Applicant Tracking System Vendor Shortlist & Talent Acquisition Head Survey
Talent Acquisition Heads evaluate, compare, and choose between ATS vendors on workflow fit, integration depth, and candidate experience, so you can sharpen vendor positioning, convert shortlist consideration into closed deals, and reduce churn at renewal.
CONTEXT & RELEVANCE
Why run this survey now
Most Talent Acquisition Heads don't lose top candidates purely on compensation. They lose them due to slow screening cycles, poor requisition-to-offer visibility, recruiter tool fatigue, misaligned hiring manager workflows, and inconsistent candidate experience, none of which fully show up in HRIS reports or time-to-fill dashboards.
If you are...
- TA Head evaluating ATS replacement
- HR Tech lead benchmarking vendors
- Recruiting Ops manager scaling volume hiring
- CHRO reviewing hiring stack ROI
RESEARCH THEMES
What This Survey Investigates
Eight interconnected research themes that map the complete ATS evaluation journey from vendor discovery to post-deployment advocacy.
Discovery & Awareness
- Initial vendor discovery channels
- Shortlisting triggers, peer referrals
Shortlist Criteria
- Must-have vs. nice-to-have features
- Elimination criteria, deal-breakers
Vendor Benchmarking
- Head-to-head feature comparisons
- Demo quality, proof-of-concept outcomes
Buying Committee
- Stakeholder roles, sign-off hierarchy
- IT, finance, and TA alignment friction
Pricing & Contract
- Pricing model preferences, seat tiers
- Contract length, renewal flexibility
Implementation & Onboarding
- Go-live timelines, configuration effort
- HRIS and job board integration depth
Usage & Retention
- Daily recruiter adoption rates
- Feature utilization, workflow drop-offs
Competitive Displacement
- Switch triggers, incumbent vulnerabilities
- Win-loss patterns across vendor pairs
SAMPLING STRATEGY
Tell us about your ideal sample
Help us understand your target respondent profile. Select what applies, we'll design the optimal sample plan based on your inputs.
METHODOLOGY
Survey approach
For the Applicant Tracking System Vendor Shortlist and Talent Acquisition Head Survey, we recommend a quant-first design with flexible data-collection modes to balance reach, depth, and verification.
EXECUTION PROCESS
How we execute
A proven 9-step process from scoping to delivery, designed to ensure quality, speed, and actionable insights.
Define the decision frame
Confirm objectives, target cohorts, geographies, and reporting cuts
Define the decision frame
Design the instrument
Build workstream modules mapped to outputs (drivers, friction, pricing, retention, trust)
Design the instrument
Lock the questionnaire
Review wording, sequencing, LOI, and competitive context; approve final version
Lock the questionnaire
Pilot and calibrate
Test comprehension and ease quality; refine quotas and remove friction where needed
Pilot and calibrate
Run fieldwork
Execute collection with active quota management and feasibility controls
Run fieldwork
Assure quality
Dedupe, attention checks, speed/consistency rules, removals with audit trail
Assure quality
Prepare the dataset
Clean data and deliver codebook/variable definitions
Prepare the dataset
Analyse and synthesise
Driver ranking, leakage diagnostics, pricing bands, segment insights
Analyse and synthesise
Deliver and align
Executive deck (optional dashboard) and leadership readout with recommendations
Deliver and align
COMMERCIAL TERMS
Request a Commercial Proposal
Pricing depends on cohort, geography, sample size, approach, LOI, and deliverables. Configure below for an indicative estimate.
Select Sample Size
Geography
Select Mode of Survey
Length of the Interview
$0.00
+ applicable taxes
Cost Breakdown
Note: Estimate is indicative only. Final pricing is subject to scope finalization after discovery call.
REFERENCE CASELETS
Reference
Real-world examples of survey work in the talent acquisition technology space.
HR tech switching intent & evaluation criteria among mid-market firms (India)
OBJECTIVE
WHAT WE DID
DELIVERED
HR tech switching intent & evaluation criteria among mid-market firms (India)
Recruiter workflow friction & ATS adoption barriers in high-volume hiring (India)
HR tech switching intent & evaluation criteria among mid-market firms (India)
OBJECTIVE
A mid-market HR technology provider needed to map how Talent Acquisition Heads and HR Operations Leads at firms with 500 to 2,000 employees evaluate, shortlist, and switch recruitment software platforms , including the triggers that break incumbent loyalty.
WHAT WE DID
Ran a structured quant survey across 180 respondents in six cities, capturing vendor shortlist length, evaluation criteria ranking, budget authority thresholds, switching triggers, and decision timeline from need identification to contract sign-off.
DELIVERED
A vendor evaluation criteria map ranked by role and firm size, a switching trigger framework segmented by incumbent tenure, and a budget authority corridor showing where financial sign-off shifts from HR to Finance.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions about this survey mandate.
What decisions will this survey enable?
Who is the buyer vs who are the respondents?
Can we see differences between enterprise TA teams, mid-market TA teams and high-volume hourly hiring operations?
How will you measure ATS vendor shortlisting decisions beyond simple ratings?
Will the survey map the full ATS evaluation and procurement journey and drop-offs?
Can this survey inform product and pricing strategy?
How will findings improve our ATS vendor win rate and pipeline conversion?
Still have questions?
Schedule a discovery call to discuss your specific needs and get a custom quote.