There is something wonderful about experiencing most anything that is “well made”. Whether it is a simple piece of Shaker furniture or a software system to manage a modern staffing company.
“Well-made” software manages everything from computer operating systems, inventory control for a 2,200-grocery store chain, platforms that can handle thousands of world-wide transactions simultaneously, social media platforms with two billion users, Subway, and railway management and even software to manage space travel.
We have been developing software for the staffing industry for over 30 years and like a multi-generational Amish farmhouse it is constantly growing. Our staffing management software has grown to meet the challenges of an ever-new reality, new in both our client’s growing size and in their need and desire for increased utilities and efficiencies. Keeping them efficient, competitive, and profitable has been the constant goal.
The breadth and depth of software today is absolutely astounding! Since we know “staffing software”best, I would like to use it as an example of how millions of bits of data, that even a small staffing company generates, is processed, analyzed, securely stored, and retrieved daily in a variety of formats.
This enables modern staffing companies, of any size, to manage:
| Applicant tracking | Client and employee portals |
| Onboarding | Instant delivery of all new job postings |
| Job skills matching | Debit card employee pay option |
| Health care and 401K benefits management | Employee banking services |
| Government compliance and reporting | Search billions of government records for work eligibility for work in USA |
| Complete payroll system | Automated tax credit screening |
| Single entry Payroll/Billing | Employee phone App access to all available shifts with self-signups |
| Three-way App communications | and lots more! |
| Client and employee instant ratings | |
| Electronic time cards |
But, to discover and appreciate good staffing software or any good software it’s not enough to make a list of its features and benefits, you also need to take hold of it, to use it.
In 1993 there was a song written and performed by a New Zealand group (The Mutton Birds) that made the charts in England and elsewhere with the title “A Thing Well Made”. In the song’s lyrics there are a couple of lines appropriate to this discussion where it says, “When a man holds a thing well made – There’s a connection – There’s a completeness”.
Not to be overly dramatic but when we talk to users about our own staffing software we get the same idea, there is a connection!
One client of our staffing management software, Billy All redis the CFO of one of the largest staffing companies on the East Coast, Tidewater Staffing, Inc. Here is what he had to say.
“We have used Bridgeware Systems for more than 25 years as our content management system (CMS). With a large volume of employees, we find ourselves relying heavily on our software provider to keep track and process the high numbers of applicants walking through our doors”.
Or another user, Kevin Johnson, a Senior Vice President at Elite Staffing Inc., based in Chicago but doing business nationally.
“Bridgeware and Elite Staffing have been partners in the staffing industry for over 20 years. They have been there every step of the way from the first employee Elite Staffing sent to work to now having over 60,000 w2’s a year and processing over 15,000 checks a week.You could not ask for a better company to handle all of your back-office staffing software”.
Another client, Gem State Staffing, inc.,with eight regional offices across the state of Idaho,had the following to say by their regional Manager, Dustin Cureton:
“Since 2000 we’ve been relying on the staffing software they provide to build our business across the state of Idaho”.
Even though a great staffing software is truly “A Thing Well Made”,it still needs to have solid technical support that is available whenever needed, i.e., 24/7/365.
As Billy All red(cited above) at Tidewater Staffing, Inc said as he ended a recent letter to us:
“I cannot say enough about Jimmy Kennedy and his team at Bridgeware. They have worked extremely hard to produce a quality product with exceptional support. From the team here at Tidewater Staffing and myself personally, thank you Bridgeware Systems for everything that you have done and continue to do for us. Looking forward to another 25 years of smooth successful business operations and exceptional service.” (My emphasis)
An example of “exceptional service” is a special request where data within the software needs to be accessed and delivered in a unique format. Here is an excerpt from a letter we received from Dennis Hatcher at PrimeSource Staffing, Inc in Denver, CO
“We were notified by a federal agency that they wanted all the records of our employees, the clients they worked for, notes pertaining to the employees and the clients & the amount of money paid over the course of 3 years. All on a per check basis. Bridgeware successfully wrote the code (queries) for me to be able to send the requested data to the agency. Another recent support from Bridgeware, was to help us to comply with the State of Colorado new law requiring us to accrue and pay sick leave (1hr for every 30 hours worked up to a max of 48 hours). This goes into effect in 2021”.
Even though it is great to hear the compliment that we are on the “cutting edge of technology” (Tidewater Staffing, inc.), we and our clients know that without great service and support, staffing software can be very limited.
“A Thing Well Made” needs to apply to the company as well as its software.
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