DCV Technologies Ltd – digital technology revolution in staffing & recruitment

DCV Technologies Ltd is using AI based smart technology to support their skilled staff to solve the age-old problem of finding and retaining the right kind of talent in organizations in the UK and globally. With offices across several continents including new operations in South Africa and Poland, the company has positioned itself as a market leader in staffing solutions that is powered by AI and smart technology. Its operations cover Information Technology (IT), Engineering & Manufacturing, Travel, and Accountancy & Finance recruitment for temporary and permanent staff.
 
Chan Dabare, Non-Executive Director of DCV Technologies filled Herts Review in about the journey so far and how they have made an incredible success of the business which includes working with some of the largest global tech companies. “We started the company to provide recruitment services for our parent company, Nexus Group, an IT Consultancy.  Nexus Group were not attracting the right kind of staff through the various agencies we worked with at the time. While we received perfect CVs, they were never a match to the face to face interviews”.
 
The result was the formation of DCV Technologies. DCV is short for Digital CVs. The company has implemented a digital CV concept by integrating video recordings into the recruitment process. “DCV follows a simple but effective process. The AI based search engine supports the recruiters to find the best candidates from DCV’s CV database, Recruiters with specific domain knowledge contact potential candidates to filter and find the best match. The candidates then download DCV’s digital app that prompts 3 role specific questions and records the answering process.  Our recruiters then validate the answers with the candidates and describe facts about the employer before sending the candidate CV and the video clip to our clients.  Our recruiters then support our clients and candidates through every step of the onboarding process.   Our clients feel more connected with our candidates even before a face to face interview.   
 
The company had increased the success rate from interview to hire for Nexus Group and Nexus Group shared this success with their existing clients. DCV therefore was formally launched in 2007 to provide recruitment solutions to external companies and has never looked back. From successfully recruiting only IT professionals, the business expanded into Engineering, Manufacturing, Finance and Travel. Growth and expansion have followed rapidly with the company tripling its profit and revenue in its first 3 years of operation and is forecast to exceed 40% growth by 2021 across the group via acquisitions. “We are a preferred supplier to majority of the top FTSE 250 global companies”.
 
What is the unique formula driving these successes? According to Dabare, it is our people. “We make a great effort to find and retain the best people and integrate them into our culture. Our people must fit and maintain our culture. Integral to the culture is that we are open, transparent, and honest in everything we do. If we cannot fulfil a need for a client, we tell them immediately so that they can look elsewhere. No point messing the client about. This has worked very well for us as almost all of our business has come from referrals”.  He adds, that DCV has long term relationships with her staff and clients. Most of the staff have been with the agency for over 10 years.
 
DCV’s global operations adopt a process whereby they “follow the sun”. For instance, a process that starts in UK will continue in South Africa which is 2 hours ahead and then Sri Lanka which is 5 and half hours ahead and back to the UK. With about 120 professionals across her global offices, the DCV process works round the clock. Professionals can work remotely from anywhere to meet their clients’ needs. In everything, the client’s needs come first. “Combining AI based technology with highly skilled professionals across the globe using its unique candidate database to support our client and candidate needs at speed is a key USP that differentiates us from other recruitment agencies”.
 
The experience of recruiting staff initially for Nexus Group before providing the same service to external clients stands them out too. “We know the pain of hiring in the UK and globally”. By working exclusively for Nexus at the beginning, they tried, tested, and learnt various models until we figured out the right model which served Nexus well. This same recruitment model has been rolled out to external clients. According to Dabare, “this gives us a unique edge compared to other recruitment companies and the fact that we use robotics and artificial intelligence as well”
 
With all the successes the business has had over the last 10 years, the Covid-19 pandemic was almost a huge threat as the travel sector, a major part of the business, has been hugely impacted due to the global travel restrictions. Fortunately, through a combination of foresight and a bit of luck, the company realigned its processes, re-training the travel recruitment team in IT recruitment. The company now has multi-skilled staff with expertise in travel and IT recruitment which has been a huge game changer with one of their clients – a global travel company working with a major tech company.
 
Although Dabare’s background is in Artificial Intelligence, his passion for travel and his desire to launch a travel company early this year may have just saved the day. His team were following events in China, the resulting global ban on travel and moved quickly to adapt. The issues unfolding in China in January this year was an indication to change tact to combine travel experience with IT to support staffing needs of travel tech companies. He is happy none of DCV’s staff had to be made redundant or furloughed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. “Our staff have been too loyal and given much to this business. I couldn’t fail them”.
 
Does he intend to slow down, you know put his feet up? No, he laughs. He enjoys hands on technology based consultancy work and supporting organisations to build and become profitable. He is not thinking about slowing down. He intends to continue his Non-Executive Director roles which he thoroughly enjoys. 
 
With the changes Covid-19 has brought to the business space and Brexit due to happen by the end of the year, he is only thinking of the great opportunities that will result from these life changing events. Global expansion would be key to survival. The successful launch of the business in Poland in April 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the business landing  deals with the top 3 global tech companies and expanding the number of consultants to 50 in 6 months is a testament to this fact.
 
Watch this space. From acquisitions to a possible AIM listing to expansion across Europe, DCV has big goals. Dabare is an optimist. The glass is always half full. Where others see decline, he and his team see opportunities.