Applicant Tracking System for Recruiting Agencies: Customization

Recruiting agencies know that managing and tracking candidates can be tedious without the right tools.

Luckily, today’s applicant tracking systems cater specifically to the needs of staffing and recruiting agencies through customization options.

In this post, we’ll explore how customizable ATS features like tailored workflows, metrics, and integrations can enhance a recruiting agency’s talent acquisition process.

Enhancing Recruitment with Customized ATS Solutions

Understanding the Role of Applicant Tracking Systems in Talent Acquisition

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are software tools designed to streamline and automate recruitment workflows. Key features of a typical ATS include:

Tracking job applicants through the hiring pipeline
Posting job openings to multiple sites
Sourcing candidate profiles from databases and social networks
Automated screening questions and skills testing
Analytics on pipeline conversion rates

For recruitment agencies, having an ATS centralizes and structures talent acquisition data, leading to improved efficiency and results. It eliminates manual tasks, provides insights on hiring performance, and facilitates better communication with hiring managers.

Identifying Gaps in Standard Recruitment Agency Software

However, off-the-shelf ATS solutions often lack customization options suited for specialized agencies:

Limited integrations with external tools like video interview software or recruitment CRMs
Inability to track niche KPIs like billable hours per recruit
Lack of custom fields to capture consultancy-specific candidate data
Restricted user permission controls to match complex organizational structures

Such limitations mean standard ATS platforms fail to address critical recruitment workflows, hindering optimal performance.

Tailoring ATS Customization to Enhance Recruitment Agency Workflows

With tailored enhancements to bridge these gaps, ATS software can fully empower recruitment consultancies:

Custom integrations connect the ATS to other systems leveraged by the agency, centralizing all talent acquisition data flows.
Specialized tracking provides visibility into KPIs that align with the agency’s unique business model, enabling data-driven optimization of profitability per hire.
Flexible data fields allow the capture of niche candidate qualifications that traditional ATS tools overlook, but which facilitate niche-specific hiring.
Configurable permissions grant selective system access based on each user’s role, adapting to complex agency team structures.

Such recruitment-focused customization transforms an ATS from a generic tool into an engine for enhanced workflow efficiency, pipeline visibility, and data-backed recruitment strategy optimization.

What ATS systems do recruiters use?

Recruiters have several excellent applicant tracking system (ATS) options to choose from when looking to optimize their recruitment workflows. Here are some of the most popular ATS platforms used by recruiting agencies:

Greenhouse

Greenhouse is one of the top ATS systems on the market, offering an end-to-end hiring platform for organizations of all sizes. Key features include:

Customized career sites and application forms
Intuitive candidate sourcing and pipeline management
Robust reporting and analytics
Seamless integration with other HR systems

With a focus on an exceptional candidate experience, Greenhouse helps recruiters source, track, and hire top talent more efficiently.

Pinpoint

Pinpoint is an applicant tracking system designed for recruiters who prioritize candidate experience. Key highlights include:

Automated screening questions and assessments
Structured interview guides and scorecards
Real-time collaboration tools for hiring teams
Customizable career portals

By optimizing the hiring process, Pinpoint enables recruiters to build positive candidate relationships and make more informed hiring decisions.

BambooHR

BambooHR offers a full-suite HR platform with a user-friendly ATS at its core. Key features relevant to recruiting include:

Customized application forms and careers pages
Intuitive candidate tracking workflows
Automated task reminders and notifications
Seamless integration with other apps

For recruiters looking for an all-in-one HR and applicant tracking solution, BambooHR is a great choice to consider.

How do recruiters keep track of candidates?

Recruiters typically use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to streamline tracking and managing candidates through the hiring pipeline. ATS software centralizes all candidate information and recruitment workflows into one platform.

Key features that help recruiters track candidates include:

Candidate database: Store all candidate profiles, resumes, applications, and communications history in one searchable database.
Pipeline tracking: Visualize candidates progressing through defined hiring stages like screening, interviews, offers, etc.
Custom workflows: Set up conditional logic and automated tasks to advance candidates based on actions like completing an assessment or scheduling an interview.
Analytics: Gain visibility into metrics like time-to-hire, source of hire, candidate progression rates, and more to optimize recruiting.
Notifications and reminders: Get automatically notified when candidates reach certain stages or when tasks like scheduling interviews are overdue.

For recruiting agencies, an ATS can be highly customized to match existing recruitment processes. Key customizations like tailored workflows, specialized fields to capture consultancy-specific data, role-based permissions, and agency-branded candidate portals help ATS software cater to the unique needs of staffing firms.

Integrations with email, calendar tools, and video interviewing platforms further facilitate communication and scheduling with candidates. Overall, the high configurability of modern ATS systems makes them indispensable for systematically tracking candidates end-to-end.

Do staffing agencies use ATS?

Finding the right applicant tracking system (ATS) is crucial for staffing agencies to streamline their recruitment workflows. As talent acquisition partners for companies across industries, staffing agencies handle high candidate volume and need to source, screen, and submit qualified applicants efficiently.

