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You’ve seen a number of applicant tracking systems (ATS) in action and you don’t need convincing; you know that an ATS can deliver great benefits to your recruitment process.
However, what do you do when your decision maker just doesn’t understand the value of recruitment software?
Talking about the usability of a system and how slick it is probably won’t cut it; when it comes to influencing decision makers, you need to focus on metrics and clearly explain what your business will get for its investment.
1. Focus on efficiency
One of the main benefits that an ATS can bring to an HR department is improved efficiency. Recruitment software can really help to streamline internal processes within one centralised portal, helping to reduce administration and those other annoying tasks that you get bogged down trying to complete.
However, it can sometimes be difficult to communicate this to decision makers who might not be aware of the frustrations in your role, particularly if they operate outside of your department.
Try logging the amount of time that you spend completing these tasks manually and then consider how much of this time recruitment software will help you to free up. Numbers can speak volumes and if you discover that an ATS could potentially save you multiple hours per week, it can’t really be ignored.
You should also consider any specific factors that are holding up your recruitment. Are there any bottlenecks in your current processes? Think about how an ATS can help to streamline these.
The key is to identify your existing recruitment challenges and constantly refer back to these when building your case for an ATS.
2. Emphasise the importance of easy reporting
Reporting on the success of your recruitment campaigns is absolutely essential. However, putting together accurate reports can be time-consuming if you’re not easily able to access the information required.
For example, if you’re putting together a report on your top application sources, you might find yourself having to rely on the memory of candidates to find out where they applied or even contacting individual job boards to find out how many applications they sent over.
An ATS will automatically track candidate application sources (and many other pieces of key information), enabling you to produce these reports with the click of a button.
Webrecruit’s Fusion, contains standard reporting packs to help you measure your key metrics, such as application source, application method and time to hire. You’re also able to export raw data from the system to enable you to create your own custom reports.
This insight is invaluable to your business as it allows you to make more informed decisions when it comes to recruitment.
3. Talk about cost reductions
Your decision maker might look at the upfront cost of an ATS and immediately dismiss it. However, the financial benefits that recruitment software can deliver in the long-term are endless.
As we touched on earlier, improved reporting functionality allows you to make key recruitment decisions, including where you should be focusing your spend. Monitoring the success of your advertising sources allows you to eliminate any underperforming job boards and use your budget on what’s really working for your business.
An ATS also delivers a much smoother candidate experience and employer branding proposition, which can help to prevent application drop-offs. Along with a solid recruitment advertising plan, this will help to maximise your response rates and increase your chances of making a hire the first time you advertise your vacancy.
Still struggling to communicate the value of an ATS? Download our popular guide, How to Build a Business Case For Recruitment Software
