11 Best Recruitment and Staffing Agency Software [2023]
The best staffing software, pricing, ROI, pitfalls, use cases, and more.
The best software for staffing and recruiting are designed to streamline your recruiting processes. On the last business day of December 2020, there were 6.6 million job openings in the US as the COVID-19 vaccination plan began to roll out. According to a CareerBuilder study, 77% of millennial clients plan to increase utilization of staffing companies over the coming years. As a result, staffing and recruiting agencies have a lot on their plates!
68% of professionals say the best way to improve recruiting performance is to utilize tech. Therefore, we put together this list of the best staffing agency software, complete with benefits, use cases, pricing, ROI, pitfalls, and more so you can stay ahead of the competition using SaaS.
Best Recruiting Agency Software
After carefully considering multiple product features, we found that the best recruiting agency software stands out in candidate organization, sourcing capabilities, and analytics. Our selection process involved attending numerous demos, personally testing the software, and consulting industry experts. Let's delve deeper into each aspect:
- Candidate Organization: Staffing agencies deal with tons of applications for different jobs. Without proper organization, things can quickly turn into a messy maze. That’s why we looked for tools with excellent candidate organization capabilities. They let your agency easily search and filter candidate profiles, track progress, and streamline operations for better placements and efficiency.
- Sourcing Capabilities: When clients contact multiple staffing agencies, you want to be the one to provide the perfect fit in the shortest time. That's where cutting-edge tools come in handy. Features we examined include resume parsing, job board integrations, advanced search filters, and candidate matching algorithms — these will help you gain a competitive edge by delivering qualified candidates faster than your rivals.
- Analytics: Staffing agencies face the challenge of handling much more diverse job requirements, which goes beyond what in-house recruitment teams typically encounter. Knowing which channels work best for certain types of jobs is critical for them to stay competitive. Analytics is the source of this knowledge. Armed with robust analytics capabilities, your agencies can allocate resources, invest wisely, and optimize recruitment strategies for better outcomes.
Want to learn more about our vetting process? Our HR software evaluation guidelines break it all down.
Manatal
Manatal is an excellent pick for both in-house recruiters and staffing agencies, as other than just being a straightforward ATS, the tool provides advanced recruitment features like AI-powered recommendations, automation, and access management — all at an SMB-friendly rate.
PROS
- Affordable pricing, has a 14-day free trial.
- User-friendly interface with drag-and-drop pipelines.
- Ability to send mass email campaigns.
- Automatic candidate profile updates from social media.
- Referral program for candidate recommendations.
- Multi-language support on careers pages.
- AI-powered recommendations based on job descriptions.
- Customizable automated post-referral and post-application emails.
- Ability to grant people access to the data you want to share (salary, contact details, social media, resumes, etc.) and interact with them through Manatal.
- Manatal is quite affordable and offers a 15-day free trial for users to test it out before making commitments.
- Manatal is fairly easy to use. It features drag-and-drop enabled pipelines for candidate organization.
- Manatal’s AI-based recommendations feature can save hiring managers quite a bit of time. It’s able to scan job descriptions then search a users talent pool and bring up candidates most suited for the job.
CONS
- AI recommendations work best with English resumes.
- No email scheduling, limited mass email selection.
- No free plan available.
- API and custom integrations for custom plan customers only.
- Inability to combine Boolean and Advanced Search.
- The AI recommendations feature works best with resumes that are in English, and doesn’t work as accurately with other languages according to several users’ feedback. Several users have also complained about Manatal’s interface only being available in English and that career pages cannot be published in languages other than English and Spanish.
- Manatal doesn’t offer a free plan. We mention this as a con as several SMB-geared ATSs do offer a free-forever verison, and that puts Manatal slightly behind competition.
- Manatal doesn’t offer prebuilt integration modules. They do have an open API that allows users to plug in third-party products and custom tools, but that required a bit more time and technical knowledge to accomplish. It’s also worth mentioning that only Custom plan customers can access Manatal’s API and Zapier integration. Customers on the Professional and Enterprise plan cannot.
- Users can search for candidates via Boolean Search or Advanced Search, but cannot combine the two search methods together. E.g users cannot use the Boolean search operators (AND, OR and NOT) within Manatal’s Advanced Search tab.
