Using SmartMessage

Channels

Once Messages are open, users are able to send and receive messages from any of the channels configured during the Customer Implementation process. The two possible channels are listed and shown below. 

• SMS

• WhatsApp

A green checkmark next to the channel means opt-in is in place and the candidate is reachable with the channel. 

Opt-In

Regardless of the messaging channel used, the conversation window will be locked until the candidate has opted-in to converse with text messaging. 

	How to Gain?
SMS	Application process with single or separated consent checkboxes AND SMS opt-in invitation message
WhatsApp	Application process with separated consent checkboxes

For SMS candidates, a double opt-in process is used. Candidates first opt-in during the application process, by supplying their phone number and agreeing to the privacy policy. For the second opt-in, users send an SMS invitation to the candidate with the "Send Invite" button or re-send (if one has been sent and candidate has not responded) with “Your invite has been sent but the candidate has not yet opted-in. You can send another invite by clicking here”. The candidate responds with “Yes” to complete the double opt-in process. 

Once the candidate has opted in, an alert will appear in the Inbox Tray Icon if the user has left the Candidate-Application page.

Clicking the ribbon item for the opt-in notice will take the user back to the Candidate-Application page where they will see both:
1) the invitation to opt-in message and, 
2) the candidate’s explicit “Yes”. Now, the user can proceed to send and receive texts normally with the candidate about their application. 

Note that a candidate can opt-out of receiving SMS messages at any time, with the keyword “Stop”. Any changes to candidate opt-in will be reflected in the conversation for the candidate. In an opt-out state, the window will be locked to the user. Email is always a fallback option for communication in case of candidate opt-out of SMS. Candidates can opt back in at any time with the keyword "Start".

Note that a candidate can opt-out of receiving WhatsApp messages at any time, with the “Block Business” option in their phone app settings. If candidates does use the in-app "Block" feature, Hiring Team users will not be alerted of the change, and the conversation window will not be locked. The WhatsApp "Block" software feature does not currently provide an update as WhatsApp Business service prioritizes consumer privacy. In the case a candidate is unresponsive with WhatsApp, email is always a fallback option. Candidates can opt back in at any time with the "Unblock Business" option.

Messaging with Whatsapp

WhatsApp has an additional layer of invitation in place before Hiring Teams and candidates can freely text. This is a policy defined by Facebook for WhatsApp Business applications. If a candidate has not messaged the Hiring Team within 24 hours (whether a brand new conversation, or an existing conversation without recent messages), the user must re-engage them with a predefined invitation. After the candidate responds to this invitation, users can continue to message normally.

For the first version of SmartMessage, SmartRecruiters will relay messages on behalf of the Hiring Team to and from the candidate. The predefined invitation text is listed below.

SmartRecruiters would like to reach you on behalf of {COMPANY NAME} about {JOB TITLE}. Since the team can only reach you within a day of your last message, please reply to continue receiving updates. Ignore to no longer receive updates.

Notifications

Notifications will appear for Hiring Team users who have participated in a conversation with the candidate. 

Phone Number Formatting

Phone numbers for the candidates may require some formatting to work successfully with SmartMessage. Improperly formatted numbers may result in the error below

The proper international code must be included in the front of the local number.

Country	Code	Example
United States (US)	+1	+1 415 123 4567
Canada (CA)	+1	+1 613 555 0160
Great Britain (GB)	+44	+44 1632 960947
France (FR)	+33	+33 93 376 1346
Germany (DE)	+49	+49 30 123487007

 Light validation is provided with spaces, dashes, and parenthesis permitted. However, characters like alpha, special / symbol, or extraneous numbers may cause a delivery failure and the user will be prompted. Changes can be made to the candidate phone number in the Edit Contact Info section of the Candidate header.

Advisory Notices

⭕ Please note the time of day, day of the week, holidays, other privacy factors when sending messages to candidates. Some countries may have specific regulations about sending messages to recipients after business hours and on weekends. 

Q: How does 1:1 Texting work?

Answer: Hiring Teams can initiate text conversations with an individual candidate on a per-application basis. Likewise, Sourcing Teams can initiate text conversations with individual prospects (SmartCRM) on a per-community basis. 

All members assigned to the Hiring Team can view and participate in messages sent to and from the candidate. From the Hiring Team user perspective, each conversation participant is clearly identifiable by name. From the candidate perspective, all messages from the Hiring Team are simply from the customer / hiring company. The same applies for Sourcing Team and prospects. 

Q: How does Candidate and Prospect Reach work?

Answer: All customers with SmartRecruit and SmartMessage can message candidates. Customers with SmartRecruit, SmartMessage and SmartCRM can message both candidates and prospects. 

Q: How does Inbox work?

Answer: The Inbox enables Hiring Teams and Sourcing Teams (SmartCRM) to manage all their communications in one place. It is an entirely new way to view, manage, and send messages to candidates and prospects without having to step through individual pages. It combines email, SMS and WhatsApp together into a comprehensive conversation for each candidate-application (or prospect-community) ordered by most recent message. 

Hiring Team users will still be able to message within the candidate-application and prospect-community pages, but Inbox provides an organized way to address communications quickly and efficiently. New features will be added in later quarters.

