Staffing Agencies - Can we do it better?

As the first and oldest staffing agency in Columbus, we have dubbed ourselves the “match makers” of Columbus between businesses and job seekers. With our main focus being to get our candidates work and to keep our clients happy, we are constantly thinking of other ways to make our company stand out.

For a job seeker, our process includes an interview, background check, drug screen, video resume, computer testing and a recruiter available for every question and need - This all happens on site and the first time they come through our doors!

For a client, we have one-on-one meetings, provide on-site visits by a project manager, assist in vendor management, payroll monitoring, counseling and a lot more, but you get the picture! We try to “cover it all.”

The question is…what else can we do?

What have you experienced that really stands out in your mind as great (dare I say it) customer service??

Comment by Tim Spagnola on November 29, 2011 at 9:01am: Glenna - it certainly sounds like you are covering all the bases. What areas specifically does your firm recruit for? From the information shared in this post it does sound as if you are really catering to both sides of the fence in a positive way. Do your recruiters work with both candidates and clients? or is there a division there?

Comment by Glenna Halligan on November 29, 2011 at 9:08am: Tim - thank you for your comment and we certainly try! Our divisions include Office, IT, Accounting & Finance, Industrial, Creative and Healthcare. Yes, our recruiters work directly with our clients as well; we think it's best to experience the environment that we are staffing in order to find the right candidate and relay to them, the job seeker, what exactly they are interviewing for. I shouldn't leave out that we also have Sales Reps who work in the field and tell our recruiters firsthand what a new client is expecting and relay the company’s environment.

Comment by David Wells on November 29, 2011 at 1:55pm: Glenna - Not knowing how your company is structured (other than having an understanding you have different service lines) it is hard to provide really tailored insights other than a few general pointers.

One of the things that often allows firms to move from vendor to business partner is to become specialists in specific industries.

For example in our market we have a heavy concentration of Medical Device both large manufacturers and start ups. To better service these clients, I subscribe to several industry newsletters, read up on recent conferences and keep an internal tracking of successful projects and placements we have done within that industry.

By doing these things on meetings I can speak about issues facing industry leaders, economic trends, and because we focus on accounting, I can discuss how various FASB pronouncements will impact current financial trends.

This narrow focus allows me to really penetrate an industry and provide both permanent and project matches that really service both current and upcoming needs. Once the clients begin contacting you to plan for upcoming hiring then you have definitely transitioned into a true service partner.

Because you have business lines incorporating areas in constant flux, including technology and healthcare there should be opportunities to really develop certain areas of specialization. Hope that helps!

Comment by Glenna Halligan on November 30, 2011 at 8:57am: David- Thank you for the advice! I really appreciate the insight and the idea of becoming more "specialized in your specialty." Going that extra mile, as you suggested, makes the difference in the long run and will show when meeting with our potential (and current) clients. I appreciate the input and will suggest this to others in the company!

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