Choosing The Right ATS

Recruitment is a complex undertaking, especially during talent shortages, the Great Resignation, and the impending financial crisis. Attracting and retaining high-quality job applicants are recruitment goals that are becoming increasingly challenging and require all the help recruiters can get.

Otherwise, they risk struggling to fill open positions and affecting team performance and productivity. Most companies and recruitment agencies mitigate this problem by investing in efficient tech support and systems.

The Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is among the most efficient solutions for conducting a successful selection process. A large majority of companies have said that their ATS positively impacted their hiring processes. This software also helps hire top candidates faster and improve their quality. 

Therefore, the ATS is an invaluable investment that makes a lasting difference and streamlines recruitment. Its numerous features and benefits help optimize procedures and enable recruiters to focus on the more human-centric aspect of their jobs, such as preparing employee onboarding and candidate engagement. 

Although ATS is an all-in-one solution, its functions and capabilities also depend on the vendor. That also explains why the price and conditions fluctuate.

Because of that, it’s necessary to research the market, understand your recruitment needs, and be sure about the criteria the ATS should meet. Thanks to that, you’ll know what software provider is best for your business and aligns with your expectations.

Does the Use of an ATS Pay-Off?

When paying for an ATS to accelerate your recruitment processes and increase the quality-of-hire, remember that this is a future investment. It isn’t only a tech gadget you’ll use a few times.

Instead, it’s a long-term solution with features that help you make a lasting positive impact on your selection process. An ATS allows you to source qualified job applicants from multiple sources, funnel incoming resumes into a centralized platform, and track and manage candidates. 

These factors also positively influence your business, profitability, and revenues. You’ll find compatible job applicants faster and fill open vacancies, ensuring other employees don’t need to perform additional tasks to compensate for the lack of staff.

An efficient ATS lets you post your job openings on various premium job boards, improve employer branding, and maintain regular communication with candidates. That helps your recruiters to become more productive and engaged.

As a result, the company gains a competitive advantage in terms of reputation as an employer. But the recruitment ATS also enables a more in-depth candidate screening and matches your job openings with the most suitable job applicants. 

Decision-making becomes better in the process and leads to more desirable outcomes in the long run. Thanks to that, you can save your recruiters from hours typically spent on the screening process. 

Instead of analyzing numerous factors, they’ll receive AI-based recommendations on who the best match is. However, it’s also significant to mention that you should consider what happens when your company or recruitment agency starts growing.

If you opt for an on-premise ATS, software features may not be flexible, and you might have to make a substantial change in the future. Consider seeking cloud-based systems as they’re more sustainable and keep up with a company’s growth. 

You’ll be able to subscribe for more functions once you need them and ensure your ATS keeps up with your business development. Thus, you don’t have to worry about installing the platform and preparing an extensive tech infrastructure to support this software.

The vendor takes care of keeping your ATS up and running, updated, and without glitches. Moreover, cloud-based software allows you to avoid the inconvenience of only using the platform on a single device.

Since the cloud hosts all the data and contacts, you can access it everywhere if you have an internet connection. Therefore, your recruiters can communicate with the candidates regardless of their location and ensure they don’t miss out on dates and meetings. 

Undoubtedly, recruitment ATS is among the wisest and most lucrative investments you can make for your company and employees. It brings you invaluable advantages and perpetuates business continuity.

If you’ve been thinking about implementing one, it’s time to delve into the price structure. 

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The Most Common ATS Pricing Models

Before choosing your ATS, reach out to the vendor or check their website to see their offer. However, here are the pricing models most software providers offer:

Pay-Per-Seat

This is the best model for teams and companies of any size, including those that have strong business growth plans in place. This is why many recruitment agencies and companies choose the pay-per-recruiter model. That way, they decide how many users can access the ATS. 

Moreover, every recruiter gets their login data and additional privileges. Manatal, for instance, allows paid access as well as free access for guests - such as hiring managers and clients - on a dedicated portal to collaborate on decision-making and processes. 

All features on Manatal are made accessible to the user via the pay-per-recruiter model, allowing everyone with access to have equal exposure to the platform's many capabilities and use it to its fullest. This is a flat, simple and predictable model that allows your team to become proficient with the platform while maintaining a prudent budget.

Pay-Per-Job

If you don’t have many job openings and only want to use the ATS as and when a new vacancy comes up, a pay-per-job model can be an alternative. Some vendors will charge you per job applicant that applies to your job ad or per job opening. 

Because of that, this model might work better for small businesses. Otherwise, you could struggle to keep up with the price.

Pay-Per-Module

Some vendors offer the ATS in combination with another, typically larger platform. That way, it works as a feature you add when purchasing software or the need arises. 

However, while your team may be in urgent need of specific types of modules in the beginning, there may be a need for more modules in the future. 

This happens especially when hiring strategies develop to cover more functions and tasks. In this scenario, costs can quickly escalate as your needs grow and your team gets larger.

How Does Manatal’s Pricing Model Work?

Manatal offers an all-in-one ATS solution and has numerous invaluable features, such as enrichment, recommendations, sourcing, compliance, reports, and dedicated customer support. The cost depends on the number of users- in this sense, the recruiters in your team -  and the jobs you want to create.

