Customer Success | Paul Greening

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Paul Greening

Managing Director

Recruitment is big business

It’s not surprising then that there’s a whole raft of applicant tracking systems, talent acquisition apps and other hiring technology on the market.

Yet, when Paul Greening escaped corporate life five years ago to set up his own Sydney-based executive search firm, he turned not to standard recruitment technology, but to Act!.

“My inventory is people,” says Paul who places candidates in executive roles across the Asia Pacific region. “And, just like any other business, I need to keep the pipeline filled, which requires continual engagement with the market and a constant communications cycle. Act! lets me do that.”

I reckon I get back 10 to 15 hours every week. That’s more time I can spend with clients and candidates… and better still my family.

So, from the moment Paul fires up Act! and starts planning his day, he’s using it constantly to capture valuable information from every phone call he receives and makes.

“And because I can get hold of any detail I need immediately with Act!,” says Paul, “I reckon I get back 10 to 15 hours every week. That’s more time I can spend with clients and candidates … and better still my family.”

In his various senior roles as VP, MD and regional manager with major software companies, Paul has tried many different contact management and recruitment systems, but found them “all fairly restrictive”.

As most of them focus on a specific job, they aren’t particularly effective when it comes to helping a business like Paul’s develop future prospects, or with after-sales service. That’s particularly important given that as part of his service guarantee, Paul has to monitor the performance of newly-placed candidates for up to six months following the initial search and hiring process.

Act! creates an ‘ecosystem’

That makes ongoing communication with clients, who can be recruiting virtually every day, absolutely crucial.

“Some much more expensive systems aren’t very good for effective ongoing communications,” says Paul, “but with Act! I’m able to do it easily by email.”

And to ensure he was doing it as effectively as possible, Paul called in an Act! Certified Consultant, an add-on that enables Paul’s emails to always be up to date, wherever he is and whichever mobile device he is using.

“Act!’ is simple, reliable and cost-effective, which is perfect for a smaller recruitment firm like mine. And with Act! you get much more of an ‘ecosystem’ because I can identify candidates through multiple sources and social media sites.”

Paul has also taken the opportunity to customize Act! by adding a ‘key skills’ tab to help him refine his searches. When, like Paul, you have a large and growing database of potential candidates that you need to constantly filter to find the right person, often for a very specific senior role, you can’t underestimate the importance of such a feature.

Act! is simple, reliable and costeffective, which is perfect for a smaller recruitment firm like mine.

Cloud flexibility key to expansion

Something else of key importance for Paul is Act! Premium Cloud. “Because I’m traveling throughout the Asia Pacific region, that’s become a very big thing for me,” says Paul, “because it means I don’t have to worry about having an up-to-date database on my laptop, wherever I go.”

This not only makes staying on top of his business much more convenient for Paul, but it could also be key to its future development. “Having Act! Premium Cloud means I could scale the business up and down by taking on remote contractors.”

Also central to business growth is Act!’s email marketing function, which lets Paul stay in contact with senior executives who often started off as candidates and have now become clients themselves.

As part of this email marketing process, Paul creates a lot of content, like the survey he’s just published and made part of his latest email campaign.

Paul’s consultancy shows how even a single-user business can leverage the power of Act! to stay on top of a portfolio of international clients. In fact, you could say it’s just the job.

Key Takeaways

By being able to get hold immediately of any detail needed, Paul Greening estimates he saves 10 to 15 hours every week with Act!.
Having a Cloud access to Act! means Paul doesn’t have to worry about having an up-to-date database on his laptop, wherever he goes.
Act!’s email marketing function lets Paul stay in contact with senior executives who often started off as candidates and have now become clients themselves.

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