Spencer Ogden Powers Rapid Growth with Bullhorn
Spencer Ogden
Introduction:
Launched on 4 January 2010 by industry heavyweights David Spencer Percival and Sir Peter Ogden, Spencer Ogden is a fast-growing and dynamic energy recruitment specialist located on London’s vibrant Charlotte Street,. The company currently employs 37 staff and works within the oil and gas, renewable and nuclear sectors, recruiting highly-skilled energy professionals for 700 clients in over 30 countries including the USA, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates.
Key challenges:
In the months leading up to Spencer Ogden’s launch, the senior management team agreed that choosing the right customer relationship management (CRM) system was one of the most important business decisions for the future success of the company. Donna Hewett, Head of Operations, explained: “It was vital that we made the right choice, as the CRM system forms the foundations on which the company is built, and therefore needed to be in place and working well ahead of our launch. We also needed something we could trust to grow with us. Recruitment is an extremely fast-paced industry, so we had to find an intuitive system that would enable our staff to work to their maximum potential straight away.”
When Hewett joined the Spencer Ogden team in 2009, she was tasked with ensuring that the firm’s infrastructure was in place prior to the company’s official launch. This led to another key consideration: ease of implementation. As most of the activity in the energy sector is spread over a handful of key areas across the world, the firm planned a rapid global expansion strategy. Consequently, Spencer Ogden required a system that made it simple to add new employees and easy to set up in new offices.
Another challenge was the issue of initial outlay on IT equipment. David Spencer-Percival, Managing Director of Spencer Ogden, had experienced this in 2000 as a co-founder of recruitment firm Huntress, and was keen to avoid extensive start-up costs that would only inflate with the company’s planned growth.
Solution:
In the months leading up to Spencer Ogden’s launch, the senior management team met with several recruitment software providers and decided on a shortlist of six, each of which was trialled during October and November 2009. It soon became clear that Bullhorn’s fully-integrated, web-based recruitment software was the best fit for the agency’s needs. The Bullhorn platform’s cloud-based technology meant that for staff at the new offices in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Qatar, an internet connection would be all that was required to start recruiting straight away.
The extensive email integration is a major attraction for the company, as it provides an audit trail of all emails and job specifications that have been exchanged with clients, enabling recruiters to provide a seamless, high-quality service in instances of staff absence. Bullhorn’s compatibility with the latest mobile technology is another added bonus, as it allows recruiters to work on the go, accessing emails and candidate records on their BlackBerry or iPhone. The software also integrates with social networking sites such as LinkedIn, enabling recruitment through less traditional methods.
Peter Linas, UK Managing Director of Bullhorn, commented: “Spencer Ogden had plans to expand very quickly. Bullhorn’s Software-as-a-Service model supported that growth by providing business flexibility and allowing new users to easily be added to the account. Bullhorn’s web-based software also eliminated IT start-up costs, removing the need to spend thousands of pounds on servers and other IT kit. ”
End user benefits:
One of the main benefits of implementing Bullhorn’s recruitment software is the ease with which the company has been able to induct new staff. New user accounts can be added instantly with the click of a button, and at a fixed price. This has saved time and money, as new staff can get on with the business of recruiting as soon as possible. The firm has already grown from 13 to 24 staff in 6 months.
The intuitive nature of the software means that anyone who has recruited before can start using it instantly. Bullhorn’s technical support team altered the homepage layout to Spencer Ogden’s preference, delivering a bespoke service that enables staff to work to maximum productivity.
“The start-up costs were minimal; we had originally estimated spending around £30,000-£35,000 on email and database servers, but with Bullhorn’s offering, we didn’t need them. We will also save money in the long term by not having to employ IT support staff to set up and maintain IT kit at our new satellite offices,” Donna Hewett explained.
“Spencer Ogden was one of the first recruitment companies in the UK to implement the Bullhorn platform, and the first new company to choose it for their start-up,” added David Spencer-Percival. “Prior to launching, we were determined that the brand would have an innovative and progressive philosophy. This of course extends to our company infrastructure and technology; Bullhorn’s recruitment software has supported us significantly in our first six months, and I look forward to seeing it grow with us as we expand further into new territories.”
Future development:
Spencer Ogden has plans for rapid expansion, and is aiming to employ 300 staff in multiple locations over the next three years. The Bullhorn platform will grow alongside the company, offering continuing support and flexibility. Peter Linas commented: “We are seeing more and more organisations discovering the benefits of web-based recruitment software. Recruiters in today’s globalised economy work on the go, for clients in multiple locations and time zones; this is even more relevant in the energy sector. By implementing this technology and utilising it to assist rapid worldwide growth, Spencer Ogden has proved that it is a trailblazer for the rest of the recruitment industry.”
