Have you missed one of the past Tips of the Week? Here are some of my favorites that our users have found to be helpful.
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Well that might be a little bit of an overreaction since they do have some use like leaving funny notes for your co-workers. 
They are pretty good for brainstorming new ideas too. However, they have lost their place at the table when it comes to tracking job orders.
It doesn’t surprise or even amaze me to hear that very successful staffing and recruiting companies are still using whiteboards to monitor jobs, candidates and statuses. What does surprise me is the inability to even think about letting it go! A few months back I was onsite with a company and spotted the whiteboard. I had to fight the urge to walk over and erase the board with all of its detailed information. Each of the staffing specialists and recruiters could find the exact same information on their computer screen. So why is it so hard to let go?
Staffing, as any other industry has processes, procedures or even tools that have worked well in the past. If something is working why change it? Well how about productivity and profitability? Yes I have touted both of these in many of my ramblings, but how productive is it for you or your staff to write or change information about a job order or a candidate on a board? And how profitable is it for you to not know exactly what is going on with each order? Can you track time to fill or sources methods from a board? How about the dollars lost on duplication of work? Unless you have an amazing white board that is linked to your staffing software, the information is going nowhere. Just because it used to work does not mean there is a better way to do something. Companies that have the ability to quickly change and adapt to new technology are generally the ones still standing during tough times because they have learned how to do more with less.
Cons of using a whiteboard:
I could go on and on with the cons of using a whiteboard, but I think you get my point. It’s a lot of work for something that really isn’t going to offer much in return.
Pros of using a whiteboard:
I’m sure there are a few more pros, but I think our time will be better served talking about making the switch.
The biggest opposition that I have heard about letting go of the whiteboard is the motivation factor. Many of the supporters state the whiteboard motivates them and it’s fun to get up and erase a job order that has been filled. Or it’s exciting to see how many orders have come in during the day. My response – dashboard. With Avionté each user has counters to see new orders that have come in, new applicants or even applicants who are available today. Want a little more information? An integration with Qlikview offers a higher level dashboard to see in real time what is happening in each location. Even better, reports can be generated in real time to fully understand what is going on with a specific branch or even customer. Can your whiteboard do that?
Although I would like to see everyone who is reading this article jump up and remove their whiteboard, that simply is not going to happen. When it comes to change management, baby steps are always best. Talk with your staff as to why they are continuing to duplicate work. You will then need to address their need to see a visual on the wall of this information. Often times it is a lack of understanding of their software. In the case of Avionté
it is very easy to see all the open job orders and who is available to fill them. When a job order is filled, it simply drops off the list. No need to get up and erase it (and risk getting marker on the side of your hand!)
One of the biggest hurdles will be the level of comfort. Very few people embrace change quickly. If they have worked in staffing for many years, this is comfortable to them. Offer to have a push report created so each day at 4pm everyone in the branch or company receives an email with the key metrics for the day ie: new orders, new fills, resumes sent, interviews scheduled, etc.
Good luck to all in making the change! As always, I like to hear what is going on in your world. Feel free to add a comment as to how you make the change over.
Check out our FREE webinars for June. To register simply send us an email.
June 7, 2011 11am Central Advanced Search – Digging in your database
June 23, 2011 9am Central Candidate Management
June 28, 2011 10am Central QuickPlace – How and why you should be using it
Keep watching for more FREE webinars in June
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to be a part of sculpting the technology solutions that will drive your business processes and push you ahead of the competition. At the same time, gain in-depth knowledge of what Version 2011 has to offer and learn what other Avionté clients are doing to achieve greater success.
Read posts on 2011 Forum:
Our Clients, Our Friends
Client Connection 2010
Full Event Details Coming Soon!!
Efficiently communicating with your employees is very important. In Avionté, you can automatically email an employee’s start sheet to them upon assignment. The start sheet can automatically pull information from the system, including dress code, safety notes, and specific directions.
Step One: To automatically email the employee their start sheet upon assignment, go to Admin Tools > ConfigOption > select a Type of Supplier > select your staffing company > click on EmployerSetting > find the EmailAssignmentStartSheetOnNew property > set the property to True:
Step Two: Make sure Dress Code and Safety Notes are set up in the Order Extra section by going to Admin Tools > ConfigChoice > Detail tab > check that under CustomerOrderExtra, Saftey Notes and Dress Code are values and that they are available for the appropriate branches:
Step Three: Since Safety Notes is a newer feature, you will want to make sure that the Safety Notes has the correct System Name by going to Admin Tools > ConfigChoice > ChoiceProperty tab > select a Category of CustomerOrderExtra > scroll down to Safety Notes, the System Name should be SafetyNotes:
Step Four: In the Customer record, go to the Extra screen, and select the Dress Code and Safety Notes from the Label drop down. Enter any pertinent information in the Value field:
Step Five: Type in any specific instructions in the Worksite Address that is used when creating Orders:
Using a Worksite Address when creating an Order will also allow you to generate directions from the Employee’s address to the Worksite address. You can generate directions from within the Assignment by going to Actions > Show Directions. This will bring up a Google Maps search that you can then send to your employee.
