Michael C. Bertoni, Founder and CEO of PhillyTech–the industry leader in assisting Software as a Service (SaaS) and Hi-Tech companies hire talent, generate leads, and drive sales–sat down with Consumer51’s Director of Strategic Development, Justin Butler, to discuss “Client Experience”, a key component of the Hiring Differentiation Index (HDI).

This is the 2nd blog in a series introducing the Hiring Differentiation Index and why it’s critical for SaaS and Hi-Tech companies.

Justin: Can you start by explaining what client experience means for the HDI?

Mike: Client experience on the HDI is how you feel about the service provided when working with your recruiting or staffing company. Often our clients describe PhillyTech as part of their family and part of the fabric of their company.

The “client experience” starts with the experience you receive from us and our “method,” which we’ll discuss in subsequent videos and blogs. It ties back to our deep experience working with SaaS or software companies. We understand everything about them, the people, processes, and most importantly, the kind of talent that can drive success in a team. That is why we’re able to immediately operate as part of the company, right from the start.

Justin: Why is it essential that the candidate understands the company during the hiring process?

Mike: At the end of the day, it helps us find better candidates faster and more efficiently for our client, which directly correlates to the company’s growth. For example, in one of our top SaaS clients we helped them grow from about 5 to 50 people, so PhillyTech is responsible for hiring 90% of its current employees, which significantly impacts the company, including its culture.

Justin: Can you speak more to the impact PhillyTech has on a company’s culture?

Mike: With our method, we’re trying to bring in the exact fit that aligns with the company, its goals, and its mission, not just the job requirements. So when we say we found a great candidate, it’s a great candidate, not just for the role but for the company.

When they come in for the first interview, you get to walk away thinking, wow, that was a fantastic interview experience, and it’s because we walked through our process with the candidate first. We have made sure they understand your company, mission, and culture before meeting them.

Justin: It sounds like what you're doing is taking it beyond the data set. Would it be accurate to call it a cultural qualifier?

Mike: That’s a good way to look at it. Our head of recruiting, Galit Kantor Green, would say it's matchmaking. We look at hiring someone as if you’re getting married; it needs to be a perfect match. If you don’t have that perfect match, and that person leaves in 3-6 months, that’s a massive hit to the organization. Our process ensures that both the candidate and the client feel good about the process.

Justin: What extra steps do you take to understand a company to the depth you’ve mentioned, genuinely becoming part of that family?

Mike: Before we do a kickoff meeting and write the job requirements, we do extensive research, starting with the company’s LinkedIn, employee’s LinkedIn pages, company websites, news articles, press releases, etc. I bet dollars to donuts that when many companies write their job descriptions, they leave out important company information like awards won. It's essential to include those because it excites the candidate about a career with you.

So after our research, we have a specialized interview directly with our client’s leadership, write the custom job requirement, and get people interested in your company.

Justin: Is there anything else you’d like to include to sum up the client experience?

Mike: To sum things up, it starts by having someone be your company’s number one cheerleader, an intelligent PR spokesperson waving the flag of your company. Think of us as your biggest fan.

Our mission is to find the perfect match for your company as well as the perfect company for the candidate. This creates a great experience throughout the interview process through to hiring and even afterward as we continue to follow up. We do all of these things to give everyone an outstanding “client experience.”

Stay tuned as we continue to dive deeper into the different markers of the HDI and why they matter to your company culture and bottom line. If you’re interested in working with SaaS Talent, set up a Free Strategy Session with us here to understand how the HDI can help your organization succeed in hiring, or set up a meeting using the calendar below to learn how we can help streamline your hiring operations.