Now with certain areas of China easing lockdown and some European countries announcing exit plans we know there will be an end. Whilst businesses won’t be the same, our economy will pick up and we must think ahead and be ready for the recovery when it comes.
Whilst our attention has focused on helping customers respond now, these initiatives will also stand businesses in good stead when the market bounces back.
Enable remote working
Whilst some businesses are in survival mode, those in the market to help staff operate virtually are clearly doing well– helping literally millions of staff work, connect, and collaborate online - messaging and sharing information. Zoom’s sales are up by 30% and Slack, Dropbox and DocuSign have all reporting spikes as the trend continues.
Unsurprisingly we’re helping many recruitment agencies using on premise software to move to the cloud. Fortunately Access is able to do this in just a few days to ensure consultants can be up and running with minimal downtime – all supported by remote training and online support.
Speaking to customers, the COVID-19 pandemic has put into sharp perspective how essential it is to have the right technology in place, with robust support and security. Morgan Hunt, a long-standing client moved their entire workforce to remote working after migrating all of their on-premise hardware into our cloud, recently commented:
“We were fully mobilised within 36 hours. I dread to think what the situation would have been last March as we were not on the Access Cloud platform.”
It doesn’t take an expert to predict the shift in cultural acceptance of working remotely. The key will be finding the balance for your business and setting the new ‘rules’ for this. Whether this is to be formally arranged or an unwritten agreement with line managers, only you know what’s right for your business, your staff and the best way to communicate your expectations early on.
We know remote working staff are generally happier – some state that you’re 87% more likely to love your job as well as be more engaged and loyal to your employer. Your staff may have adapted to virtual working but was it right for everyone? And has your remote working experience offered a blueprint for long term benefits?
Keep cash flowing
With our recruitment customers under far more pressure than usual, we’re helping to ensure they’re still able to keep the all-important cash flowing, even if operating with a reduced team. Many have opted for our managed Pay and Bill service which can handle payroll, billing and credit control. We have a team of CIPP-qualified recruitment payroll experts that consistently deliver accurate and fast candidate pay and client billing - ensuring candidate payments are never missed whilst cash is collected swiftly.
Whether you process 200 or 3000 timesheets, we work with recruitment businesses of all sizes, and you’ll have the flexibility to scale up and down in line with the needs of your business. You’ll gain ROI firstly by not having to utilise trained internal resources that are dedicated to processing payroll, but also not having the additional headache and financial cost when their workload must be covered if they are on annual leave or maybe have to take time off due to sickness.
For any new customers we can set up Access Pay and Bill Services in a matter of days to instantly relieve your team’s pressure, give visibility of performance and provide peace of mind that legislation changes are handled automatically. If you want to find out more about this service, read some of the frequently asked questions we get or jump onto our upcoming webinar for a quick tour.
Recruit Rapidly
Over the last month, getting more workers into healthcare to support the rising demand has been on everyone’s mind, and critically, that this happens fast. But juggling potentially crippling staff shortages without compromising on standard of care is hard enough, let alone also ensuring the recruitment and screening process is watertight.
To offer support to those placing key workers we’ve made it as easy as possible for any new customers to respond to urgent staffing needs and screen unlimited staff fast, whilst ensuring there is zero threat to their reputation, compliance and most of all to patients.
New customers can get set up to start screening workers within 24 hours. Whether needing to carry out a high volume of DBS, Right to Work, Occupational Health Screening or run reference checks new workers can be easily onboarded and there’s a fully auditable trail for CQC peace of mind. Our promise is also that there will be no contract ties, no set-up costs and clients will only ever pay for the checks that are run.
We’re already heard feedback from new customers on how this has helped them respond safely and swiftly to growing demands amid the Covid outbreak. For Premier Care, with “30% of staff self-isolating, Access Screening has helped to filter staff safely within five working days
“We’ve built a non-contact onboarding pipeline which has Access tools at its centre. We now have a virtual interview system followed by Access Screening, followed by our online training platform with built-in Zoom functionality. It’s been super successful, and we’ve been able to filter staff out safely within five working days. With over 30% of staff self-isolating, this adaptive way of screening and onboarding has helped us adapt and thrive. Without Access Screening, we would have a significant hole in safely taking on the required number of carers.”
Retain online presence
For our clients across all sectors, we’re helping to ensure they can remain visible to candidates and clients, and be easily accessible online at a time when having a digital presence is more important than ever.
For all customers using our Volcanic SaaS website platform, we are offering the option to add a banner to your website (customised to your brand) to help you communicate to your clients and candidates about how you can continue to serve them during these times.
Compliance peace of mind
With the constantly changing legislation and with new options for extensions and delays, it’s hard to keep track. So we’re taking care of what’s needed and providing clients with peace of mind.
Whether customers are using our on premise, hosted or managed Pay and Bill services we make it easy to file and submit HMRC payments, so everything is recorded on time with no risk of fines.
We’re also helping with the set up, recording and tracking of furlough arrangements which so many are dealing with right now given how hard recruiters have been impacted under the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
We have also put together some useful resources on our new Covid-19 support hub for recruiters.
This includes information on a range of topics from working remotely, data security, improving cash flow to operating in the cloud. We’ll keep this updated over the coming months to support recruitment businesses changing needs and stay informed.
