Talkdesk Layoffs 2023 – Talkdesk joins tech firms in layoffs amid tough economic times. Talkdesk announced layoffs in February 2023. This layoff round affected a significant number of workers, the former employee said.
The job cuts at Talkdesk affected various roles. Including customer success, channel managers, and solutions engineering. While one employee suggested this round of layoff at Talkdesk may affect up to 20% of Talkdesk’s workforce. However, the exact number of employees has not been officially confirmed. Even Talkdesk has not commented on the situation so far.
Talkdesk is a cloud contact center provider. It has around 2,000 employees spread across 19 countries. They could potentially see around 200 employees affected by these layoffs. However, one anonymous laid-off worker suggested the number of affected employees. He revealed that the number might be closer to 100 or possibly more.
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About Talkdesk
Talkdesk was valued at $10 billion after its Series D funding round in 2021, where it raised a total of $498 million.
In 2021, Talkdesk expanded its presence in the unified communications space. It has launched a business phone system built on a cloud contact center platform. Tiago Paiva focused on commitment to motivate and encourage employees to excel. Tiago Paiva is the CEO of the company ‘Talkdesk’.
Not only the affected number of employees was not disclosed. But Talkdesk has not also disclosed the reasons behind these workforce reductions. Due to this, the company left employees in uncertainty. Still, Talkdesk officials have not responded to inquiries from Channel Futures.
This move is very hard to digest for the employees at Talkdesk. Affected employees were mostly in the US. They have shared their experiences on social media. LinkedIn posts shed light on former employees’ thoughts after being laid off.
Caitlin Follett, who served as a senior manager in partner marketing at Talkdesk for just over a year. She shared her perspective. She mentioned. “She, like many in the tech industry, received notice that her position was eliminated. Despite the initial challenge, she expressed optimism about finding another great opportunity. She also expressed gratitude for her time at Talkdesk. It emphasizes the valuable relationships she had formed.
Joshua McClain, a former commercial account executive, said. “The harsh economic climate, noting that many others were in the same situation. While he looked forward to spending time with his newborn son. He expressed eagerness to take on his next challenge.”
Donna Chaillet, who held the role of regional channel manager at Talkdesk for over two years. She acknowledged the difficulty of the experience. But expressed gratitude for the success she had achieved at the company.
Also, in 2022, Talkdesk announced layoffs. It reduced its worldwide workforce to align resources with the company’s priorities better. These changes affected only a small percentage of the global workforce. It is noted that less than 200 employees out of approximately 2,100 were affected worldwide.
A company spokesperson explained. ” In order to ensure alignment with our company’s priorities and the economic context. The adjustments in our teams in Portugal and other regions were made. This included reductions based on performance and contributions.”
Despite the workforce reductions, Talkdesk highlighted that its business remains robust as it is driven by increasing demand in its sector. Former employees, particularly from the HR department in the United States. They have shared their experiences on LinkedIn and mentioned multiple rounds of layoffs.
The exact number of employees affected was also not disclosed at that time. Talkdesk mentioned the impact indicated only a low single-digit percentage of their headcount.
In short, Talkdesk conducted multiple rounds of layoffs so far.
As it downsized global staff in response to company priorities and economic context.
In addition to Talkdesk, other tech companies have also announced layoffs. PayPal is expected to lay off 2,000 workers, representing 7% of its workforce. While HubSpot plans to cut 500 jobs. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, recently announced 12,000 job cuts. Microsoft revealed 10,000 job cuts during challenging times.
Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, focused commitment to handling the process thoughtfully and transparently. Besides, it will continue to hire in key strategic areas.
Why Is Talkdesk Laying Off Employees?
Talkdesk recently laid off a significant number of its employees. In comparison, the company hasn’t disclosed the reasons behind these layoffs. But five probable reasons could have contributed. Let’s find them out!
- Pandemic Boom: When the pandemic hit, Talkdesk experienced a surge in demand. So, it hurriedly adopted remote work solutions. To keep up, Talkdesk went on a hiring process. However, as the pandemic ended. Businesses returned to normalcy, and the need for Talkdesk’s services decreased.
- Overhiring: Like many tech firms, Talkdesk might have overhired during the pandemic. The economic downturn has since compelled these companies to announce layoffs.
