Crowdsourcing is the process of acquiring services or information by seeking contributions from communities, particularly from those that are online. Some of the most successful new companies on the market are currently using this process to make people’s lives easier and better. Reflik will regularly be releasing blog posts from a number of authors on the Crowdsourcing Revolution, where we will be comparing the origins and strategies of the exciting new companies that are utilizing crowdsourcing at the core of their business.
Prior to becoming a global success worth tens of billions of dollars, Uber was merely an idea in the mind of StumbleUpon founder, Garrett Camp, and entrepreneur, Travis Kalanick. While hanging out one day, they realized that taxis ran an inefficient monopoly on transportation in San Francisco and that this system could be made more streamlined and cost-effective. They discovered that by connecting drivers directly to customers through a phone application, customers would pay less for rides and drivers could find customers more quickly.
Unknowingly, one of the First modern Crowdsourcing Ideas was Born
Camp and Kalanick had unknowingly just fathered one of the first crowdsourcing ideas, one where taxi services are crowdsourced to a wider range of riders and drivers, not just licensed taxi drivers and customers on the street. Their first prototype revolved around splitting the cost of a Mercedes and a garage, as well as creating a mobile application called Ubercab.
Three employees of the new company tested out Camp’s and Kalanick’s idea by driving through New York City to deliver customers found from the application to their destinations quickly and for less money than normal means. The test proved successful and Uber first went live in San Francisco in the summer of 2010. Despite legal issues, Uber became wildly successful and has expanded into 58 countries. This fascinating company will undoubtedly continue to innovate to make ride-sharing more cost-effective and exciting.
Uber Brings Drivers to Travelers Just as Reflik Connects Employers with Independent Recruiters and Jobseekers
Just as Uber disrupted the unimaginative and expensive world of taxi services, Reflik has made the disruption of the traditional world of recruiting one of its primary goals. A foremost cause of Uber is to increase efficiency, which it accomplishes for both the driver and customer. The driver has the ability to create their own schedule and use the car of their choosing, not just a mandatory yellow cab.
The customer has the ability to use their mobile phone to quickly hail a private car instead of waiting in the street for a taxi to come around the corner. In the same manner, Reflik increases the efficiency of the recruiting industry by directly connecting employers with third party recruiters and individuals to fill positions more quickly with better candidates. The slow moving recruiting industry of the past has experienced small improvements from online job boards but nothing can beat the speed of a referral-driven platform.
Reflik Drives More Hires for Less Money than Traditional Recruiting Avenues
Taxi services can also be incredibly expensive while Uber’s overall cost is usually lower than the cost of a taxi. In the same way, traditional recruiting methods can cost up to 20% of the hire’s salary, while a typical hire with Reflik’s crowdsourced recruiting can be accomplished with a referral reward of only $5000!
Reflik replaces the need for typical recruiting methods by exposing open positions to third party recruiters and individuals who can then refer their qualified social and professional contacts to those positions at no cost to the employer. If the employer finds a perfect hire then a referral reward is paid to the referring party. Ultimately, Reflik drives more hires for less money than traditional recruiting avenues just as Uber gets passengers to their destinations more efficiently than traditional taxi cabs.
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