Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) is Germany’s leading provider of air traffic control services. DFS offers safe, secure, and efficient management of air traffic over Germany. Around 2020, approximately 2,200 DFS air traffic controllers handled up to 10,000 flights every day. Every year, DFS’s staff of 5,600 people ensure the safety of millions of passengers on the way to their destinations.
DFS’s Academy trains numerous air traffic controllers, who then guide planes both in the sky and on the ground. They rely on technology that allows them to control all air traffic in their designated area during take-offs, landings and fly overs.
Still, relying on technology is not enough. Controllers need to make the right decision at the right time and communicate it to the pilots for safe passage through Germany. Finding the most suitable candidates is the biggest challenge DFS faces.
DFS needed a way to improve the applicant journey
Air traffic controllers perform a highly responsible job that requires specific skills. Trainers and employers of air traffic controllers look for aptitude in areas such as problem-solving, handling pressure and dealing with rapidly evolving situations. The process of appointing trainee air traffic controllers is thorough and takes up to several months.
DFS wanted solid recruitment and web analytics data to create and track HR marketing campaigns that cover social media, Google Ads and print media, and to target the most qualified applicants with them. Without any analytical feedback, DFS was unable to measure and audit their ad spend properly.
We want to get enough trainees for our education training program. We collect 6,000 to 7,000 applications across Germany in one year and narrow them down to 150 trainees. We needed to improve the applicant journey on the website to get more suitable applications for the training, and make the HR process more efficient. The challenge before was that many applicants were often not suitable and didn’t pass the tests.
The target audience consists of pupils and students. However, DFS’s years of experience in recruitment proved that parents and grandparents of potential trainees are also a big part of the intended audience. Over time, the company made various assumptions about geographical regions they should target and the decision process of potential candidates.
DFS aimed to optimize the recruitment process
Until 2019, DFS worked with a German analytics provider to collect data for recruitment and internal use. But they ran into several limitations when trying to optimize the search for qualified candidates and increase application numbers. DFS needed reliable but also flexible analytics software for their specific use case to map the applicants’ journey and run well-targeted HR marketing campaigns. All that led DFS to look for a new analytics provider.
The Piwik PRO Analytics Suite enabled DFS to measure candidates’ behavior throughout the application process, such as starting or completing an application, drop-offs, and more. Thanks to predefined and custom reports, DFS discovered meaningful patterns for sourcing, selecting, and hiring optimal trainees.
We wanted to know the channels and the regions where our potential trainees come from. But also, who they are, how long they stay on our website and whether they convert into applicants. We wanted to track our marketing activities and use reliable web analytics that would support our recruitment processes. We’ve checked two other vendors, but none of them suited our needs as well as Piwik PRO.
DFS expectation was to make the recruitment process cost-effective
Piwik PRO Analytics Suite helps to shape the recruitment process to make it more cost-effective. DFS derives actionable insights from raw data. It allows them to invest in the right channels and content when searching for applicants. Web optimization is crucial for DFS to improve their website performance. The data shows that they need about 15,000 to 20,000 visitors a week on their website. This ensures the required number of applications for the next four to six weeks.
Now, our HR and marketing departments benefit from using Piwik PRO. We know what kind of ad creation works, such as video, and how it converts. We can easily improve our marketing performance in real-time. Our main expectation was to make the recruitment process more cost-effective. We needed a platform that would measure where people apply for certain positions and identify which sources have the highest turnover rate. And Piwik PRO is surely the platform that helps us to make better recruiting decisions faster.
This newly created data culture within the company enables them to achieve their recruitment goals every year. Armed with the right analytics platform, the company reallocates its ad spend to run efficient HR campaigns.
Geolocation data helped to improve targeted campaigns
Initially, DFS had assumptions about their candidates’ geographical locations. It appeared that applicants who had to travel longer distances seemed to be more reluctant to relocate for training due to several reasons. Piwik PRO gave DFS a better understanding of their applicants’ situation.
Custom reports allow DFS to analyze and map their applicants’ journey. The company runs HR ad campaigns based on the applicants’ location. DFS focuses on city, state, and also country within Germany to see spikes in interest on their website. This lets them run targeted campaigns across all 16 German states.
We use custom reports. For example, thanks to Piwik PRO’s geographic reports we see which regions the most applicants come from. So, we can improve the content and allocate the budget to adverts for a region that brings more conversions. Before 2019, we didn’t know who sent the application and which online campaign the applicant came from. We just spent money on ads and didn’t know whether they were effective. Now, we meet every week to discuss the reports and once a month we decide whether to change the course of action or not. Because now we know how a particular campaign or a piece of content performs.
Alongside conversions, they track time spent on page to analyze the interest of their page visitors in certain geographical areas. DFS uses a landing and career page to collect applications and distribute them through social media, Google and print media ads. Specific URLs assigned to each ad give a detailed overview of the content provided. The marketing and HR departments receive weekly and monthly scheduled reports to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns. Based on Piwik PRO’s reports and previously gained experience, DFS decides each month which channels to allocate investment into.
DFS has enhanced its recruitment process thanks to Piwik PRO Analytics Suite
Piwik PRO helps DFS to streamline the application process and get the necessary number of candidates to start the recruitment process. The process is long and thorough. Only 2%-4% of all candidates enter the academy and start education. That’s why DFS depends on numerous applicants.
Ultimately, the collected data saves time and simplifies the recruitment process. Now, DFS uses recruitment analytics to make the right talent decisions at the right time. They run solid HR marketing campaigns with a good conversion rate and get a sufficient number of applications. Finally, the company’s marketing and HR teams work in a data-driven and cost-effective way.
