Employment services provider Parasol has invested £100,000 in a cutting-edge online portal designed to save its recruitment industry partners time and money.
The tool, called Parasol Connect, was launched this week following months of development work by the company’s head office IT team.
It enables staffing firms that work with Parasol to manage contractor assignments more efficiently, reducing the admin burden on agency consultants so they can focus on core duties such as sales and client management.
Initial tests suggest the portal has the potential to cut the amount of time the average recruitment consultant spends on contractor assignment administration by between 40% and 50%.
Parasol managing director Derek Kelly said: “Time is money for recruitment firms, so we’re always looking for ways to prevent duplication and make communications with our agency partners even more efficient.
“The new portal, which represents a significant investment, is a good example of this. It’s a major upgrade on the previous version, and has some smart new functions and features that we’re really pleased with.
“It is designed to make life easier for recruiters, so they can get on with doing what they do best: sourcing and placing the best contractors and delivering a first-class service to clients.”
Parasol Connect offers complete control over user management and an enhanced navigation.
New features include improved functionality for contract amendments and a simpler search facility, making it quicker and easier to find existing contracts and contractors.
A new reporting facility and notice board have also been included.
Cheshire-based Parasol provides outsourced employment solutions to more than 2,500 UK recruitment firms including Hays, Alexander Mann Solutions, Adecco, Capita Resourcing and Reed.
Career contractors who join Parasol become employees of the company, reducing admin and hassle for recruitment agencies and minimising the risks they are exposed to.
Parasol recently employed its 70,000th career contractor.