Case Study: 22% of Hires Powered by the Network Effect
Since its founding in 2014, Relode has been at the forefront of transforming healthcare recruitment. The founders envisioned a platform that would improve the hiring process by leveraging the power and scale of a fully independent workforce similar to freelance platforms such as Upwork & Fiverr.
This case study explores how Relode built and scaled a unique healthcare staffing business using its innovative, proprietary AI-powered platform and autonomous sourcing network. Now, it also enables organizations to take advantage of their own Network Effect to increase placements without expanding their team.
Relode has now made its sourcing software available to the wider staffing market under the brand Relode XR. This technology not only achieved remarkable growth for Relode over the past ten years but also serves as a compelling example for staffing firms seeking innovation to drive growth and stay ahead. The story of Relode XR is a testament to the power of the platform’s innovation and its potential to reshape the recruiting industry.
The Beginning of Relode
Relode was founded on the mission to make hiring in healthcare better for everyone involved. The company's intent was to create a platform that rewarded individuals for helping their friends, colleagues, recruited healthcare talent, and even themselves find great jobs. The company differentiated itself by building a powerful platform and unique model that didn’t require any internal recruiters. Instead, they harnessed independent recruiters and their personal networks to deliver top talent.
While this virtual recruiter network was an integral part of Relode’s early success, it became clear that the candidates who joined the platform were also excited by the ability to earn by referring their friends and coworkers to new opportunities.
In 2022, Relode appointed Peter Clare as the new CEO, bringing with him 30+ years of experience in recruiting technology. Clare focused on strengthening and enhancing the platform's capabilities to activate more healthcare referrals. In 2024, the company announced the move to make this proprietary platform publicly available and expand its impact across the staffing industry.
Relode XR, an AI-powered sourcing platform, offers several key features:
- Fully managed and automated reward tracking
- Advanced market analytics
- AI automated talent matching and re-engagement
"Our platform isn’t just a tool—it's a catalyst that empowers staffing firms to tap into and amplify their talent networks, reduce advertising spend, and improve placement rates without increasing overhead."
- Peter Clare, Relode CEO.
Achieving Growth through the Relode Network
Since 2017, Relode has experienced exceptional growth, achieving $20 million in annual placement revenue without any internal recruiters. This success is solely the result of using the company’s proprietary platform and virtual network (Cloud) of recruiters, sourcers, and healthcare professionals.
In 2024, a remarkable 22% of Relode’s placements for their healthcare customers were from referrals within their healthcare professional network, demonstrating the strength and effectiveness of the ‘Network Effect’ in driving placements. Moreover, Relode has exceeded this metric significantly for its own internal hiring over the past several years, with 41% of hires originating from network referrals.
By incentivizing workers to refer friends and coworkers, Relode significantly expands its customer base and talent pool. These proof points solidify the effectiveness of referral-driven recruiting strategies and their potential impact.
The Relode Model
- Reaching Unique Talent
According to LinkedIn, 36% of healthcare workers in the US use their platform. This leaves the remaining 64% of healthcare workers inaccessible through this popular job posting and networking site. But, by leveraging the extensive reach of personal connections, Relode provides access to these largely untapped talent pools, not found on job boards.
- Incentive-Based Referrals
Relode's referral incentive system raises important ethical considerations, particularly in fostering a responsible talent ecosystem. The platform ensures that every referred candidate personally verifies interest in the role before any further outreach occurs, effectively preventing any misuse or misrepresentation. This safeguards against bad practices, such as submitting unsolicited names or exploiting connections for financial gain.
By engaging qualified candidates through trusted verification, Relode not only cultivates a robust talent pool but also promotes ethical recruitment practices that benefit both referrers and candidates.
The company's fully managed reward system incentivizes these referrals by paying users at key stages of the candidate’s hiring journey, even before a candidate is hired. Each reward amount is tailored to the job difficulty, which helps encourage referrals for even the most challenging roles.
On average, Relode paid $945 in referral rewards for an RN placement, while physician rewards average $3,570. Additionally, Relode XR enables customized job promotions, providing recruiting teams with valuable tools to increase rewards for key positions to create a competitive advantage for their firm.
Using role-based rewards to incentivize quality referrals creates a cost-effective approach to accessing new talent while establishing a competitive advantage.
Key Outcomes Driven by Relode XR
Through using the power of XR, Relode’s staffing business was able to achieve significant success:
- Zero Recruiter Model: Achieved $20 million in annual placement revenue with no internal recruiters.
- Network Effect: 22% of hires in 2024 alone were from the XR Network Effect.
- Rewards Payments: An average 2% contingent hiring fee for perm and 2% of contract value for locums paid to the Relode Network highlights the effectiveness of an incentive-based referral model.
The Power of Personal Connections
The staffing industry continues to face challenges, including diminishing results from job boards and recruiter burnout. Relode XR capitalizes on personal connections to reach untapped talent. When surveyed, 42% of healthcare workers said they prefer to engage with jobs that are personally referred to them by a trusted connection. This approach not only fills reqs faster but also amplifies overall recruitment efficiency without needing to hire additional team members.
The company’s innovative approach enhances recruiting impact while also addressing bias and compliance concerns by focusing on human relationships rather than algorithmic matching based solely on qualifications. The platform prioritizes referrers—trusted individuals verified within their networks—ensuring the technology expands talent access through authentic human connections.
This is significant in a landscape where biases can unintentionally seep into automated processes; Relode XR empowers healthcare professionals to connect with candidates they know and personally recommend, reinforcing the integrity of the hiring process.
Why Relode XR?
Staffing firms are pushing through two difficult years marked by negative growth trends and increasing layoffs, ultimately leading to a reduction in the ability to deliver and increased competition. The challenges posed by these market conditions underscore the importance of an efficient and innovative solution like Relode XR. Activating the Network Effect within a firm's existing talent database empowers teams to find candidates more effectively while minimizing reliance on traditional, resource-intensive sourcing methods. This competitive advantage sets firms up to thrive despite market constraints.
Business benefits:
- Increased Placements: Amplifies hiring capabilities without increasing headcount.
- Reduced Time-to-Hire: Leverages AI for faster matching and filling of jobs.
- Cost Efficiency: Decreases reliance and spend on expensive job boards.
- Engaged Talent Pool: Expands access to previously inaccessible talent networks.
Conclusion
Relode XR stands out as a game-changing recruitment technology. It provides a robust system that not only drives growth but also creates a self-sustaining talent ecosystem that strengthens with each referral.
For staffing leaders, investing in Relode XR means tapping into a powerful tool that amplifies recruiting teams without increasing admin burden, expands talent access, and positions firms for future success.
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