Manatal's software provides several notable advantages. It offers an affordable pricing structure, along with a 14-day free trial for testing purposes. The user-friendly interface, coupled with drag-and-drop-enabled pipelines, simplifies the organization of candidates. The ability to send mass email campaigns enhances communication efficiency.
Users will also appreciate the automatic updates of candidate profiles with data from their social media accounts. The multi-language support for careers pages, referral program, and customizable automated post-referral and post-application emails further contribute to recruitment efforts.
We like the platform's focus on collaboration, both internally and externally, in the hiring process. Manatal allows users to interact easily with candidates and team members through a centralized communication channel. As admins, we can grant limited access to specific data, such as salary, contact details, social media profiles, and resumes.
However, we did encounter a few limitations. The AI-powered recommendations feature works best with English resumes and is less accurate with other languages. There are no options for email scheduling or mass email recipient selection.
It is also important to note that Manatal does not offer a free plan, and API and custom integrations are limited to custom plan customers.
Last but not least, we couldn’t combine Boolean Search and Advanced Search methods within the platform to refine our search capabilities.
Unilever, Coca-Cola, Panasonic, Ogilvy, Toyota.
Manatal provides three plans. The following is their pricing when billed annually:
- Professional plan: $15/user/month for up to 15 jobs and 10,000 candidates, with unlimited guests.
- Enterprise plan: $35/user/month for unlimited jobs, candidates, and guests.
- Custom plan: Includes all Enterprise features plus custom features, integrations, and support.
Best For
Manatal can work for both in-house recruiters and staffing agencies as long as their applicants are in English. Their pricing structure makes it a great option for SMBs.
CEIPAL ATS & CRM
CEIPAL ATS & CRM is a what’s-what of recruiting agency software, with all the ATS and CRM functions you expect plus numerous integrations and AI capabilities.
PROS
CONS
CEIPAL ATS & CRM is a cost-efficient staffing ATS with customizable dashboards, AI capabilities, and numerous integrations. CEIPAL stands out with a credit system of controlling job ad spend. Recruiters are given a certain amount of credits on a set timeline, and once they are out, they can’t spend anymore until the timeline is up. This saves your company a little extra money while ensuring recruiters aren’t relying on ads alone.
Some of the notable customers that use CEIPAL are The Agency and Quality Staffing of America.
CEIPAL ATS & CRM starts at $120 per month for teams of 5 recruiters or smaller. For a team of 50, it will cost $1050 per month. Teams of 100 pay $1900 a month. Teams of 150+ must contact sales for pricing. You’ll save 5% if you choose to be billed annually.
Best For
Recruit CRM
Recruit CRM really caught our eye as one of the top-notch recruiting and staffing agency software due to its killer search capabilities. With advanced features like boolean searches and "radius search" using Google Maps, you can easily find clients, candidates, and jobs within a specific location range.
PROS
- Free basic data migration (Excel/CSV files for candidates & clients).
- Excellent customer support (who speak English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese) with an average response time of under 2 minutes.
- Powerful LinkedIn Integration & Executive/Recruitment Report PDF Generator.
- Transparent pricing structure. Free trial available, no credit card required.
- Abundance of resources: blogs, articles, job description templates, and a recruitment practices glossary.
- No extra fees required for basic data migration that includes importing Excel/CSV files with candidates & clients. During the implementation process of this software, the customer service personnel will help transfer your data for free.
- Great customer service. Their average response time is under two minutes.
- Powerful Linkedin Integration & Executive/Recruitment Report PDF Generator to save time
- Tons of resources made available to users including blogs and articles that give you all the information you need to know about how the software works, job description templates to help you get acquainted with all the possible job openings you will be looking to close, and a glossary that gives you the A-Z of recruitment practices.
CONS
- Limited native integrations with LinkedIn, Zapier, Logic Melon, some email apps, and Google/Outlook calendars. For specialized functions like background checks with platforms like Checkr, Zapier's API extension is required.
- It no longer offers a free plan.