Step 6: When an employee is assigned to a new Order, the system will ask you if you’d like to email the Start Sheet to the Employee – click Yes:
If you have created an Order from a Customer with the Extras and Directions set up, then the start sheet will contain the information under the Job Information section:
You can also display the Job Description, which will pull from the text box under the Job Title on the Detail screen of the Order:
Have you had a chance to explore all the new features of v2010? Our development team worked hard to deliver a new version filled with brand new features and updated ones too! If you don’t have a copy of the new release documentation, send me an e-mail and I would be happy to share one with you.
Now, let’s talk about what the new Favorites feature can do for you. First, you will notice that it’s no longer located on the top left (the preference button). Favorites has its very own place at the Main Menu table. The first change you will see is when you click on Favorites it will take you to the Home page allowing you to see all of your Favorite groups in one place and perform the same basic search functions that you can in other main tree categories.
Note that you can now see not only your own groups, but groups that have been shared with you. After you have chooses a Favorite group you can:
-Edit Group – add or delete Employees, Contacts, Customers, etc.
-Mass Mail – Send out a mass mailer from a predesigned template or one you create
-Move/Copy Favorite Items
-Add Child – just like Departments in Customers you can build a group within a group
-New Message – post a message within that group
Just imagine all the different types of Favorite groups you can create. I think about skill marketing groups and building a pipeline of top candidates. How about creating a group for all your active employees that you can send out a Mass Mail letting them know your holiday pay day schedule?
The second part to Favorites is within the type of group (Employee, Customer, Contact, etc). When you click on Favorites in the Sub Menu, you will see what group they belong to. Now it’s easy to know what groups Employees, Contacts or Customers are associated with.
Adding to the Favorite group can still be done through the Actions menu or through Edit on the Favorites page.
I often talk to companies that don’t really use Advanced Search. I am shocked (well not really) to hear people say “We know who all our applicants are, we don’t need to do a search”. I would be lying to you if I said I never heard this while I was in staffing. My staffers used to come to me all the time asking if I knew anyone they could use for their order. I always asked the same question “Did you run a search?” And the answer was generally no. Everyone in the staffing world is ultra-talented, this we know. However, we can’t possibly remember EVERYONE that ever walked in the door, called us on the phone or e-mailed a resume.
Step One. Make the commitment. Repeat after me “I (state your name) will run an Advanced Search on all my open orders. I know that I cannot possibly remember everyone and it is possible my computer has a little more memory than I do.”
Ok, take a deep breath. I know this isn’t easy.
Step Two. Do it. Open Advanced Search and enter in your criteria for the perfect employee. When I train new users I tell them to put in everything they would possibly want, you can whittle it down later. With our new Search Grouping Option (v2010) it’s easy to select what is Required and what is Optional. Run the search (this will ask it to match everything you have listed). Chances are you are not going to find someone who has EVERYTHING, but it’s a good start. Now, click on the Search Grouping Option tab. (By the way, can I tell you how much I LOVE this new feature!) You now have the opportunity to decide what you truly need the person to have vs what you would like them to have. In the column marked Boolean you can choose whether the value is Required or Optional. Now run the search again. Chances are you have narrowed down your search to those who really qualify. If you feel like that’s enough for you right now, stop reading. If not, check out the bottom of the Advanced Search screen where it says Group Hierarchy. From here you can Group your results and then ask Avionté to look for all the information within the group or create an either/or statement. For example, you have listed three skills you really want this person to have (Accounting, AR, AP). You put them all into a group by selecting the same group number next to each skill in the Group column. Mark Optional beside each skill. Then, keep your Group Hierarchy listed as Required. This setup will then look for results that have at least one of those skills listed (either/or statement). Pretty nifty eh? That’s a pretty basic example, but hopefully it will get you thinking about what else you can use it for.
Step Three. Let Avionté do the heavy lifting. Now you have found the candidates that fit what you are looking for. Select those candidates and send them an e-mail letting them know about the position and to call you if they are interested. This saves you the time of calling, leaving messages and waiting for a call back. If they are interested, they will call. You don’t have e-mail integrated in Avionté? Yes you do! Don’t forget about your ability to use SMTP within Avionté. That wasn’t so bad was it? How about a few tips on what makes a good search? These are just a few ideas to get you started in putting your search together to narrow down your candidates.
Announcements
How are you currently communicating with your staff? Do you send out e-mails to let them know what is happening? How about your customers or even your employees? Do you know we have a solution built right into the software for creating and sharing announcements for your internal staff, customers*, employees* and vendors* (if you are using the web portals*)? You look at it every time you log into the system! How about putting an encouraging message or a tip for new (or seasoned) users to better use their Avionté software? It’s easy to create a new Announcement in the Admin Tools. Simple click on Announcement, then click New. Go ahead, announce away! Stuck for what to put in your Announcements? Send me an e-mail and I will share a list of tips and motivational quotes that you can use.
Dynamic Panels
Since we are talking about what we can do on the Start Page. Don’t forget about the Vertical and Horizontal panels. This is a great way for each user to have the information they want to see where they want to see it. Want to see a list of your Hot Keys on the Start Page? Right click on anyone of the Vertical Panels and choose Hot Keys. Want to see an Employee’s Past Jobs each time you look at the Summary? Right click on a panel and choose Past Jobs. Pretty easy right? Check out the Vertical and Horizontal panels in the other areas too!
