The recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) in India is expected to grow by 15.5% by 2027, with an estimated market valuation of $420 million. This goes to show that the demand for RPO is consistently growing, leading to cost savings for numerous companies.
However, onboarding recruitment outsourcing services requires thorough research, timely updates and consistent process refining, to ensure favourable outcomes related to the right hiring for the companies. So, how do you know you are hiring the right RPO partner?
In this Channelplay guide, we’ll walk you through the key questions you should ask before choosing your RPO partner — and more importantly, what to look for in the answers.
Before we even get to exploring the different questions, you should ask before onboarding an RPO partner, let us understand the recruitment process outsourcing definition.
As the name suggests, RPO is part of sales outsourcing process wherein the company hands over all or part of their recruitment process to a third-party expert or organisation, Channelplay being a leading example.
Unlike the traditional staffing agencies, the right RPO partner will work as an extension of your internal team - bringing tools, technology, people, and processes to streamline your hiring. In short, you need to hire someone who is personally invested in your hiring outcomes and not just “making placements” for the sake of it.
Simply understanding the recruitment process outsourcing meaning isn’t enough if you don’t know how to quantify it. Understanding the “why” is the pillar behind choosing the right RPO partner.
An ideal RPO partner helps you:
1. Improve time-to-hire and quality-of-hire
2. Scale hiring up or down as needed
3. Access better sourcing channels
4. Leverage recruitment technology without huge investments
5. Ensure compliance and reduce hiring risks
6. Focus internal teams on core business priorities
But, again, achieving these factors isn’t as simple. If you don’t hire the right recruitment process outsourcing in India, the outcomes won’t be as favourable.
As we previously mentioned, RPO involves transferring all or part of a company’s hiring process to an external expert, known as an RPO provider, Channelplay being a great choice in this regard.
Once the deals are finalised and contracts are signed, the RPO partner will then interact with the internal team and executives in the company to understand their:
1. Hiring needs
2. Job roles
3. Company culture
Based on the above criteria, the RPO partner will then focus on the next steps in the hiring process. Being an expert leader in the field, Channelplay’s process involves experimenting and testing out multiple avenues for finding the right applicants and fit for the job role.
Some of these sourcing channels that Channelplay uses are:
1. Job boards
2. Channelplay job app
3. Traditional methods like personal references, WhatsApp groups, LinkedIn ads, etc.
4. Referrals from freelancers, etc.
Once the right candidates are sourced through these channels, the next step is screening the resumes, conducting interviews, coordinating onboarding and even managing the recruitment technology (if one is involved).
The steps in recruitment process outsourcing are flexible — ranging from project-based hiring to full-cycle recruitment management, depending on the company’s hiring needs.
Going through different components like recruitment process outsourcing flowchart, recruitment process outsourcing ppt and recruitment process outsourcing pdf is all futile if you don’t ask the right questions to the intended RPO partner before signing the contract.
“Would you visit a hospital for a haircut?” The answer is a definitive no, right? This applies to your RPO partner selection process too.
With the growing recruitment process outsourcing trends on the rise, there are several up and rising partners to choose from. But which one would be an ideal fit for hiring the right candidates for your company?
You need an RPO partner who:
1. Understands your industry
2. Knows where to find the right talent fit for your job roles
3. Speaks your language
For example, hiring a sales team in retail is drastically different than hiring tech developers for a healthcare staff. Having the right RPO partner in the process thus makes all the difference in the final staff hires.
Whether native or for offshore recruitment process outsourcing, there are two main types of RPO partners you can indulge in:
1. Full cycle (end-to-end recruitment)
2. Partial (handling only certain stages like sourcing or screening)
Before you get to choosing your RPO partner, you need clarifications first – Which part of your hiring process do you wish to outsource? Is it certain parts or the entire hiring process?
Once you have the answers, you can then ask the intended RPO partner about their services. You need clarity in what’s being handled and what remains your responsibility (if any). Some of the things you should look for in the answers of the RPO partner are:
1. Clear breakdown of the stages like job profiling, sourcing, screening, interviews, onboarding.
2. Tailored hiring process for companies, etc.
Detailed clarification about the hiring process is one of the cornerstones of success in the recruitment process outsourcing RPO market. So, if you don’t have clarity from the answers, they are not the right fit for your company.
