Improving Driver Recruitment With a Faster Response Time

Digital marketing tools like geofencing, social media, SEO, etc. have enabled trucking companies to generate more applicants than ever before. However, the most important step in executing a successful campaign relies on technology that has existed since 1876, phoning. The rate at which recruiters are able to contact driver applicants has a direct correlation with improving your driver recruitment.

Slow Response Times Kill Your Recruitment Efforts

Forbes conducted a study of 10,000 businesses across multiple professions to see how effective they were at contacting internet leads and measure the results of contacting the leads.

On average it took businesses 46 hours and 53 minutes to pick up the phone to call a lead. Sales reps only attempted to get a hold of the lead 1.3 times before moving on. The study found that 71% of the leads generated were being wasted due to the slow response time.

One study conducted by Dr. James Oldroyd found some eye opening results:

  • The odds of contacting a lead are 100 times higher if called in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes.
  • The odds of qualifying a lead are 21 times higher if called in 5 minutes versus 30 minutes.

The moment a driver submits an application to drive for your company, a recruiter needs to be calling them. Every second that ticks by where a recruiter has not called the applicant the odds of hiring that driver diminish.

How A Quick Response Time Will Improve Campaigns

Think back to two days ago and I bet that you will struggle to remember everything that you did that day, let alone all the websites you visited. Drivers are the exact same way.

If your recruiters are taking the average amount of time (46 hours and 53 minutes) to call driver applicants, then chances are the applicant has forgotten about your company.

The applicant may remember applying for the position. However, they will have forgotten the information that made them want to apply.

By calling immediately after application the driver will still have all of your information fresh on their mind.

Also, a quick response time generates a “Wow Effect” with applicants. Place yourself in the driver’s shoes for a moment. You have applied to five trucking companies that are all claiming to value their drivers and take care of them more than the competition.

Four of the five companies take two days to call you about your application. One company called you within five minutes of submitting the application. Which company would you feel like wants you the most?

Applicants that receive a call immediately after submitting their application exhibit an emotional response. That emotional response creates a feeling like, “this is a company that truly wants me to be a part of their team.”

Tips for Decreasing Your Response Time

Hand starts stop watch to measure response time

Now that it has been proven how critical a fast response time is, you are now probably wanting to place a response system within your company to improve your response time. Here are some tips to help you:

  • Track your team’s response time: If you are not already tracking your response time then you must begin. This will give you a baseline to work from and enable you to prove you have made improvements to your response time.
  • Set goals: The ultimate goal for your team should be to respond in under five minutes of an application being submitted. However, if your response time is two days then it is unrealistic to expect your team to begin responding within five minutes. Start by trying to get the average response time down to one day, then twelve hours. Slowly work your way down to five minutes and then let your team know that five minutes is the expectation going forward.
  • Automation: Using a tool like Callingly to automate the response process is a sure way to improve response time. Callingly integrates with your website and will call your team as soon as a new lead comes in, routing the lead based on territory and schedule.

A fast response time is an essential element to any recruitment campaign. Slow response times are causing your recruitment campaigns to not be as successful as possible. By improving your response time you are bound to see more success with all of your recruitment campaigns.

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