When Barton Staffing Solutions engages with a new client who tells us they are looking for a new staffing agency, when we first meet, we’ll ask three questions:
- What did you like about your previous staffing agency?
- What did you not like about your previous staffing agency?
- What is the one thing you want different from your next staffing agency?
Often, we hear the previous staffing agency started out well, but over time lost touch, is slow to fill positions or is unresponsive.
The most challenging response is to question 3, when we hear a new client say “we just want resumes, lots of them, we’ll do the qualifying on the job in the first day.” These answers indicate the need to go over the staffing process, its value, issues and costs around turnover and the necessary collaboration between client and agency to successfully develop a cost effective temporary workforce.
This response is concerning as it indicates how the new client may be treating its workers (temporary or full-time). Sometimes, the fit to partner with Barton Staffing Solutions just isn’t right. Clients that bottom-of-the-barrel service levels are better suited to work with a lesser agency that provides little to no service.
Who should be in the room for these meetings? In the best cases, in addition to the human resources partner at the new client, we have the line manager and a finance manager in the room. Our team present for this initial discovery meeting typically consists of our account manager, our primary recruiter, our safety manager, and a senior member of our leadership team. This “team approach” is our basic service level.
Understand the value of full-service. Rarely is any organizational development project – temporary or direct hire – successful with a “send over some resumes…” approach. If that is what you are experiencing with your staffing firm, stop and ask the three questions above. Examine the answers you receive to ensure you, your finance manager, your line or office manager, and all parties involved are leveraging the full value and benefit of a temporary workforce in your organization.
We’re happy to help – give Barton Staffing Solutions a call today. We have a clear and rigorous process for qualifying candidates to help your company achieve corporate goals through the benefit of a temporary workforce.
This is the first of 4 blogs we will share to help your company engage temporary staffing in next year’s business plan in order to achieve goals for 2014. Look for the topic of “Staffing Process” in our next blog.
