{"id":9055,"date":"2022-08-23T15:17:27","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T19:17:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/env-8605394.mightybox.site\/news\/leverage-real-time-reviews-to-fuel-your-growth-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-09-24T13:40:03","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T17:40:03","slug":"how-to-leverage-real-time-reviews-to-fuel-growth-for-your-staffing-firm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techservealliance.org\/how-to-leverage-real-time-reviews-to-fuel-growth-for-your-staffing-firm\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Leverage Real-Time Reviews to Fuel Growth for Your Staffing Firm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Let’s face it: We live in a world where we are under review in almost every aspect of our lives, be it personal, professional, or even the business that we run.  The world reviews and offers feedback, many times in a very public forum. Since no one is exempt from the feedback, it just works in our favor to embrace it: learn from the constructive feedback offered and turn positive feedback into social proof to bolster our staffing firm’s reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the message from Adam Conrad, founder and CXO of Great Recruiters<\/a> during a recent TechServe Alliance webinar. Adam shared his strategy for using candidate and client feedback as a tool to strengthen and grow staffing companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To do so requires a shift in mindset, thinking about and approaching feedback proactively rather than reactively. Instead of hiding from feedback, seek it. Not only will you learn and improve, but also you will take control of your reputation management versus hoping your company\u2019s reputation is positive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key? Using the feedback you receive from reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Reviews?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Simply put, reviews are here to stay. According to Conrad, 91% of people read reviews before making a buying decision, and 87% trust them just as much as a friend\u2019s recommendation. There\u2019s a risk for companies who don\u2019t solicit reviews proactively, however, leaving them to chance: negative reviews are far more likely to accumulate than positive ones. While 72% of people are likely to leave a review after a bad experience, only 10% of people will do so after a good experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is especially important in the staffing sector. There\u2019s a need to build trust, because sadly, negative perceptions of the industry persist. Conrad points to Google search suggestions about recruiters, noting that although \u2018high demand\u2019 and \u2018the face of the company\u2019 indicate the staffing industry\u2019s pivotal role, there are also perceptions of recruiters as pushy, annoying, and \u2018shady\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matt Dickens, Director with Astute Technical Recruitment<\/a>, agrees. \u201cThere\u2019s such a broad spectrum in recruitment – everything from the \u2018Wolf of Wall Street\u2019 to professional consulting,\u201d Dickens says. \u201cIt bothers me that when you ask people about recruiters, they tend to think of the \u2018Wolf of Wall Street\u2019 type.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviews help to build trust in an industry that needs it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Feedback Helps<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

There are three primary ways that gathering real-time feedback through reviews can help grow your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.<\/strong> Reputation Management<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Benjamin Franklin said, \u2018An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure\u2019, and this couldn\u2019t be more true than when it comes to protecting your company\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this day and age, with numerous ratings sites online and with social media amplifying every statement (accurate or otherwise), one person\u2019s story about a bad experience can go further and faster than ever before. Protecting a reputation is far easier – and far less costly – than fixing one that has been damaged or tarnished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve Gaura, Vice President of Business Operations with Blue Chip Talent<\/a>, relates a situation that nobody in staffing wants. \u201cI saw someone online taking a staffing company, one of my competitors, to task. Naming recruiters, naming account managers, and suddenly it caught wind.\u201d Proactively seeking feedback allows a company to \u2018capture\u2019 any negative perceptions before they make their way to other platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.<\/strong> Training and Skill Development<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Every staffing company wants their employees to be the best they can be. By gathering feedback that is specific to the individual, and to specific points in the process, managers can monitor their employees\u2019 performance. They can praise and recognize excellent performance, and also – where the feedback indicates that some improvement is required – managers can provide guidance and training specific to those developmental needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training needs can be customized by changing the way feedback is gathered, depending on the employee. \u201cWe use a different survey for rookie recruiters, one that asks different questions,\u201d Gaura says. \u201cThey\u2019re not going to be as skilled or be as much of an advisor, but we want to know, did they follow the process?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.<\/strong> Marketing and Promotion<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