Using an ATS allows staffing agencies to:

Automate manual tasks like posting to job boards, scheduling interviews, email outreach
Track applicants through customized pipelines and workflows
Enrich candidate profiles with skills, experience, contact details
Identify best-fit roles for applicants via intelligent matching
Share tailored shortlists of qualified candidates with clients
Analyze metrics on pipeline health, time-to-fill, and source effectiveness

An applicant tracking system designed specifically for staffing agencies can integrate with existing tools like CRMs and HRMSs. Key features like customizable workflows, candidate parsing, automated notifications, and analytics help agencies improve productivity.

According to reports, over 80% of staffing agencies currently use an ATS to manage their recruitment process. The right recruitment software saves them time, provides structure, and allows delivering better results to hiring clients. As competition increases, agencies are turning to applicant tracking systems purpose-built for the staffing industry to gain a competitive edge.

How much does ATS cost?

The average cost of an applicant tracking system for a small recruiting agency is typically around $250 per month. However, costs can vary widely depending on the features, integrations, and level of support included.

Here are a few key factors that influence ATS pricing:

Number of users/seats: Most ATS tools charge per user per month, with discounts for higher quantities. Plans often start around $50/user/month.
Level of customization: More customizable platforms tend to cost more upfront but can better suit unique needs.
Integrations and add-ons: Additional integrations like skills tests, background checks, etc. add to the cost.
Support and training: Premium or dedicated support and training resources raise costs.
Contract length: Longer contracts (1-3 years) typically offer cheaper monthly rates.

Many applicant tracking systems offer significant discounts as you scale above 10 or 20 users. So while a very basic ATS may run $250/month to start, enterprise-level plans with robust features can actually decrease the per user cost substantially.

It’s important for recruiting agencies to balance cost with customizability to find the right long-term ATS investment for enhancing recruitment workflows. Discussing needs with an ATS provider is the best way to find a good fit.

Customizing Candidate Sourcing Features in ATS

This section explores customization options for enhancing how recruiting agencies source and qualify candidate leads using an applicant tracking system (ATS).

Leveraging Recruiting Technology for Targeted Candidate Sourcing

ATS platforms like Zoho Recruit integrate with niche job boards and proprietary agency databases to facilitate access to targeted, quality candidates. Custom connections allow agencies to:

Pull candidate profiles from industry-specific talent pools beyond mainstream job sites
Incorporate historical agency data on past candidates and clients
Set up real-time alerts when new candidates meeting predefined criteria are added to connected sources

By leveraging recruiting technology to tap into specialized sources, agencies can align candidate sourcing with precise hiring needs.

Creating Custom Screening Workflows for Efficient Candidate Pipeline Processes

Tailoring online applicant questionnaires in an ATS allows agencies to efficiently filter and route qualified leads. Customized questions collect critical data points for each role, including:

Years of experience
Specific skillsets
Availability
Salary expectations
Willingness to relocate

Automated scoring then ranks applicants, while configurable workflow rules route them to appropriate recruiters. This enhances pipeline processes through targeted lead capture.

Implementing ATS Customization for Effective Candidate Enrichment

Custom lead scoring formulas focus on the ideal candidate criteria that aligns with an agency’s unique qualification standards. Rules can also automatically enrich candidate profiles with additional data from integrated sources to enable informed screening. Prioritization dashboards then highlight the most promising applicants.

With customized sourcing connections and intelligent lead routing, ATS platforms like Zoho Recruit empower agencies to capture higher quality candidates aligned with precise hiring needs.

Enhancing Recruitment Workflows with Custom ATS Tools

Customization options in applicant tracking systems (ATS) can help streamline recruitment workflows for agencies by automating manual processes and providing transparency into hiring pipelines.

Designing Custom Hiring Pipelines for Recruitment CRM

Recruitment CRM tools like Zoho Recruit allow agencies to configure custom hiring pipelines that match their existing recruitment stages. This gives full visibility into a candidate’s application status as they move through the hiring process. Key benefits include:

Mapping pipelines to mirror agency’s standard recruitment workflow
Tracking candidates seamlessly from sourcing to job offer
Identifying bottlenecks in the hiring process for optimization

Optimizing Application Review Processes for Talent & Recruitment

ATS systems enable creating custom application review checklists and routing rules to standardize evaluation procedures. This leads to more consistent and efficient application reviews. Features include:

Custom scoring rubrics to grade candidates
Automated application routing to correct reviewers
Checklist templates to ensure no step is missed

Automating Recruitment Tasks to Boost Agency Efficiency

ATS tools can set up automatic notifications and predefined follow-up tasks to promote process consistency and time savings. This removes manual effort around essential recruitment activities. Capabilities involve:

Automated email triggers for application status updates
Preset follow-up tasks for reviewers and hiring managers
Bulk candidate outreach with personalized email templates

With heavy customization, ATS systems become versatile recruitment CRM platforms that bring structure, speed, and scalability to an agency’s talent acquisition needs.

