Mastering the Art of Client Retention

Client retention is critical to all organisations; after all, retaining customers as well as a healthy pipeline is what keeps the business’ cogs turning. But how can you ensure that your agency is keeping ahead of the competition when it comes to service provision? In this blog, James Payne Sales Director, Adapt, offers his top tips for client retention.

Providing value

We all know that when it comes to providing value for clients, finding a good candidate with the right skillset and work ethic is top of the list. But this is the level of service that the client expects; so what else can the recruitment agent do to prove their worth?

Every agency should be demonstrating additional value. This can be done quite simply by a recruiter showing their understanding of the client’s business. Flagging relevant news stories that discuss industry trends or legislation changes, as well as proactively keeping an eye out for breaking news that could affect the customer’s business and playing a consultancy role through offering advice on how to manage these changes can really cement the client/ recruiter relationship.

While this can sound like a lot of additional work it really needn’t be. Subscribing to RSS feeds, setting up Google alerts and simply reading the news each day can provide recruiters with a wealth of knowledge that they can share with clients to help them manage changes and stay abreast of industry changes.

Clear lines of communication

Communication is key to a healthy relationship, but for many it is often overlooked in the search to find the right candidate. After all, the client has provided a role which needs to be filled; heads are down and all energy is ploughed into finding the best candidate for that role. Without any updates, the client is left wondering what is happening.

Keeping the client updated at all stages of the recruitment process is key. Given that clients typically have more than one agency looking to fill a role, it is most critical at this that communication lines are fully open. Providing status updates as to which job boards have been used, the candidates you have in mind and generally managing client expectations is a very different experience to that offered by a recruiter who remains mostly silent until a match is found.

CV – send to all?

For many recruiters, keeping clients updated to potential candidates through a blanket CV share is a good way to fill potential vacancies, but we all know that one size doesn’t always fit all. Receiving a bi-weekly email from a recruitment agent may mean that when a client is looking to fill a role the CV for the perfect candidate goes unnoticed due to being marked as spam.

Tailoring CVs is a good way to ensure that the perfect candidate stands out. Ensuring that all points from the client specification are met on the CV and sending an email supporting why you believe the candidate is a good fit is a great way to demonstrate that you are sending a well thought through candidate pitch, while also showing that you understand the company’s requirements.

Conclusion

For many seasoned recruiters the tips above will come as second nature; knowing how best to provide not only a good service to clients but also build a strong relationship is something that comes with time and experience. By taking these points into account and weaving them into daily activity for all members of your team, recruiters can ensure that customer satisfaction and retention is at the heart of the organisation’s goals.