Lots of recruitment teams are facing unexpected downtime right now. The silver lining is, it’s a great time to review your processes and build a business case for the new recruitment software your team needs.
But, as always, recruitment leaders face a tough battle to secure investment. Especially now, when uncertainty pulls the business’ purse-strings tighter than ever.
You need to create a robust, compelling business case for recruitment software that emphasises the strategic importance, demonstrates the true value of investment, and secures wide buy-in from stakeholders.
Let’s break that into seven steps.
1. Align to business objectives
To prove the value of new recruitment software, you first need to prove the value of recruitment as a whole. Show how your team are strategic enablers, helping the business meet its goals.
The point is, show how investment is a business opportunity – not just a recruitment opportunity.
2. Outline the recruitment need
You’ve established why recruitment’s important for the business. Next step is establishing why the new software’s important to recruitment.
Don’t assume stakeholders know how recruitment works, beyond the basics. Help them understand what you do, how you do it, what problems you face, and why the tech you’re pitching will help you overcome them.
Be as tangible as possible, to bring the story to life. The more stakeholders can feel where you’re coming from, the more buy-in you’ll likely get.
The point is, show stakeholders why this recruitment software matters in your day-to-day.
3. Identify key stakeholders’ priorities
To secure investment, you need the buying committee – not just the CEO – on your side. Your business case needs to speak to all key decision-makers’ unique concerns and priorities.
Identity key stakeholders and where they’re coming from early, so you don’t waste time backtracking. This also helps you secure early buy-in – if you’re lucky, even an early champion, who’ll go to bat for you when it counts.
The point is, investment’s a collaborative decision: your business case must reflect that.
4. Dig into the benefits
This section of your business case (hopefully!) carries huge persuasion power. It’s where you talk about the benefits of investing, relating back to business objectives, recruitment need, and other stakeholders’ priorities.
The point is, unpick the benefits of investment – to the business, to recruitment, and to other key stakeholders.
5. Highlight risks of inaction
Benefits and risks work hand-in-hand to persuade. Benefits explain why investing makes sense; risks explain why not investing harms the business.
Think about what the alternatives to investment in recruitment software are. Then identify the risks involved with those.
The point is, new recruitment software is a cost. But what’s the cost of not investing?
6. Introduce providers
You probably delegated software research to a recruiter on your team (send them this, if that’s still going on); if they’ve done a great job, this part should be easy.
Here’s where you make the case for your specific provider and software you’ve chosen. Focus on explaining your provider’s USPs – why are they better for the business than their competitors?
Providers can sometimes even send you a ready-made one-pager to help you represent them, which can save time.
It’s also good to summarise your process here, to show how you’ve reached the conclusions you have. Showing you’ve been rigorous bolsters the credibility of your recommendation.
The point is, explain why you’ve chosen the providers you have, to get buy-in for your rationale.
7. Show the roadmap to success
A compelling business case for recruitment software makes investment feel obvious. A big part of that is making the end goal – the business using your new software – feel realistic and achievable, with concrete steps to get there.
Show stakeholders what happens next if they sign-off investment. Leave them with confidence in your ability to execute, proving you’re in-control of the process.
The point is, make saying ‘yes’ easy by showing how painless the journey will be.
Tribepad’s award-winning recruitment software is used and loved by more than 21-million people worldwide. We’d love to chat, if you’re weighing up your team’s options at the mo. Book a short call here.