Harnessing Custom Recruitment Metrics and Analytics

Recruitment agencies have specialized needs when it comes to tracking performance. Customization options in applicant tracking systems allow for tailored metrics and analytics aligned to an agency’s unique business goals.

Developing Customizable KPIs for Recruitment Performance Analysis

ATS platforms designed for recruiting agencies provide the flexibility to configure custom key performance indicators (KPIs) specific to recruitment workflows. These may include:

Pipeline conversion rates from prospect to placed candidate
Quality scores for candidates based on custom criteria
Recruiter performance benchmarks tailored to the agency’s standards
Customizable reports on time-to-fill rates, source of hire, and other metrics

Building customized dashboards around these KPIs empowers agencies to pinpoint areas needing improvement.

Integrating ATS Data with HR Software for Comprehensive Insights

Integrating applicant tracking system data with other platforms like payroll, HRIS, or CRM software unlocks more holistic insights through a unified view of recruiting and other HR processes.

Cross-referencing metrics from different systems helps uncover trends around aspects like:

Candidate quality versus retention rate
Recruiter hiring volume and pipeline health
Talent supply forecasting based on past hiring demand

This level of analytics aids data-driven optimization of the entire recruitment workflow.

Employing Intelligent ATS Features for Predictive Recruitment Analytics

Modern applicant tracking systems designed for recruiting agencies offer intelligent features that enable predictive analytics using historical data. These include:

Customized scorecards benchmarking individuals and teams
Statistical models forecasting future hiring demand
Automated notifications on pipeline health risks and opportunities
"What-if" scenario analysis for recruitment strategy decisions

Leveraging predictive analytics guides proactive planning and optimization at both strategic and operational levels of the recruitment process.

Selecting the Best Applicant Tracking Systems for Recruiters

Evaluating ATS Customization Options for Unique Agency Needs

When evaluating applicant tracking systems (ATS), it’s important for recruiting agencies to assess the customization options available to meet their unique needs. As niche recruiters, agencies often have specific workflows and processes that need tailored configuration. Seeking out providers with experience adapting systems for specialized agencies can ensure the ATS can be modified to support core recruitment operations.

Key areas to evaluate customization include:

Sourcing and enrichment workflows to match agency candidate pools
Custom application and hiring workflow design
Integration with existing agency software and systems
Custom reporting dashboards and analytics

Providers that enable extensive customization without major coding changes can best adapt to agencies’ needs.

Assessing the Flexibility and Adaptability of Recruitment Software

A quality ATS for agencies should provide flexible and adaptable recruitment software that can change as needs evolve. The ideal system allows modifications to field values, workflows, interfaces, integrations, and more without extensive re-coding.

When reviewing options, agencies should assess:

Ease of making tweaks and changes independently
Available self-service customization tools
Options for simple and reusable customization templates
Scalability to support future growth and process changes

Platforms built on modular code with customizable building blocks can better adapt as requirements shift.

Ensuring Continuous Innovation in Recruiting Software Platforms

With ongoing enhancements in recruiting technology, an ATS should have a strong roadmap for continuous platform improvements.

When selecting a system, agencies should consider:

Regular software updates and feature releases
Commitment to R&D and innovation in recruiter tools
Options for customers to submit enhancement requests
Openness to customer feedback to shape product direction

An ATS focused on consistent innovation can enable further customization as new techniques and integrations emerge across the recruitment tech landscape.

Real-World Examples: Applicant Tracking System Customizations

Recruiting agencies have unique needs when it comes to applicant tracking systems. Customization options allow agencies to tailor their ATS platforms to enhance recruitment workflows. Here are some real-world examples of how agencies have leveraged customization successfully:

Case Study: Customizing Recruit CRM for Niche Talent Pools

A boutique agency specializing in placing candidates in the fashion industry implemented extensive custom fields in Recruit CRM to track relevant details like photographers’ portfolios, models’ composite cards, and designers’ collections. By tailoring the system to their niche, they enabled more effective candidate profiling and matching.

Success Story: Implementing Zoho Recruit for Streamlined Lead Management

An agency struggling with disjointed lead management integrated Zoho Recruit into their stack. Custom fields for lead source, product interest, and deal stage allowed seamless tracking from initial outreach through hiring. Streamlining their process increased sales by 34% in the first quarter.

Highlighting ATS Customization Successes Across Various Agencies

Bullseye Staffing – Added custom scoring rubrics to their ATS to systematically rate candidates on specialized technical competencies, facilitating matches with particular client needs.
The Talent Company – Built a custom candidate lookup feature in their ATS based on talent representation history to easily reconnect recurring job seekers with previous submittals.
AAA Recruiters – Developed a custom hiring pipeline analysis dashboard in their ATS to provide real-time visibility into process bottlenecks.

The examples illustrate how recruiting agencies have successfully used ATS customization to enhance sourcing, scoring, engagement and more based on their unique needs.