Follow-up rate went from 60% to 100% in two weeks

The problem

The agency had a candidate experience problem they knew about but hadn't solved. Every application was supposed to get a follow-up email within 48 hours. Every completed interview was supposed to get an outcome email. In practice, both happened when someone remembered - which was around 60% of the time.

The remaining 40% of candidates heard nothing. Some chased. Some didn't. All of them formed an impression of the agency that the team wasn't proud of.

What the audit found

The agency used Bullhorn as their ATS. During the workflow session, it emerged that Bullhorn's webhook system - which fires an event every time a candidate's status changes - was configured but not connected to anything. It had been set up by a previous IT contact and never used.

The fix was already half-built. The audit identified the connection between Bullhorn's webhooks and an email sequence as the single highest-priority item: zero new tooling required, complete elimination of the manual step possible.

What was built

Two automated email sequences, triggered by Bullhorn status changes. The first fires when a candidate's application status moves to "received" - a personalised acknowledgement with a timeline. The second fires when a status moves to "interview complete" - an outcome email with next steps.

Both sequences use the candidate's name and role title pulled from Bullhorn. They read as personal emails, not automated ones. The team reviewed and approved the templates before go-live.

The result

Follow-up rate hit 100% immediately. The 6 hours a week previously spent on manual email drafting disappeared. Candidate response rates - tracked via Bullhorn - went up 34% in the first month. The team attribute this to faster, more consistent communication.

Two months in, the agency received their first Google review mentioning communication specifically as a positive. That hadn't happened before.