Established back in 2007 from its founder’s garage, Austin Fraser has grown rapidly over the past 12 years to become one of the industry’s leading players. With over 200 employees spanning three countries – UK, Germany and the US - the company has become deeply embedded within the cities and communities it serves and prides itself on enabling incredible careers and delivering the best talent.
Secret to Success
Key to the company’s ongoing success is its workforce, along with founder Derek Simpson’s ongoing commitment to ensuring his staff have everything they need to be able to provide the consistently high levels of service his company’s loyal client base has come to expect. In fact, it was from this philosophy that the partnership with Odro™ first came about.
Commenting on the decision to adopt video interviewing software into their offering, Head of Sales Operations, Natasha Neller, said: “It was Del who originally brought the idea to the table, along with Tom Chapman, Austin Vita Brand Director.
“He identified video as an opportunity for us to stay ahead of the game, offering our candidates, clients and communities a new experience. The ethos at Austin Fraser has always been to challenge the status quo and to try new things. Our partnership with Odro is a prime example of this for us.”
Partner of Choice
Designed and developed specifically to meet the needs of recruitment agencies, Odro’s video interviewing platform is used by thousands of recruiters worldwide. Recognised as the most innovative solution on the market, the company’s award-winning software helps recruiters to engage more talent, reduce time to hire and, most importantly, win more business. But, as with everything else, the tool is not without competition. So how did Austin Fraser decide who to choose?
“They pitched us!”, Natasha explained. “Our CEO, Peter Hart, reached out to his HUGE recruitment network and just asked the question, ‘who provides the best video platform’? Odro came up a number of times so they were added to a shortlist for review, along with a few others.
“In the end, we didn’t feel there was any other solution out there that offered us the same user friendly and flexible experience that the Odro platform does. The workflow is very streamlined, there are no downloads, passwords or clunky processes. It’s the perfect solution for everyone involved in the recruitment process.”
Revenue Raiser
With a host of clever features in-built, each designed to help agencies maximise revenues, the use of the platform is flexible to suit different business needs and processes. Natasha says: “As well as the two-way, live and solo interviewing features, which we’ve adopted into our process, we love the Capture product. It’s amazing for BD and has really improved our engagement with prospective candidates and clients. Both of our brands operate in talent-short markets. Having Odro Capture definitely gives us the competitive edge and a much better chance of being able to connect with talent.
“Probably the biggest indicator of our success with Odro is the results we’ve seen so far, all in a really short time. The addition of video interviewing has become a tangible USP which has helped us to upsell and to improve the quality of business we’re doing. But it’s the numbers that are the most impressive. In October alone we posted revenues of £125,958 in permanent placements and £4,244 in weekly gross profit, both as a direct result of using the tech. It’s unbelievable.”
Point of Difference
One of the main points of difference when comparing Odro™ to other solutions available is the company’s comprehensive training and implementation programme. Client Services Director, Dougie Loan, commented: “Many of our own staff were recruiters in a previous life, myself included. So, we understand the pain points and know how difficult it can be for businesses to make sure their front-line staff are engaged with new technology.
“That’s why we developed what we believe to be a best in class, six-week training and implementation programme. For us, it’s not about selling the solution and moving on. We are only successful if our clients are. So, our Customer Success Managers work really closely with our clients to understand their business, making sure they get the most out of the product and that it has optimal impact on their bottom line.
“Austin Fraser and Austin Vita were founded on the belief that building true, long-lasting relationships with their clients and candidates is key. That sentiment echoes the belief at Odro, where our aim is to forge the same genuine and long-term relationships with the platform’s end-users.
“To that end we spent time with every individual recruiter across both businesses. We kicked off at their Reading office, followed by Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Austin, Dallas and then finished up in Denver. By the end of the implementation process, I felt assured that the team got off to the best possible start. What they’ve achieved since then is testament to that. It’s great to be able to see first-hand what a difference the platform has had on their business.”
Austin’s Verdict
Summing up their experience so far, Natasha concluded: “Given how successful it has proven for us, I suspect that video interviewing will become the norm over time. If it does, I hope Odro has a referral commission scheme in place because I’ve already been waxing lyrical about them to anyone who’ll listen!
“The team has been really great, although very Scottish according to our German and US businesses [laughs]. We’ve found them to be supportive, responsive and it feels like they really care. They are honestly one of the most passionate businesses that I have had the pleasure of dealing with.
“They have a great balance of confidence in their product, mixed with a humble approach. They know their stuff and continually connected their product to the working day life of our consultants. You can’t ask more than that.”
