1. Using and Administering Recruiting Booster
  2. Set Up Two-Way SMS Communications

Set Up Two-Way SMS Communications

You set up two-way SMS messaging so that recruiters and the hiring team can have conversations with candidates using SMS.

Before you start

Two-way communication with SMS currently works with Twilio and Syniverse providers only. Make sure that the proper provider setup is done before you enable two-way communication. For two-way SMS communication to work correctly, you need to have a long code number that supports accepting incoming messages.

Here's what to do

  1. Create an SMS Messaging Provider
  2. Enable Two-Way Communications on Active SMS Messaging Provider
  3. Configure the Profile Option to Read SMS from a Given Start Date

Create an SMS Messaging Provider

You need to create and activate a messaging provider that will be used for communicating with candidates using SMS.

Before you start

Two-way communication with SMS currently works with Twilio and Syniverse providers only. Make sure that the proper provider setup is done before you enable two-way communication.

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. On the Recruiting Messaging Configuration page, in the SMS Communications section, click Add.
  3. Enter a name and description.
  4. Select a provider.
  5. Based on the provider you selected, enter info in the Request Details, Authentication, Headers, and Body sections. For more information, see the document Examples of Adding an SMS Provider on My Oracle Support (ID 2657006.1).
    Note: For processing outbound messages, the SMS messaging provider's API is expected to return the response in JSON format. To ensure smooth processing of these messages, we recommend that you include the Accept header in the Headers section and specify its value as application/json.
  6. Click Test Outbound Message to send a test message and make sure that the configuration is properly done.
  7. Click Save and Close.
  8. On the SMS Messaging Providers list, set the provider you added to Active.

Related Topics

Enable Two-Way Communications on Active SMS Messaging Provider

You need to enable the two-way SMS communications feature.

Before you start

At least one SMS provider needs to be Active to have SMS Communications with the candidate. The phone number that you use for two-way communications must support incoming SMS messages.

Here's what to do

  1. On the Recruiting Messaging Configuration page, select the option Enable SMS Communications.
  2. Open the new provider you created, and select the option Enable Two-Way SMS Communications.
  3. Click Test Inbound Message to make sure that the configuration is properly done.
  4. Click Save and Close.

Configure the Profile Option to Read SMS from a Given Start Date

You can configure a profile option called ORA_IRC_2_WAY_SMS_LAST_SYNC_TIME to read SMS messages from a specific start date and time.

When you enable two-way SMS communications, this profile option is automatically set to the date and time when you enabled the feature. The Recruiting application will start processing SMS messages that were received from that date and time onward.

This profile option is referenced by the Process Recruiting Inbound Message scheduled process, which updates the date and time automatically to the current date and time when it completes running. So, for example, if the profile option value was initially set to a date last week, and the scheduled process runs today, SMS messages will be processed from last week until today. After the scheduled process completes running, it'll set the profile option value to today's date. This will ensure that messages will be read from today onward, when the scheduled process runs next time.

If you need to read SMS messages from a different date and time, you can manually update this profile option value. This set up step is optional.

  1. In the Setup and Maintenance work area, click the Tasks icon.
  2. Click Search.
  3. On the Search page, search for the task Manage Administrator Profile Values.
  4. Click the task name.
  5. On the Manage Administrator Profile Values page, search for the profile option code IRC_2_WAY_SMS_LAST_SYNC_TIME.
  6. Set the profile value to the desired start date and time from which SMS messages should be read. It's recommended to set this value to five days before the current date. Use the UTC date and time in standard ISO 8601 format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS to enter the value.
    Note: In the case of Twilio, if you set this value to a date beyond 400 days in the past, it will automatically default to 400 days in the past.
  7. Click Save and Close.