People look to reviews to help them make decisions about companies to work with and buy from. Sharing your positive reviews and ratings can help bring new candidates and clients to your staffing company\u2019s door. The difference has been significant for Blue Chip Talent. \u201cAfter we started collecting and using reviews, our referral rate is 30% higher than the industry average,\u201d Gaura reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If using feedback from reviews can be that beneficial, why isn\u2019t every company taking advantage? Conrad lists a few common reasons. Many leaders in staffing are too busy to make it a focus. Some don\u2019t know where to start, or are tracking measures like the Net Promoter Score (NPS), and don\u2019t know what to do with the information. As with anything in business, consistency is key. To make it work for your company, you need a system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CAMP Framework<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Conrad\u2019s CAMP Framework consists of four elements: Capture, Act On, Measure, and Promote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cb<\/strong> Capture<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to gathering feedback, Conrad says, consistency is key. Don\u2019t \u2018cherry pick\u2019 by just looking for positive stories, asking for feedback only when the candidate is likely to be satisfied. Instead, ask at meaningful moments throughout the process. Conrad recommends asking candidates at the point they\u2019re submitted to a client; they\u2019re far enough into the process to have an informed opinion, and not biased by a positive or negative outcome (e.g. rejection by the client, or placed).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the specific proactive requests for feedback, you can also keep an open door, inviting feedback at any time, for example, via a link in email signatures. \u201cIt\u2019s a great reminder to put your best foot forward even on your first day,\u201d Conrad says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cb<\/strong> Act On<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Whatever system you use to gather feedback, it has to get information to the people who need it, as quickly as possible. This allows you to respond in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the feedback is positive, acknowledge it. Share it across the organization, and use it as positive reinforcement for great performance. Thanking the person who provided the feedback can also help to solidify the relationship, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of negative feedback, it\u2019s perhaps even more important to respond promptly. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing worse than asking for feedback, someone having a problem and never hearing back,\u201d Conrad warns. \u201cThat\u2019s doubling down on a negative experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you do follow up, first seek to understand what actually happened. \u201cA lot of the time it\u2019s just a simple misunderstanding,\u201d Gaura points out, \u201cthe candidate may be upset because the recruiter didn\u2019t have a job for them.\u201d Sometimes, a dissatisfied customer just wants to be heard, and Gaura reports that hearing back from someone in a leadership role defuses the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In cases where the experience does represent an opportunity for improvement, coaching can be delivered right when it\u2019s needed, to ensure that the employee has the chance to correct their mistakes. \u201cWe use call recordings to get to the facts of what happened, to first figure out if it was a fair assessment, which it isn’t always,\u201d Dickens says. \u201cFeedback is never about chewing people out, we use it as a platform to move that person forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cb<\/strong> Measure<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the immediate action you take, consistently capturing feedback also gives you the ability to monitor trends over time. Use your feedback system to consolidate your data so you can measure results to the level of an office location, a department, an individual. Look at the data each week. \u201cInspect what you expect\u201d, says Conrad. Monitor trends over time, as these will show you where improvement is needed. You can then use those insights to design exactly the training plans your employees need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u25cb<\/strong> Promote<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019ve earned praise, you\u2019ve also earned the right to share it! Conrad advises sharing testimonials and review scores on social media and your company website. You can include it in sales material, and in your candidate outreach as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t overlook the value of using this feedback internally, as well. Positive reviews and testimonials serve as excellent reinforcement for good performance, and as inspiration and motivation for the whole team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Now?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Conrad is passionate about the staffing industry. \u201cI want this industry to be better, stronger. I want people who are the future of this industry to have the tools to evolve.\u201d Recruiting is a people business, of course. \u201cEverybody\u2019s website says it,\u201d Conrad says. \u201cBut not everybody does it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re not proactively seeking out and using real-time feedback, you can use Conrad\u2019s CAMP Framework to begin. Put the systems in place to capture, act on, monitor, and promote this valuable feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to know more, you can view the entire webinar recording here, and don\u2019t miss the special offer from Great Recruiters at the end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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