Reviewing and implementing a new recruitment CRM isn’t a process you want to rush. A lot of time and money is at stake, so it’s vital you do things by the book. And by book, of course we mean our No-Nonsense Guide To Reviewing Recruitment Software. But in the meantime, here is seven tips for when you review your CRM.
Understand why you’re reviewing
There is absolutely no point in changing your recruitment CRM if you don’t have the foggiest what went wrong with your previous one. Was it too expensive? Was it outdated? Was it suitable for your business? Did your recruiters use it? Once you’ve worked out the reason you’re reviewing systems, you’ll know what the most important factors are when looking for your next one.
Listen to the experts
LinkedIn is such a useful platform for asking for recommendations for a new CRM but bear in mind that not everyone will have the same business model or needs as you. There could be 10 people all shouting about the same recruitment software but if it won’t meet your requirements then forget about it. Also, be wary of so-called “experts” and the knowledge or advice they share.. You might want to take it with a pinch of salt! More and more “industry experts” are actually sponsored by recruitment software suppliers, from blog posts, to pod casts, if they are banging on about a supplier, its probably because they are incentivised to do so.
You need a plan of action
I guarantee you won’t get far in reviewing software or actually changing CRM without a plan. There can be so much involved in the process so you make sure you have a team in place with different roles and responsibilities, a process to follow and timescales to stick to. You’ll find everything runs just that little bit smoother when nobody’s questioning what the next step is or who was meant to write the RFI.
Remember your requirements
You will not have a clue how well a CRM could work for your business if you don’t know what requirements it needs to meet. Analyse your current recruitment software, what you like/dislike, what features you use/don’t use and what integrations are essential. And don’t forget to make a list of what you require from the supplier themselves. What kind of support do you require? Do your core business hours align? What type of training is available? How are you billed?
It’s an opportunity for a fresh start
A new recruitment CRM is the perfect opportunity for you to revisit the data you’ve collected over the years and work out what’s actually valuable to you. Some smaller agencies will opt for a totally blank database with their new CRM so they can start from scratch and ensure every piece of data is up to date, entered correctly and of course, GDPR compliant! This just isn’t possible for bigger agencies as it would take an age to complete but you can still have a good old clear out! You may want to consider documents, comments and records older than X amount of years.
Training is a necessity
What is the point in investing in recruitment software if your consultants aren’t going to use it effectively to increase ROI? Ignoring training completely means that users won’t have a clear idea of how the software should be used and that’s no good is it! Make sure you look at the different types of training offered by each supplier and get your consultants trained in the early stages of adoption so once the software is fully up and running, they can hit the ground running.
Don’t forget about the numbers
Obviously changing CRMs can be a costly project so it’s vital that you dedicate some time to checking out the figures. Analyse the cost of your current supplier including licensing/subscription fees, hosting, support and training charges then use that to form a budget for your new CRM. Don’t forget that you may need a data migration and that free doesn’t mean it won’t cost you later on.
Bear these things in mind next time you think of changing your CRM and just remember, you only get one shot! Well, unless things go horribly wrong and you end up starting the process all over again!
