From Call Centre Staffing to Specialist Recruitment for a Public Services Provider.

About the client.

The client operates as a leading public services provider, mainly providing public services to government.

The challenge.

The client needed an MSP provider who could meet fluctuating temp hiring needs and quickly scale up for an important healthcare support campaign. Later, they required internal HR support and specialist workers for their wider network.

Adecco have worked with the client for over a decade, supplying large volumes of temporary staff to their UK network of call centres.

The client needed an MSP provider with the experience and resources to understand local markets and maintain temporary workers on a rolling, long-term timeline, adapting to seasonal surges and one-off campaigns. They also needed a partner who understood stringent government regulations and who would commit to their culture and internal values.

Over time, our MSP partnership has expanded to incorporate additional challenges. These have included:

From high-volume contingent staffing to specialist role sourcing and internal HR management, the client needed a partner who would look beyond being an MSP provider and work towards becoming a full strategic partner and a dedicated extension of their business.

• Quickly mobilising to provide call centre staffing to support the client’s award of an important contract relating to public health support. (scalability)
• Supporting the client to reduce the number of workers on statutory sick pay through internal welfare processes. (compliance and cost control)
• Supplying senior and skilled contractors and professionals encompassing the client’s wider network. (operational efficiency)
• Sourcing additional low-skilled employees for the wider network. (operation efficiency)
• Partnering with the client on ED&I incorporation, strategy days, and bid writing.

Our solution.

Utilising our centralised Adecco Career Centre and a wide network of Adecco specialists, we ensure an agile, flexible approach to sourcing and selection. We also leverage our internal resources and expertise to support other aspects of the client’s business.

Adecco employ a Client Services Director (CSD) to work directly with the client. Over time, we have grown our relationship from an initial MSP to a trusted official strategic partner with aligned policies and processes.

Our Adecco Career Centre (ACC) has been pivotal in supporting a centralised, omnichannel approach, allowing in-house teams to complete tasks such as sourcing, background checks, and onboarding so our account management team can focus on client partnership and strategy.

The scope of our internal infrastructure (including talent and business area specialists) has been crucial to providing the client with a complete MSP solution, drawing on multiple departments and regional experts.

Successful initiatives have included:

Directly interfacing our on-site and remote recruitment with the client’s HR and operations functions to supply large numbers of contingent call centre staff, utilising our chain of local and national suppliers.

Implementing data-driven improvements to the process over time and deploying additional resources and creative solutions to deal with recruitment surges.

Quickly mobilising to supply staff for a healthcare support contract, including conducting planning sessions, creating a work-from-home strategy, devising a purpose-led digital recruitment strategy, and employing dedicated consultants to manage compliance checks.

Addressing the client’s need to reduce long-term sickness costs, which had recently cost the company £287,000. By conducting workshops and training and introducing a new system to track staff on SSP, we achieved substantial reductions.

Recognised triggers and issues SSP colleagues were facing (including mental well-being) and took steps to increase awareness among staff with specialist training qualifications.

Devising a bespoke delivery model to deliver a range of highly skilled temporary and professional roles for the client’s organisational network, avoiding disruption to the previous supply model.

The introduction of dedicated aftercare processes, including a contractor care line, expert guidance, and manager training webinars.

Negotiating with supply chains to reduce contractual rates, delivering substantial cost savings.

Key results.

Our MSP solution has consistently provided a high volume of contingent workers, continually improved processes over time, and delivered enhanced cost savings.

MSP Programme

• An average of 2,000 to 7,000 contingent workers supplied per annum, depending on needs.
• 98% on-time fulfilment over ten years.
• 93% fulfilment in 2025.
• NPS score of 86+ for clients, and +61 for candidates in 2025.
• Public Health Support Campaign
• 6,500 applicants reached within 48 hours and 3,000 responses within 72 hours.
• 100% staffing requirements fulfilled.
• Average of 2.2% worker attrition maintained per month in 2020.
• Managing Welfare Checks
• Achieved a 90% reduction in SSP costs from £287,000 in 2021 to £24,000 in 2023.
• Supplying Senior and Skilled Workers
• 100% of contractors successfully transferred on day one.
• Reduced the number of supply chain agencies by 62%.
• Over £320,000 worth of savings provided since April 2023