Thinking of Implementing an ATS? 6 Crucial Things To Consider

Maybe you have a growing recruiting team and think it might be time to implement an applicant tracking system. Or maybe you currently have an ATS, but you aren’t happy with it and want it replaced. Either way, an ATS is a great way to help your team stay organized and maintain a strong candidate experience. At the same time, it’s also a big decision and a big expense. With so many options out there, how will you ever choose the one that is right for your organization?

Look no further! Here are six things you need to find out before deciding on and implementing the right ATS for you.

1) Usability

This one is obvious. You want to make sure you implement an ATS that is user friendly and straightforward. You don’t want to force your team to attend an 8-hour training session just to learn how to input a candidate’s information. Do your research, take a tour of the system, and go through demos. This way you can determine whether you’re confident every person on your team will be able to use it correctly and efficiently.

2) Customization

Every organization and team is different. You don’t want an ATS that makes you conform to it, you want an ATS that conforms to you! Make sure you can customize statuses, required information, format, etc. This way your team can tailor the system for your needs and the way you plan to use it. Additionally, you’ll want to make sure you are able to make changes to the customizations as needed if the team decides on a new process.

3) Job Postings and Applications

Can you post jobs on your company’s website through the ATS? If so, do applications coming in through the site get inputted directly into the ATS for your team to review? They should. This makes the process of reviewing applications much more streamlined. It also ensures that every application is entered into your ATS, even if they are not a fit for the job they applied for.

4) Cost

Another obvious one. Everything being equal, it makes the most sense to go with the most cost effective option. Make sure you don’t skimp though; get the best system for the money! Also, inquire about extra costs. Are upgrades included? Job Postings? How many seats are included in the upfront costs? How much does each extra seat cost? Are there discounts for a certain number of seats purchased at once? These are all things to think about.

5) Customer Support

Make sure to read reviews on the product and the customer support response. Even great products have their issues, and bad customer support could be very frustrating. See if you will be assigned one relationship manager to contact with any issues or if you will have to call the 800 number and wait on hold for 3 hours.

6) Hosted or Cloud/SaaS

This is a big question to consider. Hosted solutions are slower to change and fix. In my opinion, a cloud or SaaS option is the way to go. The ramp-up is quicker, the upgrades and fixes are quicker, and you have the option to access the system remotely.

Purchasing an ATS for your talent team is a large task. In order to ensure you make the right decision you need to take the time to do your research and find out all you can about the product. This way, once implemented, it is easy to get up and running and there are no surprises.