Great communication between candidates and recruiters has become not only an essential part of a great candidate experience, but a 21st century necessity. With the evolution of mobile technology and messaging apps, today’s workforce has grown to expect instant and easy information exchange. That’s why so many companies have implemented chatbots on their career site or even within other messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.
Messaging apps have over 4 billion active users a month, and texts have an open rate of 90% percent and are often read in the first 3 minutes. If you’re not already convinced to incorporate messaging as a part of your recruiting strategy then allow me to show you why it’s become so popular with the people.
Control
We’ve all had that feeling of annoyance as someone tries to call us first rather than email or text (which may lead to a call, but only if it is necessary). This gut feeling has been changing the way we communicate steadily as technology has advanced.
So, what is the cause for this steady abhorrence to telephone conversations in preference to text or instant messaging? The main consensus over numerous studies is that people find phone calls obtrusive and less personal, in that as the caller you are valuing your time over the recipient’s.
Texting gives candidates more control over their response and schedule . These touch points of consideration and respect is especially important in the recruitment process which is often stressful and opaque to the candidates.
Value
Messaging candidates, rather than calling, show candidates you value their time. Candidates may have varied and busy lives which makes messaging the preferred option during the recruiting process. Remember, the courtesy you show applicants during the initial stages will improve their overall candidate experience.
At some point, a phone call may be necessary as part of the interview process or to arrange more finite details; however, taking time to message all initial communications and setting up a time when the candidate feels they are ready for a call will really provide them with a positive experience. Therefore, when initially contacting candidates, doing so via instant messaging or emails will make them feel more valued and increase positivity felt for your company.
Personal
Studies show that 75% of Millennials prefer receiving messages over calls as they feel it’s more personal. As stated before – messaging increases feelings of value and control, this will, in turn, increase the feeling that this choice is personalized towards the candidate to take into account their schedules, preferences and allow them choices with their application.
This personal element is critical when recruiting, as many candidates feel that the recruiting experience is too impersonal —aimed at the masses rather than the individual. Moving from telephone calls to messaging could be a very simple way to better the candidate experience and make the entire process feel more tailored to the individual candidate.
Messaging can improve your candidate experience and boost the number of qualified leads, the only problem? Messaging is more time consuming for recruiters. The solution? investing in messaging software, such as SmartPal, could provide the type of messaging millennial candidates want and result in better hires.
Transparency
Communication and candidate experience are practically synonymous: poor communication equals poor candidate experience. Many candidate applications go unanswered or even acknowledge. It’s a sad fact that’s hard to address.
Recruiters definitely want to reply to every candidate who takes the time to apply, but the harsh reality is that it’s not always possible. This is where automation can help: a lack of time shouldn’t be an excuse for poor candidate experience… you just need the right tools.
Incorporating messaging allows recruiters to automate important steps into the application process, leaving time for important communications that boost the candidate experience. Here are some of the key admin tasks that can be given to a chatbot:
- Guiding candidates to their ideal open roles in a personalized job search.
- Provide a short and sweet application process.
- Allow candidates to schedule and reschedule their own interviews.
- Send candidates interview-reminders.
- Let candidates know the status of their application.
- Start the onboarding process.
Overall, providing a huge opportunity for companies to provide transparency to candidates.
Speed
Messaging is an instant way to connect and engage with your candidates in real-time. When you combine instant messaging with automation in a chatbot frame, you’ll find candidates will be able to engage with candidates 24×7.
So where do you start?
Research and reflection is a great way to begin, we suggest answering these questions as a start:
- Who would use the chatbot? (Look at your candidate personas)
- Which messaging apps are your candidates using?
Then be sure to check out some chatbots in actions such as SmartPal to get a full idea of what this technology can do.
If you’re able to answer these questions you’re off to a great start in creating your business case to help convince budget-holders. Next, it’s a good idea to gather stories from companies who have seen hiring success using recruiting chatbots. If you’re a customer of SmartRecruiters you can ask your contact or check out this blog over on Hiring Success.
