By now, the popularity of live chat in customer service is common knowledge. But live chat software can prove useful to many other departments too. A prime example is the utility of live chat software in recruitment.
In fact, a live chat tool could unlock a better candidate experience and create a more efficient hiring process. Yet recruitment live chat has fallen through the cracks.
Here, we make the case for live chat in recruitment. How and why should you use live chat in your recruitment processes?
Live chat and the need for communication
You’ve likely heard the phrase “conversations drive conversions.” Well, it applies to recruitment as much as it does to customers. Sometimes, a job advert alone isn’t enough to motivate a candidate to apply to your company. They may need extra information to make sure the role is a good fit for them.
Once a candidate has applied, they then want communication throughout their journey. In fact, 60% of candidates say that improving communication during and after the application process has the most positive impact on the candidate experience.
It’s simple, in an age of instant communication, not replying to candidates is unacceptable. Yet many applications go unanswered. This makes for a bad experience which can deter potential employees from joining your company.
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At the start of the recruitment process, live chat provides an efficient way to improve communication. It unlocks the ability to answer any questions potential candidates ask. For example, enquiries asking for more details about the role.
So, with recruitment live chat, candidates get the answers they seek. As a result, they can make an informed decision to apply. Plus, they can use the file sharing feature to pass on their application or curriculum vitae right away.
Using recruitment live chat, then, saves applications for only the most relevant jobs. This offers benefits to both employers and candidates. Employers spend less effort and resource sorting through junk applications. For candidates, live chat means they spend less time on misguided or unfitting applications. And there’s less risk of becoming inundated with uninteresting offers, to boot.
Improving the candidate experience
Recruitment live chat is also great for handling application status requests.
Candidates want to know the status of their application. Have you received it? Accepted it? Do they need to get their business dress ready, or apply elsewhere? When should they expect to hear from you?
These are simple questions, yet for up to 75% of candidates, they go unanswered. Recruitment live chat can change that, and drastically improve the candidate experience. If a candidate hasn’t yet heard back, they can check in with a short and sweet live chat conversation.
Recruitment live chat is an efficient way to recognise the effort of your applicants. Recruiters can make use of canned responses for such FAQs. So, crafting application replies is quick and easy. Plus, live chat software allows agents to multitask while they answer questions.
Recruitment live chat and interviews
Another use of recruitment live chat is for informal interviews via the channel. Note, live chat software is not an adequate replacement for face-to-face interviews. However, it is a useful tool for asking a few simple screening questions.
In other words, it’s helpful for narrowing your candidate pool. It makes it easier to decide which applicants will need a face-to-face interview.
Because it’s in real time, candidates still need to think on their feet, unlike with emails. Live chat communication is also often more efficient than clunky phone calls. Plus, they're less stressful for applicants than face-to-face meetings. So, you get a feel for their character early on.
Add live chat to your recruitment process
Live chat software has already proven itself in the world of customer service and marketing. So why has recruitment live chat fallen through the cracks? Let’s give live chat to our recruitment teams and unlock the benefits that the tool has to offer.
Start today, with a 30-day free trial of WhosOn.
Useful links
File sharing via live chat: a feature dive