How Quotacom used LinkedIn to achieve a point of difference and identify the best location to create digital centres of excellence for world-leading digital transformation clients

THE SOLUTION

Utilising LinkedIn to identify the best locations for a COE

Quotacom turned to LinkedIn and used both LinkedIn Recruiter and LinkedIn Talent Insights to identify the best candidate for the chief digital officer (CDO) role. In March 2022, a CDO was appointed and in May 2022, Quotacom began the large task of identifying where the software COE should be located.

John Taylor, CEO and founder of Quotacom, worked with Quotacom’s management team to develop 22 key data points in the form of a Balanced Scorecard to determine the COE’s location. The availability of talent, salary averages, education, and skills availability were mapped alongside factors such as labour laws, corporation tax, and ease of doing business. Such information was recorded and plotted across multiple European locations.

“We used LinkedIn Talent Insights as a basis of seed data to identify initial locations,” explained John. “We then entered a month-long evaluation process. From a list of eight cities within Europe and ten globally, we identified four suitable locations. Whilst Milan, Budapest, and Rome would be somewhat suitable for the location of the COE, Lisbon, Madrid, Warsaw, and Barcelona were better options.”

Taylor continued: “We identified a significant talent pool in Spain, and Barcelona was chosen as the ideal location to build the COE. Subsequently, we were asked to help hire a VP of engineering in that region and several high-profile product and engineering managers, as well as software engineers, QA testers, and product managers.”

When strategy influences sourcing activities

Within seven months, Quotacom helped viaPhoton to launch the software COE and establish a European hub filled with digital transformation experts.

“When you help a business to shape strategy and help them to understand it to such a level of detail in terms of a talent roadmap, you can then start to plan sourcing activities,” explained John. “We assigned Daisy [Martin], one of our international account managers, to look after viaPhoton. She managed a complex project, quickly building a team using LinkedIn, that matched viaPhoton’s needs.”

Daisy Martin, global director, international account management and delivery at Quotacom, said of the project: “LinkedIn Talent Insights and LinkedIn Recruiter Professional Services armed us with a deep understanding of the candidate population and the trends within the region. This enabled us to quickly identify and engage with the right people resulting in a very impressive time to fill of less than 20 days. This enabled ViaPhoton to scale the COE quickly and rapidly start realising new product releases and, therefore, value.”

Making recommendations with confidence

John believes that Quotacom’s strong partnership and collaborative approach to sourcing talent and attention to detail played an instrumental role in meeting viaPhoton’s exact requirements. Moreover, Quotacom’s consultative nature, ability to advise, and research – backed by real-time data – enabled the business to strengthen its relationship with its client.
John continued: “How do recruitment companies go from being less transactional to an actual partner? It’s an important question and to understand the answer we must look at customer value and the reality of buying cycles.

“It’s important to understand that only ten per cent of your target market is actively buying or thinking about buying which means that 90 per cent of your target market is not. Perhaps they have just hired someone, or someone has just accepted a new position. However, the market is cyclical and those 90 per cent will be in the market once again. Therefore, it’s imperative that you provide value so that when they are in the market to buy, what you have to offer is valid.

“Provide value to your customers with market intelligence, competitor analysis, talent acquisition strategy, EVP development, brand marketing, salary benchmarking, and advisory services. All these things can help you elevate yourself from being just a supplier.”

John believes that LinkedIn played a pivotal role in Quotacom’s ability to service viaPhoton.
“We use LinkedIn to conduct executive-level searches,” John added. “Thanks to LinkedIn Talent Insights and Recruiter data, we were confident about the talent pools we would have access to.

“When you put your neck on the line with a client and say: ‘If you follow our advice and put your COE here, we are confident we can deliver X for you and we’re confident that it’s a sustainable place to be, and you won’t run out of talent as you continue to scale’ that’s a great place to be. LinkedIn has been fundamental to our results. If we didn’t have data, then we could not make our recommendations with confidence.”

Using data to understand the market and influence decision making

John argued the importance of embracing new technologies. He added: “With the power of AI and automation now becoming mainstream through the guise of ChatGPT, it’s more important than ever to embrace these technologies or get left behind.

“There can no longer be a fear of change. I know there are some in the industry who are resistant, but it’s clear that technology is here to stay. In my opinion, tech is not going to take our jobs. However, the companies and professionals who will be most successful in years to come are those who are able to harness the power of technology and evolve quickly.”

Quotacom’s consultants have learned to interpret LinkedIn data and use it to build a picture for clients, subsequently improving business and creating efficiencies. “The ancillary piece keeps us relevant in the marketplace,” John concluded. “If you have a niche, you know you can add value and if a business does not like how we work and how committed we are to delivering results then they are probably not the right partner for our business. People should not look at Quotacom as a recruitment firm. We are a professional services firm and are viewed by candidates as a leader in our field. In fact, 94 per cent of new followers on our LinkedIn Company Page in the last year have been influenced by our investment in Quotacom’s Jobs. Personally, I think this is because we have demonstrated both value and relevance and understand the nuances of doing business today in a world that looks to tomorrow.”