Will Your Team Be Replaced or Reinforced by New Tech?

After spending over a decade in staffing, I have seen a lot of change in the industry (tech advancement, the rise of VMS/MSP programs, virtual work, hiring models, etc.), you name it, and the staffing industry has gone through it.

The biggest change I have seen is the rise of Generative AI. Let’s face it, AI is everywhere: in the emails we write and receive, how we dive deep into client research, how we screen candidates. It’s fast and efficient, it can be fun but most importantly it’s not going away.

Leadership Mindset: Get Curious and Empower Your People

Like water on a mountain, everything flows from the top to saturate the whole. Staffing leaders are taking a more vested interest in their people and processes. Gone are the days of hammering 200 calls with no plan. Leaders who are buying into AI and letting their producers sell and recruit more while letting AI do the grunt work are seeing strong returns. They aren’t kicking people to the curb and replacing everything with AI, they are giving their people the freedom to work efficiently and drive revenue – while leveraging AI.

Here are some of the successes stories resulting from Butler Street training that includes how to leverage Gen AI to strengthen skills and improve results:

• Large East Coast Light Industrial staffing firm saw their close rate go from ~40% to over 80% after implementing Butler Street Sales Coach AI (BSSCAI).

• Nationwide IT staffing firm saw their net new meetings go up almost 40% with the implementation and use of BSSCAI.

These companies didn't have to reduce their production teams; instead, they saw the change happening in staffing and capitalized. These organizations made sure they had their ticket on the AI Train, speaking of that pesky little train coming down the tracks...

Time to Get on the Train or Get Out of the Way

I talk with leaders in the staffing industry all day long, most are starting their AI journey and some are already deep in the AI game – reducing non-revenue generating tasks, gaining access to better data and giving their teams time back to focus on what matters, the candidate and the customer. These people have purchased their tickets on the AI train and are seated comfortably.

Others, not so much. Or at least they're not using AI effectively. All AI and no EQ. We’ve all gotten those emails that are copied and pasted from AI (they go immediately to the trash). Let's avoid sounding like robots, invest in your team’s success and innovation and leverage AI to be the best version of ourselves.

AI Isn’t Taking Your Job, Someone Who Effectively Uses AI Will

At Butler Street, we believe “Technology for Transactions and People for Relationships”. The human factor isn’t leaving staffing; heck our products are human beings!! Staffing has always been about two key things: speed and relationships.

You build and own those relationships, let’s keep it that way.

• AI can’t build rapport

• AI can’t empathize with and coach a nervous candidate

• AI can’t read the body language of a hiring manager

That’s where you, the staffing professional, are safe.

Let AI eliminate the mundane, repetitive, administrative tasks by giving it to AI so we can focus on our candidates and customers.

The Only Constant in Life is Change, Let’s Normalize the New Way

As leaders, it is our duty to embrace change, give people runway to try new things and get rid of the adage, “well this is how we have always done things.” Let's normalize going out on a limb, trying new ways to add value for our customers, and throwing things at the wall to see what sticks.

We either win or we learn – a Simple Truth fostered by Butler Street.

The only failure in life is not trying, let’s try and try and try again.

That’s how companies and teams grow.

At Butler Street, we help staffing firms get this right. Providing effective training that leverages AI to strengthen sales skills and fast track results.

We show teams how to work faster, sound better, and keep the human part of the business strong. That means recruiter training, sales coaching, and leadership development that’s built for the way work is changing.

And yes—we bring AI into that training, too. Because this isn’t about theory. It’s about what actually works on the desk, in the call, and in the meeting.

Want to see how other staffing firms are fixing their AI growing pains? Let’s connect. I’d be happy to show you what we’re seeing—and what’s working.