CRH is the largest building materials manufacturer in North America with over 78,000 employees. They offer a wide range of products and services for construction projects of all sizes from infrastructure and commercial to residential. They have a longstanding commitment to workplace safety and providing best-in-class employee experiences.
The CRH team is responsible for an expansive recruiting effort. They typically hire anywhere from 150 to 200 candidates monthly for a variety of roles, including mechanics, welders, forklift operators, laborers, building technicians, and business operations positions. Adding to their challenges is the fact that these roles span multiple states and time zones. Massive volumes of open roles make regular candidate communication and timely interview scheduling a challenge. This delay has previously led to a high candidate drop-off rate and extended time-to-hire for the critical front-line positions that drive CRH’s revenue.
Recognizing the need for a more efficient and candidate-centric recruiting strategy, CRH implemented Sense to streamline hiring with text messaging and automated scheduling. Our AI-powered Talent Engagement Platform empowers them to automatically send personalized messages to every candidate at critical stages in their hiring journey.
Sense's two-way texting capabilities enable recruiters to quickly respond to questions and provide updates. The CRH team has found that text messaging has become the preferred communication channel among today’s job seekers. After engaging over 70,000 candidates, their average response rate hovers around 60% and less than 20 have opted out of their communications. This speaks to their ability to send compelling messages candidates are excited to receive.
"I would say nearly every candidate prefers text messaging and gets back to me through text,” said CRH Recruiter Sarah Cruz.
Even more, Sense seamlessly integrates with hiring team members’ calendars and allows for automated interview scheduling. Candidates are now empowered to choose their preferred interview dates and times, significantly improving their experience and bringing greater efficiency to the hiring process. CRH now schedules about 200 interviews and pre-screening calls per week. This saves them nearly 20 hours each week of repetitive task management.
“We’re sourcing thousands of people per month,” said Joe Bianchi, Recruiting Systems Support Manager. “Being able to automatically schedule interviews on our calendars is very helpful. It saves so much time.”
Since implementing Sense, the CRH recruiting team has experienced a wide range of newfound operational efficiencies. The biggest win has been in the between initial contact and interview. Sense's automated communication and scheduling features eliminated the need for lengthy email exchanges and phone tag. This not only saves recruiters valuable time but also enables them to move qualified candidates through the process much faster.
Additionally, automated reminders and updates led to a noticeable reduction in candidate drop-off and interview no-shows. Candidates appreciate the convenience of receiving interview reminders and being able to ask questions and confirm details.
The positive impact Sense has had on CRH’s recruiting efforts goes beyond metrics. The recruiting team has successfully transformed its day-to-day operations and overall recruiting strategy. By automated interview scheduling and much of their candidate communication responsibilities, they’re able to focus on building relationships with candidates and making well-informed hiring decisions, ultimately leading to a more efficient and successful recruiting process.
Since turning to Sense, CRH feels better equipped to engage with high volumes of candidates and fill important roles in a timely manner. They now use automated messaging and interview scheduling to provide every candidate with a great experience and welcome new hires who are ready to contribute to the business’s success. Moving forward, they hope to continue to implement technology that will help with sourcing, pre-screening, and post-interview assessments.
Want to create phenomenal experiences for your candidates, employees, and partners? Talk to a Sense representative to understand how our automation & communication solutions can seamlessly do this for you.
