Best CRM for Recruiting

For recruitment agencies, the goal is to develop a stream of quality candidates to fill vacant positions quickly and successfully. To keep the recruitment process moving, candidates and employers take their cue on what they need to do next from the recruitment team. To be successful, you need to keep everyone in the loop with regular, informative and high-quality communications. Using a customer relationship management (CRM) system will help your agency stay organized and in control but which is the best CRM system for your recruiting team? Below, we’ve reviewed dozens of CRMs and we’ve chosen our top five CRM systems for recruiters.

The subscription tiers for the CRMs covered in this article are:

You may also have to pay for access to functionality through third-party apps or for standalone features from a vendor like $12 for video interviewing per job spot on Zoho Recruit. There may be set-up, implementation and training charges too. For example, HubSpot offers paid onboarding services that can cost up to $24,000.

The following are eight important CRM features that you should specify when selecting a platform for your business.

1. Candidate sourcing

CRMs that integrate with job boards and social media platforms open agencies to a much wider pool of talent. Your placement ads are more likely to be seen by active candidates ready to switch jobs as well as passive candidates weighing up such a move. Agencies can also experiment with ad content and placements to figure out which campaigns will work out the best in the future.

2. Client outreach

The right CRM allows you to manage email and telephone marketing campaigns from within the software. Use these channels to showcase your agency specialties and nurture prospects until they become clients. Some CRMs also provide the tools to run employer branding campaigns that can attract more qualified candidates to apply.

3. Omnichannel communications

Built-in email, phone, SMS and messaging channels ensure more seamless interactions with clients and candidates on the platforms they want to communicate with you on. CRMs record all interactions, helping you to build individual histories for clients and candidates so that you can understand them better. This makes your interactions more direct and personal, leading to greater trust and loyalty to your agency.

4. Vacancy promotion

Much recruitment has now moved online and many CRMs now feature direct or third-party plug-ins direct to job sites like Indeed as well as social media and pay-per-click marketing. Target your ads so they’re only likely to be seen by suitable candidates, reducing the cost per new resume. Run reports on previous campaigns to see which ads and platforms yield the best results.

5. Applicant and job tracking

With multiple jobs at different stages at any given time, a CRM allows recruiters to see where every placement is in real time. Set reminders and automations to make sure candidates do not fall through the cracks and clients stay informed of progress. The AI, now present in many CRM systems, can also help you identify bottlenecks in the recruitment process and suggest ways to overcome them.

6. Workflow automations

CRMs simplify the complex recruitment process, streamlining repetitive tasks like scheduling interviews and sending follow-up emails. You can set up workflows for every placement ensuring that clients and candidates receive consistent treatment and colleagues can stay on top of their workloads. AI can now even predict candidate suitability, saving recruiters time they would have spent sifting through multiple resumes.

7. Financial management

Stay on top of credit control, payment tracking and invoicing with a recruiter CRM. Send accurate timely bills with chase-up reminders to maintain good cash flow. Many recruiter CRMs now interface with accounting software and expense apps that help in overall agency budget management.

8. Reporting and analytics

CRMs record everything, With that data, you can measure open rates, click-throughs and leads from your market campaigns. Recruiting teams can track key performance indicators like time-to-fill and applicant-to-offer ratios. Agencies can analyze trends over time to see if performance is improving, finding areas where there are opportunities for improvement going forward.

So that you choose the right CRM for your recruitment agency, follow the five steps below.

1. Set your requirements

To start, look at all the points in your recruitment process from candidate sourcing to final placing to identify where you can improve performance and efficiency.

Make a list of the features you’ll need like applicant tracking, candidate relationship management and integration with job boards and social media.

2. Develop a shortlist of candidates

Now, start reviewing the sites of CRM vendors to determine if they have the functionality you need either natively or have access to third-party plug-ins. Not every CRM will have the features you need and others will but they’ll be difficult to adapt.

As you’re handling personal and business data, check out the data security and privacy safeguards of each CRM. Consider the size and activity of your agency now and what you might need in the future. If you use other business apps and software and they’re important, check to see whether the CRM platforms you’ve shortlisted can connect to them to avoid duplicating work.

3. Test-drive your top choices

Many CRM vendors offer free trials. Use them to examine for yourself how each CRM handles key recruitment tasks and workflows and see how difficult it is to change them to the way you want them. Put in a few calls to the customer service team to test how quickly they respond and how helpful they are.

If your vendor doesn’t offer a free trial, ask one of their reps to demonstrate to you and your colleagues who’ll be using the system how their CRM works. Have a list of adaptations ready and ask the rep to demonstrate to you how they would change the CRM’s workflows or settings to achieve the desired result.

At this point, it’s likely that a few of the potential CRMs will fall off your list.

4. Compare quotes against your budget

From the vendors still on your list, get detailed pricing on their CRM which reflects all the features you need. Ask about set-up fees and charges for ongoing support and maintenance. Find out exactly how long they want you to commit for and understand how much any cancellation policies will cost you.

Get quotes for two or more vendors so that you can create a competitive bidding environment. If your agency is larger, you may be able to secure a discount from a vendor for your commitment.

5. Check out customer reviews

Before signing up, check for online reviews, specifically for comments from other recruitment agencies to understand how suitable the CRM is for recruitment agencies. Your vendor will have been on their best behavior during a free trial so look for information on the system’s reliability, customer service and overall value for money from live customers in the field.

Choosing the right CRM will give you a number of advantages over your competitors in the eyes of both clients and candidates. The six greatest advantages include the following.

1. CRMs centralize your data

CRMs centralize all job, client and candidate data in one place. All team members operate from the same information and have a clear history of all interactions. This knowledge makes follow-ups more personal and leads to stronger relationships. It also reduces the risk of data loss and the need for multiple spreadsheets and databases.

2. CRMs support better communication with clients and candidates

Based on that central database, all calls, emails and messages are stored with clients and candidates. You can communicate directly with end users from within the platform knowing that it will form part of a client or candidate history. You can set automated responses and reminders to improve response times and enhance the quality of your interactions, boosting the value of your agency brand.

3. CRMs provide better candidate sourcing

CRMs allow efficient searching of multiple databases and they can bookmark potential candidates for upcoming jobs. The ability to post adverts and content on job sites and social media is excellent for engaging with passive candidates too. CRMs greatly simplify and improve candidate sourcing.

4. CRMs streamline workflow

When you’re dealing with dozens of clients and jobs and hundreds of candidates at a time, there is an escalating chance of human error if you don’t use a CRM. CRMs assist agencies in streamlining and standardizing processes to suit their specific requirements, enabling quicker placements, satisfying client and candidate demands and reducing the chances of damaging your brand.

5. CRMs provide data to support decision-making

The reporting and analytic tools in CRMs help agencies understand recruitment trends and patterns better. With clear data, agency leaders can make strategic decisions on where the growth markets are, which routes to market work best and on how they can improve agency performance on an individual and team level. They also give insights on how to enhance and simplify internal processes for a better client and candidate experience.

6. CRMs offer scalability and flexibility

Recruitment agencies grow. They can add new business divisions to target specific areas of opportunity. You can amend and adapt the right CRM to grow and change with your agency. They ensure you can deliver a consistent experience at all times to maintain brand standards to end users at all times.