The platform principles brokers can use to increase retention

When you, as a new candidate, first deal with an agent or employment agency, there is often a strict onboarding process. This makes sense, because with a good start and smooth landing, you lay the best foundation as an agency to keep your candidate engaged. But afterward, this generally becomes much less the case. The longer the candidate is on board, the less focus there often is on the positive employee journey (and thus on engagement).

A missed opportunity, says Sepp Haans. 'We unfortunately still see too many agents who, after an initial onboarding or placement, do not have a defined process for employee retention. But that is something you should certainly want, if you want to keep qualified candidates with you.' But how do you approach that? According to the strategist and business developer from Freshheads, it can be a good idea to lend an ear to platforms such as Aanpakkers, Cocoroco, GetjobsDone, and Temper. 'They are built to keep flexible workers engaged. Partly because they are specifically designed for a certain target group.'

Everything is meant to help flexible workers move on to their next job after their first task.

For platforms, 'customer lifetime value' is one of the most important metrics, Haans knows. He believes it should also be that way for more traditional agents. 'You put in a lot of effort and incur costs to onboard a candidate. The time they are active plus the number of placements and the hourly rate ultimately determine how positive your customer lifetime value is. That is why it is also very logical that platforms spend so much time keeping a flexible worker in the ecosystem.

How YoungOnes does it

Another well-known example Haans sees is YoungOnes, now an established name in the industry. This platform has successfully brought freelancers and clients together for many years, according to the Freshheads strategist. 'Besides a strong proposition and a platform that is custom made for the target group, the organization started in 2022 with a retention strategy based on A.I. where a matching algorithm makes it easier for freelancers to continue working through the platform.'

Thanks to a smart algorithm, YoungOnes helps flexible workers with less experience and reviews still get a job.

The freelancers who have been on the platform for a while and receive few tasks (due to lack of experience), are offered tasks via push notifications that have been on the platform longer and are difficult to fill. 'In this way, the platform helps flexible workers with less experience and reviews still get a job', says Haans. 'Which is a relief for the client. This ensures that a large group of latent job-seeking flexible workers are still actively engaged and that a connection is also formed with YoungOnes.'

Salary comparisons

Smart, he says. But he believes it is not only the algorithm that ensures the retention of platform employees. 'YoungOnes also invests heavily in their community. They facilitate interaction not only among flexible workers but also with clients. On the platform, questions are asked, assignments are exchanged, salary comparisons are made, and knowledge is shared. This provides valuable information for optimizing services. As a result, the affiliated freelancers genuinely feel like a ‘YoungOne’, rather than just a platform worker.'

According to Haans, these kinds of examples could serve as inspiration for other, more traditional agents who find it difficult to retain candidates. 'You don't have to immediately set up a complete demand and supply platform from scratch. But you can start applying some mechanisms. For example, consider a review method after a placement. This helps you match candidates even better to the next assignment. Or create a my environment where candidates can enrich their profile and skills themselves.'

Carefully considered employee journey

The key is mainly in a well-considered employee journey, he says. 'Which you set up both offline and online like a house. Think of a login portal or a dedicated e-learning platform, allowing you to extend the onboarding process and keep your flexible workers engaged and enthusiastic. Certainly if you enrich that digital environment with feedback options and a community. Through periodic push messages, you can then ensure that flexible workers remain in contact with your organization, even after placement.'

An app can play an important role in this, Haans thinks. But in any case, he emphasizes: try to stay in contact with the flexible workers and clients as much as possible, even beyond the standard contact moments. 'It’s an accessible way to continue building engagement. So: have a conversation with parties that already apply this. And learn from platforms by logging in and taking a look.'