Hiring managers typically need that empty seat filled yesterday, yet they often wait until tomorrow or a series of tomorrow’s before that happens. It is this very gap between yesterday and tomorrow that holds one of the greatest opportunities for staffing and recruiting firms.

The staffing industry can quickly elevate its reputation by more consistently providing talent on demand, right when it is needed. This not only delivers tremendous value; it is how firms can be rewarded with a more loyal constituency, a larger base of customers, and higher margins which are proportionate with the value being provided.

One key element standing in the way is effort. Agencies must recruit ahead, not behind, manufacturing the talent before it is needed. Buyers must be enrolled in a smarter process that allows them to acquire talent today, not tomorrow. Anything that causes delays, including resume submissions and interviews, must be eliminated and replaced with processes and guarantees that create a more nimble and responsive approach.

We live in an on demand, iTunes oriented, download it now society. To solve the needs of yesterday requires that staffing and recruitment vendors start acting today more like Netflix, Uber, and GrubHub. The alternative, perpetuating the status quo, will only further erode the already tenuous repetition of the industry.