Smartphone. Everyone has one. Think of your family members, co-workers, and friends.  Do any of them not have a smartphone? When you are walking down the street, in an elevator, waiting in a line at a coffee shop, what are people doing? Everyone is on their phone. In this day and age, if someone doesn’t have a smartphone it is alarming!  In fact, 9 in 10 Americans own a smartphone. 

Let’s look at some statistics from reviews.org:

· 89% of Americans check their phones within the first 10 minutes of waking up

· 75% of Americans feel uneasy leaving their phone at home

· 75% of Americans check their phones within 5 minutes of receiving a notification

· 47% of Americans feel a sense of panic or anxiety when their cell phone battery goes below 20%

Another statistic to think about is 15% of U.S. adults are “smartphone-only” internet users, meaning they own a smartphone, but do not have home broadband service. Reliance on smartphones for online access is especially common among Americans with lower household incomes and those with lower levels of formal education, according to Pew Research. 

A final statistic to think about is the average age for kids to get their own smartphone is around the age of 11, with over half of children in the U.S. having a phone by this age, according to a study performed by Research.com. 

So, what do all of these statistics mean for mobile staffing? The first set of statistics certainly show the addiction Americans have to their smartphone and how often they look at it. It is also eye opening to hear how many U.S. adults rely on their mobile device for their internet. In staffing, often times you may be putting people to work that only have access to the internet on their mobile phone. And the last statistic shows how children at the early age of just 11 become smartphone users. Their minds are trained to use technology and their mobile device for much of what they do. This means once they become of working age, smartphones will continue to be a major part of their life. 

All of these statistics demonstrate why staffing companies must have a mobile app to stay competitive. Everyone is on their mobile device, so why not bring your staffing agency to your employees’ mobile devices? You must be visible where job seekers and employees are spending 

their time. So, the next time someone is in line waiting for coffee, maybe they will be looking for a job in your mobile app. 

Besides the benefit of connecting with job seekers and employees on mobile, a mobile app can also provide streamlined staffing services and tools, including self-service tools for employees, job matching, and more. In this article, we will dive into 5 reasons why mobile staffing apps are essential for modern businesses and the benefits a mobile app can bring to your staffing business. 

Reason 1: Increased Access and Engagement to a Wider Talent Pool 

Mobile staffing apps allow you to stay connected with candidates in your database. While your ATS has all of your candidates stored, now all of your candidates can access your mobile app and readily access jobs you have open. They might not even be looking for a new job, but they could see an opportunity that catches their eye. A mobile app helps candidates stay engaged with your staffing agency, even when they aren’t looking for a job. They could be scrolling through your jobs as they are watching TV and apply on the spot. That is the beauty of having a mobile app available to your talent pool in your ATS.

It also allows you to stay connected with candidates across the U.S. and in different industries. You can easily expand your talent pool and your staffing services to other parts of the U.S. that you may not currently service. An expanded talent pool gives you access to more candidates and can help fill jobs quicker. 

Reason 2: Increased Efficiency and Reduced Time-to-Hire

While mobile apps are convenient for job seekers and can increase engagement with your staffing firm, a mobile staffing app can significantly streamline your hiring process. First and foremost, it’s a place where you can post all of your jobs right from your ATS. This gives your candidates access to the jobs you are hiring for. Second, some mobile apps may even have a candidate matching capability, where if candidates in your ATS match the requirements for a job, a job invite can automatically be sent to that candidate. This is a significant game changer in staffing. 

From the mobile app, candidates may also be able to enter their availability and accept interviews and jobs on the spot, which automates the entire hiring process. A key component to automation though is the ability to connect to your ATS. If your ATS provider has a mobile app, you will want to ask if it’s connected to your ATS data, so all updates made in the app are made in your ATS and vice versa.  

Automation is a key component to staffing today.  It can significantly increase your recruiting efficiency and reduce your time to hire. This can help eliminate traditional ways of trying to get a hold of candidates via email or on the phone. Think of the number of times you play phone tag or are waiting to hear back from a candidate. The waiting game and phone tag can considerably be reduced.

