Origins

CEO Nathan Bowles founded Smart Solutions Recruitment to address what he saw as a significant flaw with traditional recruitment agencies. Working in the waste and recycling industry, he felt that recruitment agencies did not understand what was required of employees in the sector and made little effort to tailor their services. Workers would turn up completely unprepared for the work they had to do which led to significant worker turnover and dissatisfaction. The turning point for Nathan was when a recruitment agent sent him a worker who was entirely unsuitable for a role which required specific skills. When Nathan asked the agent whether he thought he’d provided the best person for the job, the agent said: “You try and do better”. Nathan decided he would and opened the first Smart Solutions service centre in Pontypool in 2007, employing four people in the first six months. Following a rapid expansion plan, the first on-site office outside Wales opened in Walsall in March 2008, followed by four more service centres over the next 12 months and five more at client premises. The firm now employs 120 people and handles over 3000 flexible staff a day.

Success Factor

The development of new services and continuous refinement of existing ones has been a fundamental contribution to the rapid growth of the business. Innovation has contributed to the rapid growth of the company. By reinventing the level of service and commitment that a recruiter should deliver to clients, Smart Solutions has developed a reputation within the industry which is having a direct influence on sales. The directors recognised that recruitment can be a high-pressured and demanding job, and wanted to make Smart Solutions is a people orientated business. Smart Solutions also runs an apprentice scheme, open to 16-25 year olds, offering them a chance to join the company as recruitment consultants and be trained to REC standards. Smart Solutions has quickly established a reputation for excellence in the industry and this reputation has proved a key driver of growth for the business. Through its commitment to maintaining high levels of client satisfaction through exceeding expectations and building strong relationships, Smart Solutions has become more than an external contractor to its clients. Smart Solutions prides itself on being a trusted recruitment services partner to its clients, working seamlessly as an integral member of the client organisation. This approach has built the company reputation and increasingly leads to business being generated through recommendations.

The Future

Smart plans to sustain the rate of organic growth through expanding its service offering and continuing to offer innovative solutions to customers. This will enable the business to grow its footprint in existing current market sectors and enter new ones. The general permanent recruitment arm of the company is a relatively new addition to the business that is expected to be cultivated over the coming years and bring in additional revenue streams. Wales remains a focus for Smart Solutions and the management team is keen to build a network across the whole country, expanding on its current bases in south, west and north Wales, to offer a truly national service.