Dive Brief:

• A new survey from Orion Talent, Making the Grade: Where Talent Solution Providers Succeed (and Fail), highlights the reasons why some talent solution providers are able to effectively align with client goals, while others fail steadily over 3-6 months. 
• According to an Orion press release, quality is the top reason companies hire providers, but while talent solutions kick off well, they quickly plummet to a "D" grade in a short period of time. This drop-off is primarily due to a lack of metrics that justify cost-savings, poor communication and failure to recruit quality candidates. 
• The survey indicates that talent service providers have the means to improve their performance, but aren't always given the opportunity to do so. Forty-seven percent of clients try to work with providers to fix the problem, but 40% fire them, the survey found.

Dive Insight:

The challenges that employers and talent service providers face can often be offset by clarifying expectations upfront, especially if clients will want to see metrics proving cost-savings.

But even the best up-front agreements need to be maintained. The Orion report shows that many providers seem to lose perspective of client objectives over time. Maintaining close connections with frequent touchpoints can help, as can a readiness to adjust to industry challenges.

And as industry groups report an increase in the outsourcing of recruitment efforts, these best practices are more important than ever.