Virtual Benches: The Next-Gen Solution in Tech Resourcing
Growing technology businesses are constantly seeking innovative solutions to address their resourcing challenges. One such solution that has been gaining traction is the concept of "Virtual Benches".
Defining the Virtual Bench
At its core, a "Virtual Bench" is a proactive resourcing strategy. It involves curating a roster of pre-vetted professionals, each skilled in niche roles, and maintaining this roster for immediate deployment on projects as needs arise. This forward-thinking approach drastically reduces the lead time that plagues traditional resourcing models.
Traditional vs. Virtual Bench Resourcing
In traditional resourcing models, companies would reactively seek out professionals for niche roles based on immediate demand. This often involved going to the market when a need arose and hoping to find suitable candidates quickly enough to meet that demand. The traditional approach was more reactive, with companies addressing needs as they came up.
In contrast, the Virtual Bench model is proactive. It involves creating "benches" or rosters of professionals for specific niche roles, such as solution architects, UX/UI designers, and cybersecurity experts, among others. These professionals are pre-vetted, and a database is maintained with key information for each associate. This database includes details such as their skill sets, availability, SC clearance, and rates.
This roster allows companies to have a clear view of when these professionals will be available, enabling them to plan better and potentially seek out new opportunities based on the skills and experience they have access to via a virtual bench.
Supporting Tech Team Augmentation
Virtual Benches support traditional resourcing models by adding a layer of flexibility, cost-efficiency, and quality assurance. It's a modern approach to technology resourcing that aligns with the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the tech industry, ensuring businesses are always a step ahead.
This eliminates the need to initiate a fresh recruitment process every time a specific skill is required, ensuring seamless deployment of the right resources. Given the unpredictable nature of tech projects, the ability to scale teams in response to sudden workload changes is invaluable.
The professionals within a Virtual Bench are already assessed for their skills, guaranteeing quality and reducing risks. This approach accelerates project execution, leading to faster time-to-market. Moreover, even if these professionals are engaged temporarily, the emphasis on thorough documentation ensures that knowledge is retained and transferred seamlessly.
The Virtual Bench complements existing tech teams by filling skill gaps, ensuring a well-rounded team capable of tackling diverse challenges. It also mitigates risks associated with long-term hires; professionals can be engaged for specific projects and, depending on their fit, can be considered for extended opportunities or allowed to move on post-project without the usual complications of ending employment.
The proactive nature of the Virtual Bench means businesses aren't merely reacting to vacancies but are consistently forecasting requirements ensuring their pool of resources is up to date to meet the demands of their growing business. This forward-thinking approach ensures preparedness and opens doors to a broader spectrum of tech projects, fostering business expansion and diversification.
Industry Applications of Virtual Benches
Virtual Benches offer a modern solution to the ever-evolving demands of project-based work, proving particularly effective in several key sectors. In the tech world, especially within high-growth technology companies, unexpected challenges can emerge.
Consider a leading cloud services provider aiming to integrate a new suite of tools into their platform. The immediate need for a Solution Architect with expertise in cloud integrations becomes evident. With a Virtual Bench, they can promptly access the right associate, ensuring a seamless integration process.
User experience remains at the forefront of digital success. Envision an app development agency tasked with redesigning a significant e-commerce platform to boost user engagement. The role of a Senior UX/UI Designer, especially one with a specialisation in e-commerce platforms, becomes paramount. Thanks to the Virtual Bench, the organisation can quickly onboard associates with the precise skills and experience required, elevating the platform's user experience.
Many clients require associates with SC clearance, given that obtaining such clearance can take 6 – 8 weeks. Having an associate who is already SC cleared accelerates the project timeline, enabling clients to progress efficiently. Picture the UK's intelligence agency crafting a new encrypted communication platform. This project would require Cyber Security professionals with a deep understanding of encryption technologies. Moreover, due to the sensitive nature of the project, these professionals would need to have Security Clearance (SC).
Virtual Benches provide various tech sectors with a tailored solution, enabling them to tackle challenges with the most suitable associates for their specific needs.
BrightBox's Approach to Virtual Benches
BrightBox Group's Virtual Bench is a pioneering approach to resourcing. We initiate and nurture relationships with SC-cleared associates, gathering details such as their skills, rates, availability, and location. To ensure the accuracy of this data, we maintain regular contact, checking in every 6 – 8 weeks.
