Overview
iCIMS Digital Assistant (formerly ARI) is an AI-powered recruiting chatbot that simplifies the recruiting process across the hiring lifecycle to help organizations create positive candidate experiences and unlock productivity and scale.
With iCIMS Digital Assistant, your organization can:
- Automate repetitive, high-volume tasks.
- Intelligently automate candidate engagement across multiple channels.
- Increase agility with automated workflows you control.
This article provides information about iCIMS Digital Assistant, including an outline of common Digital Assistant use cases/deployments and answers to frequently asked questions. This article is composed of the following sections:
Note: Two versions of iCIMS Digital Assistant are available to customers: Digital Assistant, formerly ARI, (with full capabilities) and Digital Assistant Limited, formerly ARI Limited, (with limited capabilities). Depending on your subscription, some of the functionality described in this article may not be available to your organization.
If your organization is interested in learning more about an iCIMS Digital Assistant subscription, contact your account manager.
Understanding Common Digital Assistant Use Cases
This section outlines the various tasks that iCIMS Digital Assistant is most commonly used for. The digital assistant operates based on pre-defined sequences configured by iCIMS staff; customers may use iCIMS Digital Assistant for some or all of the following use cases depending on their subscription:
- Job Search: iCIMS Digital Assistant can improve candidate conversion through conversational job search based on location and preferences. iCIMS Digital Assistant can be integrated with iCIMS Applicant Tracking (ATS) or an applicant tracking system to submit candidates directly to jobs.
- Screening: iCIMS Digital Assistant can qualify applicants via text or live chat based on objective criteria (e.g., How many years of experience do you have in sales?) to gain a larger pool of best-fit candidates in your pipeline, while also removing unconscious bias from the screening process.
- Scheduling: iCIMS Digital Assistant can automate interview scheduling by providing the recruiter’s next three available time slots or a link to the recruiter’s connected calendar with a branded view of availability. iCIMS Digital Assistant can also send interview confirmations/reminders to candidates and place the scheduled interview directly on the recruiter’s calendar. For information on connecting calendars, review the iCIMS Text Engagement: Connecting and Using Automated Scheduling Calendars article.
- Q&A: iCIMS Digital Assistant can answer commonly asked questions (e.g., Who is your CEO?) from candidates in real-time, 24 hours a day, to help candidates understand your business, benefits and culture. For information on editing Q&A responses, review the Editing ARI Responses for Q&A Intents article.
Note: Customers with Digital Assistant Limited subscriptions are only able to build sequences that collect five data points; therefore, Digital Assistant Limited customers are not able to use the full extent of use cases and digital assistant capabilities that require the collection of additional data points (e.g., Q&A). For Digital Assistant Limited, a common use case is to collect the following candidate information and provide a relevant career site URL to the candidate (e.g., the Job Search use case):
- First Name
- Last Name
- Zip Code
- Interest
- Employment Type
Understanding Common Digital Assistant Deployments
iCIMS Digital Assistant engages candidates both inbound and outbound, via SMS and chat. The digital assistant can be used in multiple ways, and this section outlines the most common Digital Assistant deployments, as follows:
TextApply
TextApply helps you attract talent anywhere by allowing candidates to text advertised keywords to a short code (i.e., a short phone number you can text). For example, candidates can text a unique keyword (e.g., Recruit) to the standard short code 97211 (US and Canada) to engage the Digital Assistant and start a conversation, allowing you to collect relevant applicant information to fill your talent pipeline.
If your organization has at least one Text Engagement ten-digit phone number, users may follow up with TextApply candidates via text. If you follow up through Text Engagement, the candidate receives subsequent messages from the appropriate ten-digit phone number.
Note: TextApply can be used over either short codes or ten-digit phone numbers.
- Short codes: TextApply over short codes is available in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
- Ten-digit phone numbers: TextApply can be used over ten-digit phone numbers in all available countries and/or via WhatsApp.
Career Site Chatbot
Candidates can engage with the digital assistant on your career site through a branded chatbot widget. The digital assistant can proactively engage candidates that visit your career site by starting the conversation, or the digital assistant can wait to engage candidates until the candidate has clicked on the chatbot widget and initiated the conversation.
Organizations can optionally have candidates fill out a form to collect their name and phone number prior to starting a conversation with the digital assistant.
Note: Non-United States phone numbers must begin with a + (plus sign) followed by the country code.
Settings for various career site chatbot widget branding options can be configured by iCIMS staff; for more information, review the Customizing the iCIMS Digital Assistant Chatbot article.
Note: The career site chatbot can only be used via online messaging within a web browser.
Conversational Apply
iCIMS Digital Assistant Conversational Apply can seamlessly launch the iCIMS Digital Assistant chatbot to capture additional data once candidates submit job applications on iCIMS ATS career sites. As soon as a candidate completes their iCIMS ATS site application, Conversational Apply launches the chatbot widget in a full-screen browser window to proactively engage candidates in real-time with next steps (e.g., asking additional screening questions or scheduling interviews). This allows organizations with high-volume hiring to scale engagement and improve the candidate experience by automating a personalized, timely, and unbiased qualification process upon application.
Note: The Conversational Apply feature is only available for iCIMS ATS career sites.
