After parts 1 and 2, things are getting serious with you and the system. You’ve flirted with other options, but this ATS and supplier are the real deal for you.

Now you just need to convince everyone else by securing ATS buy-in.

You’ll need to present a solid business case to senior decision makers. What should you include?

Demonstrate your expected ROI

Compile your key costs, whether they be time spent on low-value administrative tasks, recruitment advertising or your agency spend. Then – and you may need your supplier’s support with this – lay out how you expect your ATS to reduce these costs, and what kind of return you would expect to see.

For example, an effective Applicant Tracking System can decrease agency usage by 50% compared to before an ATS was implemented.

Have a look at this other post for much more detail about calculating your recruitment software ROI

Explain where the business benefit lies

Seeing a strong return on investment and outlining how you’ll reduce costs is going to play a key part in securing ATS buy-in. But further strengthen your business case with a clear indication of how the implementation of a new Applicant Tracking System is going to benefit the wider business.

Will it improve your talent pool management and lead to a more diverse workforce? Will your team’s working culture improve – and could the changes be rolled out across the wider business? Will your ATS improve communication and cohesion across departments and hiring managers?

Respond to these points using terminology that will appeal to your decision makers so as to clearly demonstrate the benefits of your chosen ATS in a language and context that is relevant to them.

This will further help to secure ATS buy-in.

Showcase outstanding customer support and care

When you’re proving that you’ve found a system worthy of your affections, you need to demonstrate that the supplier has plans to support you to secure ATS buy-in. Testimonials from existing clients may help, whilst some suppliers may also be happy for you to approach their customers directly for a reference.

When putting together your business case, you’ll need to be confident that your supplier has plans for out of hours support, and senior decision makers may want to know about ongoing customer care initiatives and training provisions to make sure your team are getting the best out an Applicant Tracking System.

Securing ATS buy-in for your chosen recruitment system can feel like an uphill battle…

But if you work with your supplier and consider some of the above points, you should have the information you need to create a compelling and commercially viable business case.

With mum and dad’s approval, this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship…

For more guidance and information about defining your pain points beginning your research and selecting a new ATS, download your guide to Choosing an ATS: Interactive, practical and packed with guidance and advice!

Find out more

Part 1: Researching a new ATS

Part 2: Deciding on a new ATS

How to: Measure your quality of hire