Companies that embrace digital technologies in their talent acquisition functions are two times more likely to improve the quality of hire and retention and three times more likely to improve the candidate experience. Source: Digital Transformation in Talent Acquisition study from Aptitude Research and Alexander Mann Solutions
I had the pleasure of speaking to one of our most forward-thinking clients, Stefan Baier from Stefanini. Inc. What I enjoy most about talking with Stefan is that we’re usually on the same page in our philosophy about business and how technology is transforming our daily lives. I learned a lot from our recent conversation on digital transformation and how smart professionals must always look to the future.
Stefan, I always appreciate you sharing insights on how you approach business relationships. As you know, “Creating Win-Win Relationships” is our motto at SmartSearch. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me and answer a few questions.
Regarding technology, could you tell me why companies need to look at their current-day business with the future in mind?
First off, technology is changing at a rapid pace. So, if you are not looking ahead, you are already behind. There have been so many advancements in recruitment technology over the years. Once Stefanini started to maximize the power of automation, reporting, and analytics, it ignited a different business culture of how we go about day-to-day staffing operations. By spending more time focusing on the “future” outcome, you can maximize the technology to help you get where you want to go faster and more efficiently. Combining the forethought and the capabilities of today’s technology allows an organization to set and track Key Performance Indicators in real-time, and what I call at Stefanini, Data Points in the ATS. Having these data points in real-time on a dashboard allows our team to be agile if we need to make changes along the way.
Companies must also consider what moves the business forward in the direction it needs to go. Our goal is to focus on what matters most to the customers, employees, and partners. Knowing what improves the bottom line and what indicators are needed to validate whether or not you’re achieving the desired results is vital.
At Stefanini, it might sound like a recording; however, you often hear “what gets measured, gets done!”
In the staffing business, for example, is it a volume game versus a quality game, or what is the right hybrid of quantity over quality when comparing the various client job orders? Keep in mind this all may deviate from account to account.
The critical data points and metrics must be easily accessible to tell the story. The data must allow my account leaders to look at their business from another set of lenses. Stefanini is a digital company; it is in our DNA. We feel so strongly about data usage that we cascade data-driven requirements back to the Account Leads’ annual goals and objectives. Each of our account leaders, which we call RDMS, has to create their custom dashboards and be able to use the data to tell the story, along with implementing ongoing changes to the process and overall delivery model. It is the expectation that the RDMs continually review their data and predict what will happen next, and it’s easier when you have the right tools.
For example, one of the things I like about SmartSearch is the configurable dashboards. They allow Stefanini access to multiple layers of real-time data and reports. The data points are readily available for continuous performance monitoring, enabling us to be agile while driving daily process improvement.
Why must businesses configure, implement, and manage their software and technology with a partnership attitude?
The word partnership means we’re all continually learning together; it’s about sharing information that keeps us all moving faster, improving every day, and benefitting from collective knowledge. Having this partnership mindset will alleviate the stress when something may not always go as planned. As it often can when implementing and updating any technology solution.
SmartSearch has always been open to new ideas. Recruiting technology is evolving at a rapid pace, so having a partnership mindset allows the client/technology-supplier partnership to flourish. On one side, if you are a valued supplier partner, your technology provider may offer you advanced access to the latest technology innovations, allowing you to be on the forefront. On the other side, a suitable staffing suspends plier partner will openly communicate the nuances of the technology and provide objective feedback, improving quality and less heartache with future clients. For me, implementation ever is complete. As the te, technology partner, my agenda is always to be moving the needle forward making suggestions on how the technology can be improved to better support our business.
Partnerships fully engage in sharing best practices and routinely take time out of their busy schedules to share new thoughts and ideas. We both rely heavily on each for success in our businesses.
How can companies get the most out of their technology, and how can they gauge success?
What gets measured gets done… never be afraid of new technology. To truly maximize results, you have to challenge the technology and your technology partner, so think big, make changes (be agile) and reconfigure or realign if needed as the business grows and changes.
Starting with a user-friendly technology platform that does not require a developer and outside consultant ant to configure your system is essential. Most developers may not understand the business more than you, so don’t be afraid to dig in yourself or challenge some of your current teams to learn how to configure a system. Make it fun! And it’s essential to always think with the end goal in mind, embrace change, and don’t be afraid to pilot new things.