HR technology is a hot investment right now. In fact, businesses are currently spending up to $550 billion on tech that is crafted for engagement of full-time employees. Yet as the contingent workforce continues to grow, worldwide spending on recruitment technology pales in comparison. Forward-thinking staffing firms recognize the need and opportunity for recruitment technology to help them reach, attract and engage freelancers and contractors.
But, understanding the need for cutting-edge recruitment technology and actually implementing the right tech into your staffing operations are two different things. In this post, I will walk you through how the right recruitment technology can and should fit into your staffing firm and offer tips on what to look for in a recruitment technology partner. Trust me, I’ve been working with staffing firms for almost two decades, and the same themes and pain points have been arising time and time again.
I recently led a roundtable back at Bullhorn Engage in Boston back in 2019 on how to “Build a modern tech stack” leading dozens of forward thinking staffing executives and operations leaders through a blueprint on how to cut through the noise. Here’s a quick guide.
Let’s dig in, shall we?
When we talk about recruitment technology today, you’re probably thinking about cutting-edge tech, tech like artificial intelligence and automation, and texting. These are all powerful tools that can be integrated into your staffing operations with the right recruitment technology. But, your staffing firm has probably been relying pretty heavily on recruitment technology.
Use an ATS? You couldn’t survive without one! Try thinking about how your staffing firm would operate if ATS technology suddenly disappeared. You’d probably be panic-stricken. After all, it’s so firmly integrated into so many areas of your firm, losing it would be crippling.
In other words, manually completing tasks that are handled by your ATS would take a Really. Long. Time. Your ATS is your system of record.
Today’s advanced recruitment technology similarly weaves itself into your daily operations. It takes on tasks that are time consuming or non-mission critical, freeing your recruiters and salespeople to more efficiently complete their work.
With Sense, for example, our platform uses AI and automation to optimize candidate engagement and contractor care for your staffing firm, sending the right messages to the right people at the right times, and using their preferred communication platforms (and more). It gathers data and offers insights into what’s working and what could be better, helping you shift on the fly to optimize your candidate engagement efforts.
It can be difficult to determine which recruitment technology makes sense for your staffing firm. There are many variables between one provider and another, which can be dizzying for staffing owners who are trying to run their firms.
Here are some of the most important factors to consider when choosing a recruitment technology partner:
Does a particular recruitment technology complete one task? Two? Ten? Outline what you’re hoping to get from your recruitment technology investment, then be sure to maximize both your budget and your time/productivity by choosing the best technology to help you reach your goals. HINT: In many cases consolidating point solutions in staffing rather than opting for 10 solutions to perform 10 different tasks will often save you time, headaches and money!
If your new recruitment technology doesn’t work seamlessly with your current technology, you could be in for more headaches than celebrations. New recruitment technology should offer integrations that make implementation a hassle- and worry-free experience. And most importantly, it should create more time for your recruiters and salespeople, not more work!
With any SaaS (software as a service) provider, you’re going to receive some sort of customer service. But what will that entail? Understanding just what level of service you receive is important. If you are struggling to get up and running, can you call someone, or do you have to wait in a chat queue? Will you be working with the same person? Does this person understand how your staffing firm works, and the challenges facing the staffing industry, or do they just know their technology?
The difference between a customer service rep (the standard customer service person in tech) and a Customer Success Manager (CSM -- the title of our industry-savvy, strategic and technical team of customer service experts) is profound. Be sure to get a good feeling for the type of service you’ll receive before making a decision.
Onboarding new technology can be a challenge for any staffing firm, but ease of implementation can also vary widely between recruitment technology partners. Be sure to ask questions about and understand ease of implementation up front before you decide on a tech partner. Otherwise you could find yourself struggling to integrate and adopt your new investment into your day-to-day staffing operations.
Here at Sense, our platform was built specifically for the staffing industry. Led by industry veterans, we understand the frustrations and opportunities presented by cutting-edge technology, and we’ve designed a solution to help your team be more productive, while helping you generate more revenue and reduce costs.
To learn more about Sense and see how it can work for your staffing firm, reach out to us to schedule a call with one of our team members. We’re here to help!
