Is It Time to Fire Your ATS? What HubSpot Can—and Can’t—Do for Staffing Firms

SmartBug on Tap

• 19 min

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In staffing, your applicant tracking system (ATS) may feel like both a lifeline and a limitation. It’s great at storing resumes and ensuring compliance—but does it actually help you nurture candidates, align with marketing, or forecast sales? In this episode, host Alexandra Whitmore is joined by Abigail Allen, SVP of Sales at SmartBug, to tackle the big question: Is it time to fire your ATS? Together, they explore: 🤝 The core differences between an ATS and a CRM like HubSpot 🔄 Why staffing firms get stuck in reactive “post and pray” recruiting 📧 How HubSpot transforms candidate engagement with automation + personalization 📊 The reporting and forecasting visibility your ATS can’t provide 🚦 Signs it’s time to integrate—or replace—your ATS altogether Key Highlights [01:42] What an ATS does vs. what a CRM like HubSpot does [02:30] Why staffing firms feel limited by their ATS [06:27] The risks of forcing an ATS to act like a CRM (and vice versa) [09:21] How HubSpot creates a better candidate experience [11:15] Nurturing workflows staffing firms can build in HubSpot [12:56] Reporting and visibility HubSpot offers that ATS platforms lack [14:12] When to integrate your ATS vs. when to replace it [15:46] What a healthy ATS + CRM ecosystem looks like [17:06] How SmartBug helps staffing firms evaluate and optimize their tech stack 📩 Contact Us If your ATS feels more like a roadblock than a resource, SmartBug can help. Schedule a consult: https://www.smartbugmedia.com/contact-us Talk to Alexandra: awhitmore@smartbugmedia.com Talk to Abigail: aallen@smartbugmedia.com