Clients who wish to stay updated can request regular insights into the Virtual Bench. This setup allows them to filter the data to align with their specific requirements. When an associate catches a client's interest for a role, we reach out to that professional to confirm their availability and suitability. If they're a fit, their CV and video interview is promptly forwarded to the client.
The true potential of our Virtual Bench is unlocked when clients share their forward planning and upcoming projects with us. For instance, if there's an anticipated need for Solution Architects, we can adjust our bench accordingly.
The more insights we have into a client's future needs, the better we can prepare our associates. Our longstanding relationships with these technology consultants provide us with a clear picture of their current engagements and when they'll next be available. By synchronising this knowledge with a client's projections, we ensure associates are primed and ready for deployment as soon as they're available.
This anticipatory strategy is not only precise but also cost-effective. Clients benefit from having no recruitment fees, lower training costs, and fewer overheads linked to permanent hires. Additionally, the potential financial challenges of adapting to shifting needs are minimised.
BrightBox absorbs the cost of curating and managing the Virtual Bench, ensuring clients only pay for the roles they activate and when they're needed.
Navigating the Virtual Bench is straightforward. Picture a sophisticated Excel table with intuitive filters. Whether the requirement is for a Cybersecurity Analyst with SC-clearance or a Solution Architect with specific expertise, pinpointing the right associate is simple. This system facilitates the rapid deployment of professionals, ensuring businesses can address project needs without delay.
In essence, the Virtual Bench is a testament to foresight, innovation, and a commitment to meeting client needs, ensuring the right associate is always accessible.
Quality Assurance and Vetting
BrightBox Group takes immense pride in the robust quality assurance measures we have in place for our Virtual Bench. Our primary method of quality assurance is a meticulous review of an associate's CV.
However, our assurance doesn't stop there. We have established relationships with many of the associates on our Virtual Bench. In fact, many of them have been previously placed for projects with other clients, further attesting to their proven expertise and reliability.
The strength of these established relationships allows us to have a deeper understanding of each associate's capabilities, work ethic, and track record. This intimate knowledge ensures that we can vouch for their proficiency and fit for specific roles.
In addition to CV reviews and our knowledge from past placements, we have introduced short video interviews, lasting 2-3 minutes, with our associates. These interviews provide an avenue for associates to further showcase their expertise and personality, offering clients an enriched perspective into potential hires.
Furthermore, the added layer of SC clearance serves as a testament to the associate's trustworthiness, integrity, and ability to handle sensitive information. It's a rigorous vetting process that further ensures the security and confidentiality of projects, proving that the associate has been thoroughly assessed and can be entrusted with classified or sensitive information.
Through a combination of rigorous vetting, established relationships, and innovative methods like video interviews on our proprietary platform, Vista, we ensure that every associate on our Virtual Bench aligns perfectly with the needs and standards of our clients.
Streamlined Onboarding with BrightBox
In a nutshell, the onboarding process with BrightBox Group is designed for efficiency and speed. It follows the standard procedures you'd expect with any placement, ensuring that all necessary checks and preparations are in place.
What sets our process apart is our forward-thinking approach.
We store references for our associates, which not only vouches for their expertise and reliability but also accelerates the onboarding timeline. This means that when you select an associate from our Virtual Bench, much of the preliminary work has already been done.
Moreover, our professionals are pre-vetted and come equipped with a clear understanding of their roles. This ensures that they integrate seamlessly into your projects, requiring minimal orientation and allowing them to hit the ground running.
Our onboarding process is streamlined to ensure a smooth transition, enabling associates to quickly adapt and contribute to your project's success.
Virtual Bench Success Stories
The efficacy of BrightBox's Virtual Bench is evident, even in its infancy. Within a few months, we've successfully placed five individuals in live roles. Beyond our experiences, numerous UK-based SMEs, especially in tech and digital sectors, have reaped the benefits of Virtual Benches, reporting enhanced efficiency, cost savings, and accelerated project delivery.
Virtual Benches are redefining tech resourcing. By offering on-demand access to elite SC-Cleared associates, they present a solution that's flexible, cost-effective, and razor-sharp in efficiency.
Next steps
Embrace the future of tech resourcing with BrightBox Groups Virtual Bench. Whether you're a growing tech business or an established industry leader, our Virtual Bench is tailored to meet your dynamic needs.
Reach out to our Growth Managers to ensure you always have the right resources at the right time.
