Sometimes we get so accustomed to using software that we forget that the reason we got it in the first place was to make our companies more profitable. Software can do this by increasing production, decreasing hard costs and providing more customer service tools for the people that we do business with. The only caveat is that we have to use the progressive features that software has to offer. Due to lack of training or otherwise, most everyone has some wonderful tools in their software that they are either unaware of or simply choose not to use.

The business world today is one that functions by making connections. One’s ability to facilitate such connections largely commands how successful the company will be. With multiple mediums available that were not available yesterday, people are doing business in an entirely different way. Now that we are all getting used to email, it appears that social networking is fast becoming one of the primary means of communication. For example, some candidates may prefer to check out open jobs on Twitter® or Facebook® and then navigate to your website for more information.

There are a lot of devices available that can save companies money. Why make start time/confirmation calls and leave a multitude of messages when people can’t be reached? Why not simply text message in mass to all people starting temp assignments tomorrow? It may be more convenient for candidates and certainly less costly in time and money for you. Mark those candidates that prefer a phone call and provide the type of service each candidate prefers.

What about distributing some hot candidate profiles to qualified client prospects? Send a bulk email and then schedule a follow-up call for each prospect. They will have your message in hand when you call and you can increase your call hit ratio and facilitate the sales process.

Web Portals are extremely popular as a self-service tool for clients and candidates. Imagine providing candidates with the ability to check their schedules, enter time, and reprint check stubs. Or giving clients the tools to enter their own orders, see who is working at their company, approve timesheets, reprint invoices and get reporting. In a time when competition is tough, offering tangible customer service options can win you business.

Posting jobs to popular sites such as CareerBuilder®, Hot Jobs®, Monster®, etc. directly from your software instead of entering them in your software and then on the site can be a tremendous timesaver. These tools may be available in your software now or simply be a low-cost add on. Pulling resumes directly from these sites and into your software can also be helpful. These types of tools facilitate the placement process so that you can achieve your sales goals faster and more effectively.

Gabriela Gondim, from Seville Staffing (www.sevillestaffing.com) in Chicago, says, “The feature in my software that I could not live without is the resume importer. At Seville Staffing, we receive hundreds of applications with resumes. Interested candidates call to speak with our recruiters about their resume and experience throughout the day. With so many applicants calling, our recruiters have to be able to access resumes quickly. Before we imported resumes into our staffing software, we would either search through our inboxes or sift through hundreds of hardcopies for each candidate’s resume. Not only did we end up with an overabundance of paper in our office but the process was expensive, costing us a fortune in time and paper. With resumes being imported, any resume received through fax or email is easily uploaded electronically into our software. Now our recruiters are able to search the system for each candidate and have their resume available immediately, without spending five or ten minutes searching for a single resume. Importing resumes has saved our company both time and money, and has definitely made our office greener!”

Susan Dunphy, from Grapevine Staffing (www.grapevinestaffing.com) in Creston, IA, says she could not live without resume import because, “It saves me time by eliminating manual data entry. It allows viable candidate information to be entered automatically while also populating data into the applicant tracking system allowing this information to be available to our search engine. This feature has saved us time and money. Before we used this feature we only entered our active resumes. Now we can enter all “outstanding” resumes even if we are not working with these candidates now, for future.”

Karen Butler, from WorkPlace (www.workplacestaffing.com) in Rockford, IL, comments, “The software feature I could not live without is the Search option. We enter thousands of employees into the database every year. Our Search tool allows us to drill down and search minute data, not just in the text fields, but also in notes, imported resumes and letters. Too often when searching a remote detail is remembered on someone, and the Search tool becomes invaluable in honing in on the person, contact or client one is seeking.”

This article made an appearance in the October 2009 issue of staffdigest Magazine. www.staffdigest.com

Terri Roeslmeier is President of Automated Business Designs, Inc., software developer of Ultra-Staff staffing software for the staffing and direct hire industry. Ultra-Staff is a staffing software business solution with components for front office, back office and the web. Terri’s email address is TAR@abd.net or for more information on Ultra-Staff go to www.abd.net