Reason 3: Improved Flexibility and Responsiveness to Changing Needs

Let’s face it. In staffing, business needs are always changing, whether more workers are needed, or a big order just came in that has to be filled ASAP. Staffing companies must quickly adapt to change. When you have a mobile app, you can not only quickly post new jobs to it, but some apps may even allow you to send job opportunities that need workers immediately out to specific candidates to accept. They can accept the job from their mobile app and automatically be placed to work. This provides on-demand access to workers for short-term projects or unexpected absences. Workers can be placed in minutes after your staffing agency sends out the job invitation. This introduces the ultimate on-demand staffing experience. 

Real-time communication and notifications are also key. When a job invitation is pushed out to a candidate or a message is sent from the recruiter, notifications pop up right on their mobile device without being in the app, so job seekers and employees are notified of an update in real-time. Some mobile staffing apps may also have a messaging feature with the recruiter so mobile app users can message the recruiter directly and have instant back and forth communication to streamline the hiring process. 

Reason 4: Enhanced Employee Engagement and Satisfaction

Another huge benefit of a mobile app is increased employee engagement and satisfaction. A strong mobile app will house everything that an employee needs. From the beginning stages when they are looking for a job, they can enter availability, search, and apply for jobs. They can then accept interviews and jobs on the spot. Being able to view their schedule in the mobile app is also huge. If they have an upcoming interview or assignment all of this can be viewed on their schedule in the mobile app to help ensure they don’t miss an appointment.  Throughout employment being able to enter time, view payroll checks, W2’s, 1099’s, and more, right from the mobile app gives employees autonomy and access to self-service tools. Instead of needing to login to a third party application to enter time or reach out to their staffing agency about their payroll checks, all of this can be accessed at their fingertips in moments.

When using any service or solution, convenience and ease of use is a top priority. For example, let’s say you order something online and you are having trouble returning it, so you have to go through the trouble of calling customer service. This is an inconvenience to you. In contrast, many people like to order on Amazon® because of their easy and convenient return policy. Amazon® customers tend to be loyal to Amazon®. 

Likewise, this can be compared to a staffing agency that has a mobile app. It gives employees access to self-service, convenient tools, during their job search, during employment, and beyond. Having an optimal experience working with your staffing agency will keep employees engaged with you and increase their overall satisfaction, so they keep wanting to work for your staffing agency. 

Reason 5: Cost Savings and Improved ROI

While a mobile app may seem expensive upfront, in the end it can provide considerable cost savings for your staffing agency. Since you are able to post jobs in the mobile app, it gives you an opportunity to eliminate some of the other advertising expenses and job boards you may be using. As mentioned earlier, a mobile app will also help decrease your time to hire by opening your candidate pool and streamlining the recruiting process. A decreased time to hire will also help eliminate prolonged costs associated with filling a job order.

A quick time to hire and increased employee retention can also be a selling point for your staffing agency. Clients want to fill positions as quickly as possible and retaining employees is essential.  Both of these attributes can be ways to market your company to gain new business. 

Lastly, as we talked about throughout the article, a mobile app will significantly improve staffing processes. Increased automation in the recruiting cycle will enhance productivity and drive revenue generation through heighted staffing levels.  

Conclusion

We can see clearly how smartphones are affecting our everyday lives. Putting staffing aside, everywhere we go people are on their mobile devices. The statistics show how glued Americans are to their smartphones. As new generations enter the workforce and technology evolves, smartphones aren’t going anywhere. Now is the time for staffing agencies to enter into the mobile staffing era and be at the forefront of job seekers and employees. Whether someone is walking down the street, in an elevator, or in line at a coffee shop, let them be scrolling through your jobs in your mobile app next time. 

Ready to adopt a mobile app for your staffing agency? Contact Ultra-Staff EDGE Staffing and Recruiting Software to see first-hand how the Ultra-Staff EDGE JOBS mobile app can benefit your staffing agency. 

Read more from Jennifer Roeslmeier Mikels