As usual – let us know your thoughts in the comments box below!

This isn’t something we’re surprised about in the least – indeed, we touched on it briefly in our Guide to Resource Planning last year as one of the challenges of recruiting in this industry, particularly for candidates with such a specific skillset.

Here’s a scenario: one Head of Resource Planning relocates from a business in the South to somewhere up North. There’s an internal promotion to fill that role, but the void left by the Resource Planning Manager is recruited externally. The successful person leaves a void in their present organisation, the replacement for whom is recruited externally – and so it goes on and on… and on!

This goes some way to explaining why this type of recruitment is really geographic – we can go for months without looking for a Resource Planning Manager in Manchester (for instance), and then, all of a sudden, we’re seeking four all at once.

What we’re finding, with the huge recruitment campaigns taking place for new contact centres opening across the UK, is that there’s a really big demand for candidates with this particular skillset. Companies setting up new contact centres and departments are paying a premium for those candidates who have a strong background, and can bring their experience to the fore in a new set-up.

As a result, businesses are having to strive to retain these types of candidates not just in Resource Planning, but in other specialist disciplines in the contact centre industry – for instance, Bid Managers and MI Specialists. It’s not just about salaries, either - there are a number of factors that candidates like this are seeking. For example, our Benefits Survey last year showed that of the Forecasting & Planning Managers surveyed:

• 86% received a bonus, ranging from 0-30%
• 43% of respondents were provided with a car or car allowance, with these split 70% and 30% respectively
• 86% of respondents were offered free parking at their workplace
• Over 50% of respondents had Private Healthcare included in their package, with 36% receiving Life Assurance and 86% offered Death in Service.
• 21% were offered Childcare Vouchers by their employer, with 43% provided with a Subsidised Canteen and 36% a Subsidised Gym.

This sort of movement within the industry is, in a way, a symptom of success. The huge growth in recent years means that these candidates are ever more in demand, and unless businesses have strong succession plans in place, it’s tricky to fill the void.

We’re not trying to do ourselves out of business – naturally more hiring in the niche market is good for us, because it’s what we do. But it’s absolutely essential to focus on nurturing talent in these skillsets wherever possible, with training, development, and of course, a good benefits package, to ensure that you don’t end up on the wrong end of the domino effect.

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The Resource Planning Gold Rush

The 2012 Contact Centre Management Salary Survey

We’ve got a lot of experience in doing this after all these years – but we thought we’d offer some nuggets of wisdom to our candidates and clients to help make love happen. You can thank us at the wedding!

Make the First Move

When you’re recruiting for senior level staff, being coy and flirty won’t get you very far. We’re all-too-familiar with the recruitment process moving too slowly, with candidates and clients alike losing interest after delays and hold-ups on either side. We’ll do our best to keep things moving for you, but at the end of the day, we’re only the matchmaker – you need to take action!

Clients: If you’re interested in that candidate, you need to let them know, and move quickly to secure their affections. Ideally, the recruitment process should be fairly swift, with a rapid turnover from shortlist, to interview, to offer – and not forgetting the exchange of contracts.

Candidates: Don’t be shy! If you’re interested in that role, let us know – and be on the ball when sending us your CV, confirming interview times and dates, and getting your contract and start-date confirmed.

Dress to Impress

We’re not just talking about your actual clothes here – we’re hoping the need for dressing well when meeting your new boss goes without saying! Catching ‘the one’ goes a lot deeper than a snazzy suit…

Clients: Your candidate experience should be suave, sophisticated and super-appealing. It’s not just the candidate that should be selling themselves to you – you need to impress them too, especially at a senior level.

Candidates: Good tailoring is a must. Especially when you’re writing a CV – after all, it’s the first thing the client will see, and it’s important that they fall in love at first sight. But it’s not just the CV – nowadays, you’re likely to be Googled before a first date/interview, so make sure you follow our tips on brushing up your personal brand before you start the job hunt.

Honesty is the Best Policy

Knowing who you are and what you want, and being confident enough to stand by that, is crucial in a good relationship. That’s why we get all of our candidates and clients to be clear about their expectations before we match them up. Nobody likes a nasty surprise once they’re already attached!

Clients: When you’re briefing us on the role, be clear about the maximum salary you’ll be able to offer. If the top end is £55k, advertising the role at £60k will only lead to more hassle and heartbreak in the long term, when your perfect candidate turns out to be unavailable to you at that price.

