Twinkl uses Google Workspace and Hire by Google so its global workforce can work from anywhere with low startup costs, saving time and money by integrating its recruitment system and streamlining processes.
Twinkl is an online publishing platform with educational content designed for anyone who teaches, inside or outside the classroom. It's planning and assessment resources enable parents, teachers, schools, and nurseries to easily tailor content and quickly select appropriate child-centered materials, saving time and supporting children's learning.
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United Kingdom
Twinkl uses Google Workspace and Hire by Google so its global workforce can work from anywhere with low startup costs, saving time and money by integrating its recruitment system and streamlining processes.
Google Workspace Results
Expanded from the UK to 183 countries in 3 years
• Saves 1,500 admin hours a year and cuts costs by switching from legacy solutions to Google Workspace
• Enables growth, keeping location start-up costs low and facilitating recruitment with Google Workspace and Hire by Google integrations
• Improves recruitment efficiency and budgeting with automatic response templates, job postings, and monitoring processes in Hire by Google
An inspiring education can transform a child's understanding of the world, but teachers need both time and the right resources to be able to focus on their pupils' individual experiences. Through its online platform and subscription service, UK-based company
With 4.2 million users in 183 countries worldwide, Twinkl works with educators across the globe to tailor its content to their needs. "We have around 500 team members, many of whom are part-time teachers, with 40 percent working outside of our headquarters in the United Kingdom," explains Pete Casson, Chief Technology Officer at Twinkl.
From 2015, Twinkl's user base began expanding rapidly. It needed a communications infrastructure that could support distance working for its growing workforce, and facilitate the onboarding of new staff. Using
"The teaching community is fantastic, if they find a useful resource, they share it," says Pete. "They become advocates for Twinkl, driving growth. So we needed a communications and recruitment system to help us keep up!"
Working anytime, anywhere with Google Drive
"Google Meet is our most crucial Google Workspace service, underpinning every meeting we have. Being able to see each other improves our culture as an organization, as people can put a face to a name." - Pete Casson, CTO, Twinkl
When running a business with a high number of remote workers, it's important to give employees the right communications tools to do their job. Twinkl chose Google Workspace because it wanted a provider with a low barrier to entry, making it easy to set up new recruits in new locations.
Twinkl previously had an on-premises storage solution, but with around 70TB of data stored, finding the right document could be difficult. Employees had to bookmark the exact location of files. "Since migrating to
In order to keep files safe and secure, employees previously had to log on via a VPN. Now, workers can easily login from any location or device using their Google ID, and thanks to
Using
Transforming recruitment with Google Workspace and Hire by Google
"At Twinkl, we're all about employing people who are a good fit with our culture. By removing lots of manual recruitment processes via Hire by Google, we now focus on the person, not the system." - Pete Casson, CTO, Twinkl
Over the past three years, Twinkl's expansion beyond the UK to 183 other countries has seen its staff numbers grow by 535 percent, but its previous solution wasn't built to cope with an increasing number of applicants. "Our legacy system was paper-based, manual, and tedious. But we want people to have an amazing experience with Twinkl from the first point of contact," says Pete. "Switching to Hire by Google with Google Workspace has helped us create a streamlined, automated recruitment process that also gives insight into what works, in terms of finding the best candidates."
Job advertisements are now easily posted to multiple sites, so there's no need to log in to separate portals to post jobs, then manually compile applications. This saves time for administrators. "We just select the right channels and press go," says Pete. "It's a one-click process, and not only does it save time, it means people actively enjoy recruitment. They're motivated to get things moving as quickly as possible."
Once a candidate applies, they receive an automatic response that is in line with Twinkl's brand and message, helping to ensure every applicant feels valued. Hire by Google then works with
The onboarding of successful candidates is then facilitated by Google Workspace, as Twinkl's HR and Health and Safety documents are located on centralized Team Drives, along with an onboarding plan, making it easy for new recruits to orientate themselves. Thanks to Hire by Google, details of unsuccessful candidates are stored so they can be accessed for future recruitment drives.
"At Twinkl, we're all about employing people who are a good fit with our culture," says Pete. "By removing lots of manual recruitment processes via Hire by Google, we now focus on the person, not the system."
Building tools for the future of education
"With Google Workspace and Hire by Google, we can establish a presence anywhere in the world without thinking about the cost of putting infrastructure in place. Without those tools, our growth just wouldn't have been possible." - Pete Casson, CTO, Twinkl
By expanding its use of Google Workspace and switching to Hire by Google, Twinkl has created a recruitment process that reflects its values as a community-driven company, and is also more efficient. In the three years since implementing Hire by Google, it has processed around 3,400 applicants and recruited 137 staff members, and in the past seven months the journey from posting an ad to offering a role has taken just 33 days. "Hire by Google gives us a much better understanding of candidates, and also tells us which channels are working best," says Pete. "It's easier to budget and target a particular skill set, so we're more proactive in recruitment and attract better candidates."
Thanks to migrating from its legacy server to Drive, Twinkl is not just saving time, its saving money. Switching the financial team to Google Sheets saved around £44,000 that would have been spent on the next software refresh cycle, and replacing Twinkl's previous team messaging service with Google Chat is saving about £30,000 a year.
In the coming months, Twinkl will focus on consolidating the move away from its legacy productivity software, replacing its intranet solution using
"With Google Workspace and Hire by Google, we can establish a presence anywhere in the world without thinking about the cost of putting infrastructure in place," says Pete. "Without those tools, our growth just wouldn't have been possible."
Twinkl also plans to make its resources available for users to access as Google Docs through its platform. "Schools are much more agnostic in terms of their approach these days, and are increasingly using
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*Google Workspace was formerly known as G Suite prior to Oct. 6, 2020.
**Jamboard is winding down.