Winners of the first Excellence Awards

Bronze winner
TalentFuse
San Diego CA IT staffing

"Our customer retention is simple, but proven - supply the best product," says CEO Brian Margarita of IT staffing firm TalentFuse. He continues, "This is not meant to sound like a cliché - it's the customer retention program that is the most tried and proven over time."

TalentFuse is our bronze award winner, because it not only has a great outreach to their clients, but also to the professionals it places. Margarita says, "The people we put to work are our product, and we have the most incredible opportunity to constantly improve our product on a regular basis. We feel that if we can supply the customer with a technical consultant without having to look at more than two resumes, that will start solving their problem right away with a great attitude, and works his/her tail off so that there will be no reason for the customer to start working with another firm."

How does TalentFuse provide such stellar service? It comes in on the other side, with their contractors. "We treat our consultants like gold, because we need to in order to keep our customers," explains Margarita. "We start by telling them at the time of the placement, in person, eye to eye, that they are the most important part of the equation, and that our goal is to be their talent agent for life. We let them know that if there is any reason that they aren't happy during the term of their contract, we need to know — and we mean it. We find out the issues, and we take action with our clients immediately - within the hour. We do this by being in the know, which includes taking all of our consultants to lunch once a month, asking the difficult questions, opening Pandora's box for better or worse, because it's what you don't know that kills you."

Margarita continues, "We take diligent notes, we do retention surveys on the first day, seventh day and every 30th day following. We create action items, and we address the hard issues that no one else wants to, because they think it's easier to make a new placement. Keeping our consultants on billing is our number one priority, because that is the only way we can offer the best product to our customers. If we don't know our product, we can't honestly represent it to anyone, and we certainly can't be their talent agent for life."

Margarita expands on his driving philosophy, "In Hollywood, the best Talent Agents are in higher demand that the talent, because thee studios know and trust that the best agents truly know their product, the talent. By supplying the best product, we feel we can capture and retain the best consultants. It's simple, but it works. It has allowed us to grow over 20 times since 2001."

We talked to the two most important groups Margarita cited - his clients and his consultants. Both backed up Margarita's claims and his company more than earns its bronze award.

TalentFuse helps MedImpact, a San Diego-based pharmaceutical management company, recruit software engineers who work on a contract basis. "What's great about working with TalentFuse is they know they have a couple of days [to find skilled people]," explains Sal Estrada, manager of information technology development for MedImpact. "I have a small window of time." By leaving the recruiting to TalentFuse, Estrada saves time and can concentrate on other things he needs to do.

Estrada has worked with TalentFuse for five years. "They know the area," he says. They know the local candidates. They know I like local candidates and that's what they're trying to find. Eight out of ten times they find the right candidate. That's their expertise."

Carlsbad-based Financial Profiles turns to TalentFuse when it needs engineers, program managers and support desk help, explains Keith Washington, VP of client services. "I like them because they are people-focused," he says. "They are really good about coming out and stopping by and seeing how [the employees] are doing. They know what our corporate values are and they look for people who fit those values."

A lot of recruiters are focused on simply filling a position, but TalentFuse focuses instead on finding the right person to fill the position, says San Diego-based senior independent network developer Nick Apostolopoulos, who gotten work through TalentFuse. "They work more as an agent than a recruiter," says Apostolopoulos, who has been working with TalentFuse on and off for more than seven years. "They know who is a good fit for the job. They're really good at matching me with continuous jobs that are right up my alley. They're good at keeping people employed in general. They make an effort to find a right match. They're good at finding things on a consistent basis. They're pretty much the only recruiter I work with anymore.