Delivering tech change

ANDREW TURNER - MEDACS GLOBAL, DIRECTOR APSCo AUSTRALIA

We are living through the fourth industrial revolution, one that will continue the rapid change to technology, business and society for the foreseeable future.

In late 2021 we kicked off a project to look at how we can harness technology to provide a better candidate experience, digitalise our processes and ensure our business is well placed to meet current and emerging needs.

What struck me during our market evolution stage is the sheer array of solutions available. From CRM and ATS platforms that support the management of front, middle and back office processes through to niche offerings that focus on one aspect of the workflow. There is literally an app for that! The sheer number of tech options is verging on overwhelming and can present recruitment businesses with as many challenges and solutions. Despite my love of technology and its possibilities, three significant risks / concerns have emerged for me and my team:

1.Building an allencompassing tech monster that simultaneously fixes all our problems whilst also distracting the business with additional complexity. There are various terms out there to describe this situation, but some solutions require so many add-ons that you can end up questioning what you were buying in the first place.

2.Backing the wrong solution. Replacing your technology in its entirety or in part is a big undertaking for any organisation requiring a huge investment of capital and time – getting this wrong can have dire consequences for your business, investors and people.

3.Our biggest concern is that we get the business change that goes with any tech implementation wrong. That we fail to equip and prepare our people for changes in how they work day to day. Turning what should be a good news story that helps them to be better recruiters in to a nightmare. How we mitigate this risk will define the success of our investment.

During various stages of this process I have been fortunate enough to call upon my APSCo colleagues for input and expertise, although I am probably considered biased this is a key benefit of belonging to APSCo and the support it can provide to its members.

I can’t say for certain that we will get everything right (ask me again in 18 months) but as we embark on this work, we have taken time to be clear on our goals, our requirements and most importantly how do we get the change right so that our technology investment turbo charges our business for the future.