Reliance Insurance Agencies
Filled 3 Key Roles While Reducing Recruitment Costs by Nearly 58%
Reliance Insurance Agencies is an established insurance organization with a strong reputation for professionalism and a uniquely personable, family-oriented culture. As they continued hiring for key commercial and sales roles, the leadership team grew frustrated with the inflated costs and limited visibility typical of traditional recruitment agencies, prompting them to seek a more transparent and cost-effective alternative.
By partnering with Scout Talent in 2023, Reliance shifted to a flat-fee, data-driven recruitment model that delivered stronger visibility, improved candidate quality, successfully filled three roles and reduced recruitment costs by nearly 58% compared to traditional agency fees.
- Reliance Insurance Agencies.: https://reliance.ca/
- Industry: Insurance
- Region: Canada
- Company Size: 100+ employees
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Roles Recruited:
- Account Executive, Commercial Insurance
- Commercial Account Manager, Commercial Insurance
- Inside Sales Representative, Commercial Insurance
Products
:Recruit Essentials
Scout Talent :Recruit Essentials
Applicant Tracking System and Recruitment CRM
Recruitment Campaign
Talent Acquisition Solutions
Recruitment specialists, job ad placement, branded talent landing page, digital headhunting, shortlisting & selection, and interview support.
Facts
Nearly 58% Recruitment Cost Reduction
Compared to a typical 20% recruitment agency fee model
Hired 3 People from 3 Recruitment Campaigns
Attracted 772 Applicants
The Challenge
Prior to partnering with Scout Talent, Reliance faced a recruitment process that was both costly and time-consuming. Their experience with traditional recruitment agencies and manual tracking created four primary hurdles:
- Candidate Quality Disconnect: Reliance often felt pushed toward candidates who didn’t fully align with their needs, where under-qualified individuals were positioned as top talent. The result was inflated salary expectations without the corresponding skill set or experience.
- Manual Tracking & Rework: Without a centralized system, the recruitment process became inefficient and time-consuming. To avoid revisiting previously screened candidates, the team relied on manual spreadsheets, adding unnecessary administrative burden and slowing decision-making.
- Mismatched Culture Fit: Standard recruitment corporate messaging didn’t reflect Reliance’s identity. They needed a partner who could translate their professional standards, family-oriented values, and personable culture into compelling employer branding.
- Limited Visibility & Slower Feedback Loops: With recruitment agencies acting as intermediaries, Reliance lacked direct visibility into their candidate pipeline. Communication delays and extended feedback cycles made it difficult to move quickly and confidently from initial review to shortlist.
“I feel like what [traditional recruiters] do is they get someone who isn’t great… and then they try to present it like you’re getting the cream of the crop… There’s a lot of time spent dealing with a recruiter in between your candidate and yourself, and it’s difficult because you feel like they’re just trying to sell you.”
Erin Thomas, Vice President Commercial Lines, Reliance Insurance Agencies.
The Solution
By partnering with Scout Talent in 2023, Reliance Insurance Agencies transformed their recruitment approach from agency-dependent and manual to transparent, data-driven, and collaborative. The partnership delivered immediate impact:
✓ Direct Control Over Candidate Quality: Removed the pressure of commission-driven recruitment by giving Reliance full visibility into every applicant in their talent pool. Instead of relying on third-party recommendations, the team could independently assess skills, salary expectations, and cultural fit, ensuring stronger alignment and more confident hiring decisions.
✓ Centralized Talent Database: Replaced manual spreadsheets with a single source of truth through Scout Talent’s :Essentials software. Every applicant, note, and past interaction is stored in one platform, eliminating duplicated effort and allowing the team to instantly revisit and filter previous candidates.
✓ Strategic Employer Branding: Shifted away from generic industry messaging to job ads that reflected Reliance’s true identity: professional, high-performing, family-oriented, and personable. This authentic positioning attracted top talent who aligned with both their standards and culture.
✓ Transparent Reporting & Real-Time Optimization: Through weekly Campaign Catch Ups and detailed performance metrics across platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed, Reliance gained full visibility into page views, applications, and conversion rates. This transparency replaced the limited visibility of traditional recruitment agencies with agile, data-backed decision-making.
✓ Shortlisting & Candidate Review Support: When application volume increased and internal capacity was limited, Scout Talent’s recruitment specialists supported the team by reviewing and shortlisting candidates. This ensured strong applicants were prioritized and allowed Reliance’s leadership team to focus their time on interviewing the most relevant candidates.
The Results
Since partnering with Scout Talent, Reliance Insurance Agencies has built a more predictable, transparent, and cost-effective hiring process. The measurable impact includes:
3 Roles Successfully Filled: Securing candidates aligned with both technical requirements and company culture.
Nearly 58% Cost Reduction: Based on a typical 20% agency fee model, traditional recruitment would have cost approximately $64,000 across the three roles. By investing approximately $26,990 in Scout Talent’s recruitment campaigns, Reliance reduced hiring costs by $37,010, a savings of nearly 58%.
Strong Candidate Engagement: Recruitment campaigns attracted 772 applicants across three roles, including the latest campaign which generated 321 unique page views and 112 applications.
Greater Transparency & Control: Full visibility into every applicant enabled confident assessment of skills, salary expectations, and cultural fit.
“We trust the Scout Talent team to take what we’re trying to communicate and turn it into something that works. And it’s working.”
Christina Smith, VP People
Testimonials
“Scout Talent feels like part of our HR team, part of our company. When we’re working with them, we don’t feel like they have any other clients.”
VP Commercial Lines & VP People
Ready to take control of your recruitment process and attract candidates who truly fit your culture?
If your team is frustrated by high agency fees, limited visibility into your talent pipeline, or inconsistent candidate quality, it’s time for a more transparent, collaborative approach.
Contact Scout Talent today for a free consultation and discover how our dedicated recruitment solutions can act as an extension of your team, helping you hire with confidence.