How to use a chatbot as a recruitment tool
Thomas Leek
| 3 min
Over the past several years, chatbots have made an enormous impact on businesses all over the world. Just as few as 5 or 10 years ago, we could hardly imagine the effectiveness of a chatbot in reducing work stress and automating repetitive tasks. However, there is still so much potential for chatbots. With the current squeeze on the labor market, there is a ton of opportunity to leverage chatbots to boost your recruitment efforts. It’s still in the limelight, but can shine in the spotlight because using a chatbot for hiring can be incredibly effective. That’s what this blog is all about. Most companies could use a little help hiring new talent.
When this article was written, there are more open positions than there are people looking for work. The Dutch labor entity the UWV is calling it a very tight labor market, then consider the time it takes to find and qualify new employees. The recruiting process can take weeks, sometimes even months, and can be very costly at times. Luckily a chatbot saves your business company, and an efficient alternative to traditional hiring practices. Curious to learn more about how to use a chatbot for recruiting? Read on!
Use a chatbot as a recruiter
You’re probably familiar with the common applications of a chatbot. Maybe you could use some more details on how to use a chatbot for recruitment. There aren’t many companies doing this today, and that’s a bummer! In some industries in the Netherlands up to 40% of companies struggle to find the right talent. A chatbot can make this process both easier and more efficient.
Consider these two use cases for a chatbot: One, applicants can ask questions about the job or benefits on the careers page. This allows them to pinpoint relevant information immediately, getting their questions answered right away and already starting to build goodwill with the firm they’re interested in.
A chatbot can also be used for screening qualified candidates. Have the chatbot inquire about education, experience or other aspects of qualification that might be important. The chatbot can hand off the profiles of qualified candidates to a human recruiter. By automating this process, you save more time to have real conversations with qualified candidates, instead of spending so much time on screening. Qualify candidates more quickly before competing firms get to them! You’re saving valuable time and money since your human team doesn’t need to spend days (or weeks) screening and qualifying candidates.
More chatbots, more talent
Recruiters spend up to 13 hours a week searching for candidates to fill a new role. Half a day is spent searching, at least three-and-a-half days spent qualifying these candidates, making interview appointments and evaluating the conversations. A chatbot can manage this process from end to end, relieving work pressure and ensuring recruiters can maximize their already limited time.
There’s also data to prove that chatbots have a major positive impact on recruiting. In a 2020 report, companies that use a chatbot for recruiting converted 95% of visitors to applicants, and received 40% more complete applications as compared to companies not using a chatbot. This is proof it’s time to start using a chatbot to help your company hire new talent!
How do I use a chatbot for recruiting?
Using a chatbot as a tool for recruiting is actually easier than you might think. Using a drag-and-drop chatbot builder like Watermelon can help. You don’t need to write a single line of code, meaning it’s incredibly easily to create and launch. There’s a whole library of tips, tricks and of course a Customer Success Manager that’s here to help. With this support, many of our customers launch their chatbots in just one or two weeks after they’ve started building.
A good example of a company using a chatbot for recruiting is AFAS Software. Besides automating a great deal of their recruitment efforts, they also use the chatbot for lead generation and customer service. The chatbot was ready to go live within just two days!
Use a chatbot as a digital assistant
Using a chatbot to hire new talent is just one way to use a chatbot for HR. In fact, a chatbot is a cost-saving and effective solution for the entire Human Resources department. Using a chatbot can the volume of incoming questions needing human support be reduced by up to 75%! A chatbot can also help improve the efficiency of internal communications.
The use cases of a chatbot have grown in size and scope. Every company can save money and support their staff to reduce work stress. Curious how your company can benefit from a chatbot? Read a few more of our blogs to find out, or schedule a free demo.
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