A buyer's checklist for staffing agency software

Generic HR tools manage a company's own employees. Staffing agencies manage other companies' workforces, with client-specific rates and many sites. That difference should shape how you evaluate software.

Does it follow the staffing workflow?

Look for candidates, clients, orders, scheduling, attendance, timesheets and billing in one connected flow. If you would need separate tools stitched together, the hand-offs return.

Can it handle client-specific billing?

Ask how rates are set per client and per role, how overtime and holiday rules apply, and whether invoices are built from approved hours.

Who needs access, and to what?

List the people who will touch the system: owners, coordinators, finance, candidates and client supervisors. Check that each can see what they need and nothing more, and that your data is kept separate from other agencies'.

What will it really take to get started?

Ask how existing candidate data is imported, what onboarding looks like and what training material exists.

What does it cost, all in?

Ask what the plan limits are, how limits are counted, and which services, such as SMS or facial recognition, carry separate charges.

Questions to bring to a demo

Bring one real order and one week of hours, and ask to see them go through the system:

• How do I find an available candidate for this shift?
• How do I fix a missing punch?
• How is this invoice built, and can I see the hours behind it?
• Which of these features depend on a separate plan or service?

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