- Limited native integrations. Recruit CRM only integrates natively with LinkedIn, Zapier, Logic Melon, some email apps, and Google and Outlook calendars. If you want to run background checks, for example, using Checkr or other background verification platforms, you won’t be able to do that unless you use Zapier’s API extension.
Recruit CRM is a fantastic two-in-one software that combines the best of an ATS and CRM. Its ATS features help you source talent effectively and build a strong candidate pipeline. On the CRM side, it helps manage and collaborate with clients smoothly.
The hassle-free data migration is a big plus. Importing Excel/CSV files is a breeze, and their customer service is top-notch, with quick responses.
LinkedIn integration and the Recruitment Report PDF Generator save time, making your experience even better. The wealth of resources they provide, like blogs and templates, is also a huge bonus.
Just keep in mind that while it integrates with key tools like LinkedIn and Zapier, some native integrations might be limited. But with their excellent support, you'll find ways to make it work for you.
Recruitment CRM has customers in over 100 countries. Some of them are Blue Recruiting, G4 Global Partner, and Zeren.
Recruit CRM offers three plans and a free trial that lets you experience all of its features. When paid annually:
- Pro: $40 per user/month and includes unlimited open jobs, 15 custom fields for each entity, 10,000 contacts (per user), 10,000 candidates (per user), and 10,000 companies (per user).
- Business: $65 per user/month for everything in Pro plus 100 custom fields for each entity, 20,000 contacts (per user), 20,000 candidates (per user), and 20,000 companies (per user).
- Enterprise: $90 per user/month for everything in Business plus custom company limits and candidates limits, and a dedicated account manager.
Best For
Recruit CRM is best suited for small to medium-sized recruitment agencies with around 3 to 100 employees. While its seamless integration with LinkedIn and other platforms is beneficial, larger organizations with more extensive native integration requirements might find other solutions more suitable.
Bullhorn
Bullhorn is an all-encompassing staffing solution, from applicant tracking to onboarding to back end recruiter management.
PROS
CONS
Bullhorn is a well-known name in staffing software that focuses on the entire recruiting lifecycle from sourcing passive candidates to onboarding. Bullhorn even has additional functionality for operations personnel at staffing firms. Such features include timesheet management, expense and commission tracking, and invoicing modules.
Bullhorn has four price plans, Team, Corporate, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus.
Team
- Includes CRM and sourcing tools, job management and publishing, email integration, career portal, resume parsing, standard reporting, and contact and company management.
Corporate
- Includes all features of Team, but adds unlimited data storage, API access, custom workflows, LinkedIn integration, NPS survey tool, and inbox productivity tool.
Enterprise
- Includes all previous features and adds advanced reporting, Pulse relationship intelligence, lead tracking, pipeline management, and goal-setting tools.
Enterprise Plus
- Includes all previous features and adds advanced reporting and visualization.
Pricing is determined by the number of users that want access to the system. You must request a pricing quote from Bullhorn for specific details.
Best For
Bullhorn is best for large staffing firms who can make use of its entire product suite.
We use it to enter in new candidates, to track them, to market projects to them, and then throughout our internal project recruiting processes. Our recruiting team uses it every single day, it's integral to our business process.
I like the ability to move candidates through the project. I like the way it's all visually laid out. And I like the ability to stay organized by using it.
We bought TalentRover by Bullhorn approximately 5 years ago. I've used it the entire time that we've had the product. It's important for us to have a solid ATS for our consulting recruiting practices. The ability to move candidates through the process is really helpful and it's all organized well.
They have search functions (both Boolean and another tool called Search and Match) that are not very user-friendly. We also don't like the fact that their unsubscribe hyperlink doesn't take you to a 2nd landing page to confirm. With the current spam filters and potential phantom clicking, it's a big concern that people are being unsubscribed unintentionally.
I haven't explored many other ATS products, so I'm not sure how it's different. My assumption is that it's fairly similar.
People should talk with multiple vendors and go through their sales process and demos. This will allow companies to ensure that they are getting a software that meets their business needs.
They have made some small changes, but nothing that I feel that has been major or very helpful. We have had a few instances where we've recommended changes and they say that not enough of their other customers need that or that it would require custom development.
I think it's very good for recruiting and staffing companies.
