SMS has revolutionised the ways recruiters can engage with candidates. But things are about to change. RCS is about to create big waves in the UK recruitment market. But what is it, how can it be used, and what do recruiters need to know in order to make the most of the new kid on business communication channel block?
Business is great in the UK recruitment sector! So good in fact, that the sector continued to be a leading industry for the UK economy, with record revenues of £32bn in 2017 (source).
However, a knock-on effect of this stellar performance is that recruiters now face an intense battle to find the best talent before the competition. In fact competition is getting so hot, the number of newly opened recruitment agencies in the UK grew 21% year on year compared to the same period in 2017 (source). This brought the number of registered recruitment agencies in the UK to 35,275.
What does increased competition mean for recruiters who want to be at the front of the pack?
The most successful recruitment agencies will be looking to find more inventive ways to interact with their customers, and in turn make sure that messages aren’t thrown in the bin, forgotten about or lost in email inboxes. This is why using the latest communication technologies to maximise engagement is so important – and why we feel RCS has an important role to play.
What is RCS and why should recruiters care?
RCS is designed to ultimately replace SMS as the default message format on Android devices over the next few years, and represents significant functionality improvements.
Recruitment agencies will be able to set up branded interactions with their candidates, using new tools like buttons, images, rich cards, maps, and chat. The ease with which interactions can take place will appeal to all demographics who are keen to self-serve, rather than interact with agents through a telephone call. Processes such as arranging an interview can be completely automated with the recruitment agency themselves benefiting from a reduced strain on their in-house agents.
What can RCS do for the recruitment industry?
Rich job alerts
RCS moves things on from SMS considerably by being able to include images, video and maps. There’s enough to provide candidates with job details, benefits, location, company profile and salary range without having to navigate away from their messaging app. Once the alert has been sent, the candidate can easily take things to the next stage with integrated buttons such as ‘I’m interested’ or ‘No thank you’.
Chat with an agent
At any point during an interaction the candidate can have an option to “Chat with an Agent”, via a small button underneath each RCS message. This means that while RCS automates as many interactions as possible, the candidate will always have the option to chat with an actual agent (through text or phone call) if required.
Booking an interview
Once a candidate has applied for a job and the recruiter has confirmed that the employer would like to speak with them, a subsequent interview can be arranged within the same RCS interaction. A calendar tool within RCS means the candidate can select a time and date, with a follow on message sent out to all parties confirming the details of the appointment.
CV upload
Getting an up to date CV is made even easier for candidates with RCS. Select the “Upload CV” button, choose the file and that’s it! No email necessary, and it’s all contained within the same RCS interaction.
Interview feedback
Recruiters can design a standard set of post-interview questions to be sent automatically 1-2 hours after the event. This feedback can be fed back in to the recruiter’s CRM system, saving the recruiter valuable time.
Rich interview reminders
Just to make doubly sure that an applicant knows about an upcoming interview, RCS reminders can be automatically set up to be sent prior to the event. The reminders can also include integrated maps so that your candidate is sure to find the right location in plenty of time.
How can recruitment agencies get started with RCS?
If you’re interested to know more about how Estate agencies can best use RCS, and how Esendex can make it work more effectively for you, please get in contact with our team today on 0345 356 5758 or email us at [email protected].
