How Laurens handles 97% of candidate queries before recruitment needs to intervene
Laurens is a healthcare organization with over 6,000 employees and 2,000 volunteers in the Rotterdam region. In its first month, recruitment chatbot Laura handled 97% of candidate conversations without any intervention from the recruitment team. Laura was developed in collaboration with Yarado and Unlocking Digital.
A candidate rarely has just one big question. More often, there is a series of small questions before someone decides to apply: Is this vacancy right for me? What are the employment conditions? How does the application process work? And what is it like to work at Laurens?
At Laurens, each of those questions could result in a separate email or phone call to the recruitment team. Laura now catches candidates exactly at that moment of doubt, directly on the careers site and at the moment the question arises. This allows recruiters to focus their attention on candidates for whom personal guidance makes a real difference.
What changed in the first month
candidate conversations in the first month
handled independently by Laura
more phone calls about recurring questions
Every candidate query used to go to recruitment first
Wednesday was usually the day when most candidate questions came in. A candidate would see an interesting vacancy but wanted to know more about the employment conditions first. Another needed help with the application procedure or was looking for the right contact person.
For some candidates, calling was also a barrier. Through Laura, they can ask their question directly on the careers site, in their own words, and whenever it suits them.
Laura is Laurens' recruitment chatbot and is integrated into the careers site via a Crisp chat widget. An AI language model interprets the question and uses a knowledge base compiled and approved by Laurens to formulate a personal answer. Laura addresses candidates by their first name.
She answers questions about vacancies, employment conditions, and working at Laurens immediately. If a question concerns the status of an application or a specific team leader, Laura refers the candidate to the right contact person. If further follow-up is required, HR receives an email notification.
Laura has been designed to feel like a trusted part of Laurens. That is why she was given her own name, tone of voice, and look and feel.
In addition, an avatar was developed that aligns with the organization's culture: accessible, people-oriented, and recognizable.
— Jamie Hoek, HR Capacity Manager at Laurens
Since Laura went live, phone calls have virtually disappeared and the recruitment inbox has also become noticeably quieter. The questions that still reach the team are mainly about topics that are intentionally handled by people, such as the status of an ongoing application or a question for a specific team leader. As a result, recruiters are only involved when their expertise and personal attention are truly needed.
Wat het oplevert
Recruiters no longer have to repeat the same answers over the phone and via email. They can now spend that time on personal contact and providing quality guidance to candidates who need it, rather than on routine questions.
A candidate who asks a question outside office hours gets an immediate answer and doesn't have to wait until the recruitment team is available again. If the question is about the status of an application or a specific team leader, Laura refers the candidate to the right person.
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