How We Helped a Recruitment Firm Reduce Admin and Focus on Placements

Recruitment is fast-paced and relationship-driven. But behind the scenes, many recruitment teams spend more time researching, updating systems, and chasing responses than speaking to candidates or clients.

A specialist recruitment firm approached TUSTRA because that balance had tipped too far. Their consultants were spending too much time on manual work and not enough time doing what actually drives revenue.

The Challenge

When we reviewed their operations, the issues were familiar:

• Manual research to identify companies that might be hiring

• No reliable way to prioritise companies with genuine hiring intent

• Enquiries handled inconsistently depending on who was available

• CRM updates done manually, often late or incomplete

• Follow-ups reliant on memory rather than systems

Despite using a CRM and modern recruitment tools, most processes still depended on individual effort rather than repeatable workflows.

Our Goal

To reduce manual research and admin, surface high-intent hiring opportunities automatically, and support consultants with systems that fit naturally into their existing way of working.

Step 1: Audit & Workflow Mapping

We began with a lightweight audit to understand:

• How companies were researched and qualified

• Where hiring signals were being missed

• How enquiries were handled from first contact to placement

• How data moved (or didn’t) between tools

This highlighted significant time spent on repetitive research and data handling rather than candidate and client conversations.

Step 2: Building a Recruitment Intelligence System

Using AI and automation, we designed a modular system focused on research, prioritisation, and operational support.

Hiring Intent & Company Research

AI workflows monitored public signals such as job activity, company updates, and online changes. Companies were enriched and scored based on likelihood of active hiring, allowing consultants to focus on the most relevant opportunities.

Result: Less guesswork and far more focused outreach.

Enquiry Handling & Data Capture

AI handled initial inbound enquiries, asked structured follow-up questions, and captured clean, usable data directly into the CRM. No missed enquiries and no messy inbox threads.

Result: Faster responses and cleaner data without increasing admin.

CRM Updates & Follow-Up Support

Background automations logged interactions, updated records, and triggered follow-ups based on activity rather than memory.

Result: More consistent follow-through and fewer dropped opportunities.

Ongoing Monitoring & Re-Engagement

The system continued to monitor signals over time, flagging companies worth re-engaging and candidates showing renewed availability.

Result: Better timing and more confident conversations.

Why It Worked

• Built around existing recruiter workflows

• AI used for research and prioritisation, not judgement

• No unnecessary tools added

• Modular systems that evolved with the business

The firm didn’t need more recruiters. They needed better systems.

Final Thoughts

Recruitment firms don’t struggle because of effort. They struggle because of friction.

By automating research, data handling, and follow-ups, recruiters can spend more time where it matters most: relationships and placements.

At TUSTRA, we help recruitment businesses remove the repetitive 60% so their teams can focus on results.