Forward Together: Investing in Automation to Make Recruiting More Human

As Bullhorn Marketplace partners almost since our inception as a company, my team at RefAssured has always been uniquely in awe of the power of the Bullhorn platform and connected ecosystem of solutions, designed to address the full lifecycle of recruiting challenges, from intake to invoice. Having been both a staffing firm owner/operator and a provider of technology for staffing firms, I believe that nothing is more important between staffing companies and their solution providers than trust and being on the same page. Since founding Cypress HCM more than twenty years ago, and with the acquisition of my ATS company, COMPAS Technology, by Avionte more recently, I’ve been keenly observant of the staffing industry’s opportunities as well as the unique needs of its operators. That's why I was so drawn to being part of Bullhorn's exceptional network of partner companies. Bullhorn pioneered SaaS CRM in staffing and has always managed to prioritize not only innovation, but also a deep and unwavering focus on speed, flexibility, and service - finding solutions to move everyone forward, together.

It's one of the reasons that we are so proud to celebrate Bullhorn's rally cry of Forward Together, because we believe it's the direction we need to move, and the approach we need to take as an industry, as a group of friends and allies, and as technologists, collectively. When we work together, when we think beyond the obvious, when we embrace positive change, we move forward together. Not only do my team and I strongly adhere to this idea, but we've built RefAssured to help our customers take a classically human foundation of recruiting - the reference check - and turn it into something that can unlock a world of possibility for candidates, clients, and staffing agencies alike.

That's why we're excited to announce a new integration with Bullhorn Automation, which will provide staffing agencies of all sizes with a key competitive differentiation at a time of economic uncertainty and margin pressures that - let's face it - we'd all like to move past quickly. The best way to do this is by leveraging the best technology, in order to make every hour more productive, all of our actions more profitable, and dramatically increase quality-of-hire to help agencies stand out in a crowded field. Our integration with Bullhorn Automation, which follows on the heels of our Bullhorn Talent Platform integration that we announced two months ago, aims to simplify and streamline the reference checking process, improve the quality of candidates delivered to clients, and increase revenue and net retention. And we think we're onto something with this, as RefAssured currently has a 100% referenceability rate with our customers. That means that every staffing agency that works with our team and trusts our platform has something positive to say about the results they've achieved.

RefAssured, which launched last year, was designed to turn reference checking into a competitive advantage for staffing agencies, which often struggle to provide their clients with best-matched candidates due to the complexities of collecting and validating references. RefAssured’s native integration with Bullhorn Automation helps staffing agencies effortlessly and effectively validate candidate qualifications and past performance, remove bias in the hiring process, and deliver vetted and high-quality candidates. How it works is simple: 1) RefAssured seamlessly integrates with the existing Bullhorn Automation workflow with minimal disruption to customers’ existing processes. 2) Before launching reference checks, candidates receive notifications about upcoming reference requests, ensuring a positive experience for both candidates and references. 3) References are contacted via email and text to complete a reference survey, all on their own time and from any device. 4) The agency receives verified, unbiased reference data, enhancing the quality of talent it provides to its clients and unlocking more profitable relationships.

Here's what the integration provides, in a nutshell:

• End-to-end automation: RefAssured’s integration with Bullhorn Automation eliminates the need for manual reference requests and makes the reference checking process seamless. We're the first and only reference checking platform that provides true end-to-end automation, meaning that all reference requests and parameters can be designed within, sent, and tracked in Bullhorn.
• Better candidate experience: RefAssured lets candidates know about reference requests in advance and provides regular progress updates for their reference checking journey, showcasing how it benefits them. This is better for candidates, better for their references, and better for agencies who also see increased talent retention and loyalty.
• Quick results: Clients see a 40% improvement in submittal-to-fill ratios and an 80% decrease in placement fall-off.
• Better hires: RefAssured allows agencies to consistently send out a large volume of reference requests, resulting in a better understanding of each candidate's strengths and weaknesses. This information can then be used to make more informed hiring decisions.
• Promising lead generation: We're a relationship industry. More reference checks mean more ways to attract passive talent and clients through reference conversations. Nothing breaks the ice with a prospective customer like showcasing that you care about maximizing candidate quality for your existing customers.
• Comprehensive compliance: With a SOC 2 Type II certified, Joint Commission compliant solution, RefAssured offers agencies a dependable solution for maintaining regulatory requirements while ensuring that all reference requests are sent out in a timely and consistent manner.

Success in 2024 and beyond means working faster, smarter, and stronger. It's about saving time, saving money, and increasing quality. And it's about choosing partners and providers that you can trust. That's the difference that Bullhorn provides to its customers with its Marketplace program of leading, vetted recruiting software providers. And we are incredibly proud to be part of it. Let's commit to a great year of learning from one other, supporting each other, and helping the staffing industry move Forward Together.

- Brian Vesce | CEO