A guest blog from Talisman as part of our From Surviving to Thriving: Practical Ways to Boost Margins Right Now series.
Margins are under pressure. But improving them doesn’t always require a big transformation. In fact, the fastest route to stronger profits often starts with a simple question:
Where is your time going?
In a market where every hour counts, how your consultants spend their day, how effectively your systems are set up, and how clearly you prioritise effort can mean the difference between just surviving and confidently growing.
Below are four practical, proven strategies to boost margin right now. No burnout. No need to overhaul your entire business.
⏱️ Reclaim Time Lost to Admin
Consultants still spend 30 to 40% of their week on non-billable admin. From chasing compliance and formatting CVs to switching between disconnected systems, time is quietly leaking out of your business.
“One Talisman client uncovered 8 hours a week being spent just chasing timesheets and compliance items. By automating reminders and syncing CRM with Pay & Bill, they reclaimed a full recruiter’s worth of time.”
High-impact action
Pick one admin-heavy task per desk and automate or reassign it this week.
- In perm: shift research or formatting to a junior
- In temp or contract: automate onboarding, timesheet reminders, or compliance checks
Admin will always exist. But if you don’t control it, it will control your margin.
📊 Prioritise Clients and Jobs That Actually Pay Off
Not all briefs are created equal. And not every client deserves the same attention.
In survival mode, it’s tempting to chase every role. But thriving agencies are more selective. They focus on high-converting jobs with committed clients and redirect effort away from speculative or slow-moving work.
“Busy doesn’t equal profit. Sometimes the biggest gains come from simply walking away from low-margin, low-conversion work.”
High-impact action
Categorise your clients and roles using a simple tiering method:
- Tier 1: High-margin, urgent, great communicator
- Tier 2: Slower to close, but still valuable
- Tier 3: Unresponsive, low-margin, or time-wasting
For the next two weeks, challenge your team to go all in on Tier 1 only. You’ll see momentum build, morale lift, and margin follow.
⚙️ Use AI and Automation Where It Makes a Real Difference
AI is everywhere right now, but the smart agencies aren’t using it for gimmicks. They’re using it to quietly remove friction from the workflow.
At Talisman, we’ve focused on embedding AI into the moments that have the biggest commercial impact:
- Creating job specs based on past successes
- Automatically reminding candidates to submit timesheets
- Flagging potential invoice or payroll issues before they happen
This kind of automation doesn’t replace recruiters. It gives them more space to do what they’re best at: building relationships and closing deals.
Quick win
Ask your team where they’re losing time to repetitive tasks. Then apply targeted automation or AI tools that solve that exact bottleneck.
“The best use of AI is not to replace people. It is to remove the noise so your people can focus on profit.”
🧭 Refocus on Margin, Not Motion
Too often, consultants get stuck servicing roles that have little chance of converting or working with clients who drag their feet. Meanwhile, many agencies are juggling five or more tools just to run the basics. That creates duplication, manual fixes, and more admin.
All of it chips away at profit.
High-impact action
Audit your current tech stack and usage:
- What tools overlap?
- What isn’t being used?
- Where do consultants or ops teams double-handle data?
“Agencies that move to a unified platform like Talisman often save five to eight hours per consultant per week. That time goes straight back into revenue-driving work.”
Margin isn’t found in motion. It’s found in focus.
🚀 Looking to See Results Fast?
Improving margin doesn’t have to mean rebuilding your business. It starts with clarity and action.
Try this:
- Identify the biggest admin drains on your consultants’ time
- Rank your roles and clients based on urgency and margin
- Audit your systems for duplication, manual fixes, or disconnects
- Refocus your team on what pays off fastest and most often
We’ve spent the past 40 years helping recruitment agencies get this right. Whether you’re running temp, perm, contract, or exec desks, the formula is the same.
Free up your people. Focus their energy. Let your systems do the rest.
🏢 About Talisman
Talisman is a purpose-built recruitment platform trusted by leading UK agencies. With a fully integrated CRM, Pay & Bill, and AI-powered automation tools, we help recruitment businesses cut admin, improve margins, and grow faster without adding complexity.
🔗 www.talisman.tech
📧 hello@talisman.tech
☕ Speak to one of our experts today
