In an industry where differentiation is increasingly difficult and margins are under constant pressure, Luttrell Staffing Group just delivered a reminder that consistent service quality still counts—and counts a lot.
The Tennessee-based staffing firm has earned the 2026 Best of Staffing Client and Talent Platinum Awards, along with the Best of Staffing Employee Gold Award, as recognized by ClearlyRated. The distinction places Luttrell among a small fraction of staffing agencies that have demonstrated long-term excellence not only with customers and candidates, but also with their own workforce.
What makes this notable isn’t just the awards themselves—it’s the longevity behind them. Platinum status requires winning Best of Staffing honors for at least 10 consecutive years, a bar fewer than 24% of participating firms met in 2025 for both client and talent categories. Luttrell has now exceeded that threshold comfortably.
A rare trifecta in staffing excellence
Luttrell’s 2026 recognition spans all three major stakeholder groups in staffing:
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Clients, who depend on agencies to deliver reliable, high-quality talent at speed
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Candidates, who expect transparency, respect, and real job opportunities
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Internal employees, who often feel the strain of a high-volume, high-pressure business
Very few agencies manage to satisfy all three consistently. Luttrell’s results suggest a business model built around durability rather than short-term wins.
According to ClearlyRated data:
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Luttrell won the Best of Staffing Client Award for the 14th consecutive year, posting an 83.8% Net Promoter Score (NPS)—nearly double the industry average of 45%.
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The company earned the Best of Staffing Talent Award for the 12th straight year, with 72.2% of placed candidates rating their experience a 9 or 10 out of 10, compared to the industry norm of roughly 50%.
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For the sixth consecutive year, Luttrell secured the Best of Staffing Employee Award, achieving an internal NPS of 62.5%, well above the 50% benchmark considered “excellent” globally.
These aren’t marketing claims. ClearlyRated’s awards are based entirely on validated third-party feedback, not nominations or panel judgments—a key reason the program carries weight in the staffing world.
Why this matters in today’s staffing market
Staffing and recruiting firms are operating in a tougher environment than they were even a few years ago. Talent shortages persist in many sectors, automation is reshaping recruiting workflows, and clients expect more insight, speed, and accountability from their staffing partners.
At the same time, candidate expectations have shifted. Workers are more selective, less tolerant of poor communication, and quicker to disengage when the process feels transactional.
Against that backdrop, Luttrell’s long-running performance stands out. High NPS scores across clients, candidates, and employees suggest the firm has built systems and culture that scale without eroding trust—a challenge many agencies struggle to solve.
Employees at Best of Staffing Employee-winning firms are also over 70% less likely to report dissatisfaction compared to those at non-winning agencies, according to ClearlyRated. That matters in an industry where recruiter burnout and turnover are constant risks.
A people-first strategy that’s more than a slogan
Luttrell Staffing Group has been in business for nearly 33 years, and leadership credits its consistency to a simple—but hard to execute—principle: making people matter most.
Co-owner Marty Luttrell emphasized that the awards reflect the caliber of the company’s internal team, not just its external results. Sustaining award-level service for more than a decade requires more than good intentions; it requires repeatable processes, empowered employees, and leadership alignment.
Co-owner David Luttrell echoed that sentiment, pointing to the role clients, internal staff, and placed talent have played in the firm’s growth. In an industry built on relationships, longevity is often the clearest indicator of trust.
ClearlyRated’s view: service as a differentiator
From the awards organizer’s perspective, Luttrell’s performance reflects a broader truth about the staffing industry’s future.
ClearlyRated CEO Baker Nanduru noted that 2026 winners are pushing client experience to the forefront, experimenting with new service approaches while maintaining consistency. That combination—innovation without sacrificing fundamentals—is increasingly rare.
As staffing firms invest in technology, AI matching, and automation, service quality can easily become an afterthought. The Best of Staffing program exists largely to counter that trend, rewarding firms that balance efficiency with human experience.
Competitive implications for the staffing industry
Luttrell’s achievement sets a high bar for regional and national staffing agencies alike. While large global firms often compete on scale and technology investment, mid-sized agencies can still win by excelling in responsiveness, local market knowledge, and relationship management.
The data-backed nature of ClearlyRated’s awards also raises expectations. Clients evaluating staffing partners are paying closer attention to measurable satisfaction metrics, not just sales pitches.
For agencies struggling with retention—of clients, candidates, or recruiters—Luttrell’s example reinforces a familiar but often overlooked lesson: sustainable growth in staffing still depends on service quality, consistency, and culture.
Looking ahead
As the staffing industry navigates continued workforce volatility, firms with deep community ties and strong internal cultures may prove more resilient than those chasing rapid expansion alone.
For Luttrell Staffing Group, the 2026 Best of Staffing wins aren’t just another trophy—they’re evidence of a long-term operating philosophy that continues to deliver results across every constituency it serves.
Bottom line: In a sector defined by churn and competition, Luttrell Staffing Group’s Platinum-and-Gold performance shows that playing the long game—backed by real data—can still set an agency apart.
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