How Ströer X reached a 75% conversion rate with Tellent Recruitee and WhatsApp Hiring

Goals at a glance:

• Increase application conversion rates
• Reduce the no-show rate
• Reduce manual workload for the recruiting team through automated workflows
• Build integrations with BI, payroll, and other internal systems

The challenge: A rigid ATS was slowing down recruiting

Ströer X is Germany's leading business process outsourcing provider and part of the Ströer Group. With more than 7,000 employees across 37 contact center locations and 130 sales hubs in Europe, Ströer X manages more than 100 million customer interactions every year. The company provides fully integrated sales and customer service solutions across the entire value chain, from cold outreach to customer retention.

For a company like Ströer X, where application volume is consistently high, optimizing conversion rates and keeping the recruiting process as efficient as possible is critical. But its previous applicant tracking system had started to limit what the team could do. The system was not flexible or transparent enough for the company's needs.

Its rigid role structure did not support customized permissions, and automating workflows required slow change requests. For Mahdi Hekmat, Vice President Agent Recruiting & Personalmarketing at Ströer X, this made everyday recruiting harder than it needed to be:

"With our old provider, I had to submit change requests for things like adding automated workflows. That was a real challenge because I didn't even know what the tool was capable of. I had to share an idea and then wait to find out whether it was possible."

Mahdi Hekmat

Vice President Agent Recruiting & Personalmarketing at Ströer X

The old system also lacked integrations with internal tools such as business intelligence and payroll, which was a major limitation for a team focused on data-driven employer branding. For Hekmat, the need was clear: Ströer X needed a more powerful and flexible tool.

The solution: A tool that adapts to the business, not the other way around

When Ströer X began looking for a new applicant tracking system, the team evaluated around 70 providers before choosing Tellent Recruitee. What stood out to Mahdi Hekmat was the combination of flexibility, usability, and integration options. The platform offered extensive automation capabilities, could be configured directly by the team, and enabled workflow customizations without long wait times. Integrating Tellent Recruitee with internal systems such as Power BI and payroll was straightforward, giving Hekmat's team the data visibility it had been missing.

Ströer X was able to tailor the platform to its specific requirements. Thanks to the intuitive interface and hands-on onboarding support, the transition to the new system was remarkably smooth, even to Hekmat's surprise: "I've rolled out quite a few tools, but implementing Tellent Recruitee was one of the smoothest experiences I've had. Support was always available, and sometimes I even received a response late in the evening on the same day. That was genuinely impressive."

The biggest impact on Ströer X's recruiting process came from introducing WhatsApp Hiring through Tellent Recruitee. Hekmat was skeptical at first, but quickly saw the results: "I think the first application came in after just three or four minutes."

What impressed him most was the conversion rate. Three out of four candidates who start an application through WhatsApp complete it successfully — a 75% conversion rate.

With WhatsApp Hiring, candidate questions can be answered around the clock, and reminders can be sent automatically. In high-volume hiring, that makes a measurable difference. Ströer X reduced its no-show rate by 10% while also easing the recruiting team's workload.

As Hekmat puts it: "I estimate that WhatsApp Hiring alone saves the team the equivalent workload of one full-time employee." That gives recruiters valuable time back to focus on more strategic work.

The results: Increase efficiency, higher conversion rate, and less manual work

With Tellent Recruitee, Ströer X can now adapt and optimize its recruiting processes much more effectively. Workflows can be configured and automated flexibly, and permissions are much more precise. Hekmat and his team can control exactly who can view and edit information inside the platform.

Through the Power BI integration, Ströer X also has access to the metrics and insights it needs to keep improving its hiring process.

Key results at a glance:

• 5,323 applications through WhatsApp Hiring in just seven months
• 75% conversion rate for applications started through WhatsApp Hiring
• 10% reduction in the no-show rate, a critical improvement in high-volume hiring
• Time savings from automation and the AI assistant are equivalent to the workload of one full-time employee who would have previously managed the WhatsApp channel manually
• More transparency and control through the Power BI integration, and a wide range of additional integration options
• More efficient ATS management thanks to greater autonomy over workflow and role configuration

Looking ahead: A recruiting process that can scale with the business

For Ströer X, adopting Tellent Recruitee and WhatsApp Hiring was more than a switch from one ATS to another. It was the starting point for a recruiting process that can adapt as the company's needs evolve.

By connecting Tellent Recruitee to its own business intelligence tools and managing workflows independently, the team can now make data-driven decisions and continuously improve its hiring process.

For Mahdi Hekmat, Tellent Recruitee also offers additional advantages for growing companies, especially in data privacy and support for international teams. With precise role-based permissions, managers and employees around the world can work in the platform without creating unnecessary data privacy risks.

The platform's built-in language support also makes it easier to collaborate across international teams:

"We have 36 locations, many of them outside Germany. With the range of languages and features the tool offers, I can involve other cultures much more easily."

Mahdi Hekmat

Vice President Agent Recruiting & Personalmarketing at Ströer X

For companies that want to increase conversion rates, get more value from automation, and save time in everyday recruiting, Hekmat recommends Tellent Recruitee and WhatsApp Hiring: "It's a solution for any company that wants the freedom to design its recruiting process from the ground up."