Implementation of SmartRecruiters at p78
Many companies today face the challenge that while their recruiting systems are fundamentally functional, they are increasingly reaching their limits in day-to-day use. The processes have grown over time, making adjustments time-consuming, and user acceptance—especially among hiring managers—is often limited. At p78, too, SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting—an established solution—was used to meet basic requirements. At the same time, daily use revealed that, in particular, the flexibility, user-friendliness, and design of a modern candidate experience no longer met the company’s own standards.
Against this backdrop, the decision was made to overhaul the recruitment process using technology. The goal was not simply to migrate existing structures to a new system, but to comprehensively modernize the recruitment process. The introduction of SmartRecruiters was intended to create a platform that streamlines processes, improves collaboration between HR and business units, and at the same time offers a significantly more intuitive user experience.
For p78, as an SAP consulting firm, the strategic goal of implementing new solutions early on in-house to build solid practical experience for client projects also played a role. The implementation was deliberately pragmatic, with a clear focus on speed and functionality. Instead of a lengthy transformation project, a lean setup was chosen, enabling SmartRecruiters to go live within a few weeks. Initially, existing recruiting processes were adopted to ensure rapid deployment. At the same time, an iterative approach was pursued from the start, allowing optimizations and enhancements to be implemented based on concrete experience gained during ongoing operations.
Significant improvements in day-to-day recruiting were evident shortly after go-live. The platform impresses with more intuitive operation and faster response times. This has a direct impact on process efficiency. Recruiters and hiring managers now collaborate in a more structured manner, provide feedback more quickly, and coordinate directly within the system. The change is particularly noticeable in communication with candidates: whereas previously much coordination took place outside the system, all communication can now be handled within the platform. This creates transparency within the recruiting team and facilitates traceability throughout the entire process.
Another often underestimated but crucial benefit is the increased acceptance among users. A modern, powerful tool encourages both recruiters and business units to become more actively involved in the recruiting process. Those who use the system consistently have all relevant information and feedback in one place—this creates a common basis for decision-making and has a positive impact on the speed and quality of hiring decisions.
Beyond the mere implementation of the platform, additional value was created through the company’s own use of it. Practical experience quickly revealed where the standard functionalities could be enhanced to further improve the candidate experience. Based on this, p78 developed its own extensions and add-ons, including a modernized career page with flexible content management and intelligent matching functionalities that guide candidates more effectively to suitable positions.
The platform thus serves as the foundation for continuous innovation and further development. Our experience with our own implementation clearly shows that the success of a recruiting system depends not only on the technology, but also significantly on the chosen approach. Companies benefit most when they critically evaluate existing processes, consciously simplify them, and involve all relevant stakeholders early on. With the introduction of SmartRecruiters, p78 has elevated its recruiting to a modern, future-proof platform—a solution that combines efficiency, user-friendliness, and innovation. These insights from our own operations are now directly incorporated into client projects and form the foundation for modern, scalable recruiting solutions.
