When potential clients are choosing between
recruitment agencies, what differentiates one from another? Well,
there’s cost, obviously. But in a crowded and competitive market,
very often its quality of service that proves the decisive factor
and agencies that can demonstrate their commitment to high standards
are able to stand out from the rest. Yet, when asked, all companies
would claim to provide a good customer service, so the question becomes:
how can agencies show to clients that they really are adhering to
best recruitment practice and delivering a quality service?
TAC Europe has come up with their own solution to the problem, by
dedicating a specialist team to ensuring that their high quality
of service is maintained and continually improved upon. One of the
largest providers of specialist technical staff in the UK, TAC Europe
has had an established Quality Department since its formation in
1994. Colin Teesdale, Quality Manager, believes this focus on high
standards is vital to the agency’s success. ‘We saw that
in order to get ahead, particularly when approaching new clients,
it’s important for people to see that we are taking quality
seriously’, he explains. ‘Our quality management system
shows that we take pride in delivering best practice, and both clients
and candidates are therefore reassured that we provide a professional
service.’
The Quality Department continually audits present processes, as
well as looking back on the services TAC have already provided to
identify areas for improvement. Performance is constantly assessed
against quality measures which include compliance with legislation,
checks on efficiencies, verification of candidates’ backgrounds,
and candidate file audits. Customer surveys are conducted to measure
progress, and the results are monitored closely to ensure that any
matters of concern are quickly addressed. ‘We’ve found
that even if we get a negative response from a client, we are able
to turn it into a positive’ comments Colin. ‘Clients
really appreciate us asking for their opinions, and clearing up any
problems that have arisen. Also, we are able to learn from this feedback
and keep on improving.’
The work of the Quality Department has lead to TAC Europe achieving
REC Audited status, which demonstrates that the company is working
to the highest service benchmark in the industry. Whilst TAC is proud
to display its REC Audited status, Colin is aware that the hard work
does not end there. He explains: ‘We’re not trying just
to tick all the right boxes to get the REC Audited logo, we’re
actually trying to make it mean something inside the company so that
all our staff are consistently customer focused. It’s not about
saying the buzz words or having the pictures on the wall, it’s
about making quality service intrinsic within our company.’
The benefit of this ongoing approach to ensuring high standards
is that staff feel confident of the procedures that they are to follow,
due to the work instruction that is overseen and kept up to date
by the Quality Department. ‘We don’t expect staff to
know procedures verbatim, but if there’s anything they are
not sure of they know where to find clear guidelines that are in
line with the latest legislation’ Colin comments. ‘When
people inside the company are reassured and confident in what they
are doing, that comes across to the clients and the candidates through
the consistency of the service we offer.’ Despite this emphasis
on consistency, Colin stresses that the Quality Department is not
a restriction placed upon staff. In fact it’s quite the opposite,
because the codes of practice provide recruiters with a solid foundation from
which they can introduce ideas of their own. ‘The quality system we have
in place lays the groundwork for good recruiting by giving staff confidence
in procedures, but it is also there to be changed and improved upon’ Colin
explains, adding: ‘It’s not about stifling new views, but encouraging
them and bringing them on board.’
TAC Europe is among the first to introduce the innovation of the
Quality Department, and believes that if more agencies followed suit
it would greatly benefit the recruitment industry as a whole. In
an industry where raising standards is of paramount importance, recruiters
need to be making every effort to ensure that they are delivering
the best possible service. Colin sees the Quality Department as a
way of achieving this aim. ‘If more companies adopted this
approach they would find that they have better control over bids,
candidate information, databases and internal processes, and have
the confidence that they are getting things right first time’ he
says. ‘The foundation of high standards provided by a Quality
Department provides a firm platform of great customer service from
which individual businesses, and therefore the industry as a whole,
can grow and develop to their full potential.’ |