I am sure that non-staffing companies could use it, but they would need to do a lot of internal recruiting to warrant it. And it might be easier to use something that is more integrated with their ERP, like Workday.
Zoho Recruit
Zoho Recruit is an easy-to-use recruiting agency software solution that offers a simple user interface that is infinitely customizable, plus a free-forever version.
PROS
- ATS + CRM in one platform.
- Built-in resume parser and resume extractor extension.
- AI-based chatbot Zia automatically responds to frequently asked questions, updates about job availability, and the current status of candidate applications.
- Good customer support.
- Supports multiple languages.
- Transparent pricing structure. Has a free version and a free trial.
- ATS + CRM in one platform
- Backed by a company like Zoho, notable for reliability and good customer service.
- 24/5 support
- Priced quite modestly after the free version
- Certain features like video interviews are available as optional add-ons.
CONS
- The free plan has limited storage (256MB).
- No native skill assessments and anti-cheating features.
- Additional features like the client portal, mass email, workflow alerts, and API calls cost extra.
- Integrations don’t work properly at times.
- The career site is not fully customizable until past a certain paid plan.
- The free plan only allows 256MB of storage.
- Additional features, such as the client portal, mass email, workflow alerts, and API calls cost extra.
- Some users have complained about the quality of some of the integrations.
- The career site is not fully customizable until past a certain paid plan.
We demoed Zoho Recruit and were drawn to its visual hiring pipeline. It’s customizable and gives us the whole picture of applicants' progress. We’ve heard recruitment agencies are especially fond of the Client Portal. It costs extra but enables their clients to create jobs, review candidates, and provide feedback. Zoho Recruit supports over 3,000 job boards — a good push to get the jobs to reach a wide talent pool.
Creating a careers page using the customizable templates on Zoho Recruit is simple and functional. It's not super visually aesthetic, but it gets the job done in terms of promoting the brand: it presents all vacancies, company profile, and an overview of its culture.
Zia, an AI-based chatbot, is another noteworthy feature we checked out. It automatically responds to applicants’ FAQs and provides job updates and application statuses. There’s also a native automated candidate matching. When recruiters create a new job and specify the desired skills, it ranks candidates based on how well their resumes and cover letters align with the requirements.
Despite its strengths, Zoho Recruit has a few drawbacks. The free version has limited customization and storage, making it less helpful for high-volume hiring. There are no native tools for skill assessments and anti-cheating. While Zoho Recruit can integrate with many HR tools via API, it costs extra and, at times, has connecting issues. It's also important to note that though Zoho’s pricing is transparent, it does not cover additional features like the client portal, mass email, and workflow alerts.
Bosch, Deloitte, Saint-Gobain, PWC, Allianz.
Zoho Recruit provides four plans with free trials and add-ons:
- Free plan allows 1 active job at a time.
- Standard is $30 per user per month.
- Professional is $60 per user per month.
- Enterprise is $90 per user per month.
- Available add-ons: The client portal and video interview modules.
Best For
Recruiting and staffing agencies that already use other products of Zoho will find Zoho Recruit a great addition to their hiring. Zoho Recruit can also work for big firms wanting an all-in-one solution for applicant tracking and recruitment for their niche job.
At my organization, we use Zoho Recruit as our primary applicant tracking system (ATS) to manage our recruitment process. We use it on a daily basis to streamline our workflows and improve our recruitment efficiency.
One of the key workflows we use Zoho Recruit for is managing job postings. Zoho Recruit allows us to create job postings and post them on various job boards and social media platforms, all from within the tool. This saves us time and effort and helps us to reach a wider pool of candidates.
- Customizable workflows: Zoho Recruit provides customizable workflows that allow organizations to create tailored recruitment processes that match their specific needs.
- Integrations with other Zoho applications: Zoho Recruit is part of the larger Zoho suite of business applications, and it can integrate with other Zoho applications such as Zoho CRM and Zoho People, which can help streamline overall business processes.
- Collaborative recruiting: Zoho Recruit allows for collaboration between team members, making it easier to work together during the recruitment process.
- Candidate tracking: Zoho Recruit provides tools for tracking candidate progress throughout the hiring process, including interview scheduling and email communication.
