After the mid-way point of 2016, it’s good to take some time out for reflection. An excellent place to start is by reviewing the effectiveness of your recruitment software. So let’s sit back, take stock, and consider just how easy it would be to migrate to a new, leaner, and more efficient software provider.
Software Problems
Choosing a new software provider means migrating data; it means upgrading to a new system, and it can seem like an investment of diminishing returns. It’s not. It can be quick, painless, and straightforward.
Plus, many clients and candidates take time off in the summer, making it the perfect opportunity to shake things up as it will affect fewer people.
So, the summer time is ideal to fit this project in. It’ll propel your agency ahead of its competitors, ensuring you have a running start on the second half of the year.
Before you get ahead of yourself though, it’s important to get your requirements nailed down. Once you know what you want and what you need, you can start shopping around and looking at the best systems on the market.
Define your Processes and Requirements
Even if you hire great people and have a great workplace culture, you still need to ensure your business’ internal processes are robust enough to support future growth. Once you train new consultants on those processes, your software can help you to maintain them as you scale your business.
Reviewing your systems and processes will show you the things that need updating in order for your business to be more efficient.
If your processes are out of date, or maybe you’ve never written them down at all, now is a great chance to quickly sketch out how things should be working. Again this doesn’t have to be difficult - you can easily map out your processes by using Draw.io. It's a simple (and free) online diagram software for 'making flowcharts, process diagrams, org charts, UML, ER, and network diagrams.'
Spending a couple of hours writing up your processes may not be the most exciting task on the planet. But it can help you to think about how new recruitment software could streamline things or improve your business with new capabilities.
TOP TIP: Having your processes mapped out is a great exercise to do even if you're not changing software. Potential clients or acquirers will be impressed by this level of organisation in your business.
Behind on Your Numbers?
Changing systems isn’t only for recruiters enjoying a successful year. If you’re a bit behind on your numbers and thinking that you need to make some changes to deliver a strong finish to the year, a new system can provide you with additional capability that can get the rest of your year on track.
Most businesses wait until the end of the year to change systems. But why wait? The summer is an excellent time to change things up, especially if you’re trying to turn things around as it'll give you a leg up on your competition.
Acing your Targets?
Even if your year has been extremely successful, taking a moment and investing in your business' future can help you to achieve more in the second half of the year. Upgrading to a more efficient system has obvious benefits, and if you’re already having a good year, it can only make things better.
Don’t let up; keep the momentum from the first half of the year going by spending some time, thought, effort, and money on your business’ infrastructure. Your recruiters will thank you, and you’ll show them that you care about improving their working environment with your investment in your company’s future.
It May Cost Less Than You Think (and it could save you money)
Often, when we review the software our business uses, we notice there are plenty of areas ripe for improvement. There are likely redundant processes, a legacy from the way a business did things in the past. A business might be able to get rid of the costs of several systems by merging them into one.
You might find you’re paying separate costs for a website and your e-mail marketing platform, alongside job board and social media posting tools. If your system’s running on a server, you could also be paying an IT company to maintain your server and your e-mail accounts.
If you move your system(s) and e-mail to the cloud you could use the savings to invest in your business. The money that you save could be spent on getting a new hire onboard, in turn leading to more placements and helping you to get beyond your targets.
Find New Candidates
If you’re working from Excel spreadsheets, or legacy software systems, then it’s likely that you have loads of ‘dead’ data. It’s time to reconnect with those forgotten candidates and engage with them once more.
Moving to a new software provider means you can properly assess the data you’ve got, and it might mean you can rekindle relationships with candidates you thought you’d lost.
This could give you a competitive edge and help you to smash your targets in the second half of the year.
The first half of 2016 is gone. It’s done. It’s time to focus on the future. Updating your recruitment software is an excellent place to start. It will lead to a better return in terms of effort, and the initial cost will be quickly offset by the gains a new system could provide.
If you're implementing new tech in your business, check out our eBook to ensure your recruiters utilise the tech to the fullest:
