How High-Performing Agencies Actually Use Tech | Richard Caldicott (EP 85)

What actually drives results in recruitment… more tech, or better use of what you already have?

In this episode, I’m joined by Richard Caldecott, a recruitment technology expert and former IT Director who has spent years helping agencies build, optimise, and scale their tech stacks.

Richard has worked with recruitment businesses of all sizes, from growing agencies to large-scale organisations, giving him a grounded perspective on how technology should actually be used. Not in theory, but in practice, what works, what doesn’t, and where most agencies are going wrong.

With so much noise around AI, automation, and new tools, this conversation cuts through it all and brings things back to what actually drives performance.

Topics Discussed:
✅ Why most recruitment businesses overcomplicate their tech stack
✅ The biggest mistakes agencies make when buying new tools
✅ Why more tech doesn’t equal more billings
✅ Process vs tech, and why this is where most people get it wrong
✅ How high-performing agencies actually use their systems
✅ The reality of AI in recruitment, hype vs practical use
✅ Why unused tech is one of the biggest hidden costs in recruitment
✅ How to build a tech stack that actually drives performance
✅ The importance of adoption, training, and consistency
✅ What founders should focus on before investing in more tools
✅ How to simplify your systems and improve results
✅ Richard’s 1 Percent Better advice for recruiters

⏱ Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro and episode context
00:28 – Richard’s background and move into recruitment tech
02:48 – AI boom and why agencies are overcomplicating tech
12:00 – Process vs tech and what actually drives results
24:27 – AI content, ownership and over-automation risks
31:00 – Adoption, training and why tools fail
47:57 – AI vs human skills, what won’t be replaced
51:49 – Using AI in coaching and the attention trade-off
01:02:56 – Who Richard helps and how to connect
01:04:15 – Outro

🐋 Podcast Sponsor – SourceWhale

This episode is sponsored by SourceWhale, the multi-channel outreach platform I personally use and recommend to recruiters and founders.

SourceWhale helps you combine email, LinkedIn, calls, and tasks into one structured, consistent BD workflow, without relying on spray-and-pray automation.

👉 Book a demo here:
⁠⁠⁠https://sourcewhale.com/book-demo/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=&utm_term=charles_kyriakou&utm_content=book_a_demo⁠⁠⁠

Mention The 1 Percent Better Recruitment Podcast or my name, Charles Kyriakou, when you book.

🔗 Connect with Richard Caldecott💻 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-caldicott/⁠⁠⁠

🔗 Connect with Charles Kyriakou💻 LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/⁠⁠⁠

📲 TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakou⁠⁠⁠

🎙️ Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/46LjJfw⁠⁠⁠

📰 LinkedIn Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7244346543967731712/⁠⁠⁠

🌐 Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.inf1nitelearning.com/⁠⁠⁠