Ron Kinkade
Imagine this scenario: a big client calls at the last minute and needs to fill numerous positions in all different areas of the company within the next week. You are tasked with the job of contacting thousands of potential candidates in a relatively short period of time. It can be difficult to find, recruit, and train thousands of people in such a short window of time. Imagine how long it would take a staffing firm to call thousands of workers. Not only do these firms help numerous companies with their marketing, interviewing, training, and employee scheduling, especially during the busy holiday season - but they are helping with a vital part of our economy. How do they do it year after year?
The Numbers
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports about 3 million temporary workers in the United States, which is over 2% of America's total workforce, during an average week.
- During the course of a year, America's staffing companies hire nearly 16 million temporary and contract employees.
- The average term of employment is about 12 weeks.
- In the U.S., there are about 20,000 staffing companies operating around 39,000 offices.
- 74% of those are in temporary and contract staffing.
- Manpower Group placed over 3.4 million workers in 2015.
- The staffing industry generated $147 billion in sales in 2015.
- 9 out of 10 workers said staffing work made them more employable.
- 35% were offered a permanent job by a client.
The Holiday Rush
For many staffing companies, the holiday season kicks off when they start helping their clients begin their holiday staffing campaigns. Holiday staffing is a common practice for several industries including retail, customer service, sales, and hospitality. Just take a look at some headlines from this past holiday season.
Companies both large and small need to bulk up on their staff to help facilitate the hectic demands that come with the holiday shopping season. The retail industry alone hired 755,000 temporary workers this past October through December. Amazon added over 120,000 temporary workers, which increased its workforce by 40 percent. These workers filled spots in fulfillment, sorting centers, and customer service centers.
Automated messaging services like Call-Em-All have changed the way these staffing companies do business by allow them to reach thousands of possible candidates with just one automated phone call or text message, saving them time and money.
Recruiting with Automated Messaging Solutions
Holiday staffing needs to happen very quickly and technology makes this possible. If you look at your pool of potential candidates, you will find that the majority of them are comfortable with technology and want to have the option to connect with their potential employer instantly. This makes automated calls or texts a great option.
Once you have set up your automated message, give job seekers an option to apply easily. It is important to maximize the short window of opportunity by asking the right questions and providing incentives. For staffing firms, features like Call-Em-All's 'call speed' setting help to manage the delivery rate of your message so you don't get overwhelmed with responses.
If you choose to record an automated phone message, you can preview and re-record it as many times as necessary. Call-Em-All allows you to manage your contact list, schedule a delivery date, and then delivers your message in a way that is consistent and effective. Affordable, automated messaging services like ours allow you to:
- Confirm the availability of all job candidates
- Continually update all contact lists
- Provide job seekers with all the necessary information
- Update databases
- Confirm holiday schedules
- Control costs
- Gather responses from job seekers
- Fill available job positions
Lastly, Call-Em-All also has built in integrations with popular staffing software solutions to make launching a broadcast even easier.
Conclusion
Mobile technology offers numerous advantages for finding and recruiting job seekers, especially during the holidays. It is important thing to remember to make this process as easy as possible. Ask only the questions that are necessary and be sure to convey any incentives that come with the seasonal position, such as higher than normal pay or an interesting atmosphere. It is important to strike while the iron is hot, grab their attention immediately, and make it as easy as possible for job seekers to apply.
For more information, visit our How We Help page to find out how Call-Em-All helps staffing agencies just like yours.
