Decreased candidate churn rates through mobile recruiting
Mobile recruiting is certainly not a new concept in the recruiting and staffing industry. Over the past 10 years, implementing mobile recruiting tactics has become increasingly important to recruiting success! However, in today’s candidate-driven marketplace, it’s even more essential to keep candidates engaged throughout the recruiting funnel. From the initial application process to ongoing communication, statistics show the importance of providing candidates with a user-friendly and mobile experience to help lower churn rates. In this article, we will explore the benefits of having a mobile-friendly app and using SMS messaging as a way to communicate with candidates. We will also explore the elegant world of Chatbots and exactly how they can come into play within our mobile recruiting strategies!
The application compatible with mobile devices
In 2020, a study by Appcast showed that 60.7% of job applications were completed on a mobile device compared to 39.3% on a desktop computer. Application rates for desktop applications also decreased by 6.7% and application rates for mobile applications increased by 21.2% in 2020 compared to 2019. There is no denying that more and more applicants are applying on mobile devices instead of a desktop computer. Creating a short, easy-to-use mobile app is one way to motivate mobile applicants to finish the app. Candidates applying on their mobile device are on the go and want to be able to get through the app with the fewest clicks. A Glassdoor study showed that mobile job seekers completed 53% fewer applications. That same study showed that promoting a job posting as mobile friendly can increase the number of job seekers by 11.6%!
Some questions to consider for a mobile app:
- Does your mobile app have the ability to submit a resume and parse it in your system? If so, does the applicant need to fill in information that is already on the resume, such as work history and education?
- Can you expect to collect some candidate information in the initial application process? If so, this can help shorten the application to help ensure more candidates complete it.
While gathering as much information as possible is helpful from a recruiting standpoint, it can also deter applicants from finishing the mobile app because it’s too long. Shortening the mobile application can help increase the number of applications that are completed and entered into the system.
This is especially critical now that candidates have the upper hand and have a number of job opportunities available to them.
SMS Messaging with Candidates
Text messages are something you normally exchange with friends or family, but in recent years, text messages have become a popular form of communication even with candidates. Statistics even show that there are many advantages to sending a text message instead of sending an email or calling. According to our partner Text-Em-All, the average email has only an 18% open rate, while the average text has a 98% read rate. A study by EZ Texting also showed that 78% of people respond to text messages in 10 minutes or less. Robocalls and spam calls have also become a bigger problem, with fewer people answering phones from unknown numbers. A survey conducted by Hiya revealed that 94% of people leave unidentified incoming calls unanswered. Text-Em-All also reports that only 60% of voicemails are listened to and a survey by Message Desk found that people are 4 times more likely to respond to a text than call back.
Does this mean that communication via email and phone calls should be eliminated from recruiting strategies? Not necessarily, but it can be a great way to complement it. One of the main advantages of SMS messages is that your message will be seen sooner and you are more likely to receive a (and faster) response. This is a huge plus for recruiters as they are trying to fill positions quickly and efficiently. It’s also a plus for the candidate, because you’re communicating in a way that’s easy for them to respond to, especially if they currently have a job. It is much more difficult to respond via email or phone call during business hours.
However, one of the main benefits of SMS messaging is that it helps keep the candidates you work with engaged in your conversations if they see your message almost immediately. They are more likely to respond and stay in the recruiting funnel rather than ghosting. Many ATS providers have partnerships with SMS messaging companies that allow two-way texting and broadcasting. Having an ATS integration built in streamlines your communication and will often log all messages that are sent on the candidate record. Some ATS integrations even offer a “job acceptance” feature that allows candidates to accept a job offer directly from the text message, eliminating communication time and increasing the chances of a candidate completing the job cycle. recruitment and placement.
chatbot via SMS Messaging
Chatbots are one of the latest trends in the staffing and recruiting industry. However, some may wonder, what exactly is a Chatbot and how is it used for recruiting? It is simply an automated bot that allows you to communicate with candidates. Some may think it sounds impersonal, but actually Chatbots can help increase engagement among candidates, while eliminating manual tasks for recruiters.
How can chatbots come into play?
- ChabBots are available 24/7. The best time for candidates to reach out may be after regular business hours. A Chatbot can take the place of a human being to help answer the candidate’s questions through natural language. No matter what time of day, candidates will be able to receive a response to keep them engaged and interested.
- Chatbots can also screen candidates and schedule interviews. Once an application is submitted, candidates can automatically receive a text message from a Chatbot with a series of preliminary questions to assess the candidate. If they seem like a good fit, some chatbots can automatically schedule an interview on the recruiter’s calendar. This drives efficiency, saves time and eliminates manual work for the recruiter. It also helps speed up the application and interview process for the candidate, making them less likely to drop out due to the process moving too slowly.
- Chatbots may also collect information not included in your mobile application. If there is additional information you want to collect from a candidate who applied on mobile, chatbots can automatically collect that information during the selection process.
These are just some of the ways that Chatbots can come into play in your recruiting strategy. Overall, they can help increase candidate engagement and lower churn rates by communicating with candidates 24 hours a day and speeding up manual processes. However, once a candidate is placed, there are even more ways to incorporate Chatbots and continue self-registration communication with candidates.
Your next question may be, how can you implement a Chatbot? A good place to start is with your ATS provider. Some ATS have a Chatbot integration that will automatically pull information from their database to send messages. Having an integration with your ATS will help streamline Chatbot communication and will once again record chats for you in the candidate record.
Mobile recruiting in today’s market
Mobile recruiting is even more important now in today’s candidate-driven marketplace. Implementing different mobile strategies such as mobile apps, SMS messages, and chatbots are ways to increase candidate engagement throughout the recruiting funnel and decrease churn rates.