Automation should be simple, right...?

Part 1: Staffing automation - 6 key challenges

Automation. The term implies simplicity – if a process is too time-consuming, laborious or complex, just automate it. And when done well, automation does indeed simplify and streamline all manner of staffing systems and processes.

But automation doesn’t just happen, and many staffing companies underestimate just how challenging that ‘doing it well’ bit is.

It’s critical that any staffing and recruiting organization aiming to capitalize on automation goes into the process with their eyes wide open. Only by understanding the breadth and scope of the task from the get-go can you successfully navigate it, and enjoy the incredible ROI that a modern tool like Bullhorn Automation – formerly known as Herefish – can bring.

Let’s take a look at the six main automation challenges, spanning the human and the technical, and how your organization might overcome them.

Human challenges

A gap in understanding and focus

Many staffing firms have been caught up in the hype of automation in recent years. They hear about the success of a competitor or acquaintance, then scramble to implement a solution.

But automation represents a fundamental change for a firm – nothing less than a transformation in how the company operates. It therefore demands deep consideration and careful planning.

Many companies slap on a single solution, then forget what they were trying to achieve. They lack the necessary focus from the start.

A lack of expertise

There are plenty of modern technologies that your average staffing firm can easily implement in house… but automation typically isn’t one.

While it may look simple when properly set up, automation is a deeply technical undertaking, and implementation demands a range of highly specialized skills.

At minimum you’ll need a data expert, an automation expert and a recruitment systems expert. Most firms either don’t realize this or don’t have the budget for it, leading to underwhelming results.

Not spreading the load

While it demands specialist expertise during the implementation phase, the reality is that comprehensive automation is everyone’s business, as your whole team stands to benefit from it.

You therefore need to be cognizant of potential knowledge gaps – you can’t have your automation dreams fall in a heap if a certain individual leaves your organization. Be sure to spread the knowledge and responsibility load.

Technical challenges

Taking a narrow view

Often the inspiration to automate will come from a specific workflow that a firm has seen elsewhere. But in automation there’s always more than meets the eye, with a seemingly simple process touching all parts of your IT infrastructure.

The implementation of Bullhorn Automation (Herefish) demands a holistic view: one that considers how it will interact with all aspects of your business, both on a technical and human level.

Dodgy data

Successful automation is built on a foundation of clean and organized data – something that many staffing firms don’t have. Indeed, many firms not only lack the ability to clean the issue up, but to identify it in the first place.

Automation incompatibility

Along with good data, successful automation demands the right tools, processes and workflows. If these things aren’t set up in the right way your automations won’t get off the ground.

Have you checked, for example, that your CRM contains the fields you need for your automations to work correctly? If not, you’ll be destined to fail before you even begin.

Blog: How to maximize Bullhorn Automation ROI

Check out our blog to learn how you can avoid these challenges and make the most of your automation ROI.

Read blog

Read our Blog

Meet our experts | Taryn Lowe
November 8, 2024
As a project Manager, Taryn Lowe ensures our clients get the best and most personalised service when...
Meet our experts | Joel Immich
October 25, 2024
As our Project Manager for APAC, Joel Immich serves as the central point of contact and coordination for...
The creepy side of recruitment AI
October 17, 2024
Meet our experts | Sari Brown
September 27, 2024
As a Project Manager, Sari Brown works closely with our clients and internal teams to plan and manage a...
Meet our experts | Liam Valentine
August 23, 2024
As a BA & Implementation Consultant at Kyloe, Liam Valentine is involved in just about everything...
Meet our experts | Hannah Johnston
August 2, 2024
As Associate Project Management Officer, Hannah Johnston works closely with our customers as part of their...
AI powered recruitment
July 5, 2024
Choosing the right AI model for recruitment: ChatGPT-3.5, 4 Turbo, 4o, or Claude?
July 5, 2024
As chatter around AI shows no signs of quieting down, implementing it continues to present both challenges and...
Kyloe's information security management system achieves SOC 2 certification!
June 24, 2024
We're thrilled to share some fantastic news – our information security management system has achieved...
"The completion of the project gave us great confidence that Bullhorn could be reshaped to address other innovations and needs, and that Kyloe were extremely capable of delivering these."
HRM
"Kyloe were absolutely invaluable in this process, we couldn’t have done it without them!"
Cherry Professional
"The Kyloe team really took the time to understand how we used our current database and our business processes which really helped when setting up our new Bullhorn system with regards to customisations and integrations."
Macdonald and Company
"Kyloe are highly educated in the CRM (Bullhorn) we use and offered creative ideas on how to accomplish our goals, regardless of complexity at hand. Their confidence and teamwork to find the best solution was very reassuring to us."
The Delta Companies
"Kyloe delivered a structured process for the whole migration and configuration, and guided us perfectly through the whole project. We knew at any time at which point in the project we were and what we had to do next."
ageneo
"I still remember emailing our employment contracts and spending hours chasing signatures. With Docusign, Kyloe's AwesomeDocs and Bullhorn; contracts are generated with 4 mouse clicks (literally) and the next time we see them they are signed and saved back to Bullhorn."
Agri Labour
"Contracts or Terms of Business - created in seconds. Kyloe really has nailed AwesomeDocs. It's intuitive, powerful and can be used by all with minimal training."
Petroplan
"The Kyloe Training team were extremely helpful and personable with our staff and really went the extra mile to talk our ‘IT Dinosaurs’ through the Bullhorn Software."
Michael Taylor Search and Selection
"We worked with Kyloe to successfully migrate key data from Itris to Bullhorn, combining the two databases into a single one. Migrating data into an existing database is a really complex project but everything went really smoothly thanks to Kyloe’s professionalism and expertise."
NES Fircroft