- Recession Concerns: With global economic challenges, businesses are becoming cautious. Many are cutting costs in anticipation of a potential recession.
- Russia-Ukraine War: The war has created uncertainty and instability in the global economy. Due to this, making long-term plans becomes difficult. This has prompted many companies to reduce their workforce.
- Inflation Pressure: Rising inflation is damaging both businesses and consumers. Companies are struggling with higher expenses for labor, materials, and energy. At the same time, consumers are cutting back on non-essential spending. This economic slowdown has led to layoffs in various industries.
What Kind Of Company Is Talkdesk?
Talkdesk is the go-to cloud contact center for businesses focused on their customers. It combines top-notch performance with user-friendly features. It adapts to the ever-changing needs of support and sales teams. The result? Increased customer satisfaction, boosted productivity, and significant cost savings.
Over 1,800 innovative companies worldwide, including big names. Such as Peloton, IBM, Trivago, Acxiom, and 2U. All these big companies rely on Talkdesk so that they can gain a competitive edge through exceptional customer experiences.
Talkdesk is a registered trademark of Talkdesk, Inc. Talkdesk, Inc. specializes in web-based call center software for small businesses worldwide. Talkdesk was founded by Tiago Paiva and Cristina Fonseca in 2011. It’s headquartered in San Francisco with Portuguese roots. Talkdesk’s platform helps streamline phone operations. It uses CRM data to provide insights before calls.
With a valuation of over $1 billion and $344.3 million raised, including a recent Series D round. Talkdesk is a significant player in software. They excel in areas like:
- Natural Language Processing (NLP)
- Solution Analysis, Data Management
- Cloud Computing
- Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Despite challenges leading to layoffs and employee reductions. Talkdesk remains dedicated to helping enterprises as it enhances customer experiences through cloud-based call center solutions. Tiago Paiva guides Talkdesk as a preferred choice for established and innovative firms.
Is Talkdesk A Good Company?
According to Glassdoor reviews from over 802 employees. Talkdesk has received an overall rating of 3.4 out of 5. Despite the layoffs, former employees have praised Talkdesk as a good place to work. They have commended the company for its handling of the layoffs. About 54% of employees would recommend Talkdesk as a workplace to their friends. It means roughly 39% have a positive outlook on the company’s future. It’s important to note that this rating has declined by 7% over the past year.
Regarding its primary business, Talkdesk offers user-friendly contact center software. This software is designed to help businesses excel in customer service. It boasts features including:
- Omnichannel support
- Customization options
- Strong integration capabilities
- Advanced reporting and analytics
These attributes make Talkdesk the first choice for businesses of all sizes.
When Layoffs Will Stop In 2023?
When will the wave of layoffs come to an end? It’s anticipated that the layoff season might end in the latter half of 2023.
It is believed that rapid digitalization may lead to an increase in demand. The market is expected to rebound in the second half of 2023, especially for professionals with experience in the BFSI sector.
Ujjal De, Founder and CEO of KarmaV, pointed out. “The job market might remain uncertain in the first half of 2023. Various sectors will exhibit uneven signs of recovery. It prompts a cautious approach due to the looming possibility of a recession.”
How Did Layoffs Handle At Talkdesk?
Talkdesk Inc. allows TaskUs to use Talkdesk’s flexible cloud solutions. So that it can offer thousands of employees remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. TaskUs is a rapidly growing tech-enabled business services company. It specializes:
- Customer support
- Artificial intelligence (AI) operations
- Content security services for innovative companies worldwide
The pandemic led to contact center closures and mass layoffs. TaskUs took proactive steps to adapt. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Talkdesk handled the situation by not conducting mass layoffs. They leveraged Talkdesk’s flexible cloud contact center solutions.
So that they can shift the majority of their global operations to remote work. This way, they saved many jobs. Besides, they onboarded new team members for certain clients so that they could ensure uninterrupted business operations.
Bryce Maddock, CEO of TaskUs, highlighted the importance of Talkdesk’s reliable solution. It focuses on supporting its frontline workforce. It consisted of over 20,000 employees worldwide.
