Start with one real journey
Choose a representative placement and map the work from the first client conversation to the final operational handoff. Include the people outside the recruitment team: compliance, finance, the client approver and the contractor. List where each person re-enters information or has to ask someone else for an update.
Ask vendors to show the handoffs
A feature checklist tells you whether a module exists. A complete walkthrough tells you whether the modules work together. Ask to see a candidate placed, an assignment created, evidence reviewed, hours submitted, a timesheet rejected and corrected, and an invoice generated.
- Can you follow the same record throughout?
- Who can approve or change information?
- What happens when rates or hours change?
- Which steps require another product?
Test the exceptions
Use an extension, a missing document and an incorrect invoice as demo scenarios. Ask what the user sees, what the system records and how the team corrects the problem. Include both permanent and contract work if you run a mixed desk; the work after placement is different.
Plan the move as carefully as the purchase
Inventory your source data and identify duplicate clients, candidates and contacts. Agree which historical records to migrate, who will validate the import and how access will be assigned. Request written confirmation of commercial terms, support arrangements and available integrations before committing.