As a hiring firm, there are times your clients will not be hiring for various reasons; maybe they currently have enough supply of workers or don't have positions to fill at the moment. Yet, you have to maintain good working relationships because you will need them in the future. So, how can you keep your clients engaged in such times and ensure they come back to you when things get better? 

Hiring managers should understand that, even if clients are not actively hiring, they no doubt plan to hire at some point. It is therefore crucial that managers devise ways to keep them engaged to guarantee their return. 

Thankfully, there are several ways to keep your clients warm when they are not actively hiring. Here are a few methods you can implement in your business: 

Get to know your clients better 

Providing excellent customer service means knowing what your clients want. You can make use of this time to know your clients better to provide quality and personalized services once they resume hiring. A few tips to help you know your clients better include: 

Ask questions – Asking relevant questions can give more insight into your clients' needs. Through their feedback, you can develop a more suitable work strategy. 

Use social media – Social media platforms are a reliable source of information, and you can use them to understand what your clients like/do not like about your services. You can use this information to improve your services. 

More importantly, strengthen your connection by registering a presence with them (comment on their blogs and articles and engage them on social media platforms).    

Surveys – Use surveys to get honest feedback from your clients, which can be helpful in understanding their specific needs. 

Refer and recommend

Even if your clients are not hiring now, you can still engage them and keep them warm. For instance, you can help them access suitable professionals in your network, who, even though they are not needed now, can be recruited once your client resumes hiring. 

As a mutually beneficial relationship, you can also reach out to your clients to ask for references on services related (or unrelated) to your business. This helps to show that they are equally valuable to you, which helps to fortify your relationship.  

Write personalized emails 

It is not very common for businesses to engage clients on matters that do not involve business discussions. However, it helps to reach out once in a while to know how they are doing and if there is anything you can do for them, even if it does not involve work. Send personalized emails to check on them and see what they are up to. 

While here, you can attach helpful business articles or recruitment agency reports they might be interested in. They will certainly appreciate your goodwill, which can increase the chances of them working with you again. 

Ask for feedback and use it accordingly    

Asking for feedback from clients assures them that you care about their opinion and are invested in improving your service to better address their needs. It is also a viable way to maintain contact as you learn about your performance and areas you can improve on to ensure your clients are satisfied. 

You can use questionnaires, feedback forms, or first-hand feedback to understand how your clients feel about your services. This way, you will be keeping your clients warm as you get valuable information from them. 

Create newsletters

Creating monthly or biweekly newsletters for your clients is a good way to keep them abreast of relevant news about your business and the recruitment industry. Your newsletter can include news on your upcoming events, schemes, future plans, and any information you deem helpful to your clients. 

When highlighting your firm's services and solutions in the newsletters, avoid sounding too salesy or pushy, lest your audience gets bored. 

Offer special deals

Offering incentives is always an effective way to keep clients interested in your business even when they are not actively hiring. For instance, you can tell them about a project you are launching, and you have picked them to be among those who will get a subsidised deal. You can also design a special scheme exclusively for them. 

By letting your clients know that they can get special benefits (that are not accessible anywhere else), they are more likely to seek your services sooner or later. 

Take advantage of special occasions

Wishing your clients happy birthdays, attending an anniversary party, and sending them gifts on Christmas are some of the ways you can connect with them on special occasions. Being part of their non-work-related affairs goes a long way in showing that you care about them. This can help to build a long-term relationship and trust with your clients.

If you can't attend an event in person, make an effort to send a personalized email, greeting card, or social media message to show that you are thinking about them. 

Respond promptly  

Your client may have an urgent issue that requires your expertise even when you are not actively doing business. In such a case, it is advisable to be prompt with your response, and if possible, try to return a call or email within 24 hours. The timeliness of your response is a critical component of customer service for your hiring firm. 

Being prompt with your response portrays you as a reachable partner who is there to address the customers' needs at any time. This is something they are sure not to forget once they resume hiring. 

Meet face-to-face

In addition to being a way to know your clients better, face-to-face meetings help to give your business a face. Moreover, they foster good relationships since they make you look approachable and more than just a recruitment support provider. 

The fun thing about face-to-face meetings is they don't have to involve exquisite dinner parties. Even a simple deed like paying them a visit or inviting them for a cup of tea can do wonders in cementing your relationship. 

Summary 

Keeping clients warm when they are not hiring is not as straightforward as most hiring managers would think. It requires a lot of communication and commitment, and only a resilient and involved recruitment leader is able to retain clients until they are back to hiring. These tips can help you create a viable strategy to keep your clients warm during this period.

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