When searching for a new ATS, how often do you take the people into account?

Sure, we all have checklists for features and functionality, but we don’t necessarily have criteria for our recruitment software supplier. Who should you be looking for – and why?

An available, reliable and realistic team

A recruitment software supplier can’t guarantee that their technology is infallible, but they can guarantee to deliver consistent and reliable customer care. A person manning the support desk and a human at the end of live chat. Someone at the end of the phone who knows who you are and how they can help you.

This is also about setting expectations. A supplier may not have the resources to be available 24/7/365, but they should communicate to you when they will be available and, crucially, what measures are in place for out of hours support.

People with a sense of curiosity

The joy of developers and technology suppliers is that they thrive on pushing the boundaries. ‘What could we achieve if we adapted this functionality?’ ‘How can we provide a better experience by altering that feature?’

In such a rapidly changing recruitment landscape, it makes sense that your ATS should also be an agile, flexible piece of kit, capable of responding to your needs, whether that’s a new social integration, mobile interface or a brand new report.

A recruitment software supplier who’s looking for a relationship

You might just be seeking an ‘out of the box’ solution or a basic level of support. But if you have more complex recruitment needs, or if you’d prefer more of a partnership, look for a supplier who takes a collaborative approach towards their customers.

A supplier should have HR knowledge and experience as well as a technology background. Look for someone who can quickly understand your needs, and who can share best practice and offer practical insights into how you can improve your processes.

Collaborative, supportive and reliable recruitment software suppliers are worth finding. Ask colleagues for recommendations. When you’re researching, pick up the phone instead of sending an email for a better idea of how responsive and personable a supplier is. Try to visit their premises to meet the team and understand their working culture.

Look for suppliers who’ll only say yes if they know they can deliver. Who’ll work around challenges and deliver innovative and practical solutions. Who will respond to your needs with the same positive attitude, regardless of whether you’ve forgotten your log-in or want to discuss the development of a brand new feature.

We recruitment software suppliers are humans, not super-humans. But the ones worth looking for are those who’ll try their absolute best to be so!

This post was originally written by Hireserve for UK Recruiter, a knowledge network and community for the recruitment industry. It appeared on their blog May 2015.

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