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Restaurant & Hospitality Case Study

Platecraft + Boon

Company Profile

Platecraft, a mid-sized restaurant chain with 50 locations across the Midwest United States, was grappling with a high turnover rate and inefficient hiring processes. The chain sought to improve employee retention and hiring efficiency through a more effective referral program.

Challenges

Platecraft faced several issues with its existing referral program, which had led to a decline in its effectiveness:

High Turnover Rate: The chain experienced a turnover rate of 85%, significantly above the industry average of 75%.

Poor Awareness: Staff were largely unaware of the referral program.

Low Engagement: Referral volume had significantly declined over the years.

Program Structure: The existing structure offered a $100 bonus for successful referrals of hourly staff and a $500 bonus for successful referrals of management positions. However, bonuses were only paid out after the referred employee completed six months of employment, which was too long given that some roles were seasonal and the program lacked flexibility.

Underwhelming Incentives: Staff were only rewarded if hires were made, which did not motivate them enough.

Lack of Formal Process: There was no clear system for employees to submit referrals. The process was viewed as confusing and not user-friendly.

Inefficient Social Media Sharing: Jobs shared on social media generated many applicants but few hires.

Lack of Automation: No automated updates for referral status, requiring time-consuming manual follow-ups.

Complicated Reward Tracking: Involving three departments and tracked in spreadsheets, leading to late or missed rewards.

Manual Payroll Entries: Rewards had to be manually entered into payroll.

Limited Data: Rudimentary data on referral program performance made it difficult to know what was working and where improvements were needed.

Goal

The primary goal was to revamp Platecraft’s referral program and incentivize participation in a more meaningful way to reduce turnover and improve hiring efficiency.

Solution

Boon addressed these challenges by implementing several key solutions:

Enhanced Awareness and Engagement: Boon introduced an AI-powered referral platform that gamified the referral process, significantly increasing staff awareness and engagement.

Optimized Incentives: Boon’s reward automation system ensured that staff received timely and frequent rewards for successful referrals, not just hires. This robust reward system was designed to incentivize program participation and keep employees engaged and excited.

Streamlined Process: The intuitive and user-friendly platform simplified the referral process, making it easy for staff to participate. Users were able to easily access the platform, and referrals were easily attributed to them by using unique codes, further streamlining the process.

Effective Social Media Integration: Boon provided tools to better manage and track referrals from social media, ensuring higher quality candidates.

Automated Updates: The platform automatically updated referral providers on the status of their referrals, reducing the need for manual follow-ups.

Centralized Reward Tracking: Boon’s robust system tracked and managed rewards seamlessly across departments, ensuring timely and accurate reward distribution.

Integrated Payroll: The platform integrated with payroll systems, automating the reward payment process.

Comprehensive Data Analytics: Boon provided detailed analytics on referral program performance, enabling data-driven decision-making.

Building Community: By fostering a sense of community among employees, Boon helped create an environment where staff felt more connected and motivated to contribute to the success of the referral program.

Tangible Reward Tracking: Users were able to track their rewards and see them building in a more tangible way, which reportedly encouraged greater participation.

Summary

By implementing Boon’s AI-powered referral automation software, Platecraft chain transformed its referral program from a cumbersome, inefficient system into a streamlined, engaging, and highly effective talent-sourcing tool. This not only increased staff participation and referral volume but also improved the quality of hires and overall recruitment efficiency.

The enhanced reward system played a crucial role in keeping employees engaged and excited about the program, contributing to a stronger sense of community within the organization. Additionally, allowing users to track their rewards in a tangible way significantly boosted participation.

Results

Increased Referral Hires:

Referral hires increased from 25% to 40% of total annual hires.

60% increase in the number of referrals submitted.

Improved Retention:

Overall turnover rate decreased from 85% to 65%.

Referred employees showed a 30% higher retention rate than non-referred hires.

Cost Savings:

Reduced recruitment advertising costs by 35%.

Saved an estimated $150,000 annually just in turnover-related expenses.

Time Efficiency:

70% reduction in time spent on referral program administration.

Hiring process for referred candidates shortened by 40%.

Employee Satisfaction:

85% of employees reported higher job satisfaction due to the referral program.

92% of referred employees reported better cultural fit.

Platecraft not only met but exceeded its goals within the first year of implementing Boon, demonstrating the platform’s effectiveness in transforming the referral program and adding substantial value to the company. This success was meaningful as it directly impacted the company’s ability to source top talent efficiently, enhance employee engagement, and streamline operational processes related to recruitment and rewards management.

Platecraft is a pseudonym used to protect our customer’s privacy and confidentiality.

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