For Stream Recruitment, APay started as a way to help healthcare clients manage recruitment fees. It quickly became an invaluable tool that helped the team win more work, get paid sooner and turn difficult situations into positive outcomes for everyone.
About Stream Recruitment
Stream Recruitment was founded in 2022 with a clear focus: helping healthcare providers fill roles that other agencies often placed in the ‘too hard basket’.
Founder Jasmine built the agency around her expertise in mental health and community recruitment, including social work, healthcare and counselling roles in regional and remote communities. Within its first year, Stream expanded nationally in response to a significant gap in the industry, with clients turning to the agency to fill roles across allied health, nursing and the wider healthcare sector.
“We went after the roles that most people saw as too difficult. We knew that filling them could make a really positive impact, and the business grew naturally from there.”
The Challenge When Seven Days Became Thirty
As Stream grew, its clients’ payment terms began to change. Seven-day terms stretched to 14 days, then 30 days and sometimes longer. This was particularly common among smaller healthcare providers and private practices experiencing cash flow pressure.
These clients still needed to hire, as bringing in a clinician would allow them to take on more patients and generate more revenue. However, the same barrier remained: large permanent recruitment fees needed to be paid upfront.
For Stream, waiting longer for payment meant less freedom to invest in new consultants and business growth. Discounting fees was not the answer, and the agency was not in a position to carry extended payment plans for clients itself.
“Cash flow is critical. We wanted to help clients move forward, but we also needed to protect our margins and make sure we could keep growing.”
The Solution APay by APositive
When APay was first recommended to Jasmine, she thought it sounded too good to be true. The idea that a client could pay over time while Stream received its recruitment fee upfront addressed one of the biggest barriers holding placements back.
A conversation with the APositive team gave her the confidence to try it. APay allows Stream’s clients to spread permanent recruitment fees over three to six monthly instalments, while Stream gets paid upfront. The process was simple, and Stream did not need to change its existing invoicing procedures to begin using APay.
APay soon moved from being a backup solution for overdue invoices to something the team confidently offered from its first client meeting.
Turning a Fee Objection Into a Solution
Today, APay is part of Stream’s sales toolkit. Consultants include it in their pitch to give clients greater payment flexibility and a practical way to hire the people they need.
Michael Adams, Senior Consultant at Stream Recruitment, explained:
“APay is part of our pitch. It gives the client a solution straight away and helps businesses bring in the people they need. It is also a great point of difference for us.”
Turning One Opportunity Into an Ongoing Partnership
The value of APay can be seen clearly through one of Stream’s client relationships. The client needed ongoing recruitment support but could not manage large fees upfront. Being able to use APay was central to its decision to work with Stream.
The relationship began with three placements in a single month, all paid through APay. Since then, it has grown to approximately 10 placements. Michael believes the partnership would not have developed without the flexibility APay provided.
“We have now made about 10 placements with that client. Without APay, we would not have secured that work because the client had not budgeted for the placement fees, even though the business needed the additional employees to manage its workload.”
A Better Way Through Difficult Payment Conversations
APay has also helped when things have not gone to plan. In one case, a client’s financial position changed after Stream had completed the recruitment process. The invoice became overdue, and the client requested a payment plan that Stream could not carry itself.
Rather than moving towards a legal dispute, Jasmine offered APay. The client received a manageable payment schedule, Stream collected its fee and the relationship remained intact.
“Without APay, it would likely have become a legal dispute. Instead, we found a way for the client to pay and avoided taking the relationship down that path.”
Looking Ahead
Stream is now expanding its office, bringing on more consultants and moving into new healthcare markets. APay has given the team greater confidence to pursue this growth, knowing it has support to receive placement fees on time.
For Jasmine, protecting the agency’s cash flow and margins helps create stronger foundations for growth. For Michael and the consulting team, APay gives clients another reason to say yes.
“If you want to get paid on time, strengthen client relationships and keep placements moving, use APay. For us, it is a no-brainer.”
Ready to give your clients more ways to pay?
Speak with APositive today to see how APay can help your agency get paid sooner and secure more permanent placements.