At his first committee meeting, Bob shared some of the technology solutions his old company used.  The committee was polite in listening but advised Bob that they couldn't afford anything new.  Besides, they had been doing business this way for over 30 years and always showed a profit.  Why spend the money?  Especially in this economy.  Then they changed the discussion subject to staffing needs. 

Both the HR/Payroll and Accounting departments stated they needed to add more employees.  They said that, with the economy starting to improve, more people would be needed to keep up with data entry in both departments.  Also, HR was spending more and more time printing and reviewing applications.  They had stacks of folders full of applications all over the place!  It was taking too long just glancing at the applications to find duplicates from previously

rejected candidates.  Bob saw a window of opportunity...  He shared that his old company had an online job board and that everyone who wanted to work there had to log in and apply online.  The applicant was also asked questions related to the job position as part of this process.  The applicants were then ranked by their qualifications and answers.  The top candidates were easily identified, and their applications were forwarded to the recruiter for follow-up.  His old company only had one person working part-time on this.  The Company had two full-time recruiters and was requesting another.  And they certainly weren't hiring six times as many people as his old company!

Bob asked what the salary was for the new recruiter. He knew how much the old company's recruiting system cost.  It was about the same price as one year's salary.  Why not buy the system instead of hiring a new employee?  His old company also was able to pay for the new system over three years.  That made the cost one-third of a new hire request.  The committee agreed to research the possibility.  After due diligence, management approved the purchase.  This system was up and running quickly and the proper people trained.  The results?  Hiring, on average, took half the time.  In addition, The Company found great candidates who excelled at their positions.  Another benefit was a reduction in turnover.  The committee was praised by management for such a great idea!!

Bob had found a way to make The Company see the value of technology!  The next area was the Accounting Department.  This was going to be fun.  Bob was still working at the old company when they converted, and he knew what benefits resulted from the changes.

To be continued........