Candidates: Pretty much the reverse – don’t tell us you’ll accept £55k if you’re looking for £60k. When we send your CV to clients, your salary expectations are attached – and while it’s not exactly a ‘sacred vow,’ it’s pretty close. It’s better to be up front about your expectations in the first place than to have a fight at the offer stage.

Also – if you’re having reservations, be honest! Nobody wants to be jilted at the altar – so if you’re getting cold feet about turning up on the big day, talk to us. We’ll be able to soften the blow with the client, and help them to find true love again, eventually…

Recruitment is all about building relationships, and a clear, honest, open approach is absolutely fundamental to making love happen. We love our candidates and clients – and we’ll do everything in our power to match you up with your perfect partner. We love matchmaking – so let us find the one for you!

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The Transactor

Transactors are great deal makers. Like your typical Business Development bod, they’re “skilled at identifying and tackling new opportunities, and they thrive on negotiations.” They’re dynamic, proactive, and love a challenge – especially one that means they get to negotiate a bit.

As you might guess, they’re quite money-motivated, with real drive and ambition, and can network their way around a room like nobody else. And while they’re not too interested in the day-t0-day management, they’re excited by closing the big deal and passing it on to…

The Strategist

According to de Vries, strategists “provide vision, strategic direction and outside-the-box thinking to create new organizational forms and generate future growth.” They’re the one with all the great ideas, who can wander in to a seemingly hopeless situation and offer you three different (good) courses of action. They can see the big picture, and find nothing more exciting than a solving a puzzle. But not as much as…

The Change-Catalyst

These leaders are “masters at re-engineering and creating new organizational ‘‘blueprints.’’” Their skills lie in taking advantage of opportunities to transform the organisation, because they just love change. In a way, they’re a bit of a maverick, taking on roles that are a bit risky, and potentially daunting to others. More often than not, these are your Interim managers, who relish implementing projects and, as de Vries says, they work best “in situations of culture integration after a merger or acquisition, or when spearheading a re-engineering or turnaround project.”

They’re also a bit like us – apparently they’ve got a “real aptitude in selecting executive talent to get a task done.” (Sorry – we couldn’t resist!)

The Builder

Builders love to create. They’re talented and entrepreneurial, with big aspirations – but this is balanced out with a need to be completely independent and retain control of their projects, which can manifest itself in their being very single-minded. They’re characterised by an “enormous amount of energy, drive, dynamism and enterprise,” and they just don’t give up.

You’ll usually find the builder archetype at the top of the organisation, with a solid background in building and developing contact centres from scratch. This is partly because they’re able to thrive under pressure, and they’re good at taking calculated risks that pay off in the long term – but when they don’t, their ability to deal with setbacks is second to none.

The Innovator

Innovators are focused completely on what’s new. They’re always keeping one eye on their next project, and are ready to implement new things in their contact centre. Where they fall down is in their political naivety – they don’t play games, because they’re optimistic about their projects and people.

Unlike the Transactor, for instance, they’re not driven by financial gains and they’re not necessarily the greatest of communicators. This isn’t necessarily negative, however – they draw their satisfaction from the buzz associated with novelty and can implement their ideas on a grand scale. Their creativity can be inspiring and infectious, helping them generate the big ideas – and when working alongside a Strategist, they can implement change in a big way.

The Processor

Processors, according to de Vries, like their organization to be “a smoothly running, well-oiled machine,” and they’re super at “setting up the structures and systems needed to support an organization’s objectives.” This might be an obvious one, but we’d guess that most Resource Planning and Dialler candidates fit pretty well into this category, as their organisational and time management skills are unparalleled elsewhere.

They work best when approaching a messy situation, breaking it into its component parts and rebuilding it into an ordered, process-based structure – turning the abstract ideas of the Innovator into super-efficient systems. They can be a stickler for rules and regulations, but they’re also extremely loyal to their organisations and are truly reliable.

The Coach

Coaches are driven by performance, motivating their teams to success and developing the people around them to achieve their full potential. They’re excellent at working in group situations, because they’re empathetic, inspiring and are great communicators.

It’s obvious that these people are typically Trainers in contact centres; but these are also traits we find in the very best leaders in outbound environments. They’re able to make everyone around them inspired to sell, and motivated to succeed – and their positive outlook helps them to take on the projects created by the Innovator and the Change-Catalyst and make them accessible to teams from agent-level up.

