In today’s world, texting is a critical channel for high-volume hiring and talent acquisition for high-volume hourly positions like nurse, retail, manufacturing, etc. where candidates are less likely to be behind a desk.

According to Statista, the number of mobile users worldwide stood at 7.1 billion in 2021.

The widespread adoption of cell phones has made communication accessible and convenient for everyone through texting and messaging apps like WhatsApp – while tried and true channels, like email, are particularly less effective.

In this blog post, we will explore how texting can transform your recruitment process and some of the benefits it offers to companies who hire and manage large workforces.

 

The Case for Texting

With cellphone adoption so widespread, texting has a vast audience, making it an ideal channel for large-scale recruitment. It can reach candidates just about anywhere, including many hard-to-reach or remote locations.

For example, in healthcare, text messaging is a great way to staff nurses and other healthcare professionals in rural areas where local talent pools are typically small.

Bulk texting allows recruiters to communicate with multiple candidates at once, reducing the time and effort required to reach out to them individually, text-for-jobs campaigns increase candidate pools, and 1:1 messaging empowers recruiters to build connections with candidates that provides a differentiated candidate experience.

All of this makes the recruitment process faster, more efficient, and more cost-effective while also providing a stellar candidate experience.

 

Scheduling Interviews

One of the biggest challenges for recruiters is getting candidates to show up for interviews. This can be particularly challenging for the hourly employees we have been focusing on. Hourly workers often have unpredictable schedules and other commitments that make it difficult to keep appointments.

Scheduling interviews over texting and sending text reminders can significantly improve show-rates for interviews and phone screens, especially for hourly employees.

By scheduling interviews over text message, recruiters reduce the back and forth, allowing candidates to pick the time that works best for everyone. Candidates can easily access all the necessary information about their interview, including the date, time, location, and any other important details.

This eliminates the need for candidates to check their email or log into a portal to find this information, which can be particularly important for candidates who may not have easy access to a computer or email account.Text messaging also enables recruiters to send reminders and follow-ups quickly and easily, which helps keep candidates engaged throughout the hiring process increasing the likelihood that candidates will show up for interviews and phone screens.

Text reminders can be sent a few hours or even a day before the scheduled interview, reminding candidates of the appointment and providing any last-minute instructions or details. This simple reminder can be enough to encourage candidates to keep their appointment, reducing the likelihood of no-shows and increasing speed-to-hire.

Text messaging is a familiar and convenient communication channel for most people, particularly younger generations who may prefer text messaging over phone calls or email. By using text messaging to schedule interviews and send reminders, recruiters can create a more engaging and personalized experience for candidates, ultimately leading to a better overall recruitment process.

 

The AI of it All

Chatbots and AI solutions have become increasingly popular in high-volume hiring. They can help automate various tasks in the recruitment process, however, while chatbots can be an effective tool for certain tasks, they cannot replace the importance of building a human connection with candidates.

Chatbots vary in their sophistication, the more expensive providers leverage advanced natural language processing while the more accessible options are simply programmed to respond to specific keywords and phrases, in both cases candidates have been quick to realize they are not talking to a human.

This can demoralize candidates. Moreover, chatbots lack the empathy and emotional intelligence that are essential for building trust and rapport with candidates. Texting, on the other hand, allows recruiters to have more natural and personal conversations with candidates, which can help build a stronger connection and increase engagement.

In high-volume hiring, it’s important to create a positive candidate experience and make candidates feel valued and appreciated. This can be challenging to achieve with chatbots, as they cannot respond to the nuances of human emotion and may not be able to provide the level of support and guidance that candidates need.

In conclusion, while chatbots can be useful for automating certain tasks in high-volume hiring, they are not a substitute for the importance of building a human connection with candidates. By using texting as a communication channel, recruiters can have more natural and personal conversations with candidates, which can help build trust and engagement. Ultimately, the recruitment process is about creating a positive candidate experience and building lasting relationships with candidates, and this cannot be achieved with chatbots alone.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, text messaging is a critical channel for high volume hiring for large-scale healthcare, factory, frontline, and hourly workforces. The efficiency gains that texting offers, combined with the widespread adoption of cell phones worldwide, make it an ideal communication channel for recruitment. AI and chatbots are also powerful tools in the candidate experience but should not be viewed as central to your Talent Acquisition strategy.

To learn more about how Grayscale can help transform the way you engage with your frontline, book a demo below. ♥