Joe Sheppard, Managing Director of POD Staffing, shares how agencies should use the traditional method of telephone conversation to communicate with clients in order to thrive in the tech-focused world.
Earlier this year I found myself on a panel alongside other esteemed industry professionals discussing the future of event staffing.
It was interesting for me to get a feeling for other people’s take on what is required for a successful staffing agency to tick. It felt like there was a big focus on technology across the board. Tools for clients, and for staff alike. Tools for measuring ROI, for compliance, for reporting and evaluation. All reasonable, sensible updates for an industry that (it could be argued) has had to fight to prove its worth for a seat at the top table of event marketing for years.
It made me consider the future for staffing. Where should technology sit in terms of being a priority for a staffing agency, especially when it comes to communicating.
We live in a world where conversation takes a backseat to tech. Emails, messaging, even dating is all carried out over screens – my industry is no different. The current approach of tech leading all communications, databases, job-boards, email shots and mass texts is part and parcel of a staffing agency’s daily routine. People are used to it, it’s the way of the world. The amount of calls we receive at POD asking about online job boards makes that very clear, however, that doesn’t mean it’s the right way to do it!
We recognise the importance of investing in tech. Of course, we, like all reputable staffing agencies, have an intelligent database. Great for profiling, for process, for accounting, geo-checking-in and reporting.
We can also talk one-to-many via our system……But is that the right approach? What benefits are there? It’s time efficient for sure -but our clients should expect more, and our staff should demand it.
For the 17 years I’ve been involved in event staffing, the principles of a well-run agency remain the same. Find good people, motivate good people. That simple.
I believe that picking up the phone and talking, having a conversation, is the simple route to achieving this. We therefore don’t offer job boards, nor do we ever share mass emails or text. Ever.
You might argue that’s impossible if you’re talking to a database upwards of 1000 people – but in my opinion, it simply must happen for an agency to thrive. A standard project will require anything from 2 – 50 x staff. That’s it. So, picking up the phone and making a booking the old-fashioned way is absolutely the right way to do it!
The alternative is the job board approach, or worse-still a mass email…
A message lands in your inbox… it’s from Agency ‘X’ offering a role, it’s worth ‘X’ much money and is for an ‘exciting’ brand. You can respond right there. It’s ideal, you’ve booked your next two weeks up without even opening your mouth – what’s not to love? Win – win for agency and Brand Ambassador!
What about your client though?
It’s not uncommon for this type of email to land in the inbox of one of my full-time, office-based employees (multiple times, every day, from multiple staffing agencies in fact!).
She indeed worked as a Brand Ambassador in the field for various agencies, although a full 3 years ago! And that, right there, scares the life out of me from a compliance perspective. In dropping a mass-email, you really don’t know who you are talking to.
In that situation how can you be confident that the very best team is being assembled for your client’s needs?
A counter argument will suggest that the email is stage one of many, and that a proper screening takes place at a later point. Maybe that’s the case. But I tend to think that you open the door to a ‘fastest finger first’ approach if you are letting tech lead your bookings.
My previous staffing director would call it the ‘spray and pray’ technique!
There are a million reasons why talking, meeting and engaging is important in my world. From that first interview, you get to know a candidate. But equally important- they get to know you, trust you, understand you, subscribe to your ethos, then, in most cases, they want to work for you personally, and its less about just ‘filling the diary’. They won’t let you down… Even the thought of doing so bothers them… This is what I believe makes the difference between good and great.
No doubt everyone, in all walks of life, will be challenged in some way by the convenience of communicating via the digital world. The tech industry must shoulder some blame.
According to Tanya Goodin, author of Stop Staring at Screens and a digital detox evangelist, “Screens and remote digital contact, rather than real relationships, are the default focus of our attention. We retreat into devices to avoid awkward situations; they distract us when we’re bored; entertain us when we’re lost for words. They’re less complicated than people, but ultimately less rewarding.”
That sums it all up perfectly for me.
How can anyone expect their front line to perform brilliantly- communicating brand principles and conversing with potential customers perfectly, when every other part of their own experience with you is delivered by a message?
So, we will proudly remain slightly old school over here at POD, therefore guaranteeing that our clients and, importantly, our staff will always know that they are the heartbeat of our organisation.
After all, our product is people!
POD Staffing are Campaign’ Magazines Staffing agency of the year, IPM COGS staffing gold winners and the first ever staffing agency to be crowned GRAND PRIX at the same ceremony last month.
To find out more about POD Staffing, get in touch with Joe Sheppard at joe@podstaffing.co.uk