Zoho Recruit helps my organization manage job postings, applications, and candidate information in a single platform. This streamlines the recruitment process and helps my HR team save time and effort. Zoho Recruit allows my organization to centralize all candidate data in one location, which can make it easier to manage and track candidate progress throughout the hiring process. It also provides features for collaboration between team members, which can help improve communication and coordination during the recruitment process. I've been using Zoho Recruit for the last 2 years.
- While Zoho Recruit offers integrations with other Zoho applications, it has limited integrations with other third-party applications, which may limit its functionality and usability for some organizations.
- While Zoho Recruit offers customizable workflows, some users have expressed that there are limitations to the customization options available, which may not fully meet their organization's needs.
- Some users have found that Zoho Recruit has a steep learning curve, which may require additional training for some users to fully utilize the platform's features and functionality.
Zoho's tiers are very rigid, and I would hope they would make their product more modular and allow customers to buy modules separately. For a small startup, the professional and enterprise-grade turn out to be very expensive, and we could easily trade some features we don't use for features we would like to use.
- Consider the specific needs of your organization and the recruitment processes that you need to support. Evaluate the features and functionality of Zoho Recruit to ensure that it meets your organization's specific requirements.
- Evaluate the user interface of Zoho Recruit to ensure that it is easy to use and navigate and that it does not require extensive training for users to get up to speed.
- Evaluate the customization options available in Zoho Recruit to ensure that you can tailor the recruitment process to match your organization's specific requirements.
Zoho Recruit has expanded its customization options, enabling users to create workflows tailored to their specific needs. The customizable workflows allow users to create automated processes and custom stages for candidates.
Zoho Recruit has introduced artificial intelligence (AI)-powered automation features that help automate tasks, such as candidate matching, resume parsing, and lead prioritization.
Zoho Recruit offers a cost-effective solution for small and medium-sized businesses that need to manage their recruitment processes without investing in expensive HR software. Zoho Recruit has features specifically designed for staffing agencies and recruiters, such as candidate submittal tracking, resume parsing, and sourcing tools, making it an excellent choice for these types of users.
While Zoho Recruit can handle recruitment processes for small to medium-sized businesses, it may not be as well-suited for large enterprises with complex recruitment processes and a large number of open positions.
Zoho Recruit is a general-purpose recruitment software and may not be the best fit for industries with specialized recruitment needs, such as healthcare, finance, or technology. These industries often require specialized recruitment software in addition to an ATS that can handle their unique requirements.
JobAdder
JobAdder’s applicant tracking system is incredibly user-friendly, with customizable workflows and built-in job posting.
PROS
CONS
JobAdder is a popular applicant tracking system in the UK and Australia. The platform is a streamlined recruitment management platform, which encompasses the entire recruiting lifecycle. Job seekers will appreciate social network-style candidate functionalities where they can update their status, job title, contact details, and preferences.
MacDonald Search Group, Revel, Westwood & Wilshire
Best For
Staffing agencies or big in-house recruiting teams looking for an end-to-end recruitment system.
Avionté
Avionté provides a robust end-to-end recruitment and staffing solution, specifically for IT staffing.
PROS
CONS
Avionté is a great choice for staffing agencies looking for one comprehensive solution for their entire recruiting cycle. By partnering with Avionté, you’ll get an ATS, CRM, payroll & billing platform, sourcing tool, and onboarding solution.
Avionté is very customer-centric, providing free training resources and even a yearly conference called Avionté CONNECT.
TEEMA Solutions Group Inc., David Aplin Group Recruiting Solutions, Integrity Staffing
Best For
IT staffing companies looking for an end-to-end solution.
Gem
Gem simplifies talent management for staffing agencies by integrating LinkedIn InMail, ATS, and email data into a centralized hub. This automation streamlines the sourcing and engagement process while providing valuable insights to enhance recruitment strategy.
PROS
- Auto-adds profiles into specific talent pools based on set criteria.
- Customizable automated drip campaigns to attract and nurture candidates.
- The “Likely to Move” filter identifies candidates that are more likely to change jobs.
- Real-time visualized reports with helpful hiring metrics.
- Auto-suggests profiles that are similar to the ones users are searching for.
