Swapfiets streamlines hiring with Fountain to hire more workers in less time

Founded in the Netherlands, Swapfiets is a subscription-based bike rental company on a mission to make cities more liveable. Their service encourages people to use environmentally friendly transportation, and thanks to the hard work of thousands of Swapfiets workers, they run successful operations in eight countries.

The company’s recruitment team, led by Kirstin Gosling (Talent Acquisition Lead) and Camille Oly (Talent Acquisition Specialist), focuses on filling high-volume operational roles for mechanics, bike hunters, warehouse workers, and other support staff.

A high turnover rate signaled trouble

Because so many Swapfiets jobs are filled by students and part-time workers, turnover was a big challenge for the eco-conscious company. With a 50% turnover rate, the Swapfiets team was hiring roughly 600 new workers each year. But finding skilled candidates wasn’t easy. A prohibitively long time-to-hire, and high candidate drop off rates, hindered their ability to make successful hires.

Difficulty finding skilled candidates

For operational positions like mechanics, finding qualified candidates with the required skills proved difficult, especially in smaller markets with fewer available or interested applicants. The Swapfiets team needed to maximize the efficiency of their hiring process so as not to lose the few candidates that met the bill.

Long time-to-hire

In situations where the company needed to replace key operational staff quickly to maintain productivity, Swapfiets onboarding was waylaid by a long time-to-hire. In a market where companies are competing for qualified frontline workers, it was vital that the Swapfiets team reduce their time-to-hire.

Candidate Drop-Off
During the Swapfiets hiring process, high candidate drop-off rates were common. This made it difficult to maintain engagement throughout the recruitment process. The team needed a way to reduce drop-off and keep viable applicants active and  engaged during the hiring process.

Fountain sweeps away the manual work

Swapfiets’ previous recruitment manager had seen Fountain in action at another company and suggested it as a solution for Swapfiets’ high-volume hiring needs. The team was drawn to Fountain for the software’s ability to automate so many parts of the recruitment process, and they were inspired by Fountain’s focus on high volume hiring for frontline workers.

The Swapfiets team relied on Fountain to: 

Implement Knockout questions
One of the most impactful features of Fountain was the ability to use knockout questions. For specialized roles like bike mechanics, candidates were required to answer questions about their experience. If a candidate had no relevant experience, they would automatically be filtered out, saving the recruitment team significant time. This allowed recruiters to focus only on qualified candidates and removed the need to manually call each candidate.

“Fountain has made my life much easier with the automated knockout questions,” explained Camille. “Previously, calling every single candidate to qualify them took up a lot of my time. Now I’m not wasting that much time anymore.”

Create smart automation and reminders
Fountain’s automated reminder system helped reduce candidate drop-offs by sending follow-up messages to candidates who did not complete their applications. This improved engagement ensured that only serious candidates progressed through the hiring process.

Drive a faster time-to-hire
With Fountain’s automation, Swapfiets significantly reduced their time-to-hire. The platform allowed the team to manage candidates more efficiently, while also providing transparency into the hiring pipeline and allowing the recruitment team to track candidate progress in real-time.

Off the charts results 

Fountain changed the game for Swapfiets. Their time-to-hire was reduced by 40%, which prevented potential productivity bottlenecks caused by delays in hiring. In addition, the team saw positive candidate feedback from Fountain’s messaging capabilities and enhanced collaboration among the hiring team thanks to automated updates and an improved communication flow.

The Fountain implementation also led to: 

• Increased candidate volume: The simplification of the application process, coupled with automated reminders, led to a significant increase in the number of applicants. As a result, the recruitment team had a larger talent pool to choose from.
• Better time management: Knockout questions and automation allowed the team to focus on qualified candidates, reducing the amount of time spent on unqualified applicants. This efficiency was critical in reducing the company’s time-to-hire.
• Improved candidate engagement: Candidates responded positively to the automated, personalized messaging system that Swapfiets implemented. Camille noted that 60% of candidates completed their applications after receiving automated reminders.

By reducing drop-off rates and improving the overall application experience with Fountain, Swapfiets was able to attract and retain more candidates, filling roles faster.

Fountain has had a transformative impact on Swapfiets’ recruitment process and will continue to play a key role in scaling Swapfiets’ operations. As the company continues to grow, Fountain will remain an integral part of its hiring toolkit, supporting the company’s mission to scale efficiently while maintaining a strong workforce.