While much of the discussion around text recruiting focuses on pre-hire, what happens after that? It’s well-established that employees have networks, personal and professional, chock full of folks with similar backgrounds and experiences. That’s why many believe that we need to optimize employee referrals.
According to SHRM, employee referrals are “a popular strategy because recruiters have long known what research confirms: Employee-referred new hires tend to be better performers than nonemployee-referred new hires and to stay with their organizations longer. Optimize employee referral programs are also more cost-effective than other recruiting strategies and often are the fastest way to find external talent.” Most organizations face the challenge of building out and maintaining formal programs that don’t create additional work for an already busy workforce, and that’s where texting can help once again.
What Happens and Why
Done right, optimizing employee referral programs becomes a win-win sourcing channel. Done wrong, they become a headache for recruiters – or worse, they don’t get used. Going back to SHRM, they shared:
“The No. 1 reason people don’t use a company’s referral program is that employees get frustrated with the lack of communication and engagement from the company.”
To ensure program success, organizations must advocate to optimize employee referrals by making it easier for employees to participate (and recruiting teams to manage!).
Here’s an example: one of the companies Cadient Talent worked with had a referral program but lacked the technology to support it. That meant employees had to self-report their referrals while marketing, recruiting and HR had to collect and upload the information provided manually.
That resulted in inaccurate and disparate data across systems—not a great experience for anyone involved. To address the issue, the company sought to integrate text technology with its ATS, HRIS, and CRM. Doing so helped create a seamless process, complete with the ability to send targeted text outreach to current and former employees and, in turn, their wider networks.
Though this is one example, it examines what happens inside these programs and spotlights ample opportunity for improvement—with the right strategy in place.
Ways to Differentiate and Improve
As SHRM indicated above, most of the problems with employee referral programs go back to communication and engagement. Ideally, programs should be as simple and straightforward as the other text use cases discussed, which might look something like this:
- Create the program from scratch, an existing policy, or a template
- Invite employees to participate (i.e., gain their consent!)
- Solicit referrals through text (or email) via different devices
- Manage rewards by explaining and delivering “what’s in it for them.”
In those four steps, additional communications and engagements need to be considered, which text technology can handle. For example, creating a program might be overwhelming for some, depending on the organization’s size.
Referral interactions add up quickly, with Dell reporting that it receives between 40,000-50,000 referrals each year. The initial strategy and program goals may vary, from broadening external reach to reconnecting with alumni. The purpose of the employee referral program should be clearly stated from the beginning to get everyone aligned before any messages are sent.
Once a strategy is in place, it’s time to draft the first message, which means getting employees to opt in. They need to understand the expectations and receive an introduction to the incentives. Initially, due to the nature of texting, messages must remain short to avoid discouraging participation. After receiving consent, one can send longer messages that provide additional information and instructions.
At step three, the solicitation and submission stage, a chatbot comes in handy, giving employees a simple way to submit referrals on the go. Automated updates keep employees, candidates, and recruiters engaged.
Finally, reap the rewards. This is twofold, offering benefits to both employees and the organization. Text technology helps track and manage referrals through a unified dashboard. Savvy employers like Chipotle have figured out that higher incentives result in more referrals amid a tight job market.
For organizations with research to suggest what referred hires offer the business, texting helps maximize the investment in these programs. It supercharges the abilities of recruiting teams and improves hiring outcomes without the heavy lifting.
