Hiring and retaining quality employees continues to be a challenge for restaurant operators. Some operators may assume the only way to attract good applicants and maintain staffing levels is to spend more on job ads. But that practice can get expensive quickly, especially in today’s “click-to-apply” culture that makes it easy for people to apply to dozens of jobs in minutes.

The truth is that busy managers lack the tools to identify the ideal applicants and contact them before they lose interest or go to competitors. So, they often hire workers out of desperation who end up being a bad fit for their business, keeping them stuck in an endless cycle of employee turnover—with the addition of costly job board bills.

Here’s a closer look at how franchisees are making smarter hiring decisions—faster— with Sprockets.

Sprockets

Several top franchisees have solved today’s hiring challenges by using Sprockets. Sprockets is a platform that automatically engages applicants, predicts their likelihood to succeed, and sends instant alerts to managers when the ideal candidates are identified. It’s proven to help companies reach the best workers before the competition and save thousands of dollars in employee turnover costs.

Best of all, Sprockets can be added to any current system and optimizes candidate selection using a simple, three-question survey. It measures each candidates’ alignment with the company’s culture, resulting in matches that will enjoy the work environment, excel at their job, and stay longer. The instant alerts then notify operators when there is a high-scoring applicant, enabling operators to reach out to them as quickly as possible.

Chick-fil-A Franchisee

Location: Athens, Georgia

Result: 70–75 percent hiring success rate

Chick-fil-A has an enduring reputation for offering a great customer experience and being an employer of choice, yet many of their franchisees are still experiencing labor challenges. One Chick-fil-A location in Athens, Georgia, decided to turn to Sprockets and change how they source, screen, and hire new team members.

“Ideally, we would like to host as few interviews as possible and allocate our time as wisely as possible while still hiring the same number of great folks,” says Will Swan, the human resources director for the Chick-fil-A location. “We can then invest the extra time and money toward developing our leaders, focusing on the customer’s experience and other more valuable things.”

The location where Swan works in Athens now reports a hiring success rate between 70 and 75 percent. “Sprockets really offers a great return on investment,” says Swan.

McDonald’s Franchisee 

Lafontant Organization, LLC

Locations: 3

Result: Reduced 90-day turnover by 24 percent

Rhiannon Wilson is the human resources manager for Lafontant Organization, LLC—a McDonald’s franchisee with three locations. Since using Sprockets, Wilson and her organization have reduced 90-day turnover by 24 percent and TTM by 14 percent in just over a year. Those numbers continue to trend in a positive direction for her team.

“Our crew is staying with the organization longer,” Wilson says. “The average number of employees who stay at least one year has grown from 11 crew members to 28.”

Sprockets helped the franchisee identify candidates more likely to be a good fit by focusing on personality traits rather than skills alone. The franchisee reports experiencing fewer employee disputes and an overall stronger sense of a team.

Dairy Queen Franchisee

Location: Pontiac, Michigan
Result: Increased retention rate to 86 percent

Dairy Queen owner Ryan Ignasiak previously struggled to find motivated, qualified, and serious candidates. After turning to Sprockets, Ignasiak raised its retention rate to 86 percent.

Ignasiak utilizes Sprockets’ online capabilities. “Having a dashboard with everything at your fingertips simplifies the process and keeps you organized,” says Ignasiak. “All of the employee’s information is right in front of me.”

Sprockets helps streamline his hiring process with its instant alerts feature. “I get notifications of activity as it happens. I can respond quickly to candidates, take notes, and update their status on the same platform,” says Ignasiak.

Winning Talent

The war for talent will only get more challenging, so operators need solutions that are proven to produce results. Sprockets has the ability to transform restaurant operations. Operators can more efficiently build a stable and prosperous workforce. With Sprockets, the challenge of finding and retaining talent becomes easier, making it a great option for restaurant operators seeking long-term success.

“Sprockets has enabled me to focus more on what is important as a manager,” Wilson says. “I suggest Sprockets whenever I can.”

For more information on Sprockets, visit the company website.