Driving new business in a digital age

The market is changing for all industries. Once what was a candidate market not too long ago has now become a client market, with most companies trying to land and expand new marquees as companies pull back their spending on outsourcing to agencies.

The old ways of “smile and dial” 100 clients a day are not seeing the fruits that they did 10 years ago. The age of digitization and omnichannel communication is here, which means you’ll need to update your strategy to stay ahead of the curve. That’s where recruitment automation comes in.

Here are a few ways your firm may be able to leverage automation tech in your business development efforts.

• Repeat business: Get the low-hanging fruit. You’ve placed with these clients before but how is your team keeping engagement and checking in with repeat business? An automation like this can help prevent fall-off and increase your job order rates 
  • Passive: Set up an automation notification internally to a BD rep or Sales Owner that no notes have been added in the last 30-60 days with this client 
  • Active: Schedule an automated text or email to go out to these clients to see if they have any upcoming projects they could use assistance with
• NPS surveys: They liked working with you and you gave them results. What other hiring managers or divisions might benefit from your help? 
  • Passive: Send a reminder when an assignment ends to reach out to the client or hiring manager to see if any other openings at the company are high priority. You could also send a reminder to the recruiter to check in with their candidates on any leads they may have at their new company.
  • Active: Send an NPS Survey to all candidates and clients after placement to see what their satisfaction level is. Plus, add a follow-up prompt if receiving a score of eight or higher to refer a friend or colleague.
• Industry-related updates:  Just like you, your clients want to know what is going on in their industry and what their competition is up to. Leveraging news sources like Google News can drive up-to-date information and statistics about what is going on in the industry that your clients want to know. 
  • Passive: Send a notification to the Sales team to review your internal marketing materials or news outlets for the latest stats with a next step to do an email outreach/check-in. 
  • Active: Create a monthly newsletter to be sent out via text (or email) to your client base
• Runner-ups: You have great candidates in your database, including a lot of “almost got it” silver medalists who made it to the final round but were not placed. How do we get these candidates more at-bats? 
  • Passive: Auto-add candidates to a tearsheet when the job closes for silver medalist candidates and notify internal users of potential other jobs open in the system that may be a fit. 
  • Active: When a job closes, create an automation that notifies the candidate that, unfortunately, they did not get the role, but offer up other roles that you have open that may be a fit for them. If the candidate is interested upon selecting, auto-add them to a shortlist and notify the job owner.
• Candidates placed: You found them their job; maybe they could use your services in their new role! 
  • Passive: Send an automated notification to recruiters (or salespeople) for check-ins with placed candidates in six-month intervals.
  • Active: Send an email survey to placed candidates at the six-month mark requesting their current title. Add a follow-up question if they’re responsible for hiring decisions.

While AI and automation can seem intimidating, some firms have fully embraced the change. Advanced technology like automation can help your sales and business development activities reach new heights – so it may be time to make the most of these tools and stay ahead of the competition. Ultimately, automation technology isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about enhancing client relationships, driving revenue growth, and propelling your firm toward success in a rapidly changing industry. By embracing automation, you’re not just adapting to the future — you’re shaping it, one automated process at a time.