- Integration partners include popular ATSs, sourcing sites, and communication tools. Supports custom integrations.
- Support is available via live chat, a help center, email support, and a dedicated CMS.
- Provides a free trial.
- Gem helps you discover qualified candidates across multiple channels, send personalized messages, visualize your recruitment pipeline, and stay on top of crucial hiring metrics
- Gem's integration with LinkedIn and various ATS means that all candidate data is stored in a centralized location. Users find this feature extremely useful.
- According to users, one of Gem's finest features is the ability to create automated drip campaigns to engage with both active and passive candidates
CONS
- Candidates’ email data is sometimes incorrect.
- No automated LinkedIn InMail sequences.
- Implementation typically takes a few weeks.
- Some users encounter slow loading times.
- No option to bulk filter or remove work emails.
- Doesn’t support monthly payments. Plans have undisclosed pricing and are only available for annual subscriptions.
- Doesn’t have built-in internal hiring features.
- No mobile app version.
- Some users have experienced slow load times and lags while using the application
- In rare cases, the contact information, such as the email address or phone number of a sourced candidate, might be wrong
- While Gem currently integrates with LinkedIn, it does not provide the option to automate messages via LinkedIn InMail
Gem is a go-to solution for staffing agencies that handle volume hiring. It offers a comprehensive database for roles across industries, ensuring agencies have access to a vast talent pool.
With Gem's external sourcing capabilities, recruiters can leverage popular platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, Behance, and GitHub to find top talent. The tool gathers candidate data from multiple sources, creating a centralized talent CRM that provides real-time updates and a reliable source of information.
The email sequence feature in Gem is highly useful for engaging candidates. Recruiters can customize messages, personalize auto follow-ups, and track performance. Though it lacks pre-built email templates, requiring users to create emails from scratch, it excels in reporting capabilities.
Unfortunately, it falls short in internal sourcing and internal referral features, and it currently lacks (but plans to add) AI capabilities. Integrations are also limited, although efforts are being made to expand partnerships. Although Gem can sync with LinkedIn for certain functions, InMails must be sent manually. Finally, the pricing structure requires annual payments, which could be better for smaller firms with tighter budgets.
Coinbase, Slack, Asana, Dropbox, Lyft, Indeed, Pinterest, Doordash.
The cost of Gem's services is based on the size of your recruitment team, the number of hires, and other factors like custom ATS integrations. You can reach out to their sales team for a quote.
Best For
Gem is an excellent choice for staffing agencies and in-house recruitment teams at large firms that need to hire swiftly at scale.
Loxo
Loxo boasts the world's largest talent pool of 530+ million people in their proprietary directory.
PROS
- Excellent customer service with a strong record of fast response times.
- User-friendly resume parsing.
- Friendly and visually appealing user interface.
- Offers a convenient Chrome extension.
- Allows client involvement in projects with direct interaction.
- Regularly releases new product updates.
- Includes a free plan.
CONS
- Slightly higher pricing compared to similar tools.
- Lack of an option to auto-anonymize resumes for blind screening.
- Reporting is not particularly useful with certain useful metrics not tracked.
- No Android app. Limited features and occasional performance issues on the iOS app.
Loxo promises to make your team a “hiring machine”. Their AI-powered solutions can cut time-to-hire by up to 80%. Powerful automation tools bookend the entire recruiting process, from sourcing and outreach to candidate relationship management.
Sanford Rose Associates Executive Search, Ranstad
Loxo has two versions, free and premium.
The Free version comes with an ATS, recruiting CRM, and basic sourcing tools all for one user. The Premium version adds advanced sourcing tools, API, training & coaching resources, and dedicated customer support.
If you’re interested in the Premium version, you would have to contact a sales rep for more specific pricing details.
Best For
Executive search companies and mid to large-sized companies hiring at a high volume.
Odro
Odro is the primordial video recruitment software product for staffing firms. While their solution fits many other types of businesses, they have substantial experience with recruiting agencies.
PROS
CONS
Odro can cover nearly all of a staffing or recruiting agency’s video needs. This has been tremendously helpful for recruiting firms that want to stand out through video content, which they’ve found tends to be more engaging than traditional recruitment efforts.
