Enable SMS Communications and Set Limits for Outbound SMS

All communications to candidates regarding their applications, interviews, job offers can be delivered using email or SMS. When you enable SMS communications, candidates can apply for jobs and review their profile in their candidate self-service using a phone number. The Recruiting Content Library provides SMS message templates in addition to existing email templates.

Before you start

  • At least one active messaging provider is needed to enable SMS communications.
  • A valid SMS provider license is required before you enable the SMS communications.
  • You can select Twilio, Universe, or any other SMS provider whose services can be initiated using REST services. You should use the SMS provider’s developer documentation to configure the services and account credentials needed in the Recruiting product.

When enabling SMS communications, you need to configure the total number of SMS messages that can be sent from Recruiting in a day (system hard limit) and the total number of SMS messages that can be sent to each candidate in a day (candidate message limit). All messages that are sent after one of these limits is reached are blocked for that day and appear in the Messages tab as Blocked. Blocked messages are never attempted to be sent automatically to the candidate.

The system hard limit and candidate message limit are reset to zero at the start of UTC day, at 00:00:00 hours. When the limits are reset, you can send new messages the next day. If you’re using the Redwood version of Recruiting, you can resend the blocked messages the next day from the Messages tab.

If you’re enabling SMS communications for the first time, you can enable it only if you set these limits. If you already enabled SMS communications in the past, but didn’t specify SMS limits, you’ll now see predefined limits set based on your past usage.

If you already enabled SMS communications and specified SMS limits in the past, those limits will continue to apply. This feature is useful to limit the volume of outbound text messages sent using third party services like Twilio or Syniverse. It also helps limit the cost of usage based service and prevent unexpected spikes in cost.

UTC time zone is considered when counting the limits.

Here's what to do

  1. In the Setup and Maintenance work area, go to:
    • Offering: Recruiting and Candidate Experience
    • Functional Area: Recruiting and Candidate Experience Management
    • Task: Recruiting Messaging Configuration
  2. In the Limit for Text Messages section, click Edit.
  3. Configure these options:
    • Maximum number of messages that can be sent in a day: This defines the total number of messages that can be sent from Recruiting in a day across all candidates by different hiring team members.
    • Maximum number of messages that can be sent per candidate in a day: This defines the number of messages that can be sent to a single candidate in a day by different hiring team members.
    • Number of messages that triggers a warning notification: This defines the number of messages that can be sent across Recruiting, after which a warning email must be sent to the administrator indicating that the maximum limit is soon to be reached. This number should be less than the maximum limit that can be sent in a day.
    • Email for notifications: By default, the email to which threshold warning notifications are sent is populated with a nonworking email address. You must change it to a valid email address such as the administrator's email who can receive the notifications.
  4. Click Save.
  5. On the Recruiting Messaging Configuration page, in the SMS Messaging Providers section, select the option Enable SMS Communications.