Overcoming Change Management Challenges in Talent Acquisition: NTT DATA Inc.’s Transformation Journey

With a 150-year history and operations in over 50 countries, NTT DATA Inc. faced the complex challenge of unifying its talent management systems across a workforce. Different systems and approaches for recruiting talent and managing HR processes created inefficiencies and adoption hurdles, even after implementing Phenom’s Intelligent Talent Experience platform.

This is where QuantumWork Advisory, a workforce transformation consultancy, entered the picture. Together, they transformed NTT Limited, now part of NTT Data Inc.'s recruiting process using the Phenom platform, significantly improving efficiency, cost savings, and overall recruiter engagement.

Read on for the key insights, or watch the full webinar for more in-depth coverage

Tackling the Adoption Challenge

NTT DATA Inc.’s recruitment transformation wasn’t without its hurdles. NTT Limited opted to take an “all-in” approach to rolling out Phenom, which, though ambitious, allowed for a more impactful rollout. However, the platform’s success relied on its users — primarily recruiters — fully embracing it. 

“We implemented Phenom, but we didn’t get any adoption. We’ve got however many thousands of candidates in the pool, and nobody was looking at them,” explained Nerine Joubert, HR Business Relationship Manager at NTT DATA Inc..

To address this, the team needed to focus on the recruiter experience, usability, and engaging the team with the platform. Beth Rowland, Head of EMEA Practice at QuantumWork Advisory, emphasized, "It's about cutting through all of the technical requirements to understand where is this going to have the biggest impact on the business…" 

Once NTT DATA Inc. and Quantumwork Advisory agreed on a common goal, they started brainstorming about a use case they could implement to get recruiters interested in changing their workflows to actively use Phenom.

Automated Interview Scheduling: A Game-Changing Solution

One of the strategies first implemented by QuantumWork Advisory was using Phenom Automated Interview Scheduling as a use case to get recruiters to buy in and raise the platform's adoption. Before this, scheduling interviews was a manual process that took over four days. However, by streamlining this process using Phenom’s automation, interview scheduling time was reduced from days to just under three hours.

Bogdan Ciobanu, Senior Solution Architect at QuantumWork Advisory, shared, “With the old system, scheduling took over 50 clicks. With Phenom, it was down to 10 clicks.” 

These results and efficiencies allowed NTT DATA Inc.’s recruiters to fully taste and see the difference Phenom could make in augmenting their workflow to raise productivity. This one use case of automated interview scheduling changed the tide of apprehension and helped NTT DATA Inc.’s recruiters see the benefit of adopting the greater platform.

Case Study: See Electrolux Group's success with AI Scheduling

Key Results: Transforming Talent Acquisition at NTT DATA Inc.

Through a targeted, persona-based approach focused on recruiters, NTT DATA Inc.’s talent acquisition process saw remarkable improvements:

• 71% reduction in interview scheduling time

• 50% increase in job applications

• 33% reduction in the cost per hire

• 7% increase in hiring through diversity events

• 236% increase in LinkedIn followers

These outcomes underscore the importance of using automation to empower recruiters to focus on more strategic activities, such as sourcing top talent, rather than spending time on repetitive administrative tasks.

Lessons in Change Management

NTT DATA Inc.’s transformation offers some key lessons for organizations looking to implement change in their talent acquisition processes:

• Focus on Personas: Identify key users (like recruiters) who will benefit the most from the new system and tailor solutions to meet their needs.

• Demonstrate Value Early: Quick wins, like reducing interview scheduling time, can build momentum and drive system adoption.

• Leverage Automation: Automating routine tasks allows recruiters to spend more time on high-value activities, which improves overall efficiency and reduces hiring costs.

Want to see how they did it?

Watch the full webinar on demand to learn more about NTT DATA Inc.’s journey

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