The Transformative Power of Getting Your ATS Right
Recruitment is often one of the largest controllable cost lines in an organisation. Yet many businesses operate with limited visibility, fragmented processes and heavy reliance on external agencies. Hiring managers work independently, data sits in silos, accountability is inconsistent, time-to-hire stretches and costs rise.
In many cases, the organisation already has an Applicant Tracking System in place – but the technology isn’t the problem.
When an ATS is properly selected, configured and embedded it becomes the operational backbone of hiring, driving governance, accountability, speed and measurable performance improvement.
But that transformation only happens when the platform is implemented as part of a broader shift in process design, manager ownership and recruitment operating model.
That is where the real power of ATS implementation lies, not in switching the system on, but in building the structure around it.
From agency dependency to internal capability
Many organisations don’t set out to become agency-reliant. Dependency builds gradually over time.
A difficult hire here. A time-pressured vacancy there. A lack of internal infrastructure to manage campaigns at scale until external support becomes the default rather than the exception and recruitment becomes something that is ‘done to’ the business rather than built within it.
The turning point often comes when leadership asks a simple question: Why don’t we own this ourselves?
That shift, from dependency to capability, requires infrastructure.
An Applicant Tracking System, properly implemented, provides that foundation.
When embedded correctly, an ATS enables:
- Structured workflows
- Clear service levels
- Transparent pipelines
- Improved application quality
- Automation of administrative tasks
- Consistent candidate experience.
But capability does not emerge simply because a platform has been purchased. It emerges when the system, the process and the people are aligned.
Case study: Building internal hiring capability through ATS implementation
A financial services organisation approached Troi with a clear ambition to reduce agency reliance, bring recruitment in-house and build sustainable hiring capability.
Historically, recruitment had been managed almost entirely through external agencies. There was no established internal function, limited data visibility and little ownership across hiring managers. Time-to-hire was long. Costs were significant. Processes varied by department.
Leadership wanted to take control, but without compromising candidate experience or compliance with internal People policies.
Designing the Foundation
Troi partnered with the organisation to design and embed a new decentralised recruitment model, supported by the implementation of their first Applicant Tracking System.
Rather than treating the ATS as a technical rollout, we approached it as an operating model redesign.
A dedicated embedded team managed recruitment delivery while selecting and implementing the right platform, ensuring continuity while building long-term capability.
The system was configured with aligned workflows, accountability checkpoints, integrated interview scheduling, internal referral functionality and structured leadership reporting.
Decentralising Recruitment
- Application processes were redesigned with structured pre-screening questions aligned to role criteria, reducing irrelevant applications and improving hiring manager experience.
- Clear service level agreements defined response times and feedback expectations. Hiring managers were trained to take greater ownership, supported by defined frameworks.
- Administrative tasks were automated such as interview scheduling and communications were automated to reduce friction and free up time for higher-value engagement.
- Recruitment shifted from a service-provider model to a collaborative partnership between Talent Acquisition and hiring managers.
In this situation the ATS became a mechanism that enabled this behavioural shift.
THE RESULTS
Within six months of implementation:
- Average time-to-hire reduced to under 30 days.
- 100% of roles filled without external agency support.
- Higher relevance of applications with lower overall volume.
- Improved candidate experience through personalised engagement
- Increased hiring manager efficiency and process consistency.
A properly implemented ATS creates governance, transparency, cost control, speed and sustainable capability.
At Troi Embedded, we design recruitment operating models, embed behavioural change and build the internal infrastructure that allows organisations to take control of their hiring strategy.
Because the true power of an ATS is not in the software itself. It is in what it enables when implemented properly.