The SIA’s Staffing Industry Review magazine article on TempBuddy: “If Uber were a staffing firm…”

If Uber were a staffing firm…

When you push the magic button on your phone to request a driver, an email is sent to one of the thousands of Uber “taxi recruiters” around the country. The taxi recruiter searches its database of registered drivers for those with the same zip code as the passenger, and begins calling those drivers one by one to find out their exact position and availability. Once the recruiter finds a driver close enough who is on duty, they make them another to pick up the passenger who requested the ride. If the driver accepts, the order is confirmed and the driver is emailed instructions to pick up the passenger, with a purchase order and time sheet generated and emailed, which are to be printed, filled out and returned by the taxi driver at the end of the week, along with all other purchase orders. The taxi recruiter then calls the passenger to inform them a driver is enroute.

Fortunately for modern-day urbanites, this is not how Uber deploys its drivers. According to Dublin, Ireland-based TempBuddy, it’s not how staffing firms should deploy their temporary workforces, either. TempBuddy is a technology platform designed to make staffing recruiters more efficient in deploying temporary workforces, while increasing candidates’ engagement with the clients and staffing agencies they work with. The platform uses candidates’ mobile phones to give real time availability and deployment capability. The goal is to turn a passive temporary database into an “on-demand” workforce.

“Our technology accelerates the pace at which a staffing recruiter is able to deploy their temp workforce, and ensures they deploy their best people first,” said CEO and founder Roderick Smyth. “That opens up the opportunity for recruiters to make more placements, and focus on high-value, revenue-generating services. We give recruiters back 30 to 50 percent of their day.” The platform includes additional services such as compliance, scheduling, and paying and billing, and can integrate into existing systems and infrastructures. The firm charges a percent of the spend that runs through the platform as its fee. Full implementation takes three to six weeks, depending on the complexity of the temporary workforce.

Launched in 2013, the service now has more than 50 customers and a run rate of €120 million (US$131.1 million) in staffing spend as of the end of 2015. Its current trajectory puts it on track to achieve €400 to €500 million managed through its platform in 2016.
The Buzz TempBuddy offers an innovative way to “Uberize” staffing firms’ temporary workforces, and helps recruiters focus on what matters most: placing people and making money.

Previously published on the Staffing Industry Analyst’s website on 22/02/2016.