As the parent company to three unique staffing brands, Advanced Group fills a wide range of roles from finance to healthcare to creative services. With smart tech at the forefront of their engagement strategy, the firm has been using texting as an important component of their communication plan for years. 

Now more than ever, staffing firms are seeking better, more powerful ways to communicate with talent and clients. Here at Sense, we are constantly measuring and reviewing data to determine which modes of communication are most likely to be read and even more importantly -- to receive a response.

We’ve been talking about texting for recruiters here on the Sense blog for awhile now. As we look for ways to not only improve communications with talent, but especially to improve responses and results, texting has quickly emerged as one of -- if not the most -- powerful ways to do just that. 

The pandemic has presented all sorts of challenges and uniquities that none of us could have foreseen at the beginning of the year. Staffing firms who serve essential industries like home care, healthcare, grocery, retail and construction (to name a few) are seeing massive surges in demand for talent. Other industries may have fewer reqs, but a surge in demand for jobs that is overwhelming their already-stressed recruiters. 

Candidate engagement is king right now in the staffing industry. And the chief among candidate engagement tools leading the conversation is texting. 

I. Introduction 

Busy is the new normal. We’re constantly checking emails, returning calls and scheduling meetings. The “working vacation” is how people “relax” and still get things done. With so much competing for our attention, reaching candidates, clients, prospects and contractors simply isn’t as simple as it was in the past. 

At the end of the day, revenue is the most important number for any staffing firm. But you can’t drive revenue if your other core metrics aren’t strong — especially candidate and consultant engagement.

We have been talking about texting quite a bit here on the Sense blog lately, and with good reason -- texting is the preferred method of communication for many of us, and its potential within the staffing industry is tremendous. Mobile engagement rates are really incredible, and offer a unique opportunity for staffing firms to take advantage.

Talent spends much of the day on their phones. We all do. Research shows that we check our phones upwards of 80 times a day. With candidate (and even client) ghosting an increasingly problematic issue and recruiter resources maxed out, texting is an excellent way to nurture relationships, save time and ultimately, drive ROI for your staffing firm.

With mobile engagement rates through the roof, text messaging is a must have channel for recruiters. However, many firms still don’t have a text messaging strategy and individual recruiters are left to devise their own. As a result, staffing leaders are unable to track these touchpoints or measure their impact.