It's the little things that make the big things happen (6 techniques)

Paying attention to detail? That’s a recruitment partnership that pays.

4 min read

The idiom ‘the devil is in the detail’ has been explained as ‘mistakes are often made in the detail of a project’, so when partnering with a company you want to be considering a prospect that pays close attention to the small stuff to avoid ‘the devil’.

A company that pays close attention to the little things will be good for your business for three reasons.

The first as suggested above is: mistakes are made when the little things are overlooked so working with a risk averse partner will help you both avoid mistakes.

The second reason is attention to detail companies are also efficient. They pride themselves on making sure there are systems in place to avoid mistakes. These systems help create work flows to keep the relationship well lubricated, productive and moving forward.

The final reason is companies that pride themselves on attention to detail scream professionalism and experience.

Looking to find a solution for your recruitment needs? Talk to a member of our team.

We know the value of a great partnership so when you are looking for a company that goes The Xtra Mile and pays attention to the small things and find out if they display the following 6 ‘attention to detail’ techniques.

1. Assign ownership/responsibility

2. Limit distractions

3. Communication

4. Time management software

5. Create detail processes

6. Reward excellence

1. Assign ownership

Does your prospective partner assign roles and responsibilities for all tasks to members of their teams? Are they made accountable?

Accepting responsibility for a task sees a drastic improvement in the probability the task will be completed to the service level agreed.

It’s human nature to protect oneself by delivering on expectations, if the tasks are left open and not assigned then it can slip through the gaps, especially when there is no accountability.

2. Limit distractions

It was expected that by the end of 2017 39 million people would be using social media. We have all read the news reports about the addictive strategies implemented by the social networks (ironically you probably read the news article shared on social media) and if they are not truly addictive then the social platforms have definitely become a part of our daily and hourly habits.

In the work place these tools like many other things, can eat up time and absorb our attention without us realising to what extent. So, when reviewing a potential partner it would be good to understand how they limit distractions when undertaking important work.

3. Communication is key

One of the very early signs you’ll see whether they are the partner for you will be how they communicate.

Does the prospect actively listen when in discussions? Or do they want to do all the talking? How can they understand your needs if they spend all their time telling you how fantastic they are?

When following up on a conversation do you receive an email recapping the conversation, highlighting the action points and confirming the next steps?

Do they use a CRM system when discussing all areas, so communication can be drawn back and reflected upon if needed?  

4. Time management software

Does the business use time management software so they can schedule in the work they would deliver for you? This software is known for increasing productivity and improving your staff morale. 

5. Create detailed processes

As discussed earlier companies that pay attention to detail have a focus on efficiency. This is created through the processes and systems they put in place to deliver on their service agreements.

A few tell-tail signs of whether work has had a level of scrutiny is, are there any grammar mistakes? Or similarly with numbers, a decimal point in the wrong place could be a very embarrassing problem to explain and untangle.

Does the prospect run produced content through two or three sets of eyes before it is shared? It is these simple processes across all areas that can make a great team.

What we are saying here is: if a company doesn’t think their work is important enough to check then why should anyone else?

6. Reward excellence

Find out if your prospective partner has a system in place to reward staff for their attention to detail. Incentives are a great way of keeping people focussed on their outcomes and targets.

People are motivated by self-preservation so if they are doing good for themselves then they will be doing good for you.

Hungry for more? Find out what separates the best from the rest in recruitment.