4 Common headhunting agency mistakes that a recruitment CRM can prevent

While everyone knows just how important maintaining robust client relationships can be, there’s just enough room for error as there is for improvement. The issue is that some common mistakes that recruitment agencies can make, end up pushing valuable clients in a competitors’ direction.Here are 4 common mistakes that headhunting agencies can employ a CRM to actively avoid committing.

1- Data inaccuracy 

This is a mistake that’s mostly due to lack of attention, time-induced confusion, or horrible data management practices. Spreadsheets just won’t do anymore.Operating on inaccurate recruitment data such as the details of a particular open position, the client’s needs, the hiring timeframe and the like can snowball into much bigger issues. In fact, a lot of recruitment agencies aren’t aware of how inaccurate their data is until they submit results to the client. If this happens during the first project, your client is as good as gone.Furthermore, this would reflect negatively on your recruitment agency, its professionalism and attention to detail. It will chip away at valuable trust established when the lead was first converted. Depending on the gravity of this mistake in each instance, it could turn into an embarrassing online review to turn away future clients.Attention to detail is critical and beyond important as it’s one of the pillars for success in the B2B world and in interactions with contracted entities. As such, adopting a recruitment CRM software can make the difference between an indefinite contract and a lost client.Being able to centralize client data on one platform for the entire team to access can be a way to work around this particular pitfall. Creating in-depth client profiles that contain all client information, from campaign goals to timeframes and preferences helps recruitment agencies stay on track and always have a database to fall back on when the campaign gets heated.The point: Centralize your recruitment client’s data on one platform, and remember that attention to detail is key.

2- Subpar communication

This is perhaps the core of robust client relationships and an issue that recruitment agencies can eradicate by simply facilitating communication between yourself, your team, and your client.This is your recruitment team’s most direct channel to understanding what your client expects, what they need, and what details they provided. The problem is that with the bustle of a recruitment agency, as well as tight schedules and large hiring campaigns, frequent and improved communication can sometimes take the passenger seat.Furthermore, it isn’t feasible for each of your team members to request certain information whenever they need it. It’s best to make everything accessible, from client requests and updates to certain instructions.A good way to keep track of communication with the client is to utilize a recruitment CRM that creates in-depth client profiles and facilitates communication. Software such as Manatal allows users to create such profiles, attach notes and comments, and even send emails directly from the client’s page. These notes, comments, and emails can be made accessible to the entire team. As an example, let’s consider the screenshot below:

In this scenario, Paige, a manager at a recruitment agency is responsible for client communications. As seen in the screenshot above, she’s able to send emails to the client’s point of contact, in this case, Mr. Rodrigo, directly from Manatal.Note that Paige CC’d me on the email, as a recruiter on her team who’s sourcing candidates for this company’s hiring campaign.

As displayed in the screenshot above, you can see that by logging into my “recruiter” account, I’m able to access client communication such as emails, notes, and attachments directly from the client contact page. Furthermore, I’m able to view all past communications that I’ve been granted access to.This does a wonderful job of keeping the recruitment team up to date with all changes, campaign progress, or client instructions. Furthermore, by accessing client communications first-hand, recruiters are able to find everything they need and engage in discussions with their colleagues through the notes feature.If not handled immediately, this communication issue accrues dissatisfaction on the client’s side as well as your team’s over time. And though it may not be outspoken for a while, you can be sure that the longer you leave this unaddressed, the higher the chances of your client hiring your replacement.The point: Centralize communication data, make it accessible, and give it the attention it deserves.

3- Inadequate CRM software training

When your team is unfamiliar with the recruitment software you introduce, it’s a recipe for inevitable mistakes somewhere down the line.For example, let’s say you choose to adopt a recruitment software that offers ATS functionalities and recruitment CRM tools. As a concept, this sounds like a path to improving almost every process within your recruitment agency. But when your team doesn’t know how to use the software, they will not perform at their best. In fact, the tool would more or less be useless to them without proper training.That’s why it’s important to set up intricate and in-depth training plans for your sales team and your recruiters. Since solutions like Manatal are important to both teams, it’s important to make sure that they understand exactly what it can do and how it can be used.While this can be done internally, Manatal offers training sessions for the entire team from the onset, making it much easier to understand how the software works and retain valuable tips regarding what each feature can do.The point: Establish a well-crafted recruitment CRM software training plan, and see it through with each team member.

4- Blindly choosing a recruitment CRM software

You’ve read an article on LinkedIn about recruitment CRM software and you’re convinced they’re the way to go. You subscribe to such software ten minutes later only to realize that you chose badly.This is a common issue, especially given the digital world’s marketing-laden nature. That’s why it’s important to consider your choices first and find software that offers everything you need at suitable prices.Software solutions, especially in the recruitment world, can get very expensive. This is most common in outdated legacy solutions that are either too complex to use efficiently or too general in their focus. There are many niche resources out there for recruitment software that can give you an idea of whether this is a good investment or not. User reviews, screenshots, and demo videos are all elements to consider. You want to adopt software that you won’t regret, so choose wisely.The point: Never blindly choose recruitment CRM software.Click here to read more of our insights on recruitment and HR technology, or here to explore our 14-day free trial.