Being a $650 billion industry, it’s no joke to be part of the staffing industry. With more employers and organizations turning towards staffing agencies for support, the demand just rises without any signs of falling down.
An industry this big presents a continuous flow of competition. Before getting trampled down, what can you do to keep your clients’ spirits up? What strategies can you put in motion to build strong, meaningful, and collaborative relationships with your clients?
The Staffing Industry and Building Relationships
Since its arrival in the market, the industry has been driven by matching candidates and clients. Relationship building is what staffing agencies thrive on, and failure to keep up in building relationships could mean success to your competitors.
Relationship-building is the primary core of the best staffing firms. It’s the skill they master first, and it is what they implement further down the pipeline.
As easy as we want relationship-building to be, it requires good practice and a greater deal of patience.
Nonetheless, there are a few strategies staffing firms can choose to inject into their operations to build, nurture, and promote relationships in the best ways they can.
7 Strategies Staffing Firms Can Do to Build Long-Lasting Client Relationships
Through the years, staffing firms have done nothing but attempt to improve their relationships with both candidates and clients. And of their efforts, these seven strategies have been the most effective.
1. Don’t Shy Away from Success Stories
The staffing industry is in a heat of competition, and how can you stand out among the rest? By showing it! Most staffing firms undermine the power of feedback and success stories.
Businesses read reviews first before deciding to work with staffing firms. So, doing this doesn’t really require a lot of effort – just ask your clients for feedback and reviews!
Besides a mountain of feedback and an ocean of reviews, video testimonials, case studies, and other forms of proof of your excellent service can be of great help as well.
2. Automate and Systemize for a Smoother-Sailing Client Experience
If you’re still doing things manually, then you’re doing it incorrectly. Industries that handle high volumes of people – like staffing, would benefit the most from systems and automations. Of course, you can always have employees to do certain tasks like perform follow-ups, answer inquiries, or even reach out to clients.
Imagine if those were automated – wouldn’t that be a huge time and effort saver?
Follow-ups, sequences, necessary messages, and even general weekly greetings can have a huge impact on your clients. Not only would they feel that you think about them, but you can place yourself in a good position for communication, too.
Related Reading: Automate Candidate Engagement Like a Pro: 6 Things You Need to Know
3. Always Be One Step Ahead
Saying that staffing firms compete with one another is an understatement. Industries this big and versatile compete with other verticals, too. Being one step ahead, especially in terms of client communication is a bang.
By preparing what to say, when to say it, and how often you should be clear indications that (1) you’ve truly understood your clients’ needs and wants; (2) you are one with your clients’ goals and you’re willing to work with them.
Study the nooks and crannies of your clientele to anticipate their short and long-term goals and needs. Be one step ahead and always be proactive in serving your clients. The early bird catches the worm, right?
4. Understand Your Clients’ Needs
Listening to your clients is one thing but understanding them nurtures a deeper form of communication. A lot of newer staffing agencies put their focus so much on matching candidates with clients without gaining a full understanding of what the client needs.
They fail to realize that clients would appreciate it more if they knew that the firms helping them were fully aware of the situation.
It’s crucially important for staffing agencies not just to know their clients’ needs and industries, but to understand what they’re looking for.
Related Reading: Breaking Down Apple’s WWDC23: 3 Key Takeaways for Staffing Professionals
5. Honesty is the Best Policy
The hard truth about staffing firms is that they’re afraid to give clients raw and real feedback because they’re afraid to drop the ball and close the deal out sooner than they want. When, in reality, businesses and organizations crave honesty.
For instance, a big problem with most organizations is that they fail to meet candidates’ wants and expectations. In turn, their candidates will be reluctant to be accountable, step up, and improve. The problem there is that they’re resisting increasing pay for better competitiveness.
Still not convinced? A whopping 63 percent of workers said that they quit their job because they have low pay.¹
Brands and businesses look at staffing firms as their partners. So, they’ll expect you to hit them with pure honesty, unlike other organizations they’re currently in partnership with.
There’s always a better way to say something. The secret here is to think about how you’ll be truthful to avoid coming off as rude or insensitive. The last thing you want is for your clients to shut the door on you, right?
6. Transparency is the Currency of Leadership
In the staffing space, transparency is often overlooked – and not only in the candidate-firm avenue. Most staffing firms miss the opportunity of gaining their clients’ full trust by not being 100% transparent.
Howard D. Schultz, business mogul and previous Starbucks CEO, said this quote where he said that he believes that transparency is the currency of leadership.
Being transparent is being vulnerable, and vulnerability is the symbol that you’re still a person, regardless of your reputation. After all, true leaders communicate with their hearts, and not their minds.
Your clients aren’t robots that just shoot information out for you to process. They’re humans, too, and to build meaningful relationships, you – both as a firm and as individuals need to be transparent.
Establish a transparent culture and relationship with your clients. You’ll be surprised how well it can go in the future.
7. Preempt Candidacy Rejection Ahead of Time
Imagine screening hundreds of applicants, narrowing the list further down, facilitating interviews, and offering a job – but, in the end, the candidate rejects it. It’s frustrating for you, what more for your clients?
All the effort, resources, and time spent have gone to waste. Solving this firsthand gives your client the impression of you caring about their business and their overall resources.
Sharpening your pipeline can be a bit of a task but achieving it can turn frowns into big smiles that go from one vertical to another.
Related Reading: The Psychology of Candidate Decision-Making: What Makes Them Say Yes?
ALLOW ALLIED INSIGHT TO HELP YOU NURTURE AND BUILD MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR CLIENTS
Building and managing client relationships doesn’t have to be challenging. At Allied Insight, we practice effective client communication partnered with transparency to make our clients feel like they’re in a safe place.
Successful marketing is just within reach! You can count on us to devise a foolproof client relationship-building strategy that will continuously nurture your clients without requiring extra efforts from you. Allied Insight will be the best marketing partner you will ever work with! Give us a nudge and we’ll take care of all the see-throughs of your marketing strategy.
Reference
1 Horowitz, Juliana Mensace and Parker, Kim. “Majority of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite low pay, no opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected.” Pew Research Center. 9 Mar. 2022. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/.
