The Productivity Accelerator
An eight-week programme helping recruitment agencies improve productivity, increase conversions and get more from their existing teams.
Combine commercial analysis, practical improvements and hands-on support from Alison Humphries to identify what’s holding performance back and put a clear plan in place.
Your team is busy. Are the results keeping up?
Your consultants are working hard, your business is investing in technology and there’s plenty of activity. But billings are inconsistent, conversion rates could be stronger, and it’s not always clear where opportunities are being lost.
Does any of this sound familiar?
- Your consultants are busy, but billings don’t reflect the level of activity.
- You’re investing in recruitment technology and AI, but struggling to measure the commercial return.
- Conversion rates are inconsistent, and too many vacancies fail to turn into placements.
- Managers track activity, but lack the insight needed to identify and address performance issues.
- You want to improve results without immediately adding more people, technology or management costs.
The Productivity Accelerator helps you understand what’s holding performance back and implement practical improvements across your business.
Make better use of the people, opportunities and resources you already have
Are your recruiters really becoming more productive, or just busier?
When there’s plenty of activity but results aren’t improving, it can be difficult to know where to focus.
The free Recruitment Productivity Scorecard helps you assess how effectively your business measures and manages commercial performance. Answer 10 questions using your recent business data to receive an indicative red, amber or green result.
What’s included?
The Productivity Accelerator combines commercial analysis, practical improvements and hands-on support from Alison Humphries. Each stage builds on the findings of the last, with a focus on changes your business can put into practice.
Weeks 1-2: Commercial Performance Investigation
Understand where performance is falling short and establish a baseline for improvement.
• Analyse billings, gross profit and fee-earner productivity.
• Review conversion rates, vacancy quality and lost placement opportunities.
• Assess CRM reporting and management information.
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• dentify gaps in commercial performance.
Weeks 3-4: Identify the Root Causes
Explore the practices and decisions that influence commercial results.
• Review business development and client account management.
• Assess vacancy qualification, fee negotiation and sales management.
• Examine the commercial impact of technology and prioritise improvements.
Weeks 5-7: Implement Targeted Improvements
Put practical changes in place across your business.
• Introduce more effective management reports and performance reviews.
• Strengthen vacancy qualification and client development processes.
• Improve coaching approaches and individual performance plans.
• Support managers in implementing changes across their teams.
Week 8: Embed & Plan Ahead
Review early progress and establish a plan to continue improving.
• Review early performance indicators against the initial baseline.
• Establish clear responsibilities and ongoing management routines.
• Identify further opportunities for improvement.
• Agree a practical 90-day action plan.
What you’ll take away
By the end of the programme, you’ll have:
• A commercial productivity report
• A baseline KPI dashboard
• Individual or team improvement plans
• Revised management routines
• A practical 90-day action plan
What practical Change can achieve
A look at how Alison helped a recruitment business improve team performance through targeted development and more consistent management.
The challenge
The business had grown rapidly, but performance was below market averages. Training and working practices were inconsistent, and the growing team was becoming a significant cost.
The approach
Alison designed a 13-week development programme for 50 staff, alongside a parallel programme for managers to help embed learning and improve consistency.
The result
Four months later, average monthly fees invoiced by the target group had increased from under £4,000 to £13,000. Managers also had a clearer, more consistent approach.*
This was a previous client programme, not the eight-week Productivity Accelerator. Results will vary depending on the business and the changes implemented.
Investment & commitment
A defined programme, with a clear commitment
- £6,000 + VAT for the eight-week programme
- Approximately four days of Alison’s direct involvement
- Designed for UK recruitment agencies with approximately 5–25 employees
- A combination of remote and in-person support, depending on business requirements
The programme assumes an agreed scope, access to relevant management information and implementation of changes by your team, supported by Alison.
Alison Humphries
Hon (FREC) | Strategic Consultant to the Recruitment Industry
Practical advice grounded in Recruitment Experience
Alison Humphries Hon FREC brings over 40 years of recruitment industry experience, including director-level roles at Hays Plc, Robert Half International, BNB Plc and Penna Plc.
Her background spans commercial leadership, learning and development, HR, legal and compliance, across recruitment models including contingent, retained, temp and contract, RPO and Statement of Work.
Having advised recruitment business owners and leaders for nearly 20 years, Alison combines strategic perspective with a practical understanding of how to make change happen.
Client results
From under £4,000 to £13,000 in average monthly fees invoiced
A recruitment business had recruited rapidly for growth, but average performance was significantly below market averages at under £4,000 net per month in fees invoiced. Methods were inconsistent, training had been patchy and poorly implemented, and the new cohort was becoming a significant and growing cost to the business rather than a profit generator.
A detailed analysis showed that the market opportunity was there, but consultants lacked the knowledge, skills and management support to capitalise on it. Alison designed a comprehensive 13-week programme for 50 staff and a parallel programme for their managers, to ensure learning was embedded and actions were managed more consistently.
Four months later, the average performance of the target group had increased to £13,000 per month. Managers also had a clearer and more consistent approach.*
This was a previous client programme, not the eight-week Productivity Accelerator. Results will vary depending on the business and the changes implemented.
Ready to improve your business’s productivity?
Together, you can explore whether the Productivity Accelerator is the right fit for your business.