Background
CSS has been working with a financial services client local to the Mount Laurel area since 2002. This client is a leader in their industry and was recently recognized as one of the four best mortgage lenders in the United States by Money Magazine.
Over the course of this client and CSS’s relationship, despite the ebbs and flows that are inherent to the mortgage industry, the client has partnered with CSS on drastically more positions. In 2012, our client partnered with us on a mere 47 positions throughout the year. In 2019, however, that number of positions was a whopping 891—the highest ever throughout the relationship.
In 2019, our client experienced rapid growth due to low mortgage rates and they partnered with CSS with their urgent need to hire candidates for approximately 40 customer service related positions.
A CSS Account Executive collaborated with the client’s hiring manager and determined that their pain points were Rapid Growth, Onboarding and Retention, and Managing Agency Relationships.
Approach
- Rapid Growth
Due to the client’s rapid growth, the client needed to quickly hire many qualified candidates.
“With interest rates going down, our client needed to ramp up very fast to satisfy their customers. They were having trouble finding the right talent that was trained, well-versed in that industry and that could start with them at a rapid pace,” said Evan Violette, Managing Director of the PSG Division of CSS.
Our recruiters are organized by niche, by skill set and each team is represented in all CSS offices within a 60-mile radius of Philadelphia. To place 40 to 50 candidates within approximately four days, the financial / mortgage recruiters teamed up closely and worked on all positions for this client. Each recruiter worked with proactive pipelines to meet the client’s needs with urgency and capitalized on open houses as needed.
Recruiters sought out candidates with the proper financial service and customer service background, screened and vetted them, and discussed the client’s culture with them.
- Onboarding and Retention
Since the client needed people quickly, they were receiving unqualified candidates from agencies, leading to a high turnover and no-show rate. By personally engaging with new hires and following up on their wellbeing, CSS decreased the no shows and increased retention.
“If the client had 40 people starting on a specific day, only 25 of those people were showing up from all staffing companies. We were able to make that 40 out of 40, which was a huge win for the candidates, the client, and us,” said Steve Scovner, Senior Account Executive at CSS and the lead account executive with this client.
To accomplish this, CSS coordinated orientations for new employees—the client’s only staffing firm to do so. For these orientations, candidates attended an informational session at a CSS office (before their first day of employment) that discussed the client’s history, career paths with the client, and what candidates should expect in their new position.
CSS employees also provided a friendly, warm welcome to new hires by visiting the client’s headquarters and communicating with new hires to understand their job satisfaction.
- Managing Agency Relationships
The original need in this partnership evolved from a recruiting solution to a true Managed Services Program (MSP). CSSvSource, CSS’s MSP division, helped streamline the client’s temporary workforce supply chain, gain control over their headcount, spend, and mitigate risk, as well as offer on-site support.
“We’re in a very competitive industry and market and one of the things we’re able to do by having this on-site partnership is giving the requisitions to the partners that are best suited for the client. We recognize that our team is very niched and we are not always going to be the best partner to fill every role, but that should not impact the client,” said Evan Violette.
The client had longstanding relationships with other vendors who helped them meet their business needs, and rather than snuffing out the competition, CSSvSource enabled the client’s relationships with other staffing firms to flourish as well.
Conclusion
What started as a bulk hiring need transformed into a full, dynamic business solution incorporating multiple CSS business units, specifically created for our client and their needs. The client’s partnership with CSS allowed the client to service their customers, retain their employees, and manage their vendors, cementing the relationship between the client and CSS.
The ongoing support the client receives through CSSvSource has revolutionized how the client manages their temporary employees: the client has full-time onsite support from CSSvSource through an employee that permanently operates out of the client’s headquarters.
This project strengthened the relationship between the client and CSS, and established CSS as the client’s lead vendor. As of today, CSS recruiters are working to fill 78 positions between New Jersey and Florida, and we only expect to receive more positions from the client as time goes on.
Client Testimonials can be found here
If you’re looking to optimize your hiring and business solutions, CSS has your back. While having 25 years of experience in the Accounting & Finance, Human Resources, Sales & Marketing, Information Technology/Salesforce, and Call Center & Office industries, CSS is not just a staffing firm. CSS does not have cookie-cutter solutions—our Account Executives take the time partner with your company to truly understand your business in order to tackle various pain points.
Call 888-2-MY-JOBS to partner with us and experience the CSS difference today!