AI Chatbot Stokstaartjes.nl is the Ideal Support for IQ Select Recruiters
IQ Select is the first OTYS customer to use the smart WhatsApp robot from Stokstaartjes.nl to speed up the recruitment process. The chatbot, named Scott, not only makes the initial contact but also conducts the first screening and schedules appointments with the recruiter. Jan Kievit, director/owner of IQ Select, highlights that the chatbot engages candidates immediately, even outside regular hours, leading to higher appointment rates.
“We are the supermarket for transport jobs,” says Jan Kievit. The company deploys approximately 2,000 drivers daily and is constantly looking for new candidates. “We have about 3,500 vacancies online on about 30 different sites. If someone already knows where they want to work, they apply there. If they are still unsure, they browse our listings.” The candidate is the focus. “All our time and attention go to the candidate.”
Staying ahead of the competition
The goal is to attract candidates because the competition is fierce. In the tight labor market, everyone wants to attract that scarce candidate. Since early 2024, IQ Select has been using the chatbot from AI specialist Stokstaartjes.nl. Combined with the cloud-based OTYS Go! recruitment software, this makes the handling of incoming candidates very efficient and effective. It goes far beyond what other chatbots do. Through an automated dialogue, Scott conducts a screening and short intake; does the candidate have the basic qualifications (e.g., Code 95 in transport), what type of driver's license does he have? What kind of work (national/international) is he looking for? etc. “This first screening separates the wheat from the chaff,” Kievit explains.
If the candidate meets the initial criteria (pre-selection), Scott asks if they want to schedule an appointment with a recruiter at the nearest IQ Select branch. For instance, if the chatbot contacts a candidate on Saturday evening, an appointment can be scheduled in the recruiter’s agenda for Monday morning. This is important, says Kievit. “You need to be there when the candidate is looking. We can also monitor the chat in real time and decide to call the candidate directly or ask why they stopped during the chat.” This way, the candidate journey has already begun, and IQ Select knows they are ahead of the competition. Kievit: “We now achieve a much higher percentage of appointments (intakes) than before.”
"At the moment the candidate is searching, you need to be there. We can also follow the chat in real time and decide immediately whether to call the candidate ourselves or ask why they stopped during the chat."
Chatbot supports recruiter
"Speed is everything for IQ Select," says Jeffrey Looman from OTYS. "In 2023, we started working together to increase candidate engagement by configuring the software to make processes even faster. With fewer clicks, quicker office appointments with candidates, and the ability to present more candidates to their clients." The collaboration between OTYS and Stokstaartjes.nl offers opportunities to automate this further. Thanks to an API connection, there is a link between Stokstaartjes.nl's AI and IQ Select's OTYS Go! environment.
Since Stokstaartjes.nl is part of the OTYS partner framework, the robot is integrated with the recruitment software, Looman explains. "The robot from Stokstaartjes.nl can input data into certain fields in OTYS. Not only does the recruiter automatically find scheduled appointments in their calendar, but when they click on the candidate's profile, a large portion of the required information is already filled in by the bot. That's the magic of the chatbot. The robot conducts a conversation with a candidate, selects based on IQ Select's criteria, and updates the candidates' status in the system. The chatbot truly supports the recruiter, who now has much more time for conversations with serious candidates."
Streamlining the recruitment process
"Our chatbot is deeply integrated into the OTYS recruitment software at IQ Select. The primary online communication with potential candidates now goes through the robot. As a result, they are now bringing in more suitable candidates in less time," says Ron Stoorvogel of Stokstaartjes.nl. "IQ Select is not only the first OTYS client in the recruitment industry to use our chatbot, but it's also the cream of the crop."
For all OTYS customers, the AI bot from Stokstaartjes.nl is generically built into the software. And implementation is simple, Stoorvogel explains. "We handle the engine placement ourselves. We know what to look out for as IT professionals and ensure that the chatbot integrates with existing business processes. For a straightforward implementation, it takes just one day of work." The business model is transparent; besides a fee of €250, the user purchases bundles of successful conversations (€0.75 per conversation, €0.50 per conversation above 1,000 conversations per month).
Kievit is more than satisfied with the collaboration with Stokstaartjes.nl. "Their way of working suits us. We are fast and flexible, and so are they. No need to submit tickets and such; they just handle it quickly. Within a few hours, they adjust to streamline the process." Regarding the implementation of the chatbot at IQ Select, Kievit is succinct. "We have our own method and have structured the process around it. We didn't have to make any changes to add Stokstaartjes.nl's AI tool to the OTYS Go! software. It hasn't disrupted our recruitment process; instead, it has complemented it."
