We get excited about a lot of things here at Hinterview. Candidate Relationship Management Systems might not be one of these excitement igniters, but they are important.
A CRM system to a recruiter is like a whisk to a Chef, you can manage without it, but the final product just won't be as good, or fluffy.
And just like a chef needs to whisk quickly, a recruiter needs to recruit fast. In such a saturated market, finding the right CRM for your agency can be the difference between gaining a competitive edge or falling behind.
According to research by Glassdoor, on average, there are 2,500 applications per every 10 corporate job openings. That's 2,500 individual profiles a recruiter needs to screen, follow-up with, decline or progress. Not only are those numbers overwhelming, the odds just aren't in your favour.
This is when a CRM comes in handy. A recruitment CRM system is a piece of software that allows recruitment professionals to manage their entire hiring process. The tool helps consultants to better organise and automate the ways they attract talent and it allows for more effective communication and candidate nurturing.
So, you know you need a CRM. That's a given. But how do you make sure you pick the right one? Every agency is different, and every CRM is different. So, as with any new investment, you need to research, trial, research, trial, and research some more.
Don't worry, we hear your panicked shrieks, "But there are thousands of them!"
To make your life a little easier, we've put together a list of four things to consider when choosing a CRM. Use the below to narrow your search:
1. How Much Should I Spend on a CRM system?
This is a bit of an obvious one. But, establishing your budget from the get-go will help you to answer some of the more difficult questions further down the track. Decide what will work best for your agency, whether that be a system that comes with a one-off upfront cost, a monthly subscription, or yearly fee. Make sure you dig deep to uncover any hidden costs like maintenance or training fees.
2. Locally vs Cloud-based
Vanilla or chocolate? Strawberry or Raspberry? Cloud-based or locally hosted?
You have two options.
- Locally/on-premise: This means you host your CRM system in your own offices. Although this may seem convenient, this can quickly get very pricey. To organise your system on-premise requires servers, hard drives for backup storage, and even a backup storage plan for your backup storage! On top of this, you need the infrastructure and resources to support your hosted system.
- Cloud-based: Cloud-based is a little simpler. It involves the digital data or software being sorted, managed and processed on a network of remote servers and hosted on the Internet. Impressive, huh! To access your CRM, all you need is a web server and an internet connection. This means your team doesn't need to be in the office physically. Your system is still completely secure and safe, each consultant will have their own login details.
So, which do you pick, virtual or physical? Keep in mind, it's predicted that by 2020, 50% of the UK workforce will work remotely.
3. CRM Licensing
If all goes to plan, you've chosen an incredible CRM system, and business is booming! You're making money, winning new business, you can barely keep up! Time to hire some consultants. But wait, your CRM system only supports ten consultants.
Licensing is an area where a lot of CRM systems make their money. Even if you don't foresee your company growing exponentially, make sure you establish the costs of adding additional consultants in the very first interaction. You never know where you could be a few months or years down the track!
5. CRM Security - is my data safe?
Now you understand the basics, it's time for that researching and trialling we were talking about earlier. No matter which CRM system you choose, it's guaranteed to become an integral part of your strategy and day-to-day process.
The volume of personal data being held at one point in time is significant in the recruitment world. It's your agencies responsibility to keep your candidate's personal information safe. This means any software you implement into your strategy needs to hold up to these high standards. To ensure your data is safe, it's vital you choose a CRM system that can provide evidence of the validity of their security measures.
Video is the future of agency recruitment. It's revolutionising the way agencies operate and interact with clients and candidates and ultimately, how they generate new business. Hinterview allows you to record and share video interviews, engage with top candidates and introduce yourself to prospective clients without the need for endless calls and emails. We're helping our clients secure more exclusive and retained business than ever before. While at the same time, enabling recruiters to engage with their audience in an effective and personal way that previously wasn't possible.
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