Knock-Out CRM Implementation For Efficiency & Productivity
By: Maren Hogan
Tags: Efficiency, CRM, Productivity

Now that you’ve purchased a candidate relationship management (CRM) tool, it’s time to implement it.

But the implementation of any new technology always comes with delays, glitches, hair pulling, and, most likely, some yelling. Right?

Not necessarily!

While it’s true that having the right CRM will undoubtedly make your sourcing, recruiting, and candidate relationship-building easier, it’s not enough — you also have to implement it correctly.

Keeping the hair pulling and yelling to a minimum requires planning. Even though you have instructions to get it up and running, proper implementation takes more than just a step-by-step guide.

Take a look below for tips on how to implement a CRM that’ll run productively and efficiently.

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

This seems like a no-brainer, yet so many staffing companies neglect this critical step because they are so eager to start engaging with potential candidates.

But, just like in grade school when you made a poster and failed to correctly gauge how all the letters would fit — or, more likely, not fit — you need to take a step back and complete a few things before jumping in:

Let all members of your team know the purpose of the new CRM. Notify them on how the old one (if you’ve used one in the past) has become outdated, and how the new one will make their lives easier. In other words, share your vision so your employees will get excited about the new tool.

Get their input. What tools are on their wishlist that will help them provide better service to your clients and candidates? Aim to involve team members in the CRM implementation process as early as possible.

Train ahead of time. Start training your team members in the new candidate relationship management tool as soon as possible, even before you’re ready to go live.

TRY THE CRM OUT ON A FEW TRUSTED CANDIDATES

Never go live without testing. This means you should have employees continue to use your old system until you uncover and solve all the issues while you’re still in the testing phase of your new CRM.

It’s a good idea to ask your most tech-savvy or quick-learning recruiters and sales reps to try out the new CRM. Let everyone else continue using the old one until everything is ready.

AIM TO “GO LIVE” DURING SLOWER TIMES IN YOUR SCHEDULE

We ask ourselves: When is it ever slow in recruiting!? (Actually, research has found that contrary to popular belief, people apply for a lot of work during the summer and back off starting in September through the rest of the year.) Doing so will help you accommodate the inevitable bumps in implementation you’ll encounter. Your CRM provider may also help you with issues and watch your “go live” event to make sure everything is going as it should.

TRACK RESULTS AND MEASURE EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY

Before you can measure your candidate relationship and engagement efforts after you implement the CRM, you’ll need to measure your efforts before implementation. That way, you’ll have something you can compare the new system’s results against.

You’ll need to establish what metrics you’ll look at that will show how the CRM has improved relationship building, number of applicants, etc. It’s a good idea to track these results at least quarterly for a year, and maybe even monthly (for at least the first six months), so you can see how your investment is paying off.

CRM AND GROWING THE PASSIVE CANDIDATE PIPELINE

We’ve found that many CRM users are using their platform to focus on and expand the number of passive candidates they’re able to attract. After all, 70% of the workforce globally are passive candidates, and it’s much harder to get their attention than those actively looking for their next job.

Companies use a CRM to provide a terrific experience to passive candidates and build rapport, and — they hope — move the person to want to apply for the positions a recruiter is discussing.

REPLACING YOUR ATS WITH A CRM

Frankly, we think it’s wise. Your ATS is excellent for posting a job and managing applicant flow, but an ATS doesn’t build and nurture a pool of candidates. And that’s where candidate relationship management software can provide double duty. It will track and engage candidates and help you post and manage job applications.

For example, how many people do you think look at your job postings but don’t apply? What if you could track those who click on an opening and then reach out in a non-invasive way to learn more about them, and start building a relationship with them?

And what if you could automatically keep in touch with candidates who do apply but who aren’t hired? If they might be terrific candidates in the future, how do you build a relationship with them, so when a position for which they’re better suited comes up, you can reach out? To put it another way: How many former candidates have you lost touch with? What could you do with them if you never did?

Implementing a CRM allows you to match and manage your candidate pool — and grow it quickly. Your relationships with candidates will improve, resulting in money saved and revenue growth.

This article was originally published on the Red Branch Media blog.