Today’s article is our take on an ongoing discussion of whether CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and work management software should be one solution or separate products. Specifically, we will be covering the recruitment sector. We want this to be a useful piece for both, Finance Directors and Recruitment Managers, therefore we will be exploring how your business can benefit from tying a digital timekeeping solution to a CRM.
We don’t support the claims that CRM and recruitment management software should be part of the same product. However, we also don’t believe they should be used independently from one another. Our stance is in between these two options.
Ultimately, recruitment agencies adopt both types of software for the same reason: to speed up their workflows such as sourcing candidates and payroll and billing. While the direct function of each solution is entirely different, the end goal is the same - workflow management.
We believe the best approach is to stay in the middle - therefore you don’t merge the CRM and time management systems together, but you don’t separate them entirely either. Our solution is to link them through integration. This creates a centralised approach to process automation in areas that overlap, enabling the creation of unique workflows.
What is CRM Integration and Why Do I Need It?
CRM integration is the connectivity between your CRM and other software, most efficiently performed through the use of APIs and software services. Integrations enable expansion of the software’s functionality through unlocking automation opportunities and the creation of a centralised approach to all your systems as opposed to manually keying in data from one system into the other.
CRM integration can improve multiple aspects of the business, ranging from team alignment and productivity to building a better customer experience. In other words, integrating CRM with other 3rd party applications has the power of tying all your business efforts into one well-oiled machine.
Benefits of Integration and Automation
As discussed above, the key benefit of CRM integration is the ability to automate manual processes across different software platforms at the points where they overlap, and provide centralised reporting. What can or cannot be automated varies depending on both, the ATS/CRM system and the software you’re connecting it with, but ultimately the end benefit is a faster pay and bill cycle.
For example, if your consultants are entering client billing details, candidate and placement details in their ATS, this data is automatically transferred into the billing work management system. This same data is then used to produce invoices and pay. In other words,there is no need to manually type in invoices or calculate bill and pay figures.
CRM integration can help you automate other workflows in the business, for example, an integration with a document signing platform. This would allow you to send, track and eSign documents directly in your CRM. Our own Recruitment pay and bill system integrate with a document signing system, so by having integration between the CRM and our billing management system, you have unlocked even further integrated functionality.
Best of Breeds Software
Before the popularisation of SaaS, it was not uncommon to look for an ATS/CRM as a sole solution for managing all aspects of your recruitment agency workflows. But this approach has its drawbacks. As you scale, your requirements grow, and certain aspects of the CRM may not be suitable anymore.
For example, the CRM may have had a basic billing system that worked for you as a small agency. However, it cannot provide the flexibility to meet your growing customer demands nor can it export into your new accounting system. By integrating the CRM with a well-established billing system, you instantly gain additional functionality.
Selecting an ATS/CRM that provides many integrations, or has a flexible approach to adopting new integrations (e.g. through the use of an API), can futureproof your adaptation to growing requirements.
Here’s a simple illustration: the ATS provider can focus on what they know best – help you source candidates and manage your customer relationships. The billing system focuses on producing invoices in the correct structure and works with your distribution workflows. The document signing platform provides the best interface for signing contracts, and your commissions are calculated through software that can cater for niche commission calculations.
The key take is that you can keep growing your SaaS toolbox as you scale, and swap or change parts of your overall solution as and when required.
Integrated Solutions Provide More Detailed Insights
Different technological solutions are used for tracking different formats of data. For example, a digital timekeeping software like ours can provide you with a detailed breakdown of your temp margins and an analysis of your most profitable temp consultants.
However, it will not necessarily tell you how well your agency is performing overall, taking into account perm recruitment, or looking at individual consultant targets, or your cash flow.
To plug this gap, you should look to integrate with a business intelligence system, that can pull data from all your individual components and provide analytics that cover all aspects of your business. Integrations allow you to put the data you collect across different channels into context. For example, we integrate with Eyko, a solution that pulls data from different sources and presents them in a single stream for a centralised view.
Enablement of Data-Driven Decision Making
Centralised reporting of data collected across different channels opens a new view to discovering opportunities and mitigating risks. All this leads to a more accurate assessment of the situation on hand.
Here’s an example. You may be trying to grow a new area of your business into a new sector. Recruitment software such as Bullhorn Recruitment CRM, when integrated with our Recruitment product, allows you to report on the performance of your sector based on the closed deals.
Without an integration, variable working hour contracts will result in actual figures deviating from your forecasts, and this data is in your billing and time management software. Furthermore, you have incurred costs to market your new sector, and this data is only available in your accounting software. An integrated solution creates a centralised data outlet, as well as provides a graphic display of it on-demand to enable faster decision making.
A Solution to Smoother Collaborations
Linking software used by different departments with one another inevitably brings those departments closer together. Having easily accessible visibility of information collected in other areas of the business naturally drives understanding of a bigger picture and alignment towards mutual goals.
Improved Workflows Build Relationships
Transparency is the founding stone of smooth collaborations. By creating visibility across departments via software integrations, you push your teams into working together. Gathering understanding of one another’s works, different departments can then start creating workflows inclusive of each other’s unique skills and needs.
In other words, software integrations promote better teamwork by centralising individual KPIs and putting them in the context of bigger goals. The more teams work together, the better they understand each other. Strong relationships build trust which then leads to enhanced alignment and accelerated business growth.
Summary
As we have stated at the beginning, customer relationship management and work management should be neither merged nor siloed. Instead, they should be linked together, and the way of doing that is through integration.
By integrating different solutions, you gain centralised access to data that would otherwise be unavailable, as well as put different metrics in a context that helps you make better business decisions.
One of our focuses when developing our products was to make sure they integrate with other software our clients have, and therefore we have many options available. Still unsure how it works? Book a demo and we will walk you through it.
