ARRK Technical Services shares its own experiences of choosing a recruitment software solution

In a market swamped with recruitment software providers, how do you know which solution or company is the best for your business? Armando Canales, ARRK Technical Servicesí General Operations Manager has recently employed a new recruitment software provider and here he discusses the key factors that influenced his final decision.

As a global company that has more than 20,000 employees, we are continually assessing the latest in software developments, but in general we have found that most of them deliver the same end result. Therefore one has to assess the added value elements of the software provider. Are they flexible, willing to customise the system to suit your business needs. Do they offer additional services like training or website integration or creation? And finally, what is the initial cost outlay and is this a high or low risk to your business – key questions to consider when making the ëbigí decision to transfer or adopt a new software provider.

All of these elements were taken into account when ARRK, twelve months ago, made the decision to look for a new recruitment software provider following a company restructure. ARRK had for many years utilised its own in-house system in combination with a leading client server recruitment system to drive its recruitment function. This had its limitations due to reliance on the companyís networking capabilities between its UK satellite offices and the power of the software tools required to undertake complex search functions and manage the contract and permanent placements. In addition, the system worked independently of its web portal and offered little flexibility.

Following an extensive review of leading worldwide software vendors and service delivery options, ARRK narrowed down its options and decided it wanted a tailored solution that would address both candidate expectations and business operational performance. This would include a hosted web based service that was accessible from any location, fast, reliable and secure and offered the processing power needed to deliver results.

ARRK finally selected eployës ASP software solution based on its flexibility, functionality and cost model. At the time eploy was the only company offering an ASP solution and that was also willing to customise its system and create key tools to suit our specific needs. Also the cost model was very attractive with a low-risk initial cost outlay – they were by far the best.

Once the system was set-up, and staff trained, eploy also designed and built a new recruitment website for ARRK, which now fully integrates with the eploy software to further save costs and reduce administration.

The Result
The introduction of eploy has resulted in a streamlined service that allows greater responsiveness to ARRKís business and customers. The service is no longer reliant on ARRKís IT infrastructure, allowing IT resource to be directed into other areas of the business. Integration of services through the web portal has delivered a unified approach to recruitment and facilitated improved communication across its UK satellite offices.

Importantly, our consultants are also now able to remotely access candidateís contact details and CV information from eployís internet-based system whenever required and from wherever they happen to be. The evolution of laptops, PDAs and smart phones such as Blackberrys and iPhones has created a ëmust have it nowí business culture, so for many of our consultants who are often out of the office on client visits, or working from home or at other office locations, having remote and secure access to information has become an important part of our business.

In our opinion, eploy go above and beyond their competitors; yes it is important that they have over 10 years experience in providing ASP software solutions and continue to be innovative, but what ultimately made them stand out during this selection process was their flexibility and their responsiveness to our business needs.

ARRK now plans to roll-out the eploy system across its European offices.

Paul Burgess, eployís Managing Director adds; ìEach new client has brought fresh challenges and different methods of working so we have continued to develop a recruiting system that can easily be tailored to suit all. ARRK is a good example of how we work in partnership with our clients to develop new tools that can also benefit other customers. As a result the software continues to evolve and be innovative.î