Admins do you want to change who can view what information in the Vertical/Horizontal panels? Go to Admin Tools and click on Dynamic Panels. You can then set User permissions.
Questions, comments, suggestions?
WEDDLE’s 2011 User’s Choice Awards: The Elite of the Online Employment Industry
January 25, 2011, Stamford, CT – With one out of five Americans either unemployed or underemployed, there’s never been a greater need for employment assistance. Knowing where to go to get the best support, however, can be a challenge as there are now more than 100,000 employment sites operating on the Web. WEDDLE’s 2011 User’s Choice Awards solve that dilemma.
Now in their seventh year, WEDDLE’s annual User’s Choice Awards are the only accolades in the online employment services industry in which actual users – those who are looking for employment and those who are looking for employees – are able to vote for the employment sites they think work best. “We believe customers count most,” says WEDDLE’s Publisher and CEO Peter Weddle. “While pundits will always have their favorites, it’s the people who use the sites who really know which are most helpful.”
The winners were selected in balloting conducted throughout 2010 at the WEDDLE’s Website (www.weddles.com). Thousands of unique ballots were cast and while they do not represent a scientific survey, they do recognize the intensity of support for the top thirty vote-getters – the 2011 User’s Choice Award winners. They are:
| Absolutely Health Care | EHSCareers.com | Monster.com |
| AfterCollege.com | FlexJobs.com | National Healthcare Careers |
| AHACareerCenter.org | Hcareers.com | SimplyHired.com |
| AllHealthcareJobs.com | HEALTHeCAREERS | SnagAJob.com |
| AllRetailJobs.com | HigherEdJobs.com | TopUSAJobs.com |
| CareerBuilder.com | HospitalDreamJobs.com | VetJobs.com |
| Climber.com | Indeed.com | WSJ.com/Careers |
| CollegeRecruiter.com | Job.com | 6FigureJobs.com |
| CoolWorks.com | JobCircle.com | |
| Dice.com | JobFox.com | |
| ExecuNet.com | Jobing.com |
About WEDDLE’s LLC
Since 1996, WEDDLE’s (www.weddles.com) has conducted ground-breaking research among both recruiters and job seekers on the Web. Its findings are widely regarded for their analytical rigor and often cited when identifying the Best Practices in online recruitment and job search. WEDDLE’s research has been reported widely in the media, both in the United States and around the world. In addition, WEDDLE’s is the largest publisher of guides to the 100,000+ employment-related sites currently operating on the Internet. The American Staffing Association has called WEDDLE’s Publisher Peter Weddle, the “Zagat of the online employment industry.”
Many of you know by now that I am a loud and proud proponent for paperless processes and functionality. Do I have some deep-rooted resentment for the post-it note? A debilitating allergy to envelope glue? A fateful and traumatizing fax incident in my past? No, no and maybe. In fact I have great respect for all of these things and think that each has an honored place in good ole Americana, like the Disco ball and the 8 track. Unfortunately, just like the Walkman, they have been quickly replaced by ever-changing technologies faster than any of us who began life prior to 1995 ever thought they could be. In fact, many of us cling to post-it notes like they offer life saving oxygen. It’s time to move on. Paperless is here to stay and offers the best way yet to increase productivity, improve customer service inside and out and hold our workforce accountable. No longer should we have file drawers full of papers that you may or may not have access to or that may or may not need to be shredded. In a paperless environment, everyone can have access to the same information, simultaneously, without the cost of toner, paper or time spent trying to un-jam a copy machine. Decisions can be made with all the facts, bills can be paid faster, orders and assignments can matched up better and there are overall less chance for errors or wrong practices.
Usually around this point, somebody pipes up and says “That’s all great Laura, but OUR workers don’t know how to use the internet or email, our people HAVE to have their files and our candidates NEED to fill out our 100 page application”. Really? When was the last time you or anyone you know looked something up in the actual white pages book? Bought and wrestled with a road map? Filled out with a pen, your whole tax return? Received an actual paper party invitation (I recently got an Evite to a wedding for Pete’s sake!)?
Is it that the workforce can’t or won’t go paperless or is it because you’re holding on to some shred of the past so YOU can keep the paper security blanket and what you’re familiar with? It’s time to look in the mirror. Paperless is a done deal and in the case of the new generation coming into the workforce the only thing they know. If we want to sustain productive, growing businesses and industry, we have to accept that we can do pretty much everything without a scrap of paper or a pen or a highlighter.
The question is who can do it better? At Avionté, we have developed many features and functions that eliminate and/or reduce paperwork to increase knowledge sharing, efficiency and ultimately the bottom line. Just some examples are automated messaging, on-line billing and payroll, electronic document storage and many, many more. So, I ask you, do you want to be the next exhibit at the Smithsonian; or do you want to be at the on-line table electronically signing the next big deal? Let us know if you’d like to join the next generation in staffing; paperless counselors are standing by to help you. Send us an e-mail.