We maintain clarity about Manatal’s pricing models and we don’t require a credit card during the 14-day Free Trial. You can choose the Professional Plan, starting at $15 per user per month, and get 15 jobs per account. 

If you’re hiring for more than 15 vacancies, consider the Enterprise Plan that starts at $35 per user per month. This model provides unlimited jobs, unlimited candidates, unlimited hiring managers, vendors and/or clients, and many other features.

The Custom Plan is ideal for big teams as it allows companies to tailor the ATS to their specific needs. As the price depends on the features and functions the client wants, it’s necessary to contact the sales team and discuss the details. Additionally, Manatal is a dynamic platform that allows hyper-customization to cater to teams that have specific processes and needs. 

Furthermore, our ATS is a stellar deal for small and medium-sized businesses due to being affordable and providing all the characteristics necessary for efficient recruitment. 

Manatal’s recruitment software is easy to use, has numerous advantages, and enables adjusting your subscription as your company grows. Thus, it includes an open API, allowing you to integrate the ATS with other solutions, such as Oracle, Kronos, or SAP. 

Benefits ATS Providers Typically Offer

Besides the ATS features and functions, vendors often provide additional benefits to ensure a better experience for their customers. Before choosing the platform, discover whether you can try it before purchasing, as that’s the most common advantage.

For example, some software providers offer a demo version, enabling leads to experiment with their system and check whether it aligns with their recruitment needs. Others offer free trials for a limited amount of time.

As a result, you can try all the ATS features before subscribing and make a better-informed decision. For instance, Manatal offers both options for free and lets you experience software benefits first-hand.

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How to Determine Your ATS Budget

Although you might understand the ATS pricing models, you could be confused about determining your budget. That’s why you should consider various factors before purchasing the platform.

Many professionals will advise you to choose the ATS and then work on the budget. But instead of taking that route, make a business case for the most compatible tools. 

That way, you’ll understand the project scope, the goals you want to achieve, and how to organize your finances. Therefore, consider your company size, the number of employees, HR department bandwidth, how you envision business growth, and specific recruitment needs. 

That helps you choose the best pricing model and compare it with what your preferred ATS vendors offer. Understand what functions you need to improve the selection process and communication with the candidates.

The best way to get a crystal-clear picture of how the platform could support your processes is to discuss with your recruiters and hiring manager and identify the issues they frequently encounter. Imagine different scenarios where the ATS could be helpful.

For example, your recruitment teams might struggle with keeping up with significant dates and events. That often makes it hard to maintain regular communication with job applicants and send updates about the status of their job applications.

Yet, that problem could escalate, resulting in qualified candidates quitting the process or developing an unfavorable opinion about the company. An ATS like Manatal would help your recruitment teams handle the schedules by receiving reminders and notifications to guide their activities. Furthermore, our free 14-day trial lets you invite your entire team to test the platform, allowing everyone to be involved.

Avoid thinking only about what your candidates need. Consider how to make things easier for your team.

Compare their unique needs with the ATS and how it could streamline their work. Get their feedback on top choices and ensure they’re comfortable with your decision.

Thus, that will help you get buy-in from your financial and sales teams, as it’s crucial everyone is on the same page. Otherwise, you can encounter pushback, making it challenging to have relevant parties adopt the ATS.

Hence, the business case you set for the platform should convey a persuasive message and highlight its value. Clarify the objectives, software use, and what pain points it will address.

Things to Consider Before the Final Decision

Before sealing the deal, companies should determine whether the price is negotiable. The prices vendors highlight usually depend on a client’s specific needs, enabling them to customize the features and subscribe only for what benefits their recruitment process.

If you plan to sign a multi-year contract, ensure you know what functions are unnecessary, as that allows the software provider to remove them from the equation. Be clear about your business needs and explain what you expect from your ATS.

Also, avoid add-ons, optional functionalities, and modules that inflate the price but make no difference for your company. Only choose features that generate lasting business value and ease things for your teams and candidates.

Compare different vendors and avoid associating quality with price only. That’s why it’s wise to anticipate the ROI of the recruitment ATS and develop projections. 

For example, a platform might help your recruiters work faster due to candidate sourcing, automation, or assembling relevant data in one place. On the other hand, it might enhance the overall job applicant experience, streamline talent acquisition, and lower cost-of-hire.

However, vendors dedicated to keeping customer satisfaction high will likely help you with different scenarios and highlight how their ATS corresponds to your unique needs. But you can also ask to see how their tools helped similar businesses achieve stellar results.

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Making the Right Choice - For Teams, Candidates and Clients

Although you should start by understanding the ATS pricing models and which one fits your criteria, remember that this investment will have a lasting effect on your recruitment. Therefore, choose the one that meets the most of your needs and offers features that help you streamline processes, increase employee engagement, and attract top candidates.

Determine your budget, how many job openings and job applicants you expect, how many recruiters will use the platform, and whether you prefer monthly, annually, or all together. The ideal ATS should align with your expectations and have the capacity to support the complexity of your hiring processes.

Manatal’s recruitment ATS is a stellar solution for companies of all sizes due to its affordability, great features, and efficiency. It also offers pricing packages and benefits tailored to different needs and requirements.

Get in touch to discover how Manatal can help you streamline your recruitment process or start a free 14-day trial to start making a lasting difference for your business.