With 80% of recruitment industry professionals viewing digital transformation in a positive light for their business, we decided to speak with four leading players within the staffing and recruitment industry to see if they agree with this statement and to hear their opinions on how technology has impacted their business during and before COVID-19. Here are some common themes we discovered…

Data analytics helps identify new opportunities and evaluations

Data analytics has been invaluable to staffing companies throughout challenging times, with providers such as Cube 19 ‘s technology helping staffing companies turn their data into actions. We spoke to Joe McGuire, Global Sales Director at Cube19, to find out how their technology has fueled staffing companies during COVID-19.

"Cube19 has experienced significant growth in this quarter despite heightened economic uncertainty, due to new customers sharing a common goal; to understand where market opportunities exist and identify operational efficiencies via data.
Cube19 is fortunately positioned to be a business-critical solution for the staffing industry, especially during these challenging times allowing recruitment leaders to consultants see data in real-time, on any device.
In order to stay agile as our industry transforms at a pace we have never experienced before, it is essential to have a world-class data set in place which enables your business to evaluate key measures of success and analyze market trends.”

Access to education and training - anytime, anywhere

When COVID-19 hit, the staffing industry which traditionally relies on face to face interactions and networking suddenly had to cancel and postpone large scale events. However, thanks to technology the industry was able to adapt quickly.

In fact, we actually witnessed an explosion of webinars and invaluable training sessions as those within the industry wished to share their knowledge and help others during these challenging times. We spoke to APSCo and The Recruitment Network (TRN) who both utilized technology by hosting online events.

Technology enables companies to communicate effectively remotely

The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) is the professional body that supports and represents the interests of recruitment organizations. Prior to COVID-19, APSCo hosted over 100 events a year.

Thanks to Digital technology, APSCo could continue to communicate effectively with body members during the crisis via a peer to peer networking platform. Online platforms such as Zoom, provided APSCo with the ability to quickly move their program to a virtual service via webinars, meetings and workspace and breakout room facilities.

Technology allows companies to share knowledge and advice with large audiences

The Recruitment Network (TRN), is another example of a company that excelled by utilizing technology to provide education and training to the staffing industry.

TRN is one of the fastest-growing support clubs for recruitment business leaders in the UK. Traditionally, many of their events, consultancy’s and courses presented leaders within the industry with opportunities to network face to face.

During COVID-19, they rose to the challenge by utilizing digital technology to provide and support their network with online and virtual advisory support.

In particular, their platform TRNWorld, has enabled recruitment leaders around the world to come together online to access the advice, mentoring, tools, content, discounts, and training they need to make their businesses more productive and profitable.

We spoke to James Osborne, Chairman of TRN to find out more information on how technology helped TRN members when navigating the complexities caused by COVID-19.

“The trends that we are seeing in technology have been supercharged since the COVID-19 outbreak. These trends are significant to the recruitment industry as they create greater efficiencies in the operational workflow which in turn improves the performance and profitability of individual recruiters and entire recruitment businesses.
If we experienced this pandemic 10-15 years, I am not sure if the industry would have survived and remained as resilient as it has done thanks to the ability new tech has given us all to be able to effectively work and recruit remotely.
Our TRN team has never been busier, nor more efficient than it is right now supporting hundreds of recruitment businesses through these extraordinary times. We have re-engineered the way we work by using technology in every interaction. Our business will not be the same when this situation passes, technology will play a more prominent role in how we operate, and we will be a better business thanks to it.”

Streamlines and automated back-office tasks

Technology has drastically improved over the years which has simplified operations within the recruitment/staffing sector, particularly it has enabled companies such as Practical Software and PGC to streamline repetitive back-office processes.

Practical Software, a back-office solution for recruitment agencies that automates back-office services such as payments, expenses, and contracts, found that their technology-aided their clients during COVID-19. We spoke with John Hetherington, Head of Sales at Practical Software to find out more about their tech.

“Switching to remote work, highlighted just how important it is to have a cloud-based back-office system in place. Practical Software’s electronic timesheets portal enabled clients who require a back-office solution to ditch outdated manual timesheets and create a safer process in the age of COVID-19.
Our technology also enabled multiple staff members based in various locations to access to the right systems to effectively do their job. The ability to witness real-time reporting in the system helped clients to pivot to areas in their business less affected by the impact of COVID-19.”

How has Precision transformed PGC’s workflow?

At PGC, we have witnessed the crucial role automation plays in transforming workflows, thanks to our technology Precision we were able to quickly adapt our workflows and services during and prior to the pandemic.

Precision’s ability to allow employers and workers to access the portal at any time, anywhere has been invaluable during COVID-19 when we quickly had to adapt to remote working.

Thanks to our technology, we have still been able to successfully onboard and offboard workers for our clients in minutes. The employee self-service portal has also been revolutionary, enabling workers to submit and update their timesheets at any time.

We assume that companies still utilizing manual timesheets would've really struggled to upkeep this during COVID-19. Our business managers were so grateful for Precision during this crisis as it enabled them to get ahead of the game by seeing and keeping track of client's and worker's customer journeys, allowing them to focus on providing an excellent service.

If more recruitment agencies adapt their processes and embrace technology, it has the potential to have a major impact on the sifting, screening, scheduling, and pre-qualification of candidates during the early stages of the recruitment journey. We predict that automation is here to stay, it has the potential to restructure entire workflows by capturing activity and delivering insights to enable companies to make better decisions.

So, has technology transformed the staffing industry?

Overall, the digital transformation journey within the staffing industry has accelerated, with the need for services powered by tech being highlighted now more than ever due to the pandemic. When COVID-19 emerged, companies who had already embarked on a journey of digital transformation were more equipped to deal with the initial shock of remote working due to their operations already being streamlined through tech, while others scrambled to adapt and digitalize their processes almost overnight.

A vital lesson to take away from the pandemic is that technology plays a huge role in staffing companies’ ability to survive and thrive and maybe we can all learn something from the companies already thriving by utilizing technology.

If you are interested in finding out more about our tech, Precision, and how it could transform your staffing businesses back-office processes get in touch!

How Technology is Transforming the Staffing & Recruitment Industry