Michael Thigpen, Head of Client Technology Services at TaskUs. He pointed out, “Talkdesk rapidly transitioned its customer support staff to remote work. On the other hand, it was also able to meet its clients’ growing needs. Talkdesk provided solutions to TaskUs to maintain a high level of customer service. Those services that their clients expect.
- Talkdesk’s user-friendly customization options like:
- Cloud-native architecture
- Ease of use
These options ensure a contact center solution. It is the solution that meets TaskUs’ and its clients’ unique needs.
Talkdesk Joins Epic’s Pals Program to Enhance Healthcare Integration
As of March 2023, Talkdesk has been serving over 1,800 customers worldwide. Besides, it has a global team of more than 1,000 employees.
The company has announced its participation in Epic’s new Pals program. It shows that Talkdesk joined Epic’s Pals Program to enhance Healthcare Integration along with Epic’s industry-leading electronic health record (EHR) software.
As the first CCaaS (Contact Center as a Service) vendor to join the Pals program, Talkdesk is dedicated to offering customer-validated integrations with Epic’s software. So that it can enhance the patient experience in healthcare, these two companies collaborated closely. They aim to provide advanced voice and digital contact center capabilities. Moreover, they deeply connected patient experience solutions and improved self-service opportunities for patients.
According to Sam Seering, Product Manager of Cheers at Epic, said. The right technology is important for enhancing patient interactions. Or to achieve efficient and personalized care. The partnership between Talkdesk and Epic will not only benefit patients. But also provide enhanced analytics by combining data from both platforms.
The program will foster closer collaboration. It offers technical support, go-to-market support, and technology access between Talkdesk and Epic.
Jeffrey Sturman, SVP and Chief Digital Officer at Memorial Healthcare System. He emphasized the importance of alignment between strategic technology partners. This way, they can create seamless digital and AI-powered patient journeys. The collaboration between Talkdesk and Epic is expected to increase innovation. Also, they expected to improve patient experiences.
Talkdesk’s Healthcare Experience Cloud is an AI-powered platform. It is designed to help healthcare providers in delivering modern patient experiences. An Epic integration empowers healthcare providers to enhance patient access. Moreover, it increases revenue cycle management and benefits thousands of daily patient interactions.
Patty Hayward, GM of Healthcare at Talkdesk. He highlighted the role of generative AI in transforming patient experiences. The partnership with Epic aims to enhance patient journeys across communication platforms. It enables healthcare providers to offer the personalization and convenience that customers expect.
In healthcare, interoperability and direct integrations in patient communications are important as they deliver personalized and connected experiences.
Who Are The Biggest Competitors Of Talkdesk?
Below, you can check the biggest competitors of Talkdesk. Let’s check them:
- CloudTalk: Rating: 9.4 out of 10
CloudTalk offers cloud-based call center software for sales. It supports teams of all sizes. It focuses on enhancing customer experiences through personalized, data-driven interactions. Users can acquire local, mobile, or toll-free numbers from over 140 countries.
- Broadvoice: Rating: 9.2 out of 10
Broadvoice provides hosted voice UCaaS, CCaaS, and CX solutions for small businesses. Besides, it offers services for mid-market enterprises and BPOs. Their solutions simplify communications and streamline operations with enterprise-class features.
- LiveAgent: Rating: 8.8 out of 10
LiveAgent is help desk software designed to personalize customer interactions. It offers an omnichannel universal inbox and real-time live chat, among others.
- 3CX: Rating: 8.4 out of 10
Cyprus-based 3CX offers an IP PBX phone system.
- Twilio: Rating: 7.9 out of 10
Twilio provides CPaaS and CCaaS solutions, including programmable Voice, Video, and Messaging APIs and an API for WhatsApp.
- Aircall: Rating: 8.0 out of 10
Aircall is headquartered in Paris. It offers a VOIP system for businesses, supporting contact centers with many features, including IVR, automated call routing, and marketing systems for support and sales purposes.
In The End
Talkdesk, a cloud-based contact center platform, recently laid off employees. However, the company has not specified the reason behind these layoffs. Potential factors include the pandemic boom, overhiring, recession fears, the Russia-Ukraine war, and inflation.
This reflects broader economic challenges. Despite being a growing company, these layoffs may ensure long-term success. However, affected employees face challenges while finding jobs in a tough job market.
