Flexbureau 4.0: 5 lessons for flex agencies that want to digitalize

During the webinar ‘Flexbureau 4.0 in practice’ by Werf& and FlexNieuws, labor market expert Wim Davidse, Joris Raaijmakers (CEO of JAM), and Sepp Haans (digital strategist at Freshheads) discussed exactly that issue. Their main conclusion: many flex agencies start their digitalization in the wrong place. Here are five lessons from the webinar for agencies that want to remain future-proof.

1. Don’t start with technology, start with strategy

Many agencies begin their digitalization by looking at tooling. A new ATS, AI tool, or matching platform that promises to make processes faster and more efficient. But according to the speakers, that approach rarely works. “The biggest mistake we made ourselves is starting with tooling,” says Joris, CEO of JAM. “You think: that tool promises a good ROI, so we’ll give it a try. But without a plan, it doesn’t work.”

According to Sepp Haans, the first step lies elsewhere: “Many agencies are fully digitalizing, but see their productivity actually decreasing. That’s because technology is being added without a clear strategy.” According to him, the correct order is simple:

strategy → processes → technology.

2. Your target audience isn’t ‘everyone looking for a job’

A second pitfall: defining the target audience too broadly. For example, JAM focuses on young talent but discovered that this group is much less homogeneous than often thought. “Young people don’t actually exist as a target audience,” says Joris. “A student has completely different needs than a starter or young professional.”

Those differences are significant:

• students seek flexibility

• starters seek security

• young professionals seek development

“We did everything based on one contract form and one marketing strategy. But that simply didn’t work for all audiences.”

3. Not every audience requires the same model

JAM drew another important conclusion: one mediation model does not work for everyone. “There is a group of candidates who want guidance,” says Joris. “They want a conversation with a consultant and access to a network.” But there is also a growing group that expects something different. “A large part of the audience wants direct contact with the employer. They actually want to skip the agency.”

That’s why JAM developed a digital platform alongside the traditional agency: Morrow.

According to Sepp, such a new initiative can also be strategically valuable. “Such a platform is often also a trial balloon for your organization. You learn from it and can later apply those insights to your existing agency.”

4. Don’t forget your own employees during digitalization

Many digitalization projects focus on the candidate experience. But according to the speakers, one group is often forgotten: their own employees. “Recruiters and consultants are also a target audience,” says Sepp. “They will have to work with those systems soon.” Yet, tools are often chosen top-down. “A director or IT department decides which tooling comes in. But the people on the work floor are never asked.”

At JAM, the process began with interviews within the organization. “We literally went to talk with consultants,” says Sepp. “What works well? Where do you lose time? What do you find frustrating?” According to him, this step is surprisingly often skipped.

5. Technology should increase your flexibility, not limit it

Many agencies struggle with the question: do you choose one total solution or multiple specialized tools (best-of-breed)? According to Wim Davidse, it’s not purely a technical choice. “It’s also a cultural question. Do you want one supplier to handle everything, or do you want to maintain control and work with different partners?”

JAM ultimately opted for a best-of-breed approach. “We came from a self-built ATS that we were once very proud of,” says Joris. “But we simply couldn’t keep up with the pace of the market.” At the same time, an all-in-one solution didn’t feel right. “The idea of having to hand everything over to one supplier felt too restrictive. With best-of-breed, we can determine where we want to differentiate.”

The main lesson: technology is never the starting point

According to the speakers, AI and automation will further change the flex market in the coming years. The way candidates look for work will become increasingly digital. But even in that future, one principle remains. “Technology must work for your organization,” says Sepp. “Not the other way around.” Or as Joris sums it up: “Don’t start with tooling. Start with strategy. It sounds like an open door, but we’ve made that mistake ourselves often enough.”