The CC/CX Industry Update - Vol 9
James Parkin
CX, CCaaS, AI Global Talent & Training Solutions - Host of The CC/CX Update - Founder of Ellison Coast - fastracx Product Director
Hi Everyone,
Welcome to volume 9 of the CC/CX Industry Update, that makes it over 4 months of a recruiters perspective on the European and North American market that you've been enjoying (I hope)! I cant wait to see what, with your continuing feedback, this will look like by the time we reach 1 year of publication!
Trends in Market Demand
General Demand for Talent:
We have been seeing a decline in new vacancies within the CC/CX markets in Europe and NA over several months now. However there has been a small uptick in the last week as companies look to make use of budgets before the end of the calendar year and in order to deliver those projects in Q1 2023. I expect this to continue and depending on the rapidly developing global economic outlook this could continue to improve in January. Lets all hope so!
General Talent Availability:
The global lay offs/redundancies have meant that a lot of talent hit the market in a short space of time but as I pointed out in the last edition the lack of roles available could force people out of the sector and into broader SaaS/UC roles or even into other tech sectors entirely which will lead to a talent shortage in 2023. People are still looking if the ideal role becomes available and the market is now presenting as more balanced rather than the candidate led market of the last 2 years.
Hot Skills in Demand:
News
Continuing Lay Offs
This will probably not be news to anyone by now but our CC/CX sector is being effected exactly the same as the broader technology sector by lay offs and redundancies. I know several companies are still reviewing their current headcount and changes are dependent on new business so there will be more to come unfortunately.
Start Up Innovation and Growth
The space that I am seeing increasing requirement numbers in is the start up market. Despite headlines saying that investment is harder to come by confidence from VCs in the CX space and in particular AI is high and companies are securing the funding they want leading to headcount growth. I expect this to lead to an exciting product landscape in 2023 and then more M&A in 23/24 as we saw in 19/20.
Events
European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards 2022 - November 22nd - Battersea Park Evolution, UK
The European Contact Centre & Customer Service Awards (ECCCSAs) is an award winning, longest running and the largest awards event in the customer contact industry. It recognizes organisations all across Europe that are helping to lead the way in delivering exceptional service to their customers.
领英推荐
Call and Contact Centre Expo - November 22nd-23rd - London Excel
The largest market expo in the UK calendar which is always well attended (although sadly not be me this year). A great place to discover the latest innovations and a great seminar agenda too.
Talent Attraction and Acquisition - Tips
Nuance, no not that one, actual nuance in recruitment
It's a hard thing to convey quickly and honestly when speaking to someone but in the current recruitment market it's actually very important and it comes with experience. Recently I posted about the importance of getting job descriptions right and partly this follows on from that but it also applies to interview stage and even offer stage when recruiting. It all boils down to the simple understanding of the fact that hiring is rarely black and white, it is nuanced depending on the individual you are interviewing and their unique situation in life/work and the universe!
Specific Examples
Salary range, hybrid working, career progression, responsibilities on day one, reporting lines, performance related remuneration all of these things and more are subject to change/flexibility/nuance depending on the person applying. How do you as an employer convey this effectively without appearing vague or like you're not being honest?
Well one way is by using an experienced and trusted recruitment partner of course (subtle plug), who may well be within your internal team and is able to deliver the message with enough authority that candidates understand they will be treated as individuals but still within a process. They should be able to build trust with applicants quickly and to explain in a mature, simple way that nothing is set in stone if the right person applies. This is of course obvious, two individuals will deliver in a role differently and therefore they need to be considered/reviewed and maybe rewarded as such.
You should give examples of where career paths have been designed to suit individuals and their specific career goals. Describe where training has been tailored to suit what that individual is weakest at rather than just following a programme. Really think about if what the people in your current team are doing is exactly what is written on their job description (assuming they have one!) or whether things have evolved.
Summary
This may sound like a small tip but in a tight market its these small things that can swing a decision and make the difference. Appearing monolithic and resistant to reality when hiring wont make you an attractive employer however neither will uncertainty and dithering so as I say its all about nuance (no still not that one, sorry Nuance)
Current Urgent Requirements
Thank you as always for reading and sharing. James