AI Receptionist for Recruitment and Staffing: A Practical Guide
How recruitment agencies and staffing businesses use an AI receptionist to register candidates, take employer vacancy briefs and handle timesheet queries, while keeping candidate and salary details confidential.
Updated
Recruitment consultants spend much of their day on calls with candidates and clients, which means new enquiries can be missed at the exact moment someone is looking for work or an employer needs a vacancy filled quickly. An AI receptionist answers these calls, registers basic candidate details, takes down a vacancy brief from an employer, or logs a timesheet query, so nothing sits unanswered until a consultant is free.
A large part of the call volume in staffing is time-sensitive and repetitive: temporary workers checking their availability for shifts, candidates asking about the status of their application, and payroll queries about hours or pay dates. Handling these consistently means consultants spend their time on the calls that need judgement, such as matching a candidate to a role.
Confidentiality is central to this sector. Candidates' details, salary expectations and application status must never be discussed with anyone other than the candidate themselves, and one candidate's information must never be shared with another caller, including other candidates or unrelated third parties asking about them.
The calls this sector receives
Candidate registration
New candidates calling to register their interest and provide basic details such as experience and availability.
Employer vacancy brief
Employers calling to describe a role they need filling, including requirements and timescale.
Timesheet or payroll query
Temporary workers or clients asking about submitted hours, pay dates or payroll discrepancies.
Shift availability call
Temporary workers confirming or updating their availability for upcoming shifts.
Application status enquiry
Candidates asking about the progress of an application they have already submitted.
General agency enquiry
Callers asking what sectors or roles the agency covers.
What callers commonly ask
- How do I register as a candidate?
- Can you tell me the status of my application?
- I need to submit a vacancy, can I give you the details?
- My timesheet hasn't been paid, can you check?
- I'm available for shifts next week, can you note that?
- What sectors do you recruit for?
- Can I speak to my consultant?
- How does your fee structure work for employers?
Information worth giving VoxHive
Sectors and roles covered
The industries and role types the agency recruits for, including temporary and permanent.
Registration process
How candidates register, what details are needed, and next steps after registering.
Payroll and timesheet process
How and when timesheets are submitted, pay dates, and who handles payroll queries.
Employer engagement process
How a vacancy brief is taken, typical timescale to present candidates, and fee structure basics.
Confidentiality policy
What can and cannot be shared over the phone about candidates, including with other candidates or third parties.
Typical workflows
Candidate registration capture
Caller wants to register, the receptionist takes name, contact details, area of experience and availability, and passes this to the relevant consultant to follow up.
Employer vacancy brief intake
Employer describes a role, the receptionist records the job title, requirements, location, rate and timescale, and passes the full brief to the consultant handling that account.
Timesheet and payroll query routing
Caller asks about hours or pay, the receptionist takes the worker's name and the specifics of the query and passes it to payroll rather than trying to resolve figures itself.
Shift availability logging
Temporary worker calls to confirm availability, the receptionist records the dates given and passes them to the booking consultant to match against current vacancies.
What the receptionist should never attempt
- Never discuss a candidate's details, application status or salary expectations with anyone other than that candidate.
- Never disclose one candidate's information to another candidate or to an employer who has not been given consent to receive it.
- Never quote a salary or pay rate on behalf of an employer or candidate without that being confirmed information from the business.
- Never confirm a candidate has been placed in a role or that an employer has chosen a candidate, this is for the consultant to communicate.
- Never resolve a payroll discrepancy on the call, only log the query and hours in question for payroll to check.
- Never share an employer's vacancy details with a candidate who has not been put forward for that role.
Example calls
New candidate registration
- Caller
- I want to register with your agency, I've got five years' experience in warehouse work.
- VoxHive
- That's great, I can take your details now. Can I get your name, contact number, and your current availability, and I'll pass this straight to the consultant covering that sector.
- Outcome
- Basic registration details are captured and passed to the relevant consultant, no promises about specific roles are made on the call.
Employer vacancy brief
- Caller
- We need two forklift drivers starting Monday, can I give you the details?
- VoxHive
- Yes, please go ahead. Can you confirm the shift pattern, rate, and site location, and I'll get this to your account consultant right away.
- Outcome
- Full vacancy brief is logged accurately and passed on for urgent action given the Monday start.
Candidate asking about another candidate
- Caller
- Did the other person you put forward for the job get it instead of me?
- VoxHive
- I'm not able to discuss other candidates' details, but I can let your consultant know you'd like an update on your own application.
- Outcome
- No information about other candidates is shared, the caller's own query is logged for their consultant.
Frequently asked questions
Will it tell a candidate what salary an employer is offering?
Only if that figure has been explicitly confirmed as shareable information by the business, otherwise it is passed to the consultant handling the role.
Can it register a candidate fully over the phone?
It captures the initial details needed to start registration, full registration such as right to work checks is completed by a consultant.
How does it handle a timesheet dispute?
It logs the worker's details and the specifics of the query and passes it to payroll, it does not attempt to calculate or resolve figures itself.
Will it discuss one candidate's application with another caller?
No, candidate information is never shared with anyone other than that candidate, including other candidates or unrelated callers.
Related reading
Explore VoxHive's AI receptionist solution for recruitment & staffing for pricing, features and how a setup is put together, or read how VoxHive works for different industries. If you are still weighing up options, our guides to AI receptionist costs in the UK and AI versus human receptionists cover the commercial side.
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