JazzHR Adds Texting Functionality to its Recruiting Software

JazzHR has become the latest recruiting platform to add texting functionality to its product.

As we’ve reported, a number of companies, both new and existing, have introduced text-messaging tools into their recruiting platforms. They sell text as an increasingly important talent acquisition channel because so many younger workers rely on it and text messages are almost universally read. JazzHR said its texting features will speed time to hire. 

The company said its texting tools complement its recently enhanced scheduling tools by allowing recruiters and hiring managers to share updates, reminders and other messages with candidates through a convenient medium. The result, it said, will be a better candidate experience and faster response times.

How JazzHR, or any of its competitors, will manage to stand out in this growing space is hard to determine. In its announcement, JazzHR stressed texting will increase engagement, reduce time-to-hire and help employers set themselves apart in a tight labor market. However, a number of other companies—such as Crelate, Emissary.ai, TextUs and Namely—have, in one way or another, delivered the same messages.

Mixed Emotions on Recruiters and Texting

Mainstream media outlets have begun reporting more often recently about how job candidates should prepare themselves for an onslaught of recruiting messages. “Texting for a job in lieu of the more traditional screener phone call is becoming more common,” USAToday recently said. “Depending on the role the company is trying to fill, texting may take you and the recruiter fairly deep into the courting process.”

Most of the recruiters we’ve spoken to don’t see it that way. Text’s value, they believe, lies in its ability to simplify clunky processes such as scheduling interviews and delivering status reports. We’ve yet to meet the talent acquisition specialist who imagines asking more than the most rudimentary of screening questions by text.

And job seekers aren’t sold on the idea themselves. According to Software Advice, candidates prefer to be contacted by email or telephone in six common recruiting tasks such as initial outreach, scheduling job interviews and following up after an interview.

The dearth of options to integrate texting products with an ATS also concerns many recruiters. As one recently told us, text is a “only a separate tool that gets added on.” However, he said he’d “absolutely” use a texting tool with tracking capabilities.

Some companies, such as Brazen, offer chatbots with live chat or text messaging capabilities. The features integrate with an employer’s career site and be used as alternatives to more traditional “Apply Now” functions. They allow candidates to chat with an employer immediately, at a scheduled time or during an online chat event.

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