We’ve been introducing you to members of the Tribepad team on the blog and this week, it’s time to say hello to Paul Macfarlane, our Customer Service Delivery Manager. Paul joined us in November 2018 and is already making a positive impact as he works with and supports our clients.
With several years of experience under his belt, Paul is no stranger to the recruitment industry. We asked him a few questions to find out more about his role at Tribepad, the importance of customer service, and some of the features he likes most in Tribepad ATS.
What’s your role at Tribepad?
My role at Tribepad is Recruitment Processes and Service Delivery Manager, which is quite a mouthful! The position is split into two parts.
First, I work with new Tribepad clients to help manage the set up and implementation of Tribepad ATS right through to launch. I’m then on hand once the ATS is live to answer and respond to any day-to-day queries.
The second part of my role sees me use my experience to look at our clients’ recruitment process from a Tribepad perspective. That means everything from reviewing the percentage of candidates who complete an application, helping to reduce time to hire, and identifying any other specific areas that they can improve on.
From there, I can work with clients to make positive changes, which might include modifying the content or length of their job adverts, reducing the time it takes for a candidate to complete an application, or looking for ways they can better communicate and interact with candidates.
Ultimately, the goal is to offer our clients an extra level of support that will help them attract the best talent.
What’s your background and what made you want to join the Tribepad team?
My previous experience was also in recruitment, specifically the hospitality and retail sectors, where I worked for seven years. I started out in agency recruitment in central London, before moving into in-house recruitment, working with brands such as Zizzi, Pizza Hut Restaurants and most recently, Whole Foods Market.
I’ve been responsible for recruiting all levels up to Vice Presidents, designing and implementing recruitment processes, partnering with external companies, such as online job boards, supporting the wider managerial teams in their recruitment.
I also played a key part in significant projects, such as integrating Tribepad when I was at Pizza Hut Restaurants. I was the project lead for Pizza Hut and that’s when I first met the Tribepad team.
After working closely with Chris, Dan, Sam, Jude and others, I made a comment that one day I would love to work at Tribepad, as the product, customer service and relationship I had with the team was second to none. And now after a few conversations… here I am!
What are you currently working on?
I have been at Tribepad three months now and I have three new customers that I am working with to help set up their Tribepad ATS. They are all scheduled for a Spring launch, so this is keeping me pretty busy at the moment. I’m also working with and supporting the wider team on a few bigger, ongoing projects that are keeping us busy at the moment.
How important is customer service to the package offered by Tribepad?
Customer Service is the biggest part! The ATS world is getting more and more competitive, so word of mouth can be key. Building those relationships quickly is vital as you will be working closely for those first 12 weeks and will need things from each other.
After launch, we make sure clients have the support they need – it’s a huge thing for us. We don’t just leave them to it. Instead, we continue to work with them on day-to-day issues and we keep working together to make sure that they are getting what they need from their ATS.
What’s your biggest challenge?
Having previously been a Tribepad client, at the moment I am learning what our ATS is fully capable of. I need to understand it inside out, so that I can work with clients through the process of getting it live for their company. That means lots of hands-on work with the ATS and soaking up new information from the team.
Also, my clients are in sectors that I haven’t worked in previously, so I’ve been listening, researching and applying everything I already know to these new areas. Of course, it makes the role more interesting – I am learning so many new things!
Do you have a favourite Tribepad feature?
Can I have two?! The fact that Tribepad ATS was the first in the UK to be fully optimised for mobile is key in the current market, with the growth of applications via smartphone technology. We see that 77% of job searches through Tribepad ATS are done on a mobile device, so it’s fantastic that the design allows candidates to do that so easily.
The second feature I really like is Tribepad Onboarding – this for me is a winner! It makes the entire process of hiring someone into a company so smooth and creates a fantastic candidate experience. As a recruiter, you can fully customise the documents and links you send to a candidate, including when they get sent. Onboarding only launched recently and it’s been really popular with clients.
What do you get up to outside of work?
I love to keep fit, so going to the gym, playing football and especially mountain biking! I now live close to the Peak District, which is perfect for when I want to hit the hills (up as well as down!) I also like reading about Tudor History and I go back south most weekends to visit my Mum and friends.
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Meet the rest of the team
Want to meet more of the Tribepad team? You can read out chat with Matt Ingram-Smith, our SaaS Consultant who we interviewed last year, Vicky Wheatley who is Service Delivery Manager at Tribepad, and Neil Armstrong, our Commercial Director.
Learn more about Tribepad
Tribepad ATS is an award-winning, mobile-first applicant tracking system used by some of the biggest organisations in the world. Learn more about its features and how it works.
