Unlocking the Benefits of an ATS and VMS Integration

An Interview with Jason Oswald, President of SimpleVMS, and Rob Geist, SVP of Growth

As a staffing professional, have you ever wondered – what does it take to differentiate your agency from the competition? If so, you’re not alone. Over the past two years, the economy has put pressure on staffing agencies to sell aggressively and cut prices. But when all your competitors are making the same claims of great service and lower prices, maybe it’s time to adopt a different strategy.  

A recent buyer survey conducted by Staffing Industry Analysts suggests that Employer buying patterns are changing. Sure—cost and quality are important, but employers are increasingly focused on program consolidation – that is – managing and measuring the total cost and impact across all contingent workforce programs. 

The survey results also showed that employers who reported that they have “leading edge” contingent workforce programs were highly satisfied with their staffing agencies. The reverse was also true. Employers who reported that their contingent workforce programs lag behind industry standards gave their staffing agencies highly negative customer satisfaction scores.  

So how should a staffing agency respond? The short answer is by delivering value. Employers want staffing agencies who can act as strategic partners to provide expertise and technology that makes their contingent workforce programs more effective.  

So, what technology solutions are available that make sense for both employers and staffing agencies? We sat down with Jason Oswald, President and Founder of SimpleVMS, and Rob Geist, SVP of Growth, to discuss the vision behind a VMS/ATS integration and how this partnership will help our clients compete, scale, and win. 

Interviewer: Why did you see a need to develop SimpleVMS in an already crowded vendor management space and what differentiates your platform from other VMSs out there?   

Jason Oswald: That’s a great question that I’ve been asked a lot. So, what a lot of people don’t know is that I actually owned a staffing company at one point. While there, I realized there was a gap in the market for a vendor management tool that didn’t put walls between clients and agencies. And one that catered to the light industrial space. That’s where SimpleVMS came from.  

We built the system to be easy to use and to enhance collaboration between clients and their vendors, providing transparency throughout their entire staffing program. SimpleVMS has grown into what it is today because we took the feedback from our users on both the client and vendor sides and built the system everyone was asking for.  

One of our core differentiators is our integrated timekeeping system. With the early system, we offered a web time option that our clerical and admin clients were using, and we were looking into adding physical time clocks for light industrial clients. Then, one Friday, we met with a prospect who loved the system but needed a time clock solution to solve all their problems. They hadn’t been able to find a viable option with other VMSs.  

We went to work over the weekend and delivered integrated time clocks for them to hang on the wall the next week. Needless to say, we got the business, and they are still a client today. We are now on our 10^th generation of the timekeeping system, which includes a newly added AI photo time feature that verifies the worker’s identity through photo capture, and we’ve built-in work rules that accommodate state-specific regulations. 

Interviewer: You mentioned that you developed SimpleVMS with feedback from clients and vendors. Do you think this is why it is rated so highly among staffing professionals and employers? I’ve seen that the industry average NPS score is -35, and yours is consistently +35 or higher. 
 
Jason Oswald: Yes, I think this is a major factor. The system is designed to be what our users have asked for. In addition to that, though, is our support. I always tell people that SimpleVMS is more than software; it is the team behind it. The support team works as an extension of our users’ HR and Ops teams. They are here to help with program management, essentially acting as a modified MSP (Managed Service Provider), including supporting change management and tracking KPIs. 

We consistently get high marks from our users for the extra service we provide at no additional cost. In a space that is traditionally less vendor-friendly, we provide the same support to the agency as we give to our shared clients. This includes resources to manage their staffing programs with greater efficiency and transparency.  

Interviewer: So, you’ve developed a great relationship with staffing vendors. Why was partnering with Avionté, the second-largest ATS provider, the next logical step?    

Jason Oswald: First and foremost, it’s a win-win relationship. Working with Avionté enables us to innovate collaboratively for the Agency and our shared clients. I have gotten to know Avionté over the years, and their values align strongly with ours; we are both very customer-centric cultures.   

When we started discussing the possibility of teaming up, we saw an opportunity to enhance the experience for staffing agencies. In a recent survey by Avionté, 100% of the recruiters reported accessing the tool daily to do their job; we felt we could make their jobs easier by connecting our systems so agencies can accomplish everything through their ATS. 

