ATS Re-Implementation; What, Why, How, and When

In today’s rapidly evolving HR Technology landscape, your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is the beating heart of your Talent Acquisition strategy.  Like a real heart, upgrading to a newer model can be catastrophically expensive and disruptive.  Unlike a real heart, however, your ATS can be refurbished and updated to meet your current needs and respond to your current challenges.  We call this process Re-Implementation.  Integrating with modern HR technologies, enhancing candidate experiences, and leveraging enhanced data analytics are not mere enhancements but necessities for staying competitive in today’s job market, and it’s often possible to achieve those goals using the technology you’re already using.

We’ve encountered this scenario more times than we can count: a brand new leadership team is “stuck” with an ATS that appears to be a mess; the UI is ancient, documentation is limited, and institutional knowledge has faded, and decision making seems random.  Maybe your situation isn’t as dire; your system works, but is no longer optimized for your current strategy, or it’s lacking some of the bells and whistles you see younger systems or larger enterprise platforms offering.  Regardless, the most crucial step in a re-implementation (or changing vendors) is determining if you need to do it.  Before embarking on the journey of re-implementation, we conduct a thorough system audit. 

Our audits offer a comprehensive understanding of the existing system’s capabilities, identifying its strengths, weaknesses, and untapped potential, and aligning them to your needs.  This audit isn’t just a procedural step; it’s a strategic move, ensuring that any decision to re-implement is grounded in data and that your investments are strategic and impactful.  Our work can begin if the audit indicates that a re-implementation is the way to go.  If the audit shows that your current technology doesn’t support your needs, you’ve got it in your back pocket and can use it to select the correct ATS (and we can help).

So, where do we start?  After the audit, we’ll understand your requirements well and what we need to focus on in the system to satisfy them.  Once we know the lay of the land, we will help you decide what functionalities/processes to keep, enhance, or discard, with an eye to your current needs and future demands.  We will also explore possible integrations to create a cohesive ecosystem that improves your talent acquisition efficiency and provides a unified user experience.

Once we’ve mapped out your processes and the technology direction, it’s time to focus on building solutions.  Usually, this starts with the candidate experience.  In a competitive job market, the Candidate Experience is paramount; making a positive first impression can make all the difference in getting the best talent, reducing time to hire, and improving retention. Every touchpoint with a candidate is an opportunity to reinforce your employer brand, and we will ensure that you provide a modern experience, timely responses, and seamless communications.

Of course, candidates only represent one side of the recruitment process.  Recruiters, HR, and Hiring Managers often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, and their roles vary wildly from one organization to the next, but they are essential.  We will make sure that your ATS is user-friendly and well-optimized.  This combination of process optimization, configuration, UI enhancement, and automation will help to reduce administrative workloads, and will allow them to focus on what they do best—finding and engaging with top talent.  An intuitive system means fewer clicks, less hunting for information, and a smoother workflow.

Let’s not forget about Data and Analytics either.  Since we’re offering a data-led approach to your decision to re-implement, it only makes sense that we’d empower you to do the same for your TA strategy.  We will provide the tools and framework to get the comprehensive data you need to elevate your TA practice.  This framework involves not just the collection of data but also making it actionable. By enabling Dashboards, scheduling weekly reports, and/or building integrations with data warehousing or visualization tools like Power BI or Tableau, we will develop a robust and comprehensive reporting function to drive your analytics and elevate your TA results.

You’re not alone if you’re staring at your ATS and wondering if it’s time for a change. Whether it’s because of new leadership, outdated processes, or just a gut feeling that things could be better, it’s worth looking at the tools and technology at your disposal.  Velocity HCM is ready to guide you through this process, from conducting a thorough system audit to implementing a data-driven ATS that meets your strategic needs.