CEO Interview: How an IT Staffing Services Firm
Adapts to Change.

An insightful discussion with the CEO & President of Consutlis, Inc., Barbara Dettman Fleming.

    Talk to any one in information technology and the core theme is change; just to keep up, stay current, be competitive, access new opportunities, implement new solutions, to name just a few reasons. Those companies (that you could count on one hand) who were truly pioneers in the IT staffing services arena, find they are not immune to having to deal with the dynamics and necessity of change. Consultis is one such pioneer and a company focused on (for all the reasons above) change.

    Begun in 1984, when the term was MIS instead of IS or IT and I (now Internet) came after E (now Electronic) but only before C (as in Commerce). With its first office in Houston, Texas, the company, then known as Computemp, supplied operators and tape librarians in those enormous and somewhat mysterious data centers. Pretty simple then. Just use the standard temporary help mantra and methods and provide folks for vacation or sick leave or during peak workload periods. It was a concept that had "legs" and answered both a client's need and provided an opportunity for niche staffing providers.

    As a point of reference, Barbara is not new to staffing, and wasn't in 1984 when she started the company. Her family has been an important part of temporary help since 1946, when her father, Leroy Dettman began Labor Pool, to help returning WW II GI's find employment. That company expanded and grew to national prominence and was acquired by H&R Block in 1979. Today it is (independent of Block) a successful multinational, broad services staffing company.

ed. note: As I read this introduction to Barbara, she began the interview with the following:

"Well, that's all true. They are successful and I take some pride in being a part of the founding of that company. And yes, they're competition, which I never shy away from."

>Would you say that they and the other multinationals are your most formidable competition?
"No. We now have so many players in IT. Some are truly rooted as we are and some are new to it because they think its the place to be. But, while we're all fighting for a relationship and a level of trust with clients, the survivors here will be the ones who embrace the challenge of competition from the technology that we helped create: The online job boards."

>So, you're saying that they are competition in a sense.
"In this sense: Clients know that they can recruit directly from these massive directories of highly skilled professionals. So, we compete to be the first to make contact, promote the benefits of the engagement or position, and submit the candidate."

>What other changes is the IT staffing industry facing?
"It's not as relationship-centric as it once was. The pressures that companies have to fill positions are great. They can't rely on a primary source or a handful of providers to fill all their needs. So, they do a lot internally now, working through HR departments, to search for candidates and, if they have primary relationships with certain staffing companies, they encourage them to sub contract with others to broaden the candidate base and improve their fill rates."

>So relationships aren't as important as they once were?
From our perspective they will always be important. But you can't deny a client's need to reach out sometimes.

> Back to the issue of change. What else must IT staffing companies do?
Well, I can only tell you what we have done and have in the pipeline. One, we've implemented an online application process for consultants. Today, they don't need to sit in a reception area and fill out pages of information. They can do a lot of it online and then be marketed more quickly. Clients appreciate that speed, too. We offer all consultants free training. Over 300 titles, web-based or on CD's they can take home. They appreciate the opportunity to improve skills - and their earning potential - and clients like that they are up to speed on the latest software releases. Things like that help build or at least retain long standing relationships."

> Anything else?
"CompIQ is our proprietary testing program. No one goes on an interview without their skills verified. MappIT is our personality assessment tool. Clients like having traits like team- work and leadership ability documented. Plus, clients and those who may want to try us for the first time, can use something we recently started. It's an online job posting utility. More than a few times we've been told, or voicemail has made it clear, that they don't have time to talk to us. So we quickly put this up so job needs can be posted and routed to the appropriate office and quickly worked on. Talk about change: We let clients know that if they 'Post-er we won't Pester'.

    And, I have to mention our most aggressive undertaking. Consultis. and a fourth of our 32 locations are ISO 9002 certified. In the pipeline I mentioned earlier, is the roll out across the country. I'm very proud that we live up to that internationally recognized standard."

> With all that in place or in the works, is there anything that you're not changing?
"Good question, and the answer is yes. I have a file full of printed emails and letters and cards from consultants who expressed gratitude for taking time with them for counselling, mentoring and motivating. That's above and beyond finding them a job. That extra effort's not going away. Also, we have clients who invite us to be more than just a staffing provider. They want our input, respect our perspective and single focus in IT and ask for our involvement and recommendations. That's part of the service and part of our name and mission: To consult with clients and provide people-based solutions. That's something that a raw search on a job board can't provide, nor can many other companies offer who don't have the longevity we have in this unique industry. Again, not going to change."

> What's the future look like?
"Industry-wide, there's a lot of consolidation going on. Staffing companies tried to be Y2K consultants and are back to trying to find themselves. Some became solutions providers and did staffing. They're trying to now find their core competencies. We've improved our delivery of services, streamlined and become quicker to respond but haven't lost our focus. We provide solutions, so to speak. As it pertains to providing the people that make the solutions work. We're people-based. That's our focus today."

> Change has been the subject here. Does it worry you that everything is changing so fast?
"Worry? No. Just the opposite. You might put your toe in the water to test the temperature, but at some point you have to jump in with both feet or walk away. We're in with both feet and we have a network of offices that are truly united in our mission. What the future holds? Who knows for sure. IT may become outdated. It may be eT. Everything we do may be internet-based. And where is our next generation of professionals coming from? Computer Sciences enrollment is not keeping up. That's why we're a major contributor in providing scholarships through the NACCB's (National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses) Open Door Foundation. And maybe staffing companies need to play a greater role in career pathing for these students...even offer an ITI service: Information Technology Internships. So, we're planning, participating and providing. We've changed and we're ready to continue to change. If clients say "Let's have a 'virtual' relationship like this model", or consultants want to do the project virtually - from their home office in Zurich - we'll be prepared."
> Thank you, Barbara.

Barbara Dettman Fleming, Founder, CEO & President of Consultis.
can be reached at CEOlistens@consultis.com