Implementing Effective Onboarding Strategies in Your Interpretation Services Center
How do you address the growing need for improvement in hiring, training, and retaining excellent Contact Center Agents? DATAMARK responds to the challenge by creating an intense Recruiting and Retention Program to deliver a large number of high-quality candidates.
Background: A Growing Need for Improvement in Hiring, Training and Retaining Good Employees
In recent years, an increasing number of companies have struggled to hire and retain top employees. From McDonald’s to Apple, there has been a labor shortage both before and after COVID-19. DATAMARK has also experienced hiring struggles. However, DATAMARK has developed a highly effective strategy for recruiting and hiring exceptional talent at the corporate level and within its contact centers. At DATAMARK, employees tend to stay with the company for many years and often recommend others to apply. It is a goal for DATAMARK to lower attrition rates as much as possible.
Challenge: Overcome Hiring Obstacles and Attract Quality Candidates
DATAMARK’s many clients often need to hire more than 150 agents for their contact center needs. With today’s current climate, hiring so many agents at a time can be difficult. It can be tough if one does not use the proper channels to attract potential employees. The days of advertising positions through television advertisements and newspapers are long gone. It is a challenge in itself to change how one approaches the hiring process.
While DATAMARK employs more than 3,000 people worldwide, achieving this milestone has been a significant challenge. DATAMARK has facilities in Mexico, India, and the United States. Each location comes with its own set of roadblocks. DATAMARK in Mexico has had issues with hiring quality interpreters, and DATAMARK in the United States has faced hurdles in establishing its presence among local residents. These limitations can make it difficult to meet the quotas set by clients.
DATAMARK and other companies continually adapt their advertising to effectively attract the employees they need, while showcasing their company culture. It can be challenging to convey your company culture without the proper channels. Every company should be open and honest about how it operates and how it treats its employees.
Solution: Use Various Methods to Modernize the Approach to Recruitment
By strategically addressing recruitment issues, new hiring processes have provided DATAMARK with a steady stream of quality employees to run each location efficiently. Depending on the facility’s location, DATAMARK uses various channels to connect with potential employees. Social media channels, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, work exceptionally well in the United States and occasionally in Mexico, depending on the role being advertised. Referral programs or job fairs are more efficient in India and Mexico locations.
By modernizing the approach to recruitment, DATAMARK has been able to see a large increase in applicants. While they may not always have all the requirements, there is a large pool of applicants to search through for the best talent available. For hiring purposes, DATAMARK no longer advertises through newspapers or commercials on television. DATAMARK now utilizes social media channels, word of mouth, online job boards, and community events to find local talent.
One of DATAMARK Mexico’s strategies is to host job events at local schools, as students must be bilingual to enroll. In the United States, similar strategies are used at local universities to find students who speak more than one language. The offices in El Paso have found success in working with local news channels to reach more people and promote recognition. Residents must be aware of your company and the roles it offers.
Using DATAMARK’s Business Process Management System (BPMS), the team documented each step of the workflow, identifying and removing steps that did not add value. Next, Lean Six Sigma and other methodologies were applied to reduce variations in output quality. DATAMARK’s experts worked with the client to understand the pain points in the process and developed a training system to ensure the high quality of output by data entry keyers.
Valuing Your Employees
DATAMARK strives to run a company that values its employees in all areas. Companies must ensure that corporate employees, agents, and clients are all well cared for. DATAMARK offers many benefits, including insurance, PTO, retirement options, and extensive upward mobility within the company. These incentives are beneficial for attracting applicants to open positions.
In addition, DATAMARK’s tried and true hiring process allows us to hire the number of employees clients need to run their contracted contact center. We go through many steps to ensure we select the best applicants. Let’s take a look at the three stages of the hiring process:
#1: Sourcing
The first step in the hiring process involves sourcing the position. To begin, the recruitment department defines the position they are looking to hire for and creates a job description. Afterwards, they decide where to place the ads and which search engines to use.
Each job has its own unique requirements. For example, DATAMARK Mexico requires all its agents to be bilingual. Our language and interpretation services are vital to many clients. Employees must also meet the age requirements (depending on the country) and live in a specific region. Mexico often receives 2,700 applicants, but after the entire selection process, only 21 will be considered for hire. This sets DATAMARK apart from 95.3% of language service providers who are self-employed and operate independently.
DATAMARK goes through an extensive process of screening and testing all incoming applicants to ensure their language and service skills meet DATAMARK’s high standards of quality. This is an important consideration when outsourcing language services, as interpreters often handle highly sensitive information and must be properly trained to manage such situations. The number of applications DATAMARK reviews, along with the time dedicated to testing and training these agents, demonstrates the company’s commitment to finding qualified candidates who can handle sensitive needs with linguistic clarity, empathy, and full understanding.
#2: Recruitment
The next step in the hiring process is the initial recruitment of candidates. After reviewing the applications, DATAMARK screens applicants who match the skills for the role. Further testing qualifies or disqualifies candidates. Those who have been green-lighted are then verified to ensure they have the language and other qualifications. The candidate’s information is sent to a third-party recruiter to conduct a second interview. The recruiter evaluates linguistic skills, experience, and overall qualifications.
Language tests include a bilingual fluency assessment, a written skills and comprehension quiz, an audio test interview, and a basic interpretation assignment. This enables DATAMARK to find the most qualified candidates with exceptional language skills for clients in need of bilingual or multilingual agents.
DATAMARK’s recruiters and trainers undergo strenuous training and are highly qualified to find and hire the best candidates. Recruiters and testers must have the following:
It is the recruiters’ job to find the best possible candidates for the role. Each candidate must fit the standards set by DATAMARK’S many clients. If candidates are lacking in any area, the recruiters do not move along with the hiring process. Each office sets its standards according to each client and will always actively search for the best talent.
#3: Onboarding
The final step of the hiring process is onboarding. DATAMARK’s recruiters are highly selective throughout the entire hiring process. The United States can often get up to 500-600 applicants for an advertised job, but only one out of 10 candidates will be hired. Similarly, DATAMARK Mexico may receive hundreds of applications, but only those who fit the criteria are hired.
DATAMARK uses the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale to determine language fluency during the onboarding process. The ILR is one of the language proficiency scales used to determine English skill levels, using a scale from 0-5. Candidates must be on the high end of the scale in order to move forward.
Once hired, the onboarding strategies begin. First, recruiters collect all necessary paperwork and ensure candidates are legally allowed to work. Candidates begin extensive training on the first day of work to ensure all agents are prepared to start their jobs. There are various trainings and assessments that each agent must pass to begin their assignment.
Results: Intense Hiring Strategies Lead to the Best Choice of Candidates
By utilizing intense hiring strategies, DATAMARK has agents that clients can trust for years to come, while easily procuring hundreds of applicants for additional roles as needed. DATAMARK’s reputation allows recruiters to have the best choice of candidates. Employee retention rate continues to rise due to the positive changes DATAMARK has made within the company.
Not only can DATAMARK retain employees, but they are also able to retain clients for just as long. When the recruitment department hires quality agents for clients, they are more likely to continue renewing contracts. A great example of this is DATAMARK’s relationship with one of the leading over-the-phone interpreting companies. DATAMARK has worked with this company for many years, and both parties continue to deepen the relationship to this day.
At DATAMARK, the goal is to continue hiring the best talent for clients while continuing to develop its reputation as a contact center, call center, or BPO that companies can trust
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