Who says SaaS Recruitment Software isn’t Customisable?
Why you should make ‘customisable’ a requirement when evaluating recruitment software.
The traditional approach of software as a service (SaaS) offerings is that of ‘mass standardization’. It’s about identifying a problem that many customers face, and developing a turn-key solution that suits everyone. But let’s be frank, times are changing and this ideology is outdated.
SaaS software vendors can no longer claim that a one-size fits all solution is adequate, and this is especially true in the recruitment software space. Modern technology has become increasingly malleable, and ‘set and forget’ is simply no longer good enough. Recruiters are expecting technology to meld into their workflow, rather than accepting compromises.
When cloud-based recruitment software began gaining widespread popularity, agencies of all breeds began making the shift to the cloud, yet many felt they were compromising customizability for convenience. Some avoided the transition, arguing “Cloud software is off-the-shelf and isn’t built for my business like my internal system”. Well, scrap that because customisable cloud is now a reality.
It all comes down to the maturity of architecture the recruitment software is built upon. Not all cloud-based SaaS vendors can provide innate customisability and in truth, many try to avoid the topic all together. While some software vendors claim to be multi-tenant, they’re unable to make simple changes to their system without that change impacting all of their users.
Having mature architecture means software which is built on open, standardised APIs with self-service and complete interoperability in mind. Mature SaaS vendors such as Xero, Marketo and of course, Bullhorn are all proven examples that cloud can infact be customisable.
With the Bullhorn Marketplace as evidence, Bullhorn was always intended to be an adaptable and open platform that others could plug into. We supply all the building blocks required for others to jump in and create top of the shell additions and integrations. The end result for Bullhorn is that it not only handles customisability with ease, but is also incredibly secure and robust; a requirement to support third party plug-ins.
Bullhorn as an organisation has always been focused on creating an ‘incredible customer experience’, and a big part of that is ensuring the software is adaptable to changing customer needs. While well known competitors charge for even minor configurations, Bullhorn assumes that you’d want the system to be tailored to your agency – and configurable after the fact. Users are able to configure key parts of the system at any time and for complex requirements, a project manager works with the client until their needs are met.
In my tenure as a recruitment CRM Project Manager, I’ve been at the forefront of countless implementations and transitions. It’s common to witness agencies implementing cheaper, rigid, recruitment systems only to be frustrated by lack of customisation. And It’s usually at this point that they contact Bullhorn and are amazed by how we respond to their ‘wishlist’.
All requests are taken with a personal, consultative approach. It’s about understanding business objectives and then building the best solution to fit the situation, not just a work-around. The team at Bullhorn are truly recruitment data experts, and they’re working with an incredibly flexible platform. The result is an experience that has quite honestly caught some customers off guard, triggering a sort of ‘too good to be true’ skepticism.
A common concern is, “If we customise the system, does that mean that we won’t receive the same updates as everyone else?”,. To put it simply, as a mature cloud provider, we build all of our customisations using open source Application Program Interfaces (or APIs). Instead of supporting each individual customisation after updates, we simply need to maintain these APIs, leaving us free to innovate.
It’s time to abolish the misconception that cloud SaaS recruitment software is a ‘one size fits all’ solution. Rather than continuing to compromise, agencies would do well to question those that say ‘customisation isn’t possible’ and ensure that a mature vendor is considered as a part of their next software evaluation.
By choosing a customisable recruitment CRM built upon mature architecture, agencies are making the decision to invest in the long term. They’re receiving a solution that will grow and adapt with their business while avoiding all the headaches of less established vendors. It’s a strategy that has worked for numerous successful recruitment firms and it’s hard to argue with results.
About the Author:
Khanh Pham has over 6 years of experience in the recruitment software industry. He’s worked in customer support, through to engineering and project management and has lead the implementation of Bullhorn SaaS solutions for hundreds of agencies in the greater APAC region.
