The Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and CRM are the cornerstone of recruitment software, but upgrading them can feel like a huge hurdle. However, sidestepping the issue of tech upgrades can threaten your position against the competition. A new year is a great time to resolve to take the leap.
Here’s the good news: many common fears around tech upgrades are simply unfounded! So, if you’re fretting about whether or when to upgrade your recruitment tech, here’s are some tips on upgrading your tech…
When To Upgrade a Legacy ATS System
Enhancing efficiency throughout the recruitment cycle is a continual goal in staffing. This is especially critical in today’s job market, where perfect-fit candidates are like gold dust. But how do you know when it’s time to upgrade your applicant tracking system?
The short answer is that if your legacy system lacks the full functionality required to optimize your recruitment processes, an upgrade to leverage modern technology capabilities is in order.
Here are some key questions to determine whether your legacy system is falling short:
- Is a lack of automation causing workflow bottlenecks?
- What are the third-party integration capabilities of your ATS?
- Can you post to all the major job boards without leaving your platform?
- Can you import candidate information easily?
- How easy is multi-channel outreach?
- Can you source candidates from social media platforms?
- How integrated is your data?
- Is there a lot of duplicate data entry going on?
- Are your ATS and CRM integrated?
- How good is your candidate’s experience?
- How efficient/long is your application process?
- Is text and email communication automated?
- Is your ATS mobile-friendly?
A slow, outdated ATS can lead to downtime, inefficiencies, and frustrating user experiences for both recruiters and candidates. But all too often, recruitment businesses fail to make upgrades. Here are a few of the reasons why:
- Costs: Upgrading tech can be expensive. The cost can include the new system and training staff, not to mention the costs of maintaining, updating, and scaling a system.
- Competing priorities: In the fast-paced world of recruitment, there will always be competing priorities, which means a tech upgrade can get shelved. This is especially true when the people making the upgrade decisions aren’t using the system daily. The finance gatekeepers may be oblivious to workflow issues and have other pressing expenses to budget.
- Implementation disruption: Most recruitment leaders are worried about the disruption and downtime. The thought of disruption alone can kick the tech-upgrade can down the road.
- Productivity: A huge consideration when upgrading any tech is training staff. How will learning a new system impact productivity? Businesses are understandably nervous about taking this step, even though it is clear the new system will benefit them in the long term.
- Stuck in ‘our system is old but good enough’: When you’ve already spent a lot of money, time, and energy on a system, it’s easy to overlook its annoying issues and inadequacies.
- Confidence: The reason for delaying a tech upgrade can simply be a matter of confidence. Change can be scary, so it can be easy to put off the big decisions as long as possible.
The Consequences of an Outdated ATS System
Humans are creatures of habit. Why change what you are comfortable with, especially if you’ve become used to the workarounds? But sticking with the same old tech can have hidden and harmful consequences. Here are some of them:
- Data security vulnerabilities: The recruitment industry holds a vast amount of personal data, including passport scans and bank details, meaning the data could become a target for cybercriminals. As technology advances, so too does the sophistication of cyber-attacks. Old systems can lack the security features necessary to protect against modern-day cyber threats.
- Productivity nosedive: If you’re using an outdated ATS, your hiring process almost certainly isn’t as efficient as it could be. Older ATS platforms facilitate fewer automations, creating a more frustrating user experience and longer time-to-hire.
- Financial sinkhole: Outdated solutions squander a lot of business time and staff resources. Duplicate data entry is typical when systems are patched together but don’t sync properly, which takes up recruiters’ time and leads to more errors. Inadequate reporting and poor data analysis also affect the speed and accuracy of business decisions.
- Operational roadblocks: Outdated tech throws up all sorts of operational challenges, including scalability issues and data management effectiveness. With many older systems, there is often a lack of support and updates.
- Losing out to competitors: Recruiters are savvy, but poor tech can let them down. An outdated ATS can overlook high-quality applicants. It doesn’t have the sophisticated features to sort and assess less traditional skills or to ‘rediscover’ talent in its archives. An old-school ATS lacks messaging and notification features to support optimal collaboration within talent teams.
Ignore These Tech Upgrade Blockers!
In a few situations, delaying a tech upgrade can be a wise decision, but in most cases, the benefits of upgrading far outweigh the short-term costs and disruption. If you are debating about whether or when to upgrade your ATS, here are some of the nagging fears and doubts you can ignore:
- New-tech phobia: Tech is evolving at such a rapid pace that it can be hard to keep up with new developments. Feeling like you don’t know enough can make the whole process of choosing an upgrade daunting. But software isn’t your area of expertise. Recruitment is. Don’t let fear of tech get in the way of its incredible benefits.
- Overwhelming number of tech options: With so many ATS software products, knowing which one is right for you can be difficult. Demo some products and see what’s on the market. You’ll soon get a handle on what is available and what will suit your business best. A good software provider will listen carefully to your needs, show you how their product can help you overcome your unique recruitment challenges, and demonstrate how they will support you beyond implementation.
- The great unknown: Resistance to new tech is rooted in the genuine human fear of the unknown. In recruitment software, simply evaluating the risks and opportunities of tech upgrades can help to take unfounded anxiety out of the equation. Generative AI is making waves in recruitment, but it’s to be embraced, not feared.
- Wasting money: Since we’ve moved to cloud-based computing solutions, fear of wasting money on an expensive system is a thing of the past. A carefully chosen ATS will have features and plans to fit your business, so you only pay for what you need and can add features as you grow.
- Potential disruption: Back in the day, tech upgrades involved untold disruption for weeks on end. But with the right provider, implementing a new cloud-based ATS system is pretty seamless.
- Possibility of failure: Project failure is entirely possible if you choose the wrong system, take a punt with a new-to-market product, or don’t do your homework on what ATS features your business needs. Understanding your operational needs and challenges goes a long way in making the right choice. Be sure to demo, demo, demo, and get to know providers before jumping in.
Great Reasons to Upgrade Your ATS
- Hiring metrics aren’t on target
- Lack of insights and analytics or poor reporting functionality
- Workflow inefficiencies the waste time
- A lack of integrations resulting in the duplication of data entry
- Communication bottlenecks
- Lack of customization
- Lack of support
- Poor system development
- Not mobile-friendly or mobile-optimized
- Not user-friendly or overly complicated
The right modern ATS can help reduce time-to-hire, minimize administrative costs, and enhance the quality of hires. Recruiters are amazed to find how much more successful they can be after breaking free from the chains of outdated systems. Ignore the myths that are holding you back from adopting a software to make your life as a recruiter easier. Let 2025 be the year!
Explore Hrtech Articles for the latest Tech Trends in Human Resources Technology
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stormie Haller
Director of Marketing at TrackerRMS
Stormie Haller is the global marketing lead for TrackerRMS, a leading applicant tracking system (ATS) and customer relationship management (CRM) software for the recruitment and staffing industry. A seasoned marketing professional with a proven track record of results, she has successfully navigated the dynamic landscape of B2B SaaS marketing with over 12 years of experience in performance marketing, events, SEO/SEM, demand generation, and business development. Haller directs all global marketing activities for Tracker, optimizing ROI and driving revenue growth for the business. She is passionate about building relationships with partners in the recruiting space and educating staffing professionals on the benefits of innovative technology.