Their platform has three main elements to it. The first is called Capture, which is for video sales messaging. The second one is Producer, which is an easy-to-use video editing suite. Finally, there is Vision, which is for live and asynchronous video interviewing.
Odro is not only used by staffing agencies. Their product is used to create, manage, and share videos by companies like Adecco, Advantage Group, CastUK, Barclay Meade, Robert Walters, Strive Sales, and Theo James.
Odro is priced per user, but the fee varies depending on the volume of users and the length of the agreement. Most companies sign up for a 24 or 36 month commitment, although they do accept 12.
Best For
Staffing and recruiting agencies that want to give their sourcing efforts an edge; mostly UK-based, but also in Australia, the US, Canada, Germany, Spain, and LATAM.
Recruitment agency software use cases
If you’re on this page, chances are you either work for a staffing company or a third-party recruiting firm. Therefore, your goal is to source, interview, and hire the best talent for your client or organization.
However, recruiting is more than just finding and hiring candidates. Staffing agencies and recruiting teams have many more responsibilities that software can streamline. Here’s a list of use cases for recruiting agency solutions that span the entire process:
- Centralizing recruiting data: Most of the vendors on this page have CRM and ATS functionality. Therefore, you don’t need to constantly switch between systems to keep track of your recruiting and customer data.
- Building talent pipelines: Staffing software bookends the recruiting pipeline. It all starts with sourcing. The vendors on this page have powerful AI sourcing tools that bring new talent into the pipeline. Then, you have a CRM and ATS to nurture them along, whether active or passive, into becoming potential hires. If a candidate isn’t hired for an open position, they’ll still be kept warm in the database.
- Creating a better candidate experience: By keeping candidates happy, even if they don’t get the job, they will be open to future opportunities. A good recruitment software will give job seekers a great experience, from text updates to automated scheduling, making them feel like a valuable asset and not just another number.
- Streamlining recruitment processes: By having data touchstones across the recruiting process, it becomes easy to analyze recruiter shortcomings and candidate drop offs. All of our featured vendors have detailed analytics so you can take a deep dive into what’s working and what isn’t.
- Faster time-to-fill: Filling open roles in a pinch is easy when you focus on nurturing candidate relationships, especially if the candidate experience is great. Recruiting companies will see quick turnaround times thanks to hundreds of qualified candidates at their fingertips.
- Forecast future performance: Detailed data and analytics modules ensure that staffing companies and individual recruiters can track performance to see where they can improve.
- Recruiter management: Some of the solutions on this page even have timesheets, expense & commission tracking, and invoicing modules so you don’t need to buy another software just to manage your team.
Recruitment agency software pitfalls
The most important pitfall to avoid when using recruiting agency software is over-reliance. If you’re a recruiter, you likely got into the line of work because you like helping people. Technology is supposed to aid that process, not take it over.
Candidate experience should be valued over everything else. If your only communication with a qualified candidate is through automated text messages, you’re probably not using your software correctly. Recruiting agency software will streamline the tedious tasks in your recruiting process. By doing so, it creates more time for you to directly interact with candidates. You’ll put more emphasis on building relationships and providing an enjoyable experience for job seekers.
Recruitment agency software ROI
When using recruiting agency software, you’re likely to get a few returns on investment.
Firstly, you’ll have access to larger talent pools. Some solutions have huge candidate pools already in-house for you. Others have AI sourcing tools that can pull data directly from social media and job boards. Either way, you’ll have access to tons of talent with the click of a button.
Consequently, you’ll see a faster time-to-fill. Having access to lots of candidates means you can nurture relationships with more people, creating a warm talent pipeline. A warm talent pipeline translates into quick transitions from job interest to hired.
As an overall result, you’ll save valuable time and effort in your process. Through the use of AI sourcing, candidate relationship management, and data & analytics tracking, your recruiters will be better equipped to do their jobs. Gone are the days of tedious, time-consuming tasks. Recruiters can focus on what they do best— working with talent.
Staffing and recruitment software pricing
The software solutions on our shortlist are all priced on a per user per month basis. Expect to pay anywhere from about $20 per user per month on the low end to $75 per user per month on the high end.
