If an unknown number rings your phone, what do you do?

Would you assume that it was a cold caller and ignore the call?

The truth is, the majority of potential candidates that you call will probably do this too, which is why it is SO important that you have an organised recruitment strategy in place.

In this article, we will cover the different methods we suggest for contacting leads and why you should never dismiss a new lead after 2 or 3 attempts.

You might be reading this and thinking ‘why would I want to hire someone who can’t pick up the phone after 2 attempts?’, which from a hiring manager’s perspective, might be true. However, you have to sympathise with every candidate that applies. Everyone has their own lives, whether that be working a full time job, picking their children up from school, or simply being too busy to answer the phone.

From our research, the industry average is 7-10 points of contact, whether this be a text, call, email or voicemail. This might sound like a lot, but legally you are allowed to contact a lead as many times as you like for the first 6 months, unless they ask otherwise. The reality is, most of our clients will never get through to candidates on the first try.

So, what other methods of communication can you try?

Send a text to the candidate, telling them what time you will be calling. This will ensure that they know who is calling. Statistics show that email has only a 5% open rate, whilst 98% of text messages are read on the same day. This is why we highly recommend sending a text message as your first point of contact.

You can also ask the candidate what time they are available to call. Within our chatbots and lead forms, we will always ask what time the candidate is available to call. This ensures that you contact the candidate at a time that suits them.

We recommend this 5 step approach when contacting leads:

1. 1. Text the candidate first with the time you will be calling.
2. 2. Ring them twice on the first day.
3. 3. If they don’t respond, leave a voicemail.
4. 4. Lastly, follow up with an email. Repeat the process!

At Healthcare92, we offer a unique support service that is specially designed to provide private care employers with a cost efficient solution to a long standing and frustrating problem of getting hold of candidates.

If you think you can benefit from this expert help, please call 01244 617 375 to speak to a member of our team.