Improved retention and an industry award for candidate experience

Dee Set is a large retail merchandiser covering 97% of the UK with a team of 3,000. Like the rest of the retail sector, Dee Set suffered from high staff turnover exacerbated by a scarce labour market. 

It was important for Dee Set to find a hiring process that was simple, fast and inclusive, with the best onboarding. That way, candidates would feel welcomed before they even started their jobs.

Read on to see how Dee Set reduced their turnover, cut their time and cost to hire in half and delivered an award-winning candidate experience.

The problem

An unacceptable employee churn rate

• A struggle to backfill candidates
  
• Time to shortlist and hire taking too long with manual screening methods
  
• A lacklustre candidate experience
  
• High turnover rate in the UK retail sector

The solution

Sapia.ai’s revolutionary AI interview experience

What candidates get

A simple AI chat interview that can be done online and involves answering only five questions. Candidates can complete the interview whenever suits them, and they receive personalised feedback on whether they are shortlisted or not.

It’s mobile-friendly and gives candidates a preview of what the role is likely to include.

What hiring managers get

Installing a completely automated interview, shortlisting and suitability process meant that Dee Set didn’t have to increase its recruitment department size even during peak recruitment times of the year. Hiring teams receive a vetted shortlist of the candidates best suited to the roles, and an insights profile for a detailed overview of each candidate’s soft skills.

Tell us about a challenging situation you have faced. How did you manage it and what was the outcome?

I had a tough school project. Its tight timeframe initially left me overwhelmed. However, I deconstructed the task into manageable segments, formulating a plan of attack.

The outcome

Employees stay longer when hired using Sapia.ai

Dee Set discovered that candidates recommended by Sapia.ai were more likely to stay longer. Candidates Sapia.ai regarded as less of a fit were more likely to leave after a short period.

With a focus on reducing churn as a business, Sapia.ai’s candidate assessment is saving Dee Set over £300,000 a year.

By relying on Sapia.ai to shortlist the best candidates, Dee Set also cut both their time to shortlist and time to hire by more than 50%. To top it off, in 2022, Dee Set won a Personnel Today award for the quality of their candidate experience, and was finalised for the 2024 The Firm Awards ‘Best Use of AI’.

“In these challenging times in the recruitment market, it’s really important that the process is simple, fast and as inclusive as possible, with the best onboarding, so our colleagues feel welcomed before they even start with us.” – Antony Lee, People & Retail Director, Dee Set

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