Automotive manufacturing firm reduces new hire turnover by implementing JabaTalks automated candidate engagement platform:
Industry: Automotive Manufacturing
Employees: 6,000
Job Types: Manufacturing Associates, Part Pickers, Forklift Operators
Challenge: Hiring managers struggled to manage large applicant volumes and engage qualified applicants in a competitive labor market with high attrition
Overview:
JabaTalks was engaged by the employer of record for a major automotive manufacturer experiencing significant employee turnover across its plants as a result of not being able to identify qualified applicants. Although the company received hundreds of applications each week, the hiring managers were unable to contact, schedule, and screen each candidate efficiently. As a result, it took an average of two weeks to make the first contact with a candidate at which point many of the most qualified had moved onto alternative positions or were unable to be reached.
Competitive Hiring Environment for Skilled Manufacturing Labor:
The labor market for skilled workers in the manufacturing space is highly competitive. The longer it takes for an employer to contact an applicant, the higher the likelihood they have taken alternative employment with a competitor.
In competitive hourly labor markets, firms expand their applicant pools by utilizing “one-click apply” options found on job sites. Although this increases the total number of applicants per posting, hiring teams are left without an efficient way to quickly engage and screen those candidates. As a result, identifying qualified applicants before a competitor becomes a game of chance.
Engagement Reimagined | JabaTalks Implementation:
The manufacturer leveraged the JabaTalks platform with the goal of reducing their candidate engagement times, improving their applicant quality, and most importantly reducing turnover.
At the moment of application, candidates were engaged with JabaTalks SMS engagement campaigns, inviting them to complete a brief phone interview. Once completed, hiring managers were able to immediately qualify and schedule candidates for the next round of the interview process.
“Since implementing JabaTalks, our recruiters have been able to focus their time on reviewing candidates, instead of endless smiling and dialing.”
– Director of People Operations
The Results: Qualified Engagement Doubles and Turnover Drops
Utilizing JabaTalks, the manufacturer has been able to quickly identify and engage qualified applicants.
Candidates were immediately engaged at the moment of application, increasing candidate response rates by 87%. Utilizing the JabaTalks pre-screening interview, the hiring team was able to immediately identify the best candidates and schedule a face-to-face interview. The new process resulted in a 52% decrease in time to hire, allowing the firm to make offers before a candidate accepted positions with any competitors.
“Over the last four months, we’ve seen vast improvements in our engagement rates with qualified candidates. As a result, our new hire turnover has been reduced across the plants using the JabaTalks platform.”
By identifying, engaging and hiring the best candidates, the manufacturer saw a 57% reduction in turnover rates. Hiring data from the initial three months showed that when the team used traditional hiring methods smiling and dialing, they had a new hire employee turnover rate of 18%. When the team hired through JabaTalks over that same time period, turnover dropped to 7%, resulting in an annualized savings of $1.2 million for one large plant alone.