Northern Michigan University

Three standout metrics

95%

of recruitment processes consolidated

Zero

manual reporting after implementation

One

system with infinitely configurable workflows

The voice of the customer

“We’ve worked with a couple of very fabulous client relationship folks. It goes beyond just “Here’s what’s going on with the system, can you help me?” It’s more strategic conversations about how we use the system in general which is incredibly beneficial.”

Rhea Dever, Head of Human Resources, Northern Michigan University

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What wasn’t working

Northern Michigan University is a dynamic public university serving 7500 students, with 1100 employees across academic and support functions. With educational excellence strongly embedded in the organisationalorganizational culture, NMU understands that hiring the right people is critical to long-term success.

But recruiting the right people in the right numbers with a lean HR structure created significant scaling challenges:

Lean HR team of 6 core staff handled benefits, compensation, employee relations, training, and staffing, leaving little room to scale recruitment.
Tedious, manual processes and reporting consumed valuable time the team didn’t have.
The combination of a lean HR team and a decentraliseddecentralized hiring model across campuses meant resources were stretched thin.

The turning point

Head of Human Resources Rhea Dever recognisedrecognized her team needed to prioritiseprioritize recruitment tasks and focus sourcing efforts where they’d have maximum impact. Getting the right tech to scale their hiring efforts was non-negotiable.

The team knew they needed more than a software replacement – they wanted a strategic partner committed to long-term success. After going through an RFP process, NMU chose PageUp ATS.

The shift began in three phases:

Establishing a strategic partnership

NMU selected PageUp for their commitment to ongoing customer relationships and track record of strategic customer partnerships.
Consolidation and configuration

Consolidating processes using PageUp’s configurable workflows eliminated the manual workarounds that had been necessary with the old system.
OptimisingOptimizing for NMU’s unique needs

The team quickly established feedback loops with PageUp to continuously customisecustomize the product’s features and maximisemaximize return on their technology investment.

The solution in action

By partnering with PageUp, NMU transformed their talent acquisition approach and went from multiple manual processes to one intuitive, infinitely configurable recruitment system.

Key initiatives included:

Custom workflow configuration

NMU tailored the ATS to match its existing processes, eliminating the need for external workarounds and bringing 95% of recruitment activities into one system.
Acting on advanced analytics

PageUp’s advanced analytics allowed the team to replace manual reporting with automated insights, enabling them to evaluate sourcing channels and focus resources where they knew they would make maximum impact.
Optimizing the user experience

Simplifying workflows and reducing complexity meant the HR team could create consistent, streamlined experiences for both candidates and the internal hiring teams.
Partnering for success

PageUp and the HR team partnered to make sure PageUp was proactively optimizing NMU’s talent strategy, not just offering technical support with the system.
Co-innovating for a better product

The HR team co-innovated with PageUp, providing product feedback that influenced PageUp’s development roadmap, benefiting both NMU and the broader user community.

The impact

Hard ROI

95% of recruitment processes consolidated
6 person HR team managing university-wide hiring
One end-to-end recruitment system for 1100 person workforce
Multiple custom configurations to match NMU’s unique needs

Soft ROI

Enhanced applicant experience through consistent, streamlined hiring processes
Improved internal user satisfaction with intuitive workflows and reduced system complexity
Significant time savings from automated reporting versus manual data compilation
Time-consuming, paper-based manual processes and workarounds eliminated

What surprisedsurprized us the most

“The beauty of the PageUp system is that it’s infinitely configurable. It works the way you work — in implementation you work with PageUp to create workflows based on your needs.”

Rhea Dever, Head of Human Resources, Northern Michigan University