CRITICAL INGREDIENTS FOR SUPPLYING TODAY'S WORKFORCE

Productivity is up. Economic indicators are strong and stable. These conditions will likely be sustained during the near future.

To succeed in today's fast-paced, rapidly changing business climate, business leaders need to manage resources efficiently and with finely tuned focus. This means instituting systems that can quickly match the right person for a position, regardless if the opening is temporary or permanent. Response time and quality control at all points in the human resources equation are perhaps the most critical aspects in our industry-competitive toolkit. Of course, there are other tactical elements to ensure we deliver the right employee at the right time for the right position, but the main strategic concern for businesses and staffing providers is to respond quickly and intelligently with experience in our clients’ business needs.

With nearly 3 million people moving through staffing firms every day across all industries, there is an increasing reliance on technology to manage complex transactions smoothly and profitably. Many staffing firms and employers have adopted new technologies, but many still have not fully integrated technology in ways that can really propel their business performance. The new model permits us to spend a bit more time studying the horizon to anticipate market needs and align our resources with those eventualities.

According to a major survey conducted recently for the American Staffing Association, companies use employees provided by staffing firms for two principal reasons: flexibility and access to talent. Those qualities are essential in managing businesses for growth and profit. And, thanks to the evolution of our industry’s technology, we are able to respond much more confidently and efficiently to the market’s unpredictable behaviors.

As a way to help business leaders make the right technology choices – avoiding costly failures – we typically discuss technology advantages along four basic dimensions. In our experience, these prove to be the more critical dimensions in the technology purchasing process.

K.I.S.S…Simplicity and Flexibility
When considering technology enhancements to managing staffing needs, it can be easy to be sold bundles of nifty sounding capabilities. It is important to stay focused on methods that simplify the front-to-back process without compromising quality, security and trust. Adapting any technology upgrade means ensuring the software runs the programs that will make ordering, reporting and accountability as streamlined as possible. Before committing to a purchase, make sure key personnel have a chance to test the system in as close to a live environment as possible. You will want to be able to search by skill, experience, availability and other features, so advance-planning to determine the business requirements of the system will be invaluable in weeding-out vendor options.

If it Ain’t Broke…Windows-based Applications
Be wary of proprietary providers. In rare cases, a proprietary solution may be the answer for a given employer or staffing firm, but for the majority of our industry, you will want a broadly based platform that interfaces naturally with Microsoft products, which are the dominant business IT tools. The benefits of Windows-based products include cost-effectiveness, ease of management, and universal access. Finally, the training costs to “get up to speed” and make the technology earn its keep will not be as prohibitive as with customized systems.

Windows-based applications are also easier to scale to meet an organization’s unique needs. Just because a package sounds like it will transform your business overnight, doesn’t mean it can. Will your system be able to support multi-state, multi-region, multi-branch needs and activity volume? Will it be able to process workers compensation reconciliations? Will it link to MS Outlook, Word and Excel?

Expect and Demand Customer Relationship Management
Make sure that you will be walking down the road with a partner in every sense of the word. You will want full accountability, as well as fast and honest responses to your needs. You will want to know that they are capable of anticipating your needs. Are the technology and people truly integrated? How well are exterior vendor partnerships integrated? Will they be able to create customized reporting to meet your specifications?

Verify Experience
Ask your technology providers for references that speak to their insights into your industry’s dynamics. Will you be able to tap customizable skill sets for niche industries? Beyond software, how will they make your daily work-life easier? You will save costs and downtime if your staffing technology partner is someone you know and understands the intricacies of your business.

Be sure the staffing firm is an ASA member. These members represent 15,000 offices and branches nationwide, and have agreed to conform to the industry's highest standards. They are more likely to be up-to-date on all the latest human resources developments and trends.

Tom Sarach, Jr. is the Vice President of Operations for COATS, Inc., a staffing industry technology provider based in Virginia Beach, VA. He can be contacted at 757.499.3808, or by email at tsarach@coatssql.com.