Embarking on the quest for the ideal CRM system is a pivotal decision that can redefine the efficiency and success of your recruitment endeavours. As the recruitment landscape evolves, the right CRM becomes not just a tool but a strategic ally in building lasting client relationships and fostering candidate connections. The right CRM can actually increase your profit margins by 2% - and we don’t think we need to convince you that investing in technology is essential these days. But with so many to choose from these days, how can you ensure the investment you make comes back to you?
With the average ROI on every dollar spent on a CRM being over $8, it might seem that investing in any system will bring you results. However, with a plethora of options saturating the market, choosing the right CRM tailored to your agency's specific needs is paramount. In a dynamic industry where relationships are the currency of success, the right CRM is your gateway to streamlined processes, enhanced productivity, and ultimately, a substantial ROI that propels your agency to new heights.
So what is it you need from the software? And what is it you would like it to do today and tomorrow? Separating your needs from your wants is a great starting point in the process as aside from the obvious consideration of cost there’s a lot more to keep in mind when choosing recruitment software.
Can you have a say in how software is built?
Some companies will now actually allow you to help decide what new improvements and features are added to their recruitment technology.
If you come up with a solution that you believe would make your and the other user’s lives easier when using the software then you can suggest adding it to the development roadmap. And it doesn’t matter whether you work for an SME or a blue-chip organisation your suggestion will be considered all the same.
Is it web or license-based?
As cloud computing continues to grow, the advantages of web-based recruitment software are now greatly outweighing the old style ‘license-based’ model. This is mainly due to the advantages which SaaS software can bring to recruitment agencies and corporate recruitment teams.
With organisation sizes also continuing to fluctuate, an important consideration for many is now whether or not the software can scale up and down with the company, so if any further users or extra system functionality is required then it should be fairly easy to do so.
Explore the integrations
It’s no secret that the ability of your CRM to integrate with other tools is essential these days – the entire point of having CRM software is to streamline your processes, increase productivity, and eliminate manual work, allowing your recruiters to manage more with less effort. If your CRM doesn’t integrate with other tools you’re using and you need to manually bring data over, it loses its advantage. From our experience, some of the key integrations include:
- LinkedIn integration: Your recruiters are likely no strangers to LinkedIn – it is the heart of a lot of our operations. A CRM integration can be a game-changer that allows the seamless extraction of candidate data from LinkedIn directly to your CRM. This not only saves valuable time but also eliminates manual data entry, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in sourcing top-tier talent and eliminating human error.
- Relevant job board integrations: Being able to write and publish adverts on multiple job boards from within your CRM with one click, instead of playing the copy-and-paste game, saves your recruiters time that can be spent on relationships nurturing and making placements. It can also increase your reach without the hassle of manual updates.
- Email integration: When you can send and track all your email communication from within the system, you’re not only saving time again but are also able to track engagement data and respond accordingly faster and easier. Everything is hosted within your CRM, enabling you and your recruiters to have a clear view of candidates' responses and engagement levels, and giving you the option to send relevant roles to the right candidates there and then.
These integrations go beyond mere technological compatibility – they're strategic tools that enhance your agency's capabilities, maximising productivity, and minimising manual efforts in a competitive recruitment landscape.
What's the customer support like?
There’s also more to consider than just the product itself. Don’t forget you’ll have to interact with the company on various occasions, so check out their track record with regard to support.
The role of the back office is crucial when it comes to acting on your requests, so make sure they have a good structure in place. Rather than days gone by where customers were forgotten after the initial sale, vendors are now aiming to keep your business for the long term with many now offering incentives to promote customer loyalty.
So how do you go about finding out this information? Those organisations will be happy to provide you with a wide range of formats including brochures, slideshows, websites, live demonstrations and case studies which on most occasions contain the contact details of customers who can be contacted directly.
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