Online reviews are the cornerstone of today’s consumer economy:
- 93% of consumers read an online review before making a purchase
- 97% of consumers use online media, even when shopping locally
- 94% of consumers say that an negative online review convinced them to avoid doing business with a company
Reviews provide valuable insights and feedback that both help companies improve their products and services, and elevate the brands that best satisfy their customers.
Of course, we all know this. What do we do when we first hear about a business? That’s right: Google ‘em.
For recruiting agencies, however, not all reviews are created equal. If you wait until the end of the year to gather feedback on your team’s performance, you’ll miss critical opportunities to fix issues before they become problems.
Plus, people give their best feedback in the moment, not two weeks before Christmas!
So if you want to leverage the power of online recruiter reviews to fuel your agency growth, you need to focus on collecting real-time reviews. Here’s our four-step process on how to make that happen.
Why do you need real-time reviews?
The traditional recruiting process is full of flaws. These recruiters often hide from feedback, rather than use it to improve their process. They make placements based on who will pay the most, not who the best fit is. Worst of all, they’re stuck in their ways—even when it’s clear their process isn’t working.
The result: subpar hires and high turnover rates.
Modern recruiters, on the other hand, are adaptable and keep up with the latest trends. They proactively seek feedback, identify areas to improve, and build trust and transparency with candidates. They’re focusing on the quality of service they offer, and aren’t in it for a quick cash-grab.
There are plenty of reasons why the modern approach is best, especially in today’s market:
- Improvement in your overall online reputation
- Better engagement and retention rates
- Get ahead of issues before they become problems
- Build a more dependable book of business
If you want to be a modern recruiter, the primary tool you’ll use to collect feedback and insights will be real-time reviews.
4 steps to maximize the impact of real-time reviews
Leveraging real-time reviews to grow your business isn’t something that happens overnight. Most agencies struggle with focus, staff adoption, and taking the next step to put the reviews into action.
The companies that we’ve seen be successful with this method, like Blue Chip Talent and Astute Technical, adopt a simple, four-step framework to move the needle forward. We call it CAMP:
- Capture
- Act On
- Measure
- Promote
Let’s walk through each of these steps in detail.
1. Capture reviews
The first step to leveraging reviews is to capture them, and that’s not something that just happens.
Your agency needs to be consistent in asking for feedback at the most meaningful moments, whether that’s after a first interaction with a candidate, or right after a placement. That way, you’ll get those real-time insights—before the candidate forgets the details of their experience.
As tempting as it is, you shouldn’t just cherry-pick the good reviews. If you do, you won’t get an accurate picture of how your team is performing, and you won’t know which issues need to be fixed.
Some tips for capturing reviews include:
- Asking for them on the end of a call
- Sending automated emails, either time- or trigger-based (e.g. when their status changes in your ATS)
- Placing a link to your review page in your email signature
Most importantly: make sure you ask for reviews in a natural or human way. Part of modern recruiting is creating a standard candidate experience, and that won’t happen when they feel like they’re a box-checking exercise.
2. Act on your reviews
Real-time reviews do nothing for you if they just sit in an inbox collecting proverbial dust. That’s why it’s just as important to take action on reviews as it is to capture them.
If it’s a positive review, share the good news with the recruiter and the team—it’s a great morale boost. Then, post the review on your public platforms, like your website or social media. You’ll elevate your brand reputation, which supports outbound sales, marketing, and recruitment efforts.
If you receive a negative review, it’s equally important to move fast. First, follow up with the candidate or client, apologize for the issue, and assure them that you’ll fix it. Then, work with the recruiter to address the issue and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
By collecting reviews in real-time, you can seize brand promotion opportunities and fix issues quickly, improving your agency’s overall success.
3. Measure recruiter performance & candidate experience
Real-time reviews are a critical tool to measure recruiter performance, and the candidate experience that results from it.
These two things are often correlated. If the recruiter performs poorly, the result is a poor candidate experience, and vice versa. By fixing the input (performance), you’ll fix the output (experience).
More than anything, this is what sets modern recruiters apart from the traditional. They’re hungry for feedback, because they’re anxious to improve their performance.
This is the biggest reason why you need to collect reviews in real time. If you wait until the issue becomes a problem, then you’ve wasted resources and squandered potential opportunities. But if you coach the recruiter as soon as you receive that feedback, you can nip the issue in the bud, setting the recruiter up for greater success.
4. Promote your successes
In today’s business world, it is more important than ever to promote your successes. Thankfully, social media makes it easier than ever to share your wins with the world.
Taking a review and posting it on social media provides proof of the quality of service. In an industry where recruiters have a reputation problem, this enables your team to take control of their reputation—both individually and as a whole.
Of course, positive reviews are a lagging indicator of a great candidate experience. Instead of just focusing on driving positive reviews, you should direct your efforts at listening to candidates and directing your recruiting efforts to create the perfect experience. Do that, and the reviews will come.
Final Thoughts
Bottom line: real-time reviews are critical if you want to be a modern recruiter. They provide social proof to potential candidates, help you measure the effectiveness of your recruiting efforts, and can even promote your company to top talent.
Most importantly, they provide insight into your recruiter performance, so you can fix issues before they become major problems that impact your ability to be successful.
If you’re ready to start capturing and leveraging real-time reviews to fuel your business growth, click here to get started with Great Recruiters.
