CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Career Counselors Blog

[In July] the car dealer that sold Gerry's latest gas guzzler sent the following email:

From: Doug Wells at Ray Catena Motor Car Group Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2008 2:32 AM To: Gerry Crispin Subject: Is it time to trade in your C350w4?
Dear Gerry,
I was just reviewing your records and noticed that your C350w4 has almost 36,000 miles on it.
Are you interested in selling your C350w4? If so, there is a strong used car market and we may be able to give you more than you would expect.
Should you choose to purchase another vehicle from Ray Catena Motor Car Group, we have many new models to choose from.
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
Respectfully, Doug Wells General Sales Manager dwells@raycatena.com 732-549-6600
P.S. - Should you decide to purchase a new vehicle from us, included in this email is a Check for $300 dollars towards the purchase of any new vehicle at Ray Catena Motor Car Group. Please present this check/email as verification.

We loved the note and its obvious CRM touchpoint. Unfortunately, from a staffing perspective, it isn't sufficient to manage "touch points" if you haven't decided when to "touch" a lead, or a prospect, or an applicant, or a candidate, or a finalist and especially what you would say that moves the "relationship" to another level. For most CRM remains an empty contact management template and little else.
Below is a fantasy. It is a 1:1 translation of the customer email. It assumes staffing is the internal champion responsible for targeting their own employees at a point where the employee is vulnerable to turning over.

From: Doug Wells at our GreatCompanyToWorkFor Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2008 2:32 AM To: Gerry Crispin Subject: Is it time to re-consider your career with us?
Dear Gerry,
I was just reviewing your records and noticed that you have been with us two years working as an Engineering Project Leader.
Are you interested in continuing in your current role or are you looking to examine other career possibilities? If so, there is a strong internal and external market for your skills and, our staffing and development professionals may be able to give you more insight than you might expect.
Should you choose to look at new options at our GreatCompanyToWorkFor, you may discover we have many new career paths you can choose from. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
Respectfully, Doug Wells Director, Talent Re-Acquisition and Development dwells@GCTWF.com 732-555-5000
P.S. - Should you decide to examine a new career path with us, included in this email is an additional budget authorization for $3000 dollars toward your development this year.

What is the "customer" experience you deliver? Can you describe it a way that is measurable? What is said or done? when? how often? What would it look like if you provided the same promise to every candidate? Would it give you a competitive edge?

What if Customer CRM "Touch Points" Really Translated to Staffing? is an article from College Transition Times, a freeon-line publication of Life After Graduation, LLC, and was written by Gerry Crispin and Mark Mehler