Enterprise software buyers agree that usability is just as important as feature offerings. If half of your company doesn’t use a software solution you’ve purchased, you’re compromising the benefits of your investment.

“Achieving Software Success” provides insight from software buyers and sellers on the drivers, expectations, and responsibilities for success in enterprise software implementation.

The biggest takeaway from the report is that “‘People issues’ rather than ‘technology issues’ are the greatest barriers to success.”

So how do you get your people to work with technology, increasing usability of enterprise software and capitalizing on your investment?

Role of Management

You can’t just install a new program and expect people to start using it. Processes need to be re-aligned. Because management owns the process, they have to initiate and embrace the changes in the organization needed to realize the most benefits from the software.

A software implementation can occur without a hitch on the IT side, but an organization that is stubborn to change will have a tough time incorporating the new technology into their daily processes. The increased revenue, decreased costs, and market differentiation the software was intended for in the first place will be lost without management adoption.

Role of the Vendor

Software buyers are looking to vendors to help with process alignment. The vendor’s expertise needs to go beyond how the software works, and address how it can be used most effectively within the daily operations of an organization. Buyers are looking for software companies that understand the day-to-day challenges of their business, and can address them accordingly.

Role of Technology

The complexities of the economy paired with quickly evolving technology mean that a complicated installation process is no longer acceptable. Companies don’t have the time or resources to dedicate to installing software delivered on a CD and maintaining their own hardware.

SaaS (software as a service) and web based software solutions have alleviated these issues by automatically delivering updates, and remotely hosting data. Increased accessibility provides users with a better experience, as the newest features and latest fixes are available without delay.

Technology doesn’t work without people. Successful software implementation requires dedication from management to integrate process with technology, a vendor with expertise in your business, and technology that is easily delivered and maintained.

If you want to get paid, get paid more consistently, and get paid more often, you need to measure key metrics to highlight where your precious resources are best spent each day.

Here are three basic metrics to get you started:

Marketing Call Effectiveness

This is point A. To get a placement, you have to get a job order. Do you know how many calls you need to make before you obtain a job order or assignment – or are you just winging it?

Measuring marketing call effectiveness: the number of marketing calls it takes to obtain a job order.

Quality of Candidates Submitted

You need sendouts to get a placement. Are hiring managers intrigued by the resumes you’re submitting – or should you be networking with better talent?

Measuring quality of candidates submitted: ratio of the number of resumes submitted to the client before getting a sendout.

Sendout: a candidate who is being interviewed by a hiring manager.

Time to Fill

This is a basic metric, but still very key. You want to fill openings quickly, because the less time a position is open, the more money companies save – giving you a great reputation. However, do take enough time to ensure you’re submitting quality candidates – or risk ruining your street cred.

Measuring time to fill: the length of time from receiving a job order to filling it.

p.s. want more recruiting metrics? download the Little Blue Book of Metrics

images from here.

The Kentucky Derby is known as the “most exciting two minutes in sports.” But it has nothing on recruiting. The recruiting game has plenty of the elements that make the Derby so riveting.

Speed:
Speed wins the Derby – and speed wins placements. In an industry where second place doesn’t matter, recruiters have to work fast to deliver the best candidate first.

Pedigree:
Some thoroughbreds are born to race. Some people are born to sell. And recruiters have to sell twice as hard to close client deals and convince top talent to take a chance at new opportunities.

Fancy Hats:
As a lady, you wouldn’t dare show up to the derby without the appropriate head gear. In recruiting, your reputation always precedes you, so making a good impression is imperative.

Eye on the Prize:
The derby has a blanket of roses, but recruiters have unlimited earning power. Sticking to a workflow and measuring metrics can help recruiters increase their revenue every year.

Does recruiting live up to derby-level excitement? Weigh-in in the comments below.

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images from here, here and here.

We all know the employers we’d love to work for (and as a recruiter, that you’d love to partner with). Apple. Facebook. Google. And, of course, I’m lucky enough to be living the dream at Sendouts.

Employer branding encompasses all of the complexities involved in one simple statement: My company is a great place to work.

For recruiting firms, employer branding is doubly important because
a) A desirable employer brand helps you add the best recruiters to your team &
b) Employer branding helps you attract top candidates – because passive candidates know their options and aren’t going to work with just anyone.

Are your employees gushing about your firm? Are candidates clamoring to work with you? If not, here are a few inspirational links:

Tell Your Story with Instagram
Hello, Employer Branding. Meet Our New Friend, Instagram

Create a Facebook Game (it worked for Marriott)
Marriott Named Best Employer Brand

Examine the synergy between employer branding and company culture
Transforming Culture with Employer Branding

Low budget for employer branding? Set your employees free
Budget Employer Branding

Become an employer everyone wants to work for.
How to Become an Employer of Choice

How important is employer branding to your company? Share your opinion in our quick poll:

So you have the perfect candidate for a hot job in your database. On the other side of the desk, you’re trying to capture the attention of a potential client. You can spend all day creating an email message that will entice them to work with you, but if they don’t open your email, your effort is wasted.

Use these five tips to craft a clickable subject line, and prevent your message from sinking under the radar.

1. Address Your Reader

Have you ever whipped around to the sound of your name in a crowd?

In a noisy inbox, putting the recipient’s name in the subject line will make them stop and click. For a more general approach, let your recipient know that your message is specific to their needs. Use a title or specific pain-point in your subject line, like ”busy IT manager” or “understaffed medical director,” to signal that you can fix their problems.

2. Create a Sense of Urgency

You need them to click before your email gets lost in the slush pile. Convey to the recipient what they’ll miss out on if they don’t act now, whether it’s a highly sought-after candidate or a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity.

(But, be careful not to be spammy, or overuse this tactic, i.e. cry wolf too many times and you’ll eventually be ignored.)

3. Be Intriguing

Pique your recipient’s curiosity. Don’t give everything away in the subject line. Instead, leave them wanting more. Try “A few surprising reasons why you’d make a good fit” or “The number one reason you can’t find better IT talent” instead of “You matched a new opportunity” or “We can staff your IT department.”

4. Use Metrics

There’s no secret formula for crafting the perfect subject line, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Use an email marketing service, like MailChimp, to track which subject lines are getting attention. Or, use your ATS’s email marketing functionality to track opens, so you can tell whether or not your emails are being read.

Do you notice a particular subject line getting a big response? Analyze why it worked, and put your theory into practice, fine tuning the way your messages are delivered.

5. Send a Text Message

If it’s super important, forgo email, and send a text message. Over 95% of text messages are read, making it a fool-proof way to reach your audience.