At SimpleVMS, we also get to take advantage of the full suite of Avionté platform offerings, which reduce the time and effort it takes for a recruiter to place candidates on assignment. This is obviously a direct benefit for our clients because it allows the agency to deliver higher-quality talent even faster. 

Interviewer: I mentioned initially that we are seeing a shift in the staffing landscape. You have a unique insight because you work with both vendors and employers. What are you seeing in the marketplace from the employer and agency’s perspective that folks may not know?  

Rob Geist: As I am sure many staffing agencies already know, a lot of our prospects and clients are conducting pricing exercises and limiting the number of vendors they work with. With this, they are still looking for technology to improve their business processes, and more companies are looking to implement vendor management tools. 

But, what I see that is significant is that employers are genuinely concerned with their relationships with their agencies. Although they are looking to the future when it comes to managing their programs, they are mindful not to implement something that they think will have a negative impact on their vendors. As Jason mentioned, that’s why we are focused on the agency as much as the client. We respect that relationship. 

Interviewer: Avionté recently announced the integration with SimpleVMS. What does this mean to the Avionté user, and how will they see the benefits with their clients using SimpleVMS?  

Jason Oswald: That is an important question. Obviously, we are very excited to see our concept come to life, and we are seeing some really great early results. Our early adopters are already seeing a reduced time to submit candidates and increased fill rates. They have also seen an increase in their share of wallet at the client because of the increased efficiencies. 

One user recently told us that the integration has greatly reduced the time it takes for them to input and start associates. They said that they are easily saving five to ten minutes per employee, and although that seems small for one person, it quickly adds up.  They also felt like it has improved their relationship with the customer because they are filling their positions quicker. 

It is important to note, though, that the integration is not universally available to all Avionté users at this time. For it to work, the agency does have to support a client currently using SimpleVMS. Since we are not an actual MSP, we can’t determine who the client chooses to work with aside from making recommendations.  

Interviewer: Ok, so what about those Avionté users who don’t currently support a SimpleVMS client, how can they benefit from this integration?  

Rob Geist: This is where our Channel Partner program comes into play. More than half of our growth has come through Channel Partnerships, where the agency realized the value in delivering a solution like SimpleVMS to customers because clients are asking agencies for recommendations. When a client opts to sign on with SimpleVMS, our Avionté users will benefit from seamlessly integrating with their clients’ management platform. 

As Jason said, our clients determine the agency they work with, we don’t make those decisions. But clients do ask for recommendations, and we are happy to share our Avionté user network. 

Interviewer: Can you tell me a little more about what being a Channel Partner actually means to our audience? And do you have to be an Avionté user to be a Channel Partner?  

Rob Geist: You don’t have to be an Avionté user to partner with SimpleVMS. Any agency can be a Channel Partner, regardless of their ATS. The big difference for the Avionté user is that they would benefit from the integration, ultimately saving a lot of time and increasing their efficiency with their clients. 

Being a SimpleVMS Channel Partner provides vendors with a lot of benefits, including positioning them as a strategic partner to our mutual clients. We have found that SimpleVMS prospects are asking their staffing agencies to recommend solutions like ours. In fact, we’ve had prospects ask why no other vendors have brought a VMS solution to the table once they see the benefits. 

Our Channel Partners gain increased visibility with the client and can request to be marked as a tier 1 vendor in the system, which prioritizes them for job postings. They are also protecting their clients from another system coming in that is more costly and less user-friendly.  

We also offer our partners full sales and marketing support. We’re the experts on the system, they are the experts with their clients. Once they make the introduction, we support them through the whole process. Our team acts as an extension of their sales team to help them position SimpleVMS with the clients they think will benefit. When the client signs on, we provide discounted fees and other financial incentives for the agency. 

Interviewer: What are the next steps for those interested in learning more about channel partnerships or the Avionté/SimpleVMS integration? 

Rob Geist: Get in touch with us! Check out simplevms.com to schedule a demo, and you can learn why clients are moving in this direction and how it can benefit you. SimpleVMS will help you be a true partner instead of just another vendor. 

Next Steps 

Are you ready to learn how SimpleVMS can help you deliver a better workforce strategy to your clients? Schedule your demo with SimpleVMS.