The Communicator

Communicators are the great influencers, who can communicate the big picture through simple language and metaphors. Their commanding presence means they can reframe difficult situations positively and engage their colleagues from stakeholders to agents.

Like the Transactor, they’re great at networking and building alliances – but they’re less interested in the deal-making side. Rather, they’re focused on turning people around to their point of view, and expressing the big picture. De Vries suggests that both the Communicator and the Coach need to be given a “regular dose of reality” to stop them getting too carried away by the big ideas – but their infectious, almost dazzling ability to motivate and drive performance makes them a valuable asset.

* * *

Understanding these archetypes can play a pivotal role both in being a creative leader, and in recruiting the right one for your business. It all goes back to our old friend, cultural fit – something that we think is of the utmost importance when recruiting for any contact centre. It’s essential to know how to work with and manage these personality types, to give them the environment they need to play to their strengths – and that’s why we’re constantly adjusting our understanding of every business we work with so that we can find the perfect personality for you.

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Cactus Search is the leading provider of Call and Contact Centre Management candidates to some of the most prestigious companies in the UK and Internationally.

So here’s a look at our very beautiful Slideshare presentation called “Simplifying Your Recruitment Process: How to Get the Best Out of Agency Relationships” – it’s rather gorgeous, we think you’ll agree!

It’s yielded some very interesting results, given the turbulent economy, job losses and budget cuts that have had an impact across the globe – with an average increase of 6.72%, more than three times the national average across industries.

This has huge repercussions for businesses hiring these types of professionals, as candidates have much higher expectations – although this does depend on the type of role they’re in. Resource Planning professionals, for instance, have seen an enormous jump in salaries offered (something we’ve called the Resource Planning Gold Rush!), yet Team Leader salaries have remained generally static – although this does vary quite significantly depending on their industry and location.

There are many other interesting insights in the survey – and if you’d like to download your free copy, click here.

Our benchmarking exercises have come to be regarded as the best in the industry (something we’re very proud of!) as a result of our specialist knowledge and in-depth understanding of Management & Specialist roles throughout the Call & Contact Centre industry.

It’s as a result of our partnership approach that we can bring these surveys out each year, to give both our clients and candidates an idea of their position within the industry, and to reflect the state of the industry as a whole.

We’re always glad to hear your thoughts on our Salary Surveys (along with anything else!) – so please do share your thoughts in the comments box below, or join us on LinkedIn to discuss the results!

Cactus Search is the leading provider of Call and Contact Centre Management candidates to some of the most prestigious companies in the UK and Internationally.

Here’s the press release for our 2012 Salary Survey – out this Thursday!

A new report by the leading Call & Contact Centre Management & Specialist recruitment agency, Cactus Search, has shown salaries in the industry to be faring better than the national average. This is despite a difficult time for the economy as a whole, and suggests that the contact centre industry offers a welcome retreat in a struggling economy.

The 2012 Salary Survey comes after the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings from the Office of National Statistics showed that the average gross salary for full-time employees had increased by 1.4% over the last year. However, with CPI inflation above 5%, this represents a fall of over 3% in real terms.

In the call centre industry, however, the rate of improvement is higher, with the national average growth at around 6.72%. Taking inflation into account, this means a representative improvement of 1.72% for those working in contact centre management and specialist roles in the UK. While there have been cuts and job losses in the industry itself, this growth shows  a ‘vote of confidence’ in UK business, following the return of many companies who had previously offshored their contact centre operations.

The survey is the second edition by Cactus Search, who are the UK leaders in call and contact centre management recruitment and selection. With many years experience in recruiting managers and leaders to the Contact Centre Industry, the company are well placed to conduct this research.

The full report will be available on the Cactus Search website from Thursday 12^th January 2012.

If you've reached your desk like this, your job is already pretty cool.

And so you reach your desk, making a half-hearted attempt to get on with your work whilst leaving a job search tab open in the background… But the fatigue is too much, and you reach 5:30pm having sent a few generic applications to some jobs you’re really not fussed about, just so that you can feel like you’ve done something.

Add to this the fact that you’re probably ravenously hungry (no more carbs), furiously angry (no more cigarettes), and the early mornings are taking their toll – all round, you feel pretty terrible.

That’s the January blues.

But do they really have to be a bad thing? That desire for change and improvement must, deep down, be good – it’s what we were born to do. Man wouldn’t have been to the moon without someone looking up, after all. If you really want to do something amazing in 2012, you need to take advantage of the blues and make a positive change for the better.

