How Spark Hire’s HR Technology Helped ECMSI Streamline and Elevate its Hiring Processes

About ECMSI

A growing Managed Service Provider (MSP), ECMSI delivers technical support and solutions including managed IT services, cybersecurity, and co-managed services to small, medium, and enterprise-sized businesses. Based in Northeastern Ohio, the company has a team of dedicated professionals who balance technical expertise with exceptional customer service.

With limited internal HR resources, Dave Galiato, the Chief Information Officer, oversees ECMSI’s hiring process and overall operations.

Key Takeaways

• Increased Efficiency: One-way video interviews were critical for ECMSI to eliminate manual, back-and-forth scheduling, saving time for both candidates and its hiring teams.
• Better Organization: The Applicant Tracking System, Recruit, centralized candidate data, improving team collaboration and candidate tracking, and reducing redundant interviews.
• Faster, Smarter Hiring: Spark Hire’s hiring platform cut ECMSI’s time-to-hire by 50%, enabling quicker, more informed decisions and boosting the company’s perceived professionalism with applicants.

The Challenge

Before implementing Spark Hire’s hiring software, ECMSI’s recruitment process was scattered and inefficient, relying heavily on manual processes such as email communication with applicants and spreadsheets to manage job applications.

As a result, the company faced several challenges that are all too common for smaller hiring teams including:

• Disorganized Information: Candidate information was dispersed in various locations with no clear system in place for tracking interview progress. Often, candidates needed to be interviewed multiple times to ensure all internal stakeholders could speak with them before deciding on the next steps.
• Poor Time Management: Scheduling and conducting initial candidate screening phone interviews required multiple calls, consuming invaluable time and resources.
• Negative Impressions: The lack of a streamlined and transparent hiring process presented a problematic and inaccurate first impression of ECMSI to candidates.

The Solution

ECMSI discovered Spark Hire through a peer group of MSP leaders and was impressed by its dual offering: one-way video interviews and a robust applicant tracking system (ATS). These tools addressed the core issues in Dave’s hiring process. 

Here’s how:

One-Way Video Interviews: Candidates could answer preliminary questions on their own time, eliminating the need for back-and-forth scheduling and multiple interviews for all stakeholders to gain the candidate insight they require.

“The video interviews have made a huge difference in our workflow… I don’t have to sit here and call candidates three or four times to ask those five questions that are in the one-way interview.”

– Dave Galiato, ECMSI Chief Information Officer

Applicant Tracking System (ATS): The ATS provides a centralized hiring platform for managing candidate information, tracking internal and external interactions, and streamlining stakeholder communication and hiring collaboration.

“We just look more professional. We look better. We look much more organized.”

– Dave Galiato, ECMSI Chief Information Officer

Simple Software Implementation

Getting the team on board was straightforward. The platform’s intuitive interface allowed ECMSI’s staff to easily integrate it into their workflow. The flexibility of the platform also resonated with the ECMSI team. 

“Spark Hire gave me the ability that candidates can do the interview at two in the morning if they want or on a Saturday without really impacting us. That flexibility makes all the difference.”

– Dave Galiato, ECMSI Chief Information Officer

The Results

Since adopting Spark Hire’s HR technology, ECMSI’s hiring processes have been transformed.

Improved Organization: Spark Hire’s ATS keeps detailed records of every candidate interaction and evaluation, enabling the team to avoid redundant interviews and track repeat job applicants.

“I was just looking at it today—I’ve got the third time somebody’s applied for a job, and I get notified, ‘Hey, this is the third time they’ve applied, and here’s what you did every other time.’”

– Dave Galiato, ECMSI Chief Information Officer

Faster Hiring Cycles: The company reduced its average time-to-hire by approximately 50%, from 60 days to just 30 days.

Better Candidate Evaluation: With video interviews and centralized feedback, the team makes more informed hiring decisions.

“I feel like we’ve made a lot better hiring decisions since we started using the ATS.”

– Dave Galiato, ECMSI Chief Information Officer

Professionalism from Day One: The streamlined recruiting process enhances the company’s image from the first interaction with job seekers.

“We look more professional to candidates. It’s a game-changer.”

– Dave Galiato, ECMSI Chief Information Officer

Why IT Services Should Consider Spark Hire

MSPs and other IT service firms face unique challenges in hiring due to limited HR resources and the need to balance technical and soft skills in candidates. Spark Hire addresses these primary pain points by:

• Saving Time: Video interviewing software and automated scheduling integrations free up valuable time for busy technical leaders and hiring managers.
• Enhancing Organization: Applicant tracking software consolidates all hiring information into easy-to-navigate candidate and job profiles, making it easy to manage candidates and collaborate with stakeholders.
• Improving Candidate Experience: Flexible interview options and a streamlined recruiting process make a positive impression on applicants, allowing candidates to interview at the time and in a setting that works best for them.

Conclusion: Spark Hire’s Lasting Impact

Spark Hire has proven to be a powerful solution for ECMSI, addressing their hiring challenges and delivering tangible benefits and results. For IT services and other MSPs looking to streamline their hiring process, save time, and improve decision-making, Spark Hire is a must-consider HR tool and support team.

Advice to Other MSPs Considering Spark Hire

“For MSPs, time is probably the most valuable thing we have, and it’s the resource we have the least of. The time savings and organization Spark Hire provides are the biggest reasons to try it. It’s made our hiring process efficient and stress-free.”

– Dave Galiato, ECMSI Chief Information Officer