutions to address capability and flexibility—all in a day’s work for Davidson.
a man wearing a headset is sitting at a desk in front of a computer .

CHALLENGE


In June 2021 Queensland’s COVID-19 cases were rising. Part of the government's pandemic response and recovery plan was to minimise the number of people becoming infected and sick, lessen the demand on the health system and enable Queenslanders to return to a more normal life.

 

To deliver the plan, additional contact centre agents were required to assist with vaccination bookings, appointment enquiries and the triaging of vaccination, testing and other COVID related enquiries.

 

It was estimated that an additional 220 contact centre agents would be needed to be onboarded within 2 months, over 3 locations with the initial 40 available on the ground within 72 hours.

220

contact centre agents

Onboarded

within 2 months

18%

of 220 centre agents on the

ground within 72 hours

SOLUTION


Time was of the essence. A profile of the ideal candidate was created. This included the required skill sets, competencies and attributes and was used to benchmark the selection process and to minimise the risk of poor hires.

 

A dedicated team of recruiters worked around the clock to fulfil the talent required within the tight timeframe and a centralised point of contact was established—available 24 hours, 7 days a week. The team drew on their knowledge and understanding of the market and reached deep into their networks to identify relevant candidates.

 

The contact centre called for individuals with strong resilience and emotional sensitivity, in addition to their skills and experience to engage with callers. Critical to assess future requirements as well as ‘right now’ as later, the team would pivot, making wellness calls to support those in hotel quarantine and compliance calls for those self-quarantining.


OUTCOMES


Within 72 hours, the first 40 agents were at work, taking calls having been screened, interviewed, reference checked and onboarded. The team at Davidson attended to the smallest of detail, including system access forms, to ensure a seamless experience for candidates. The remaining 180 customer service agents were sourced over a 2-month period.

 

Anticipating worker fatigue, a consequence of work schedules, changing routines and unrelenting demand, Davidson proposed staffing a Casual Talent Pool—16 candidates who could be parachuted into the organisation and deployed at short notice to maintain service excellence for Queenslanders.

 

In late December 2021 and into January 2022, when the Omicron variant surged in Queensland, Davidson again stood ready to assist. This time with the recruitment of staff to triage calls and once again help build confidence in the next wave of the pandemic response.

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