Abacus Services Corporation
JobDiva Integration Provides Better Candidate Experience
Abacus Services Corporation Integrates ShoreTel Sky Phones with CRM for Competitive Edge
“ShoreTel Sky phones provide us with a priceless competitive advantage – the ability to personalize calls with candidates through the integration with our CRM.”
Royice Franklin, Recruiting Director, Abacus Services Corporation
Founded in 2004 by industry veterans, Abacus Services Corporation provides comprehensive workforce solutions that assist clients in aligning their human capital strategy with their business goals. The company provides a full portfolio of workforce solutions that includes staffing and recruiting, managed services, customized staffing modules and outsourcing. Headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, Abacus has offices in 16 locations and India, with employees in 27 U.S. states and four Canadian Provinces.
Challenge: Integrate Phones with CRM for More Personalized Service
When Abacus Services Corporation implemented JobDiva, an applicant tracking system (ATS) platform for the staffing industry, it upgraded its phone system for better quality assurance. The phones worked, but independently from the client and applicant data housed in JobDiva. This posed a problem because at the heart of Abacus is recruiting talent for technology firms. Recruiters make dozens of calls each day, often leaving messages for candidates to return the calls for a potential job opportunity. When the candidates called back, recruiters were spending the first several minutes asking them who they were, what job they were calling about and specific resume questions. This process ate up valuable time and was less than helpful in making the candidate feel like they were actually being recruited.
Within a month of deploying the new phone system, Abacus learned that ShoreTel Sky provided connectivity to JobDiva. Despite the initial investment in the current phone system, the decision was made to start over. “It was worth the asset loss if we could have a phone system that would integrate with JobDiva,” says Royice Franklin, recruiting director for Abacus Services Corporation. “ShoreTel Sky phones provide us with a priceless competitive advantage – the ability to personalize our calls with candidates through the integration with our ATS application.”
Solution: ShoreTel Sky Provides Direct Link to CRM Application
When ShoreTel Sky was invited to conduct a demonstration for Abacus, it was apparent that the services it could offer would justify abandoning the current phone system. The integration capability, mobile workforce options, reporting features and training enablement were features Abacus couldn’t pass up. “We realized we could have the best of both worlds in terms of quality and functionality,” says Franklin. “The integration of ShoreTel Sky technology and JobDiva makes us a powerhouse when it comes to recruiting.”
Because of the integration with JobDiva, when the phone rings, Abacus recruiters now see a pop-up window with who is calling, notes about why they were contacted, the associated job opportunity and even the candidate’s resume – all before the call is answered. “All of the information is at our fingertips,” explains Franklin. “Efficiency is important to us. We can immediately build rapport with the candidate and get right to the dialogue. We keep on top of our game, the candidate feels important and we can fulfill more job openings.”
Most of Abacus’ phones are soft phones so staff can simply plug in their headsets to a computer and work from virtually anywhere. Franklin compares the accessibility to having a Cisco phone built into the computer. “The mobility options give our staff freedom, which makes them more productive,” he says. “The soft phones are the most robust I have ever seen, giving me all the same services as my desk phone.” The phones also offer 4-digit extension dialing between Abacus employees and click-to-dial links from JobDiva to employees, candidates and clientele, eliminating the need to cut and paste phone numbers or dial 10-digit numbers.
Other features include training enablement, such as call recording and Barge. Franklin can listen to a recruiter conversation with a candidate and can “whisper” to the recruiter without the candidate hearing him, coaching the recruiter and helping him overcome objections. If the conversation isn’t going as expected, Franklin can “barge” into the call and take control where both parties can hear him.
Reporting capabilities are numerous as well. Through an online portal, Franklin sees live or historical call metrics such as who is currently on the phone, incoming/outgoing call flow, length of calls and the number of successful calls. “The ShoreTel Sky reporting tools, combined with Job Diva, allow me to monitor recruiter efficiencies and ensure more quality calls,” he says.
ShoreTel Sky helped the Abacus IT staff design, implement and integrate the phone system with Job Diva. It also made sure the call flow was established through Auto Attendant. When Abacus installed new hardware in its corporate office, ShoreTel sat on a call with the Abacus IT department to ensure seamless integration.
Results: Increased Productivity and Improved Candidate Experience
Although Abacus has been using the ShoreTel Sky phones for less than two months, it already has seen impressive productivity gains. With the mobility options, recruiters can work, even when they aren’t physically in the office. Communication between employees, despite geography, is easier and faster. Recruiters are better trained through call monitoring and enhanced reporting features. Perhaps most importantly, calls with candidates are more pleasant and effective because critical data is accessible.
Franklin anticipates the many phone features and application integration will inevitably reveal real, measurable results in the months to come. In the meantime, Abacus has positioned itself to be a leader in the recruiting industry for years to come. “Integration is a huge time saver and time is money for us,” says Franklin. “Ultimately, creating efficiencies makes our clients, candidates and us more successful.”