While the Charlotte, N.C.-based retailer had staffing services in place, its current vendors werenít meeting the companyís needs. Screening and tracking systems werenít automated and applicantsí information was entered into databases and spreadsheets by hand. The lack of automation was costing Family Dollar serious time and money, Family Dollar Recruiting Manager Erin Easterling said.
Through one of her other vendors, Easterling came to hear of HRServices, a small firm in Lima, Ohio, with a reputation for solving big staffing problems.
Representatives of HRServices told her that not only could they automate Family Dollarís screening and applicant tracking, but they could also integrate their myStaffingPro system with the state-run career centers and various information vendors Family Dollar planned to employ. HRServices was also willing to customize their program to provide only the features Family Dollar needed.
ìWe work with a lot of companies, and a lot of them wonít do customization,î Easterling said. ìHRServices does a lot of customization that others wonít do, which is cost effective compared to other solutions.î
ìWhile we have an out-of-the-box solution that fits the needs of most companies, weíre willing to adapt those to the specific needs of a client,î HRServices President Robert Schulte said.
The Solution
ìWe tailored our process to their manual process. Our goal was to make it easier,î Schulte said.
HRServices set Family Dollar up with an Internet-based system that takes applications over the Internet or by phone, and automatically disqualifies candidates that donít meet various employment criteria.
myStaffingPro was also programmed to import drug test results and background checks electronically as soon as they were available. Previously, Family Dollar ordered aptitude tests, drug tests and background checks for every applicant who passed the initial screening, because it took weeks to get the results for each. Integrating myStaffingPro with those service providers enabled Family Dollar to pay only for what they needed.
Easterling estimates Family Dollar saved more than $200,000 just by automating the hiring process. At least two additional full-time employees would have been needed to do data entry and clerical work without myStaffingPro, she said. Additionally, the automated system eliminated about 64 percent of applicants before face-to-face interviews with Family Dollar personnel were ever needed.
Unlike competitorsí systems, myStaffingPro doesnít have one database for web site applicants and another for phone applicants. Using the same database for both methods means scheduling applicants for interviews can be done in real time without duplicating appointments.
ìWe are the only system out there that allows applicants who schedule appointments on the telephone and on the web to both use the same data,î Schulte said.
Going Live
Two months after the Family Dollar system went live on July 16, myStaffingPro and HRServices encountered a new challenge.
Hurricane Ivan hit the Florida and Alabama coasts on Sept. 16. With wind speeds of more than 135 miles per hour, the state closed the career centers in Marianna and other impacted areas for several days. More than 1,000 people had to be called and their appointments rescheduled, Schulte said.
HRServices staff began calling those applicants and taking phone calls to reschedule their appointments, working even through the weekend.
ìItís nice to have that support. Itís like an extension of your staff,î Easterling said.
ìYou can have the great technology,î Schulte said. ìBut if the vendor is not committed to communicating with the client and working to make the system work, none of that really matters,î
In the end, myStaffingPro was so successful that Family Dollar is looking at rolling it out nationwide for all its locations. By the December opening, myStaffingPro helped Family Dollar sort and track more than 7,000 applications and hire 300 of the employees needed. Another 700 qualified to be offered a job, and nearly 2,000 more applicants were put on hold as Family Dollar wrapped up hiring.
Easterling said Family Dollar intends to pilot the system in New York before rolling it out to its seven other distribution centers and 5,500 other stores.
ìWe have big plans to use HRServices going forward,î Easterling said.
Source: HRmarketer.com
While the Charlotte, N.C.-based retailer had staffing services in place
Its current vendors werenít meeting the companyís needs