Candidate Job Matching
iCIMS Digital Assistant can suggest job postings to candidates based on their resumes rather than requiring candidates to search for specific job titles or other keywords. When candidate job matching is added to a sequence, the Digital Assistant prompts a candidate to upload their resume as a .pdf, .doc, or .docx file. Talent Cloud AI extracts the candidate’s skills, education history, experience, and job objective and uses these to make recommendations based on your organization’s posted jobs. The Digital Assistant then offers the candidate a list of recommended openings for which they can apply, and the sequence continues as it would for any other chatbot conversation. The text used in this feature is configurable by the customer. This text can also include a clarification that the jobs presented by chatbot are not the only ones available.
Notes:
- Candidate Job Matching requires iCIMS Applicant Tracking and is only available for the Digital Assistant chatbot on an iCIMS Career Site or external career site. It is not available through Text Engagement applications of the Digital Assistant.
- For more information on candidate job matching in iCIMS Career Sites, review the Understanding Job Matching in iCIMS Career Sites article.
Digital Assistant On Demand
Once iCIMS Digital Assistant has been implemented for your organization, users can enable and disable the digital assistant outbound in SMS, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger channels. The digital assistant can be enabled to pick up a conversation on demand on a one-on-one basis from the following areas:
- iCIMS Text Engagement web application inbox and candidate profile
- iCIMS Text Engagement browser extension candidate conversation (Chrome and Firefox)
- iCIMS ATS Text Engagement tab
- iCIMS Candidate Relationship Management (CRM) Text Engagement tab
The digital assistant can also be enabled outbound on a one-to-many basis from text campaigns.
Enabling the Digital Assistant for One-on-One Communication
To enable the digital assistant outbound on a one-to one basis for individual conversations, click the Hand this Conversation off to ARI (robot) icon next to the message composition text box in the candidate conversation view. Then, select an appropriate use case that has been enabled and configured for your organization, such as automated scheduling. The digital assistant can be disabled from the same location for an individual.
An example of the digital assistant icon in the Text Engagement inbox.
Notes:
- When the digital assistant is enabled, the message composition text box is disabled. The digital assistant must be disabled to be able to type a message to the candidate again.
- For more information on messaging candidates via the inbox or candidate profile, review the iCIMS Text Engagement: Responding to Candidate Messages article.
Virtual Career Fairs
Candidates can engage with the digital assistant online during Virtual Career Fairs when a recruiter enables the digital assistant to communicate with candidates in active chats during events to answer FAQs, pre-screen candidates, or schedule interviews. For more information on Virtual Career Fairs, review the Creating and Using Virtual Career Fairs article.
Enabling the Digital Assistant for One-to-Many Communication
To enable the digital assistant outbound on a one-to-many basis for campaigns, click the Enable ARI button in the Add Campaign popup. Then, select an appropriate use case that has been enabled and configured for your organization, such as screening or Q&A. All candidates in the campaign will be set to digital assistant communication when it is enabled from the campaign. To edit or disable digital assistant communication that had been enabled from a campaign, it is recommended that users do so on a one-to-one basis from the candidate conversation view.
Notes:
- It is recommended that the digital assistant should not be disabled or edited to a different use case for a campaign that has already sent messages in order to prevent disruptions in candidate conversations with the digital assistant. Users should create a new campaign if they wish to select a different digital assistant use for the campaign.
- For more information on campaigns, review the iCIMS Text Engagement: Creating a Campaign article.
Frequently Asked Questions about iCIMS Digital Assistant
What languages are available for multilingual Digital Assistant?
For a full list of available languages for iCIMS products, including Digital Assistant, review the Understanding the Languages Available in iCIMS Talent Cloud Products article.
What are the standard TextApply keyword responses to short code 97211 (United States & Canada)?
The standard TextApply keywords for short code 97211 and their responses are as follows:
- HELP: TextApply: Get help at support@textrecruit.com or (855) 320-8398. Std Msg&Data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel.
- INFO: TextApply: Get help at support@textrecruit.com or (855) 320-8398. Std Msg&Data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel.
- AIDE: Les alertes des TextApply: Aide a ou (855) 320-8398. Std Prix d'un SMS non surtaxe. Envoyez STOP par SMS pour vous desinscire.
- STOP: TextApply: You will no longer receive texts. Reply HELP for more info. Contact support@textrecruit.com or (855) 320-8398. Std Msg&Data Rates May Apply.
Can tags be used in iCIMS Digital Assistant?
Yes. Candidates are automatically tagged to indicate how they first interacted with the digital assistant: TextApply for candidates who apply through a TextApply sequence or JobChat for candidates who interact with a career site chatbot . They can also have unique tags for skills, keywords, or locations configured by iCIMS staff for a Digital Assistant sequence. Tags can be edited on profiles in the iCIMS Text Engagement system. For more information, review the iCIMS Text Engagement: Adding and Managing Tags article.
Are candidate conversations with the digital assistant included in Text Engagement reports?
Yes, candidate conversations with the digital assistant are included in Text Engagement reports. For more information on reporting, review the iCIMS Text Engagement: Generating and Understanding Reports article.
What can I do if a candidate has texted our keyword to our short code for TextApply and has not gotten a response?
If a candidate has texted your short code and did not get a response, take the following troubleshooting steps:
- Have the candidate test if their carrier is blocking short codes in general by texting HELP to both 98199 and 97211. If there is no response to either message, their carrier is most likely generally blocking short codes.
- Submit a case to iCIMS Technical Support with the candidate’s mobile phone number and the time stamp for when they attempted to use your short code.
Short Code Availability
Short codes are provided by telecommunications providers and their use is subject to federal and international regulations as well as self-regulatory requirements and restrictions imposed by the telecommunications industry. As such, iCIMS’s ability to provide short codes to Subscribers is subject to change without incurring any liability.
