The real benefits of an applicant tracking system (ATS) for SMBs in summary:
Recruitment has changed… fast. In 2026, candidates expect slick, transparent hiring experiences that move at speed, while HR teams are under pressure to do more with less. That’s why so many UK SMBs are turning to applicant tracking systems (ATS) to make hiring smarter, faster, and more human. The right ATS software automates admin, enhances candidate experience, and gives hiring managers the data they need to make confident, bias-free decisions. It’s recruitment without the chaos – saving you time, cutting costs, and helping your business stand out in a competitive market. Whether you’re looking to boost your employer brand, reduce time-to-hire, or stay compliant with GDPR and AI regulations, an ATS like Cezanne Recruitment gives you everything you need to attract top talent and keep your hiring on track.
Welcome to hiring in 2026… where speed, experience and data rule.
The world of hiring has levelled up. Candidates now expect slick communication, quick decisions and a hiring process that doesn’t feel like an administrative black hole. In fact, 60% of UK in-house recruitment teams said improving candidate experience is their biggest focus right now.
But, while candidate expectations are rocketing sky-high, hiring managers and HR teams are trying to do more with less: smaller budgets, smaller talent pools and an ever-growing pile of roles to fill. Sound familiar?
It’s a perfect storm. An uber-competitive jobs market where everyone wants speed, personalisation and transparency, but the people running the show barely have time to grab a coffee… never mind reinvent the process. Luckily, that’s where modern recruitment software with applicant tracking systems (ATS) come in.
So, time to forget disjointed spreadsheets and overflowing email inboxes… ATS software automates, tracks and streamlines your hiring process so you can focus on what really matters: finding the right people (without losing your mind).
If you’re looking to make hiring in your business that little bit more efficient (and successful), here’s how smart SMBs across the UK are using recruitment automation to stay ahead.
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Streamlining & automating your hiring
Time is the new currency in HR: and wasting it on admin is like pouring it down the drain.
A great ATS software solution eliminates the repetitive chaos – think automatic job posting, smart candidate sorting, and instant interview scheduling. In fact, according to Gartner, companies using recruitment automation save up to 30% more time per hire.
What this means for you:
- One central hub for hiring processes: No more email chains or lost CVs.
- Smart automation: Schedule interviews, trigger workflows, and send follow-ups in seconds.
- Instant job publishing: Push job ads to multiple job boards, your careers page, and social channels in a few clicks.
- Budget clarity: Track which ads and channels actually bring in the best candidates.
And that’s not all. With seamless integrations into HR, payroll, and onboarding systems (yep, like Cezanne’s modular HR software suite), everything connects effortlessly – saving you hours every week.
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Build a better candidate experience
Despite a nervy economy, candidates will always have options, and they’ll happily ghost a company with a poor or time-wasting application process (we’re talking “upload CV, then fill out the exact same details again online….” Ugghh.). Don’t believe us? Well, over 60% of job-seekers have said they’ve abandoned an application due to its length or complexity… not great if you’re trying to recruit a hard-to-fill or critical position.
An ATS helps make an application process a lot more streamlined and efficient. With the right system, you make every touchpoint feel professional, personal, and even downright pleasant. After all, every candidate deserves better than “We’ll keep your CV on file.” Don’t they?
When choosing a recruitment software and ATS package, look to see if it’ll do the following:
- Create beautiful career pages: Think on-brand, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate.
- Enable faster replies: Automated updates mean no one’s left wondering what’s going on.
- Offer transparent communication: Candidates can track their progress and feel valued.
- DE&I-friendly hiring: Tools that help you anonymise applications and reduce bias in shortlisting.
Remember: according to CIPD’s Resourcing and Talent Planning Report, improving candidate experience directly boosts offer acceptance rates… not to mention your employer brand reputation. So, if you want to stand out from the big corporates, a modern ATS helps you do just that – but obviously with less faff and more flair.
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Smarter hiring decisions & data-driven insights
Now, gut feeling has its place in recruitment processes… but hiring in today’s age runs on data, not guesswork.
With an ATS, your hiring decisions are faster, fairer, and better informed; with all the data you need to review candidate profiles, interview feedback and notes all in one place. Plus, the rise of AI-powered features – such as shortlisting tools to identify top talent without bias – helps support decisions that are backed by data, not coffee-fuelled chaos. This all matters because:
- Centralised collaboration: Ensures everyone sees the same info in real time.
- Structured scoring: Means you can compare candidates objectively.
- Analytics dashboards: Track your time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, and source-of-hire instantly.
- Bias reduction: AI and anonymised screening can help you stay fair and compliant.
As BBC Worklife reported back in 2023, AI-powered features were already reshaping how SMBs identified talent, and those embracing it were seeing shorter hiring cycles and better-fit employees. Flash forward to today, and those sentiments have only intensified.
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Stay compliant & confident
Recruitment and data protection go hand in hand. Between GDPR, the UK Data Protection Act, and now the EU AI Act, keeping candidate data safe isn’t just good practice – it really is non-negotiable.
A compliant ATS software solution handles it all for you: automatic data deletion, candidate consent management, and secure storage of personal information… all taken care of! So, you stay protected, your candidates stay confident, and the ICO stays off your back.
Key perks to look out for include:
- GDPR & AI Act compliance: No manual data cleanup needed.
- Automated retention policies: Set it and forget it.
- Complete peace of mind: Every recruiter’s favourite feeling!
Real success stories
Of course, the proof’s in the hiring. Here’s how some small and medium businesses have smashed their own recruitment goals using Cezanne Recruitment:
- Waste Walsh & Recycling – Cut costs, hired for critical positions faster, and reduced no-shows by 70%.
- UPMC – They achieved €660,000 in annual savings on cost-per-hire, reduced time-to-hire by 67%, and cut job board spending by 61%!
- Ainscough – Saw a 364% increase in applicants, 3X more high-quality candidates, and a 12-day reduction in time-to-hire for hard-to-fill roles.
So, are you ready to modernise your recruitment practices?
Recruiting doesn’t have to be painful. With Cezanne Recruitment, you get a powerful Applicant Tracking System built specifically for UK and European SMBs – fast, compliant, and surprisingly fun to use. Because let’s be honest, your recruiters have better things to do than wrestle with spreadsheets, don’t they?
Kim Holdroyd
HR & Wellbeing Manager
Kim Holdroyd has an MSc in HRM and is passionate about all things HR and people operations, specialising in the employee life cycle, company culture, and employee empowerment. Her career background has been spent with various industries, including technology start-ups, gaming software, and recruitment.
