Healthcare organizations increasingly rely on managed service providers (MSPs) to navigate the complexities of their contingent workforce management. Traditionally, a staffing MSP is a business that manages your temporary worker recruitment and manages your contingent talent. However, choosing the right MSP or a decision to switch MSP providers requires careful consideration and an evaluation of what you intend to gain from an MSP partner.
To determine if you are receiving the most benefit from your incumbent MSP or are considering switching to a new MSP we have outlined five questions to consider.
5 questions you should be asking your MSP:
1. How are temporary staff work orders distributed to the supplier pool?
An MSP that is vendor neutral or vendor strategic will seek out staffing vendors based on objective quality factors. Work orders are distributed in real-time to all staffing vendors, promoting a competitive, fair and objective process, for the customers’ benefit. Ask the MSP if they are vendor neutral or vender strategic and how they promote fair competition, particularly if the MSP is affiliated with a staffing agency.
2. If your MSP is affiliated with a staffing company, how do they prioritize filling roles?
If your MSP is owned by a staffing company, would they be willing to take a smaller market share in order to fill your requisitions sooner and get you a lower billing rate? In many cases clients are using more than one staffing supplier to meet all of their needs. If you are managing this yourself, have you done your due diligence to ensure all of the staffing suppliers know what skills and compliance items are needed and are those needs being met.
3. Does your MSP understand your hiring goals?
Understanding your preferences regarding talent variety and talent capacity is helpful so that you can best align those with the capabilities of a MSP. The MSP should be able to tailor their recruitment strategies, candidate selection processes, and sourcing efforts to meet the specific needs of the client. It helps ensure that the client receives the desired combination of skill diversity and staffing volume that best suits their business objectives and project requirements.
4. How does the MSP benchmark its suppliers?
When benchmarking staffing suppliers, there are several factors to consider, including cost, quality of candidates, and speed. Here’s how each of these aspects can be measured and reviewed:
Cost: Cost can be measured by evaluating the financial terms and agreements in place. This includes reviewing the pricing structure, service fees, and any additional costs associated with the staffing services.
Quality of Candidates: Assessing the quality of candidates provided by staffing suppliers is crucial for successful recruitment. The measurement of candidate quality can be done through various means, such as evaluating their qualifications, experience, skills, and fit with the organization’s requirements.
Speed: Speed can be quantified by tracking the time it takes for staffing suppliers to present candidates for open positions after receiving the requirements. This includes assessing the time from initial contact to submission of candidate profiles, as well as the overall time to fill a position with a suitable candidate.
It is recommended to conduct regular reviews, such as on a quarterly or annual basis, to evaluate supplier performance and ensure alignment with your staffing goals.
5. How does the MSP engage its suppliers?
It is important to have ongoing communications with your MSP who will engage with the staffing suppliers on your behalf. Expectations are agreed upon and regularly scheduled meetings should occur to ensure that the client needs are being met. Formal reviews should occur to regularly evaluate the partnership between the MSP and the supplier.
Sunburst: Your Vendor-Strategic Workforce Solution
Sunburst offers vendor strategic solutions to solve your unique problems. While positive vendor partnerships have fallen behind in the current marketplace, we recognize the need for something new. We aren’t a big tech company, but we understand people.
We are committed to finding the right suppliers best aligned with your needs and customizing strategies with innovative ideas tailored to you. Sunburst provides access to workforce your data in real-time to track patterns, solve challenges and have complete visibility into your contingent workforce.
