High flying agency’s profits soar
C & M Travel Recruitment is one of the UK’s leading specialist recruitment agencies with an outstanding growth record and an enviable client list. In the decade since it was founded it has expanded from a single office to centres in London, Gatwick and Manchester offering the widest selection of jobs, and latterly training packages, in the travel and leisure industry. Turnover has increased dramatically from £2.4 million in 2001 to £6 million in 2007.
Nor has the pursuit of profit been at the expense of service levels. They have been remarkably successful in achieving high levels of client and candidate satisfaction: C&M won the 2007 Travel Weekly “Best Recruitment Company Award” and scooped 2005 and 2006 Travel Bulletin Awards. Significantly they were also recognised in 2006 as one of the Sunday Times “Best Small Companies to Work For in the UK” and attained “excellent” status in the Best Company Accreditation Scheme.
The challenge
A key component in C&M’s successful growth has been the continuous review of business processes to improve efficiencies. A specific focus has been to minimise the volume of paperwork and the potential for human error.
“It provided exactly what we wanted both for existing levels of business but also how we envisaged doing business in the future. There is nothing else like it on the market. It has enabled future business growth through a simple 21st century solution”
David Robinson, C&M’s Finance Director identified the solution early on “The level of growth we have experienced was naturally accompanied by new challenges. In our case the key issue was the increase in non-revenue generating workload. We needed to systematically automate time consuming administrative tasks.”
As a fast growing recruitment company an obvious area of concern was C&M’s reliance on paper timesheets. These required multi-stage processing and tracking prior to invoicing. In 5 years the flow had increased from 40 to 200 timesheets per week. Furthermore the business plan had highlighted increasing the number of temporary placements as a key area for expansion creating a growing administrative burden.
The solution
David Robinson began by methodically reviewing all the available time recording products. He chose Etz Timesheet Solutions, a system specifically designed for the recruitment industry. It provided him with the streamlined process C&M needed to make substantial time and cost savings combined with the capacity to handle exponential growth and produce superior management information reports. There were no front end capital costs. The 3 days formerly taken to process 200 timesheets could be reduced to half a day releasing staff for more productive tasks. Speedier and more accurate processing of timesheets and invoices also improved C&M’s cash flow.
“Previously it always felt a bit like organised chaos with people calling to check we had received timesheets, filing paper, stuffing envelopes. Now we are really driving the process with the ability to handle increased levels of business. From the start we felt total confidence in Etz Timesheet Solutions not just to cope but to impress our temps and customers”
Any director responsible for major change initiatives is familiar with the yawning gap between the desired performance and capacity of new software and the endless disruptions to business caused by installation and integration problems. Indeed this was the point at which several of David’s other trialled systems had failed.
He was therefore delighted that Etz’s system could be fully integrated with C&M’s new front and back office systems without any teething problems.* “We had recently updated to Tempaid 5 so Etz went off and talked to Oxford Software and within a matter of days came back with the integration tested and complete.”
The results
Nor was the introductory period lengthy. Etz Timesheet Solutions was fully installed and live in 5 days from the date when David Robinson took the decision. “It really couldn’t have been simpler”, said Robinson, “It was a case of getting the benefits as soon as we started- a genuine 21st Century business solution.” And, he added, “the staff at Etz have been very easy to deal with throughout the whole process.”
“As recruitment agencies expand it is important that management information becomes more fluid and visible. Real-time information visibility is the backbone of effective decision making. I can access the system wherever I am, including real time margin reports”
Costly staff training programmes and data security, two other pressing management concerns when upgrading technology, were swiftly allayed. Etz Timesheet Solutions has proved to be a popular choice for both C&M staff and their candidates to use. The system is accessed via the internet so it can be used whenever and wherever required. “Operating the whole process really is as simple as clicking a button.” Etz were also able to prove to David that their system had the highest level of security available plus the convenience and value of real time data collation.
Growing and diversifying a company profitably is an exacting management challenge. David Robinson is convinced that his choice of timesheet process system will continue to add long term value to C&M’s business. “I just wish I’d found Etz Timesheet Solutions sooner. I really would recommend it for any recruitment company. Regardless of their size it will deliver benefits and I fully expect it to become an industry norm in the future, it is so simple and efficient to use. It has been a business decision delivering nothing but benefits for all concerned.”
* Etz Timesheet Solutions integrates successfully with a company’s existing accounts package and other software through bespoke applications. It meets the exact requirements of organisations to carry on working in exactly the way they want to work.
