CASE STUDY: Thanks to the Datacruit ATS, we have unified the resources of candidates into one system

Can you briefly introduce Dixons Carphone?

We are originally from the UK, where we operate retail electronics sales services. Our stores can be found in Nordic countries, like Norway or Denmark, in addition to England and Ireland. Since 2007, we have a shared services centre in Brno, where we are working on the development of an e-commerce platform and in the field of finance and administration. Globally we have 39,000 employees, in Brno there are 600 of us. And as of 2017, we are operating as the CoE (Centre of Excellence).

How many members now use ATS?

Our recruitment team, which now has 8 members, has access to the ATS system.

How did you manage your recruitment processes before you started using Datacruit ATS?

Before switching to the ATS system, we used Excel to manage recruitment

Why did you decide for a change?

It was necessary for us to get an overview of all the candidates in one place. Candidates come to us from various sources, e.g. referral emails, external adverts, direct search, which was difficult to keep track of in the Excel table. We needed applicants to be deposited in one place and for everyone to have access to them. It was equally important that we start to better create reports of recruitment processes and more appropriately set up KPIs for recruiters.

How else do you see the advantage of ATS?

Safety. We consider the database of candidates to be much more secure than the Excel file stored in a place where it could be accessed by employees who should not have it. Due to the fact that ATS is a stand-alone application that only employees with a created account can access, we no longer have to worry about this.

Has ATS helped you with the implementation of the GDPR regulation?

Yes, it was a huge help. We introduced the ATS in 2016, when it was not yet needed, but from 2018, when the GDPR came into force, it makes our job very easy to have all consents to the processing of personal data in one place. We can simply monitor whether someone's consent ends or automatically send consent according to the generated pattern.

Why did you choose the Datacruit ATS and what criteria did you follow when searching for a new recruitment solution?

We were looking for an ATS system that would meet all our criteria and the Datacruit ATS, at that time Jobquick, did everything. Our basic requirements were the possibility of linking the ATS to Outlook, sending comments e.g. to contact the candidate and tracking all ongoing activities - communication with applicants, etc.

 In terms of more detailed criteria, we wanted e.g. links with our career sites, where we could directly publish job ads, searches across all databases or using Boolean search, the ability to communicate with hiring managers, creating folders of candidates at will according to skills and other aspects, the ability to insert feedback from managers as well as HR and many others. Datacruit helped us adapt the system directly to our needs.

How was the implementation of the solution and the introduction to the system?

First, we defined the criteria we want ATS to meet in our company. The next step was to fill in a template from Datacruit, where we added specific user data, structure of positions and teams, email templates, definition of the recruitment process, details on positions and candidates and other information. Datacruit then transferred the required criteria and processes to the system, there were initial consultations, testing, uploading of test profiles and positions. Thereafter, software was installed on the platform to future ATS users, which could be followed by a full day of training for employees on its use. Regular consultations continue to be part of our cooperation whenever something needs to be fixed or improved.

What positive benefit do you see?

We see clarity and user-friendliness as the greatest advantages. We have all the candidates and positions in one place, all with access to the history of each candidate's recruitment process. It saves us a lot of time sending messages and emails directly from the ATS. We can directly involve hiring managers in the recruitment process and produce clear reports. Process clarity has also increased with the recently added Dashboard feature.

How does Datacruit ATS help you achieve your goals?

Thanks to Datacruit ATS, we have effectively set targets for reporting and are better able to track the KPIs of individual recruiters. The ATS provides us with a good source of candidates through a database where we register all applicants. We also work with the system in data analysis and labour market mapping.

Can you tell how much time you saved with ATS?

We haven't calculated exactly how much time the ATS has saved us, but we can certainly say that the time savings due to the clarity of candidates in one place and the ability to send emails to candidates or hiring managers is really huge.

Miroslava Ambrožová

HR & Operations Manager, Dixons Carphone