SimpleVMS

The problem

A company with a strategy to use contractors for their professional and engineering positions utilized 47 different staffing providers with a spend of $50 million annually. They needed a way to simplify the processes from end to end to better manage this aspect of their operation. The processes were cumbersome for all involved, requiring multiple touch points that were completed manually.

After an internal review, the company defined the following pain points in their workforce management:

Lengthy vacancy time – The requisition process had several approval steps that were sent back and forth between email communications causing lag in getting the positions filled. The longer the positions were open, the more of a burden on other workers, affecting productivity, morale, and attrition.

Inefficient interview process – The submittal process and interview scheduling was lengthy, requiring several manual touch points. Communication would go back and forth on whether a candidate was approved or denied.

Supplier communications – There was a delay in communications back to the staffing firms and candidates on whether candidates were selected for the next step in the hiring process.

Loss of highly skilled candidates in the hiring process – The number of steps required often resulted in lost candidates prior to the hiring decision being made.

Limited visibility on the performance of all suppliers – It was difficult to evaluate and assess if recruiting needs were met, and there were no analytics available to evaluate which suppliers provided the best service. There were no metrics for fill time, vacancy time, tenure, or turnover of staff.

Compliance Management – The customer services a variety of large companies who had unique security clearance requirements. Due to variances among their customers, the audit process was laborious, and audits had to be handled manually.

Administration of Invoices – The customer was processing invoices with over 40 suppliers weekly, this was an extremely time-consuming process for the accounts payable team.

The simple solution

After a careful review and analysis, the customer determined that the best solution would be to automate their processes for managing the contingent staffing program. SimpleVMS worked closely with their leadership team to develop and configure a system to meet all their needs and requirements from the requisition process to billing.

Automated requisition process – Job requisitions are created within the system and each level of manager can now see the requisition activity – what is open, pending approval or filled – all in one dashboard.

Streamlined candidate workflow – Candidate submissions, ranking, and scheduling were all consolidated. Calendar appointments were integrated into their Outlook email and automatic notifications were set up for vendors and managers.

Analyzed vendor performance using data analytics – The system provides over 100 reports, and for the first time, the customer was able to review performance and rank suppliers based upon quantifiable results. Vendors were divided into tiers, and those who performed best were rewarded with more business. This also helped to streamline the number of vendors used.

Improved compliance methodologies – SimpleVMS automated and aligned the security requirements based on position and unique needs of each of the company’s customers. The company’s Compliance Analyst is able to track all necessary requirements in one place within SimpleVMS.

Through our partnership, our client has been very satisfied with the transition to a VMS, reporting significant results including:

Cost savings – Reduced costs by eliminating vendors that were in excess of average rates for the positions.

Improved candidate experience – Automatic notifications were sent to the vendors regarding candidates submitted and interviewed, enabling their recruiters to have timely communications with candidates.

Consolidated invoicing – Transitioned from over 40 invoices to one invoice weekly, saving time and expense in processing.

Improved time to fill performance – Reduced the vacancy time by 3 to 4 days. Reduced time in processing security requests – Saved 8 to 16 hours per week, on security compliance tasks alone