Now, not later, is the time to get your technology house in order. We’re all too aware how market uncertainty impacts the staffing industry: any sign of softening and clients retrench. However, staffing agencies also tend to bounce back a lot faster than other sectors.
Signs are getting clearer that there’s a light at the end of the slowdown tunnel. Are you ready? If you’ve managed downturns by hunkering down or through sheer force of will, you may be missing an opportunity. When—not if—demand for talent spikes again, an efficient, integrated combination of technology and process is a major advantage over competitors who hesitate to invest in the tools their recruiters use every single day.
Technology is a tool. It if doesn’t make you faster, smarter, or stronger, something is broken. If something feels broken about the tools you’re using today, here’s a few things to consider when building your staffing tech stack.
1. Are your current solutions as integrated as they need to be?
You have a lot of processes to manage (sourcing, screening, onboarding, payroll, sales and marketing, etc.) and it’s important these things get done quickly and well. When your ATS and your contractor payrolling systems are fully integrated, your staffing business will run more smoothly and with fewer errors. Integration also gives you better data, which is huge when we’re trying to solve problems and make better decisions.
Do your front office systems play well in the sandbox with your middle and back office systems? If you don’t have this level of integration already, find a partner (like Senegal Software!) capable of providing it to you.
With Senegal Software, all of our products are built to work together seamlessly because they were designed with integration in mind from the outset, instead of bolted on years later or forced to fit due to an acquisition.
3. Are these solutions configurable to your needs?
There are a lot of software vendors who claim to provide an “all-in-one” solution for your business, but the vast majority of these aren’t designed to support staffing companies, let alone the the many, many, subcategories of staffing we see here at Senegal (e.g., IT, construction, healthcare, and beyond).
Larger staffing firms in particular can benefit from a technology partner that takes the time to understand the unique needs of their business and the various industries they play in. Key to your ability to scale efficiently is a configurable system that puts the power of customization in your hands. Why wait weeks—or even months—for a change order or functionality tweak when you can readily create and modify workflows that match your go-to-market strategy?
You can see how having a partner with first-hand experience in talent acquisition strategies leads to higher engagement along with lower costs. Not only do our clients get an all-in-one solution that fits them like a glove, our team gets you up and running fast.
4. Are your tech vendors prepared for the future? What’s their strategy for AI?
Legacy software inherently makes staffing software less flexible and more prone to errors and bugs. Your tools should serve your needs today, not someone else’s needs from ten years ago. When evaluating software providers in any field, do your due diligence. If the software has been around for a while and you think they might have a lot of legacy tech, look for reviews and (if you can) try and speak directly to customers or end users.
Regarding AI, we’re in the midst of a major technological sea change with the potential to change the way work gets done and revolutionize productivity. If your vendors aren’t already using AI, what’s their strategy for it in the near future?
No matter how you stack it, our tech isn’t beholden to the past, and we’re dedicated to creating a flexible, tailored solution for you. We’re already using advanced AI in our systems to bring the best user experience to candidates and recruiters alike.
5. Are you getting TOP-NOTCH customer service?
The staffing industry moves fast. Your recruiters don’t have time to wait for service outages and bug fixes. Do your research and make sure that any potential partnership with a technology provider is evaluated from a customer service and support perspective.
At Senegal, your business running smoothly is our top priority and our customer care team lives that out every day.
Now is the time to invest in your staffing tech stack.
You need the strong foundation of an effective, efficient tech stack more than ever. When you have the right tech, dealing with all other challenges becomes that much easier, because you have the tools, the data, and the support to respond.
If you want to talk more about the staffing industry and technology, reach out and let’s set up a conversation.