Being customer-centric is what every company is aiming for, particularly those that operate in highly competitive markets — such as recruitment!
It’s no surprise that it’s the focus for so many, when you consider the huge range of benefits it offers your recruitment agency.
But how exactly do you build a customer-centric recruitment agency?
1) Write a Mission Statement
Putting your client and their needs at the heart of your business can’t just be something you pay lip service to, you need to commit it to paper!
Writing a mission statement is a great place to start.
It doesn’t need to be lengthy, a couple of sentences will be enough. Think about what being a customer-centric recruitment agency means to you.
Here’s an example of a customer-centric mission statement from Amazon:
“To be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.”
2) Gather Feedback
Before deciding where you want to be, you first need to establish where you are right now.
A great way to do this can be by getting feedback from your current clients and any other business contacts that you work with regularly.
Understanding how they perceive your business right now, including what you excel at and any pain points, can be useful.
Sometimes a client won’t just offer up issues they’re having with your business, as they might see them as not that big a deal (until they become one!).
However understanding those issues and providing solutions can take your service to that client to the next level.
3) Predict Your Clients’ Needs
As well as understanding and listening to how a client feels about interactions with your agency, you need to predict their needs.
What would significantly improve a client’s interactions with your business?
Staying up to date with the latest technologies and changing consumer behaviour, can help you to anticipate what clients might want and expect in the future.
Think about industry leading businesses such as Google, Apple and Amazon. How have they predicted the behaviour of consumers and applied it to their business? On a smaller level, how can you do the same for your clients and candidates?
4) Be Proactive
One way predicting your client’s needs helps you build a customer-centric recruitment agency is because it allows you to be proactive.
Seeing where your processes and interactions could be improved can make them more convenient for your client.
It can even be as simple as making yourself more readily available for your client. If you provide a way to reach you quickly and easily, in a way that works for them, you’ll find you’re more often the first port of call.
Look beyond your own business, at the recruitment process as a whole, and be the first to do things better than the competition.
5) Deliver Across All Touch Points
If you employ a number of recruiters or use third-party services, such as outsourcing your back office functions, then make sure they also understand what you’re trying to achieve.
A client should get the same level of service whenever they interact with your business.
If you’re planning on hiring someone for your agency this year, then put the client at the heart of that decision, too.
Do they really understand what you’re trying to achieve? Can they truly put the client at the heart of every decision and anticipate their needs?
Essentially your goal is to offer the best possible level of service across every aspect of your business.
6) It’s the Little Things
Sometimes people think that building a customer-centric business means making huge changes, and in some cases it can.
However generally it can be the little things that make the biggest difference.
It might be the way you send candidate lists over to clients, or it could be the content you deliver on social media.
Taking a look at your business as a whole can help you identify those small ways in which you can improve your service to the customer.
7) Always Bring it Back to Your Customer
The key to customer-centricity is to always bring it back to the needs of your customer.
Whether it’s a client or a candidate, their needs should drive every decision you make. It’s what will truly make your business stand out from the competition.
Before investing in new technology for example, ask yourself, will this improve processes for my clients and candidates? Or will it make me appear less accessible and the process more automated?
Again, it’s these small little changes that can make a big difference to a client’s interactions and perception of your business.
Here at New Millennia we’ve worked with startup and established SME recruitment agencies for over 20 years.
Our range of services enable you to free up your time, so you can focus on offering a next-level service to your clients.
For example, our recruitment financing option gives your clients and temps access to an online portal where timesheets and invoices can be uploaded. It provides clarity and security for all parties.
Or why not outsource your back office functions? We can provide efficiencies that free you up to grow your business and offer the best possible level of service to your clients and candidates.
To find out more, get in touch and we’ll talk you through all the options.