Inbox is also available to SmartRecruit customers who do not purchase SmartMessage, but only email will be available. 

Q: What is the difference between SMS and WhatsApp?

Answer: Some summarized differences between the two channels.

• SMS is the standard text messaging protocol used by telecom operators globally. It is a text-only protocol that does not support images or attachments. While it is supported by most mobile phones (feature phones and smartphones), not all consumers have SMS service plans through their telecom operators. Messaging without an SMS service plan may be costly for consumers. SMS is popular in the Americas where data plans may be cost prohibitive. 

• WhatsApp is a messaging service owned by Facebook. It requires the WhatsApp app from Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store, and phone number verification for the mobile device. Messages are relayed over data plans  with the telecom operator (not SMS service plan) or WiFi. WhatsApp is popular in Europe and Asia where data plans are affordable. 

Q: How do the SMS and WhatsApp messaging channels work? 

Answer: Customers will be able to choose which channels they would like to use for their company and hiring process, whether SMS only, WhatsApp only or both. Hiring Team users must select the channel (SMS or WhatsApp) when sending messages to candidates and prospects. Messages will not be sent through both SMS and WhatsApp simultaneously. 

Within the Inbox, both SMS and WhatsApp messages are viewed together in an ongoing conversation. In the Candidate-Application or Prospect-Community pages, the messages are separated by channel. 

Q: Can a customer use either SMS or WhatsApp? Must they use BOTH?

Answer: Customers can opt to use the channel of their choice. They need not use both channels. The practical difference is that WhatsApp has a longer Customer Implementation process due to the guidelines set forth by Facebook (owner and operator). 

Q: How are phone numbers assigned?

Answer: Phone numbers are statically assigned to each customer, starting with one per sending country requested. This forms a pool of sending numbers for each customer, and messages are automatically routed to ensure deliverability. The locality of phone numbers are assigned at the country level with the appropriate international code (see table below). Customers are asked to provide any preferences for area / destination / region portions of phone numbers for a best match attempt, but there is no match guarantee beyond the international code. For customers with high volume of users and messages, additional phone numbers can be added for each country to ensure two-way conversations with minimal interruption.

Candidates will receive texts from a phone number within their own (that is, the candidate's) country designation if it available within the customer's pool of numbers. If not, candidates will receive texts from another number within the pool, a US number if available, or another. 

Country	Code	Example
United States (US)	+1	+1 415 123 4567
Canada (CA)	+1	+1 613 555 0160
Great Britain (GB)	+44	+44 1632 960947
France (FR)	+33	+33 93 376 1346
Germany (DE)	+49	+49 30 123487007

Q: Can links, images or other attachments be sent with SmartMessage?

Answer: Links can be sent as text with SmartMessage. Candidates using smartphones (whether iPhone or Android) will usually see links as active and clickable within their messaging apps. Links to video meeting applications will usually open the corresponding video app on the candidate's phone (if they have the app installed). Images and other attachments  are not currently supported with SmartMessage. 

Q: Is there a character limit when sending messages?

Answer: Yes, each message can have a maximum of 1600 characters. Consider splitting communications longer than 1600 characters into multiple messages.

Q: Does SmartMessage work for countries beyond those listed?

Answer: Yes, for two-way conversations on a global scale, WhatsApp will be the best user experience for both Hiring Team users and candidates. WhatsApp works outside the traditional constraints related to phone numbers, including how they are regulated, assigned and relay messages. WhatsApp does require a phone number, but simply as a unique identifier for sender and receiver, but this does not affect the technical send and receive capabilities. See below for available phone number markets.

The phone numbers currently offered for SMS service include US, CA, GB (UK), DE, FR, and soon to be AU, NL. Two-way messages work within these countries using the respective same country code (and if the recipient has cellular service within country).

Some phone numbers (including the ones offered) are indeed capable of international SMS service. US numbers are the most flexible and tend to be the most reliable when delivering internationally to non-US recipient.

However, there is NO guarantee that international-capable numbers, like a US number, will successfully reach a candidate in every country outside of the US. The reason is because send and deliver are handled by the individual phone service of each consumer (“candidate”) on the receiving side.

Example

Hiring Team uses a US number to reach candidates in Switzerland. This means one candidate on Swisscom could receive a message, while another candidate on Sunrise does not. This depends ultimately on the policies of phone services like Swisscom and Sunrise, and how they have decided to handle incoming international traffic.

Likewise, each phone service also decides how to handle messages sent from consumer (“candidate”) back to business (“Hiring Team”). The candidate on Swisscom may have received the message, but it is possible that they cannot reply back to the US number. Another possibility is that their reply is routed via a different international sending number from Swisscom and does not reach the Hiring Team.

Summary

• WhatsApp enables messaging internationally. WhatsApp is ideal for two-way conversations because it is owned and operated by a single entity WhatsApp / Facebook with no dependency on phone networks, just data access.
• SMS messaging across international lines varies by location, phone service of recipient, and national boundaries because the services are owned and operated collectively phone companies networked globally, while still subject to local governance. International capable phone numbers for SMS can be used globally, but there is no guarantee of message delivery, or two-way capability.