Bert Koning (OTYS): “A good candidate journey is only possible with a good recruiter journey.”
OTYS has been a well-established name in the recruitment market for a long time, and after its acquisition by the Mysolution Group, the brand claims to be stronger than ever. The company states that it is even more service-oriented and demonstrates with the latest version, OTYS Go!, that user experience is a top priority. "The more complex the recruiter's work becomes, the simpler the software should be," says CEO Bert Koning in this interview.
OTYS Go! is a cloud-based
ATS system designed for recruitment agencies, staffing firms, temp agencies, and corporate recruiters. "In the latest release, the focus is on visual identity and user experience. You can still do a lot (if you want, you can re-enable all the menus), but for the average user, it's much simpler. We've invested a lot of time and energy into this aspect and extensively tested the software on user platforms," explains Koning. And it has been successful. "Customers find it much more appealing and want to start using it immediately.
User-friendliness at the front
OTYS Go! has incorporated some interface-related smart features in the new version to further enhance the recruiter's user experience. These include Quick Search, Quick Actions (quickly creating a note about a candidate, for example, from the job screen), and History. Koning explains that they carefully considered how a recruiter's daily work looks. "Recruiters are constantly interrupted throughout the day; candidates cancel, a client suddenly needs five more people, or a temp worker falls ill – that's why you often see recruiters with various notes on their desk about things they need to do. We make their work easier. With OTYS Go!, no more paper notes on your desk.
“A good candidate journey is only possible with a good recruiter journey.”
OTYS GPT
OTYS also utilizes AI with its own OTYS GPT. The first AI features that have been launched include an assistant that can read, summarize, (re)write, and/or translate text for you. Koning says, "This communication assistant can answer your emails, write job vacancy descriptions, take notes on a candidate's recommendation, or use the OTYS Careerpage editor for your website. A second AI tool is JobTargeting, a tool that can write different versions of a job posting for each target audience. Previously, creating different job descriptions was a lot of work. OTYS GPT can do this quickly and can also translate and publish them instantly. The third tool is sentiment analysis. An email or message characterized by OTYS GPT as 'frustrated,' for example, from a candidate in the final stages of a job application process, or an 'angry' email from a top client that requires immediate attention. OTYS GPT does this for the recruiter; the message is read, and based on the candidate's or client's status, the message is automatically given more or less attention by the recruiter."
For recruiters, by recruiters
In the development of the software, OTYS follows the principle of "for recruiters, by recruiters." Everything is designed to make the recruiter's job as easy as possible, as Koning explains. "Sending a beautiful confirmation email to an applicant is of no use if they don't hear anything for two weeks afterward; the candidate journey does not progress well in such a case. And there's a significant risk of this happening when the recruiter has to use system A for one thing, system B for another, and press button X or Y in yet another tool... you tend to forget things quickly," Koning explains. "In practice, a recruiter sometimes has to handle ten different applications. We want to make their work easier. So, we connect different systems, and the user can do all the work from within OTYS, taking over screens, and so on. The software should help the recruiter perform their work well and maintain an overview. A good candidate journey is only possible with a good recruiter journey.
User-friendliness
With the new features and AI technology, OTYS responds to the trend towards optimal user-friendliness. Koning states, "User needs have changed significantly over the years. In the past, customers wanted a package that could do everything. They were willing to accept many buttons and menus. Now, users primarily want the software to be quick and easy to use. Modern recruiters don't want to spend too much time on software; they want to focus on candidates and clients. Software should be straightforward."
Recruitment developments
According to Koning, this aligns with the rapid developments in the field of recruitment. "The recruitment profession is becoming increasingly complex. Recruiters need more tools to reach candidates, have more tasks, encounter more (niche) job boards, and candidates are scattered across various communities. Recruiters need to know where their target audience is and be more familiar with the different online environments to reach those candidates. And because job applicants are scarcer, there is also more competition.
Simple, effective, and efficient software is essential nowadays, says Koning. "Even companies themselves are becoming more professional. Our corporate recruitment division is growing rapidly. Even smaller companies are using specialized recruitment software due to competition in the job market." Koning indicates that OTYS is adapting to these market developments. "As OTYS, we integrate with many HR, CRM, and ATS systems and ensure secure connections with APIs, complying with all legal regulations (such as GDPR). But also in terms of user experience: the latest version of OTYS Go! is much more intuitive and perfectly aligns with the desires and working style of modern recruiters."
Koning observes a paradox: "The role of a recruiter is becoming more versatile and demanding. The more complex a recruiter's job becomes, the simpler the software they work with should be."
Accelerated transition
The strong focus on user experience in OTYS's development and market approach is made possible by the "accelerated transition" the company has undergone, Koning explains. "From a technical perspective, we have always been a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) company, but we did not emphasize it enough in our market approach. That's why we have invested more and will continue to invest in customer service, customer support, and customer success. We are now much more focused on supporting (existing) customers, a philosophy that fits better with a true SaaS company."
According to Koning, this transition was only possible because a large parent organization now supports them. "I'm not sure if we could have made this accelerated transition from software supplier to service provider without the support of the Mysolution Group (which acquired OTYS in 2020). We can now sail much closer to the wind and chart our own course that aligns with the new strategy."