As a company that’s onboarding an RPO partner, you are putting your trust in them to choose the right staff for your company. So, wanting to know “how they source” their candidates is vital.
For example, if the RPO partner you are in talks with is using standard “job portals” only to source the candidates, you are not getting much value. You want access to active and passive talent pools to find the best fit for your company.
Channelplay, for example, leverages multiple sourcing channels including job boards, exclusive Channeplay job apps, WhatsApp groups, field visits, personal references, freelancer references, performance marketing, etc.
We currently live in a world where technology is at the forefront of everything, including the employee hiring process. If you want to experience the best of the recruitment process outsourcing services, you need to know about the technologies the intended RPO partner is likely using.
Without the right tools, it is almost impossible to track applications, manage interviews or measure the results from the hiring process.
As a leading RPO brand in India, Channeplay leverages the use of multiple recruitment technology including Apna Hire, a platform tailored for field employees and lower-salary roles. This led to 1000+ applications in record time, compared to the 100 applications that were drawn without it. Not just that, the use of 1Office, another exclusive technology enabled smooth system automation, further streamlining the hiring and recruitment for the companies that we worked with.
In short, when you are onboarding an RPO partner, clarifying the list of recruitment technology they use is a non-negotiable.
Filling a position isn’t success. Filling the position with the right hire is. So, when you are hiring an RPO partner for your company, asking how they ensure quality and success is paramount.
If the quality of the hire is poor and unfit for your company, it will lead to higher attrition, productivity loss and repeat hiring costs. Instead, what you need in the right RPO partner are:
1. Structured screening process
2. Assessments
3. Behavioural interviews
4. Client feedback loops
5. Candidate satisfaction metrics
Also, if needed, enquire about the first-90-day attrition rates or average tenure of hires when looking into the recruitment process outsourcing companies.
For measuring success of the right hire, you also need transparency and accountability. For example, there is no place for vague promises made by the RPO partner if there are no measurable outcomes. All you will do is burn your money to the ground.
The last and probably one of the most important questions to ask the RPO partner before signing the contracts with them is regarding three agendas:
1. Compliance
2. Documentation
3. Post-joining support
Factors like incorrect documentation, background verification failures, or non-compliance can contribute to legal issues and non-competent hiring for your company, something you want to avoid at all costs. So, being clear and upfront about that with the recruitment process outsourcing providers is crucial.
Channelplay, for instance, uses tech platforms to ensure error-free and timely onboarding documentation.
Finally, hiring doesn’t end with an offer letter. There are instances where many candidates drop out after accepting offers or leave within the first few weeks. Ensuring that doesn’t happen is crucial and that’s why you need to enquire about the same with the top recruitment process outsourcing companies before signing the contract.
Before signing the recruitment process outsourcing agreement even with the supposedly best recruitment process outsourcing companies, you need to be wary of the following red flags:
1. Vague answers or lack of data
2. Over-promising (e.g., “we can fill all roles in 3 days!”)
3. No customisation in offerings
4. No local or regional hiring expertise
5. Poor understanding of your industry or roles
6. No tech stack or outdated systems
7. No reference clients or case studies
If you don’t want to experience the downsides of recruitment process outsourcing, steer clear of these complexities.
Before finalising the proposal for recruitment process outsourcing, following are some of the benefits and disadvantages of recruitment process outsourcing you need to be aware of:
From offering the best recruitment process outsourcing pricing models to ensuring high-quality hires, Channeplay is a leading name in the niche of RPO.
With a strong presence in over 800+ cities and towns in India and ensuring 98% placement fit, we understand the challenges businesses face in attracting and retaining frontline staff.
Here’s what sets Channelplay apart:
1. Pan-India presence with regional sourcing teams
2. Robust hiring engine for sales and field staff
3. Proprietary tech platform for recruitment and onboarding
4. Strong analytics and reporting
5. Customised hiring models
6. Deep experience in retail, FMCG, BFSI, and telecom sectors
But more than anything — we bring a partnership mindset to every engagement. We're here to help you build great teams, not just close job requisitions.