We can’t advise much on your other New Years Resolutions – but if your career is where you want to change, here are some golden nuggets of advice to help you find the perfect job this year.

Take the bull by the horns.

We’re not suggesting heading off to Pamplona for a bit of bull-running – although if you’re an adrenaline junkie, it’s certainly one way to go.

Rather than spending the next six months thinking about the fact that you’re not satisfied at work, make a game plan. Think about your all-round presence in the job market. If you’ve got conflicting/out-of-date CVs on the job boards, with agencies, and on LinkedIn, now’s the time to refresh your personal brand – take a look at this guide to improving your online employability here.

Look at the bigger picture.

And rather than aimlessly browsing the job boards, sending applications left, right and centre to jobs that aren’t really “you” – think about what it is you want to do. Where do you see yourself in a year? And the year after that?

If you can look at your career in a wider aspect to see where you want to be, and when, it’ll help you to really target your job search – and turn those January blues into a whole new you.

This is not a recommended job search technique.

But… Be specific.

Once you’ve groomed your candidate profile and decided where you see yourself, have a think about the specialist agencies in your sector. We’re not just saying this because we’re a niche agency ourselves (although if you’re a contact centre management or specialist type, you’ve come to the right place!) Across all sectors and industries, you’re almost certainly going to have more success in your job search if you’re working with recruiters who know their stuff.

When a specialist recruiter puts you forward for a role, you know you’re a pretty close match to what the client is looking for, because the specialist knowledge is what people like us trade on. Knowing our industry is what makes businesses large and small work with us, because we can help, rather than hinder, the selection process.

Do your research.

For that reason, it’s worth reading up not only on specialist agencies, but having a look at jobs that are currently being advertised at the level you’re already working at. This might sound counter-intuitive, but we’re not suggesting you should apply.

Rather, this will give you an idea of the benchmark that you should be aiming for – as well as the skills that employers expect from your role. Also, looking at a job description of a role similar to yours might give you an insight into what transferable skills you’ve got. You might not realise, for instance, that your SQL skills are big business in the market at the moment – or that the course you went on months ago could really help boost your employability.

So that’s our advice for making 2012 the year your career gets bigger and better – if you’ve got any tips of your own, please let us know in the comments below.

Happy New Year everyone!

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This is in addition to our campaign to make a donation to charity for each of our fabulous clients, candidates and suppliers that signs their name on our Christmas page, rather than sending Christmas cards out this year.

The charities we’ve been dressing up for are Help for Heroes, Cancer Research, Alzheimer’s Research, Shelter, and Acorns Children’s Hospice – so if you enjoy our photos, be sure to visit their websites and make a donation this Christmas.

Here are some pictures from our day – enjoy!

But rather than making these traditional resolutions, why not have a think about some differences you could make to your management style in 2012? We’ve been thinking about what makes a great manager – and here are our top tips!

The little things are important.

Focusing upon what you can do to make real change happen in your business often means starting with the small stuff. Making sure your agents are happy can make an enormous difference to productivity on a wider scale. Plus, conventional wisdom has shown that change always starts small – and those who pay attention to detail are rewarded.

But… Don’t ignore the big issues!

It’s all about balance – it may seem like a contradiction after the last point, but if you get too tied up in the minor points, it’s worth taking a moment to think about the big picture every so often. Schedule a time once a week where you’re getting your priorities in order, so that you can see how all of your tasks fit together – and where your focus needs to be.

Focus on Quality

Focusing on improving quality, rather than just growth for the sake of growth, will make your contact centre not only better at providing a great customer experience, but it’ll also make it a better place to work. In turn, this will lead to your business attracting the best staff, and being a lot more difficult to shake in times of change.

Keep the Momentum Going!

Being a great manager means being agile, and able to work with your market. With all the upheaval of the last couple of years (and the doom and gloom reports that still seem to be everywhere!) it’s really important to keep rolling with the punches. Having enough strength to keep your momentum in times like these will motivate those around you to do the same – so get moving!

Make Your Targets Challenging, but Achievable

Keeping your team motivated means you need goals for them to aim for. Having realistic targets on both an individual and a team basis will keep your team focused and aiming high.

So that’s our suggestions for Managerial New Years’ Resolutions – although you don’t have to wait until the new year to start! Do you have any great tips? And what will you be doing to make your business stronger in 2012?

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Cactus Search is the leading provider of Call and Contact Centre Management candidates to some of the most prestigious companies in the UK and Internationally.