A fast-food franchise group was losing hourly applicants to clunky web forms. We built a WhatsApp bot that runs the whole application as a short chat and books interviews on the spot — taking candidates from first message to a booked interview in ten minutes.
Typical results
2.4x
More completed applications
24/7
Bot answers applicants
73%
Chat completion, up from 30%
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
Hourly candidates don't have CVs and won't fight a careers portal on their phone. Only 30% who started the group's web form ever finished it, and those who did waited nearly a week for a callback — by which time most had taken a job somewhere else. Branches stayed understaffed while ad spend kept climbing.
Before and after
Application completion
2.4×Time to first interview
−83%Completed applications
2.4×The automation
We replaced the form with a WhatsApp conversation. A QR code on posters and job ads opens the chat; the bot asks knockout questions, captures shift availability and preferred branch, and writes everything into the ATS as a structured record. Qualified applicants immediately see open interview slots from the branch calendar and book one in-chat, while the branch manager receives the applicant card and confirmed time. The bot answers around the clock.
How it works
- 01
Scan and chat
Posters and job ads carry a QR code straight into WhatsApp — no app, no account, no CV.
- 02
Knockout questions
The bot checks eligibility, work permit and availability; failing answers end the chat politely.
- 03
Preferences captured
Shift availability and preferred branch are logged as structured data in the ATS.
- 04
Booked on the spot
Qualified applicants pick an interview slot from the branch calendar without leaving the chat.
- 05
Manager in the loop
The branch manager receives the applicant card and confirmed slot the moment it's booked.
Starts from
- WhatsApp chat applications
- Branch openings & shift needs
Delivers
- Interview booked on the spot
- Structured applicant record in the ATS
- Branch manager notified instantly
The impact
Completion jumped from 30% to 73%, lifting monthly completed applications from about 90 to 215. Qualified candidates go from first message to a booked interview in ten minutes, first interviews happen within a day instead of six, and branch managers finally interview people while they're still interested.
Questions about this automation
How does a candidate start an application?
Posters and job ads carry a QR code that opens a WhatsApp chat with the hiring bot. There is no app to install, no account to create and no CV to upload. The bot asks a few short questions, and the whole application takes a few minutes on a phone.
What do the knockout questions check?
The bot checks eligibility, work permit status and availability for the shifts the branch needs. Candidates who do not meet a requirement get a polite closing message. Those who pass give their shift availability and preferred branch, which are saved in the ATS as structured fields for the hiring team.
How are interviews booked and shared with the branch?
Qualified candidates see open interview slots from the branch calendar and pick one inside the chat. The branch manager immediately receives the applicant card and the confirmed time. This is a multi-step build, usually rolled out in stages, often starting with a few branches before the rest join.