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Now this is an interesting approach to recruitment and customer service

Written by: Alastair Blair
Published on: 18 Jul 2017
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I’ve worked in recruitment marketing for several decades (too long some might say) and am a good friend of James Dunne who is a regular contributor here.  Over the years I’ve seen many new ideas and developments, but recently I’ve been alerted to a recruitment company that seems to be taking customer service beyond the standard clichés, many of which, we know, are seldom adhered to, resulting in the industry sometimes getting a bad reputation for being more interested in people as a means to a fee rather than individuals whose careers are the primary objective of the Consultant.

Although I suspect Peace Recruitment, a construction and property specialist in Edinburgh, is probably not a name many will have heard of, they have just launched what appears to me to be a unique (in the proper sense of that word) service whereby they ask their clients to assess them under a “Trip-Advisor” like scheme.  That’s probably not revolutionary, but what does seem to be new is that Peace not only is going to ask both clients and candidates to give their opinion on the Consultant who is handling their business, they are also going to publish the results on their website.

My understanding is that Peace’s customer feedback platform will see its consultants ranked in real time on their performance. Clients will be asked to provide feedback at key intervals via text message or email, and the results will automatically be loaded up onto Peace’s new website. The technology has been specifically designed to ensure all consultants are prioritising service over sales.  While many recruitment firms will claim they do this (and many, of course, do), this is the first time I’ve seen such a public commitment to demonstrating the results.

Digging a little deeper, I discovered that Peace Recruitment is reported to be the only recruitment company in the UK to be a member of the Institute of Customer Service. That’s also interesting, and suggests a commitment that goes beyond Trip-Advisor-type software on a new website.  And for other recruitment firms in their sector (and beyond) does it mean we’re going to see more transparency (thus putting the onus firmly on the Consultant to deliver) rather than less – and will this be good for business?  I hope so.  Time, and the market, will tell, but this is an initiative that both surprises and impresses me.  I’ll keep my ear to the ground and we’ll see how it pans out – I might even get James Dunne to have a look and report back in a few months.

Alastair Blair, thePotentMix