How WhoFoundWho increased candidate retention with automated onboarding
WhoFoundWho is a fast-growing education recruitment agency co-founded by Luke Carnell, known for its dedication to service, precision, and candidate care. But behind their success was a challenge familiar to many start-ups: scaling a recruitment business built on manual processes.
Challenge
- Onboarding was fully manual, relying on spreadsheets and disconnected systems.
- High risk of placing non-compliant candidates in schools.
- Inefficient processes slowed down hiring and overloaded consultants.
Approach
- Implemented Access Onboarded to centralise and automate candidate onboarding.
- Built custom workflows tailored to education compliance standards.
- Received hands-on support and a smooth, recruiter-focused rollout.
Results
- Time-to-hire reduced significantly, with fewer manual errors.
- Candidate retention improved thanks to a smoother experience.
- Delivered a repeatable, scalable onboarding process to support business growth.
The challenge: Pitfall-ridden processes and risk-heavy recruitment
When WhoFoundWho launched, their candidate onboarding processes were entirely manual and stayed that way for far too long.
"We were very manual from the start, and that remained for a very long time,” says co-founder Luke Carnell. “Spreadsheets on top of spreadsheets, front-to-back manual processes inside and outside the CRM; it was riddled with issues."
The heavy reliance on human input, combined with disconnected workflows, created a breeding ground for errors. This inefficiency wasn’t just a nuisance, it put candidate compliance, placements, and ultimately the business at risk.
"We don’t want to fail, we don’t want to put someone noncompliant into a school, but our old processes made that a possibility."
To mitigate that risk, the team had to double, sometimes triple check their work. It slowed time-to-hire and strained consultant performance. They knew it was time to make a change.
The turning point: finding the right tech partner
After two failed implementation attempts with other platforms, WhoFoundWho had nearly given up hope, but they didn’t settle.
"We knew we needed something to streamline the process and make it more efficient. We thought we’d found it, but the platform wasn’t fit for our purpose."
But those failed experiences taught them exactly what they did want:
- User-friendly tech
- A platform that supports custom workflows
- A smooth onboarding experience
"In this round of looking at tech providers, we didn’t change anything in our process, it was just a better product. More importantly, we were listened to and understood."
The transformation: measurable impact in just 4 months
In less than half a year, WhoFoundWho experienced a radical operational shift. What once took hours across spreadsheets now happens seamlessly in one central system.
"It’s been a game-changer for us. Efficiency has improved, chatter has reduced, and retention has climbed."
The impact:
- Candidate retention improved dramatically
- Time-to-hire shortened significantly
- Processes are smooth, reliable, and repeatable
- Positive onboarding feedback from candidates
The result: elite-level onboarding that matches their service promise
WhoFoundWho has transformed its business development engine and candidate delivery through Access Onboarded. What began as a struggle to manage workflows is now a scalable, efficient, and elite process that underpins their business.
"We now offer the most efficient and fluid process anyone could experience, whether you're a candidate or a school. We support them with best practices, elite service, and innovative technology to back it up."
Ready to accelerate candidate experience?
WhoFoundWho’s story proves what’s possible when you ditch manual processes and embrace tech that actually works for your business. With the right platform, they unlocked faster hires, better retention, and elite-level service delivery.
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