"The robot from Stokstaartjes.nl can input data into specific fields in OTYS. Not only does the recruiter automatically find scheduled appointments in their calendar, but when they click on the candidate's profile, a large portion of the required information is already filled in by the bot."
Live within a month
The decision to let a chatbot handle the initial communication with your (potential) candidates is not easy for every intermediary. "Going live is also exciting; it has to go well," says Kievit. Despite his initial skepticism about AI applications in recruitment, he quickly became enthusiastic. "Jan Kievit is an innovative entrepreneur, someone who makes quick, independent decisions and is not afraid to try something new first," says Looman. "When we proposed using Stokstaartjes.nl's AI tool to him, the decision was made within fifteen minutes." After an initial test, a pilot at the Apeldoorn branch in early 2024, things moved quickly, Stoorvogel explains.
"Jan Kievit said after a week, 'roll it out to the other branches,' and within a month, we were live." And this will expand, says Kievit. "We will also have Stokstaartjes.nl replace the other bots we are running. The quality of their chatbot is better, the conversations are more professional. This chatbot can do much more, it knows a lot more from job sites and LinkedIn, and it pre-fills candidate information. Not many chatbots can do that yet."
IQ Select also plans to use Stokstaartjes.nl's AI to update and enrich their database of 60,000 contacts. According to Stoorvogel, the chatbot is indeed excellent at reactivating passive candidates and 'old acquaintances.' "The bot can initiate a conversation, ask 'how are you? Are you still looking for work?' and if the response is positive, it can immediately schedule an appointment with a recruiter and start the application process."
"We are ahead of the market. We often hear that our chatbot is so good that people don't even realize they are communicating with a robot."
Chatbot impersonal? On the contrary
It's a trend: using an AI chatbot for recruiting and selecting candidates. However, not everyone is equally enthusiastic about it, as Stoorvogel acknowledges. "The average quality of chatbots is not high. There are many poor examples of AI applications, especially at large companies. Smaller companies like IQ Select are more innovative and flexible." The quality of a chatbot also depends on how it is configured and fed, Stoorvogel explains. "AI is a pleaser, you need to curb it. If you don't do this well, it will hallucinate and make things up. You saw this with the first version of ChatGPT. But we haven't experienced that with our chatbot. We're ahead of the market. We often hear that our chatbot is so good that people don't even realize they are talking to a robot." Kievit agrees. "It indeed happens that candidates ask the chatbot, 'Do I have an interview with you next week?' Then the robot replies, 'No, with one of my colleagues.'"
He also refutes the idea that the chatbot leads to less personal contact. "On the contrary, it offers more opportunities to communicate. You can also automate the chatbot to send messages that are indeed personal, such as 'looking forward to seeing you tomorrow...' It's absolutely not the case that personal contact is 'automated to death.' Recruiters actually have much more time for meaningful conversations with candidates and making good proposals to clients."
Kievit is very pleased with the arrival of the WhatsApp robot as a new digital colleague for the recruiters. "Initially, the staff at the branches found it exciting. There was the idea that their work was being taken away, but eventually, they also saw the benefits. About 60 to 70% of the initial contacts are now handled automatically. We get many more intakes, while the recruiters can spend more time and attention on serious candidates, and we can place many more people with clients." That's exactly what Scott is intended for, says Stoorvogel: "The robot makes the recruiter's job more enjoyable, the applicant knows immediately where they stand, and the company gains a competitive advantage through the quick response to applications."
The 5 advantages of combining OTYS recruitment software and Stokstaartjes.nl AI tool for IQ Select:
- Reach more applicants: The robot works 24/7, is never sick, and is always friendly – which recruiter can handle 200 conversations a day and ten at once?
- Easy scheduling: Applicants can directly schedule an appointment with a recruiter digitally, leading to more introductory/intake conversations.
- Automatic screening (preselection): All applicants meet the basic requirements of the vacancy.
- Time savings for recruiters: Applicants' data is partially pre-filled and immediately available in OTYS.
- No IT or marketing knowledge required: Stokstaartjes.nl manages the entire process and automatically links the WhatsApp robot with the client's OTYS environment.
