5 Surprising Stats On How We Feel About Recruitment Chatbots

Adrian Dixon

November 16, 2018

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According to Korn Ferry’s data, 63% of talent acquisition professionals report AI has changed how recruiting is conducted in their organization.

A big part of this talent acquisition AI is the recruitment chatbot.

5 chatbot stats

A chatbot is defined as “a computer program designed to stimulate conversation with human users.” Although the chatbot is a relatively recent innovation in the recruiting context, chatbots have been used for years in customer service and as virtual personal assistants. Hello, Alexa!

Drift, a leading marketing chat software (both people and bots), recently conducted a survey along with SurveyMonkey, Salesforce, and myclever on how chatbots are changing the online experience.

To help recruiters understand how people feel about interacting with chatbots, I’ve summarized the 5 best stats from the report below.

Stat 1: The issues a chatbot is expected to solve

Overall, what people want from a chatbot is further communication.

  • 37% expect to get quick answers to questions in an emergency
  • 35% expect to get detailed answers or explanations
  • 34% use a chatbot as a means for getting connected with a human

The last stat emphasizes that a chatbot doesn’t need to be an “all or nothing” technology. If a candidates wants to speak to a human, your recruiting process should provide a means to contact one.

 Stat 2: The biggest benefits of using a chatbot

True to expectations, people are looking to chatbots to provide on-demand answers in real time.

  • 64% believe the top benefit is the ability to get 24-hour service
  • 55% believe the top benefit is getting instant responses to inquiries
  • 55% believe the top benefit is getting answers to simple questions

 Stat 3: How soon a chatbot should respond

When Drift asked, “How soon would you expect to get a response on each of these channels?” 75% said they expected an “instant response” from a chatbot.

  • 75% expect an instant response from a chatbot
  • 73% expect an instant response from a face-to-face interaction
  • 27% expect an instant response from an email

 Stat 4: The top concerns about using a chatbot

43% of people report that they prefer to communicate with a human first and foremost. But realistically, that’s not always possible, especially in the recruiting context.

 The most common concerns about interacting with a chatbot are:

  •  30% worry about the chatbot making a mistake
  • 27% worry about accessing it only through a specific medium (e.g., Facebook)
  • 24% worry it won’t chat in a friendly manner

Interestingly, these concerns are also present when interacting with a human.

This just means that creators of chatbots need to be thoughtful and intelligent about their design and user experience and ensure their chatbot is programmed to improve with experience.

 Stat 5: Generational differences in expectations

 Surprisingly, Baby Boomers (age 55+) are more likely to expect benefits from chatbots than Millennials (age 18-34).

 Compared to Millennials, Baby Boomers are:

  • 12% more likely to expect 24-hour service
  • 20% more likely to expect an instant response
  • 23% more likely to expect answers to simple questions

Request a demo today to learn more about how Ideal’s recruitment chatbot can transform the candidate experience.