Additional features and implementation fees may also impact recruitment software pricing.
Assuming you’re looking for the middle-of-the-road solution price wise, here’s a rough estimate of cost broken down by the number of users:
Staffing and recruitment agency software features
Recruiting agency software is typically an end-to-end solution. This means it covers everything in the recruiting pipeline; sourcing, applying, screening, interviewing, offering, hiring, and onboarding.
This means that when you purchase a recruiting software solution, you’re actually getting multiple tools in one. These usually include:
- Sourcing tools: AI-powered sourcing tools scan job boards and social media to deliver qualified candidates right to your system. Some software solutions take this a step further by grabbing that information and immediately creating candidate profiles in your system, ranking them amongst the rest of your talent pool.
- Applicant Tracking System (ATS): Staffing software’s ATS operates similarly to an HR team’s ATS. However, there are a few reporting tweaks specifically tailored to staffing agencies. There are individual recruiter performance metrics, placement activity trackers, customizable goals,and KPIs reporting.
- Candidate Relationship Management (CRM): Staffing CRMs are comparable to a regular customer relationship management system but with more specific functionality towards recruiting agency use cases. Such specific functions include passive candidate tracking, recruiter workflows, and automated relationship management.
- Candidate assessment: Built-in assessment tools allow you to test job seekers right in your staffing platform. Doing so automatically filters out unworthy candidates, saving you time from numerous phone screens and interviews. Therefore you can focus on the top talent. Having assessments on your recruiting platform also means you trim the fat from your tech stack.
- Interview scheduling: Automatically schedule interviews, cutting down on back-and-forth emails to make job seekers’ and recruiters’ lives easier.
- E-signatures and background checks: Built-in screening tools simplify your tech stack, making collecting the documents you need much easier.
- Detailed reporting and analytics: With the dashboards and data you get from your candidates, you can forecast future hiring trends.
- AI and automation: Automation allows you to consistently engage talent with minimal effort. Little things such as text updates, automated email responses, and chatbots make the candidate feel like they are being constantly guided through the hiring process instead of waiting in limbo.
- Timesheets, commission, and expense tracking: You might not even need another software vendor to track important back office information. Some solutions have it all in-house.
Questions for Demos
Here are some important questions to ask when demoing staffing software:
- Does your product integrate with my current tech stack?
- Can your product actually streamline my tech stack by having multiple functions under one roof?
- What modules of your ATS and CRM are tailored to the staffing industry specifically?
- Are there onboarding and implementation fees?
- What features do your customers get the most value out of?
- How long does it take before your customers see ROI?
These are just some examples. Think about your specific use case, and build out specific questions from there.
Recruitment Agency Software FAQs
What is recruitment agency software?
Recruitment agency software is any type of platform that helps recruitment agencies source, track, and interview potential hires for their clients.
What kinds of software are good for recruitment agencies?
Recruitment agencies will find many types of software useful, including applicant tracking systems, sourcing tools, candidate databases, CRMs, interview scheduling software, background check software, and timesheet, commission, and expense tracking.
How much does recruitment agency software cost?
Recruitment agency software can cost anywhere from about $20 per user per month to $75 per user per month on the high end.
Final Advice
Recruiting agency software can be incredibly useful because it houses everything you need in a single hub. However, that can sometimes be a detriment. While we believe that the vendors on this page are excellent, that doesn’t mean they are excellent for you. In fact, they may be extraneous.
If your recruiting company has a lot of success with your current ATS, then maybe look into purchasing AI sourcing tools. If you already have great sourcing tools, maybe you just need a staffing CRM/ATS hybrid.
In the end, make sure you’re paying for features that you are going to use instead of piling more on just because they’re offered in a bundle. Don’t be afraid to negotiate and/or reconsider in order to get the specific functionality you need. If you need additional help, check out our ebook on how to get the best price in HR tech, featuring strategies and expert advice.
About Us
- Our goal at SSR is to help HR and recruiting teams to find and buy the right software for their needs.
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- SSR lists all companies we feel are top vendors - not just those who pay us - in our comprehensive directories full of the advice needed to make the right purchase decision for your HR team.
