A hiring manager needs three warehouse supervisors within a month. They contact four recruitment agencies on Monday morning. By Monday afternoon, two agencies have called back, asked about the roles and promised shortlists. One replies on Wednesday. One never replies. The two fast agencies share the work.
Client vacancy enquiries bring revenue. They deserve priority.
Why speed matters so much
Employers often brief several agencies at once, especially for urgent or volume roles. The agencies that respond quickly, understand the role and send credible candidates first tend to make the placements. A slow reply often means missing out entirely. The general principle, that warm leads deserve the fastest reply, is covered in referral leads deserve a faster reply than cold ones.
Why client enquiries get delayed
Client enquiries share channels with candidate messages, which usually outnumber them. The problem is described in candidates and clients using the same inbox. Without separation, a vacancy enquiry waits in the queue.
What to capture
- Company name and sector
- Role title and number of roles
- Location and working pattern
- Salary range
- Start date
- Key requirements
- Hiring manager's name and contact details
With these, a consultant can reply with a relevant response, and even suggest candidates, the same day.
Capturing on mobile
Hiring managers often send enquiries from their phones between meetings. Short, conversational capture works better on mobile than long forms, a point covered in mobile visitors and enquiries.
SpideyChat for recruitment agencies identifies client enquiries, answers questions about the agency's services and fees from your own pages and captures vacancy details for the right consultant. More on how agencies use it is in AI receptionist for recruitment agencies.
Hiring manager: We need three warehouse supervisors in the next month. Assistant: Thanks for getting in touch. Warehouse and logistics recruitment is one of the agency's specialisms. So a consultant can get back to you today, could you share the location, the salary range, when they need to start and the best number to reach you?
Assigning ownership
Each client enquiry should have an owner who responds within a set time. Unassigned enquiries wait. A simple rule, such as the sector lead owning all enquiries in that sector, prevents gaps.
Explaining terms up front
Employers often ask about fees and terms before sharing a vacancy. A short page explaining the fee structure, any rebate or guarantee period and how the process works helps them decide quickly. Clear terms also make it easier for a hiring manager to get approval internally, which is often the slowest part of starting a new recruitment relationship.
Showing sector knowledge
Clients want agencies that understand their industry. Sector pages that describe the roles you recruit for, the areas you cover and recent types of placements help employers judge quickly whether the agency suits the role. They also give the assistant accurate material to answer from when a hiring manager asks whether you work in their sector.
Temporary and urgent roles
Some enquiries are for temporary staff needed within days. These need an even faster response. Asking about start dates at first contact lets consultants spot urgent requests immediately and reply before the employer moves on.
Follow-up if the client goes quiet
Some clients send an enquiry and then go quiet. A short follow-up after a day or two, perhaps with a note about suitable candidates available, often restarts the conversation.
Setting up the client route
Add a clear "hiring" route to your website, set up capture for vacancy details and make sure each enquiry reaches a consultant quickly. The guides to installing the widget and training your bot explain the setup.