HigherMe Reviews in 2023: Alternatives, Pricing, Reviews - SSR

Brandished by companies like Tim Hortons, Dunkin Donuts, and IHOP, HigherMe is a collection of recruitment tools for the restaurant and service industry. Their platform includes an ATS, a job board, and noteworthy features like text-to-apply and paperless onboarding.

HigherMe was built by retailers for retailers, franchisees, and restaurant owners. This is quite evident in some of the features that address the key concerns such businesses face when they try to recruit. 

An example is paperless onboarding. This feature is probably a direct consequence of the hardships the founder of this software faced when he had to deal with hundreds of paperwork during every single hiring campaign in his ice cream business.

Another feature we believe was inspired by the founder’s journey in retail is an applicant fit score that calculates how much of a good fit the candidate is based on three criteria you must have pre-selected during the job set-up— distance, experience, and shift availability. So if you prefer candidates that are closer to your location, the algorithm would rank applicants that are within your vicinity the highest. The same logic applies to the other preferences. 

This feature is unlike most applicant screening features we see in tools in this category. Other platforms would totally filter out the applicant if they don’t meet specific criteria, denying you the chance of meeting them first. HigherMe’s candidate screening gives you the chance to call the shots even if the applicants do not meet your preference. We believe it gives a less-robotic touch to your hiring process.

Being a retail/restaurant hiring platform, you should expect to see the essentials that typify software in this category such as text-to-apply, applicant tracking, applications dashboard, and job board integration. They have partnered with the likes of Ziprecruiter, Facebook, Indeed, Craigslist, and more, to host your applications for free. 

You also get some bells and whistles to improve the hiring experience on both the candidate’s and manager’s side. Some of these include optional video cover letters, automated reminders that encourage applicants to finish their applications, and a dedicated candidate experience team that help managers strategize what will work best in their geographical hiring market.

Burger King, Applebee’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Wendy’s, Papa John’s, Chick-fil-A, Tim Hortons, IHOP

• Text-to-apply: HigherMe creates branded job posters you can print and display in stores, delivery vehicles, or any location of your choice. These posters contain a unique keyword and number for prospective candidates to begin their application. Candidates are met with automated responses that direct them to a dashboard to complete their application.
• Applicant tracking: The software automatically posts any job offering on the online job boards they integrate with. After the candidate’s application, HigherMe consolidates their information into the system for further application management. 
• Automated interview scheduling: Hiring managers or administrators can prepare an availability schedule with different time ranges to give the applicant more flexibility to choose their interview dates. The applicant will then receive an automated email to select one of the time slots and confirm the interview.
• Paperless Onboarding: Every aspect of HigherMe’s hiring campaign is digital, including onboarding. You can send a digital offer letter with tax forms and company documents that new hires can sign electronically. The system also prompts new hires to provide the information required to begin the background screenings they offer via their Chekr integration. 
• Reports and insights: This software collects sourcing data and provides insights on where most of your candidates are applying from, how many you have contacted, how many you hired, and the number of those that were not interested in your application, among other things.‍
• Talent pool: Another cool thing about HigerMe is that it allows you to run outbound hiring campaigns. Every candidate that applied for a HigherMe job application anywhere in the country is automatically saved on the system. You can then use the talent pool dashboard to filter and find candidates based on a variety of criteria such as location, past company, previous experience, and so on.

HigherMe partners with popular job boards including Ziprecruiter, Indeed, Simply Hired, Facebook, and Glassdoor. They also integrate with background screening platforms such as Chekr and E-verify.

HigherMe’s product offerings are priced per location per month, billed on a quarterly term. Multi-location and term discounts are also available. For exact quotes, however, you’d have to reach out to their team.

HigherMe is best for restaurant businesses with 20 to 500 employees, especially franchises that have more than one location.

HigherMe’s implementation process comes in a series of stages to get your system up and running. Here are the following steps:

• Step 1: HigherMe’s pricing information is not publicly available. You will have to book a demo with a representative. Once you do, you will be assigned an account manager that shows you around the product and addresses your questions. This demo takes about 30-45 minutes and can be scheduled at your own convenience. Prior to booking this demo, you have the option to speak to a sales development representative that is familiar with your business and will discuss your pain points, hiring needs, and process.
• Step 2: If you decide to move forward with their solution, the account executive will send out the necessary requirements to get you started. It is in this step that you would be required to submit a form of payment, sign the service agreement and fill out a dynamic intake form that would be used to build the account.
• Step 3: HigherMe’s client experience manager will notify you that they have started to build their account and will send out some resources to help you get more acquainted with the system. At this point, you can go ahead and book a training call if you require one.
• Step 4: It usually takes their team between 24-72 hours to set up your account, depending on the complexity of the setup/product selection. After which you can access your fully-configured account. ‍
• Step 5: If you went ahead to book the training in step three, it is at this point that HigherMe’s client experience team will proceed with you on the training call. They are always available 24/7 via email if you have any additional concerns you might have.

HigherMe provides several kinds of support and resources to help customers achieve their hiring objectives. They have a dedicated client support team that is available round the clock to answer any of your questions via email. Also, during the implementation process, you are assigned client experience managers that check in regularly for account-specific support and higher-level hiring strategies. HigherMe also provides some technical documentation about their product in their resource center, as well as blogs and product update articles.

HigherMe was founded on the basis of connecting retail employers to quality candidates that are not just good on paper. Rob Hunter, CEO and co-founder of HigherMe, formed this premise when he was lucky enough to hire an applicant that was, in his own words, “bright, cheerful, super enthusiastic, had flexible availability, and was great with customers”. This candidate went on to work for his ice cream business for four years— which is quite remarkable for a business with record turnover rates. All because he decided to give the applicant a shot regardless of how their resume looked. 

He and his other co-founders then set out to create a system that works to assist hiring managers in picking the right choice, rather than a be-all and end-all system that calls all the shots.

Since its founding in 2014, HigherMe has gone on to make significant success in their industry. In 2016, they raised $1.5 million in seed funding to continue to expand their operations, and are the hiring system of choice for popular American brands including Dunkin’ Donuts, Wendy’s, Papa John’s, and Burger King.