The new age of BDC hiring

Yep, the mass exodus of talent that has left us has caused a dramatic fracture in the available talent pool.

We are trying so hard to fill in the holes left by previous employees that we will just about accept anything in an attempt to keep the most basic of service level standards being offered to our customers.

It should be noted that this is absolutely not reserved to just the automotive industry. On a recent traditional Friday night order-in meal with my son, I had an urge to consume some synthetic sustenance that would no doubt leave me feeling guilty after the fact but, such is life.

As the after effects of the feeling of guilt were setting in prior to even placing an order, I wanted to comfort myself and trick my mind into what I was about to order in the fact that I was actually going to get up, drive to the commercial real estate where they mass produce processed “food” and place my order.

Upon arriving and entering the building, what then ensued was something of an absolute shit show. To no fault of the young students working behind the counter, simply trying to make a living, there were about 17 people all waiting in no type of organizational line.  There was mass confusion as to whose order was what, mistake in the orders, frustrated customers and frustrated and discouraged employees all due to the fact that they were grossly understaffed for such a deluge of clientele.
As well as me, now at the back of the line, negotiating and debating if I should listen to my selfish stomach or listen to the logic of not joining in this stampede that we now all refer to as “the new norm”.

Previously, I had made mention to the fact that my current client base is all struggling to find BDC agents among other roles. The temptation to simply take whatever resumes come in has now replaced our ability to select the best candidate as we are now governed by fear. Prior to the pandemic, the automotive industry was already struggling with the concept of employee retention boasting an incredible 52% average employee turnover rate.

So, what now you ask? Well, we should all be comforted by the fact that regardless of the industry, the work force that seems to have simply vanished, as if they were abducted by a mass quantity of alien UFO’s, are clearly somewhere.

If you are not having any luck in attracting talent, I would invite and challenge you to look at your entire “employee campaign” process. I do not mean to be adversarial towards your business by asking you rhetorical questions but rather encourage critical thinking that compliments your business growth.

Q: Read your job posting description a couple of times, does it raise your dopamine levels and provide for a clear illustration of having a dynamic work environment?

Q: have you even changed your job description in the last 2-3 years?

What I am hearing across the spectrum from the many rooms, club houses, LinkedIn posts and plethora of podcasts, are the same patterns that have plagued our industry for the last 40 years. We are still trying to solve short term problems that have very long-term negative effects on potential growth.

So common are these problems that they become ingrained in our daily processes and unrecognizable to business leaders and decision makers. It would seem as if all our normal tendencies have become lost in the process of domestication. After all, it is said that you get what you repeat.

Having conducted hundreds of interviews over the last 20 years in the automotive space, I have had a massive sample size of both unsuccessful as well as successful situations in order to present you with the following best practices as it relates to job description layout:

• Paragraph 1 – Company introduction: Make it fun, seducing and exciting. Tell the story of your organization. How long have you been in business? What is your community involvement like? What accolades are you most proud of? What are your current employees saying about the working environment? What type of eco system do the managers nurture?
• Paragraph 2 - The proposition: This area needs to be tantalizing! It needs to jump out of the screen to which they are reading from and get lodged in the back of their throat. It absolutely needs to be visceral. It needs to create a feeling of them being overzealous and a sense of enrichment to which the position challenges them. It should start out with “Have you…..”. It must also state the reason for which you are posting for this position. Try starting off with something like “Our recent influx of newly acquired customers has created a very rare opportunity for specialized BDC agents looking to make a difference…..”
• Paragraph 3 - Job description: This area needs to be armor piercing. If you are currently not attracting the ideal candidates, I can assure you it is due to a “lazy” job description. Let’s play job description poker for a second. Say that we have both just got our final river card and now it’s time to show your hand, I will go first:”

Under the supervision of the BDC Manager, the ideal team member will be responsible for using their unique ability and experience in the areas of communication, empathy and work ethic to provide a stellar customer service experience in order to assess the client’s needs and provide the appropriate resources.

In the role of BDC agent you will own the customer service experience and be our advocate to the client. You have an excellent attitude with the ability to be empathetic, responsive and resourceful in order to develop rapport and trust with our clients. 

The ideal candidate will have great communication skills, honesty, be detail oriented, a fast learner, business savvy, and most importantly, be a team player.