01 the business
Hotel group
6 hotels, hiring year-round
Booking a panel interview takes a long email thread between the candidate, the recruiter and three busy managers. Good candidates accept other offers while the team is still finding a slot.
02 before
The problem
Booking a panel interview takes a long thread of emails between the candidate, the recruiter and three busy calendars. Candidates in other time zones wait a day for each reply, and some accept another offer while you are still finding a slot.
- Each interview takes days of back-and-forth.
- Reschedules restart the whole thread.
- Candidates go quiet and nobody notices.
03 the build
What the AI does
- Step 1: Reads interviewer availability from Google Calendar or Outlook and the rules you set, such as interview length and buffers.
- Step 2: Messages the candidate by email or SMS with times shown in their own time zone and lets them choose or ask for others.
- Step 3: Books the slot, sends calendar invites with the video link and adds the interview to Greenhouse or your applicant tracker.
- Step 4: Handles reschedules and cancellations in the same chat and updates every calendar involved.
- Step 5: Sends reminders before the interview and tells the recruiter straight away if a candidate goes quiet.
paused: waiting for a person to approve
How it was put together
- Read interviewer availability and rules such as length and buffers.
- Messaged candidates with times in their own time zone and let them choose.
- Booked the slot, sent invites with video links and updated the applicant tracker.
- Handled reschedules and sent reminders, alerting the recruiter if a candidate went quiet.
04 human in the loop
Where a person stays in charge
The recruiter sets who interviews for each role and approves any slot outside normal rules, such as an evening call or a change to the panel. Candidate questions about pay or the offer are passed to the recruiter.
- The recruiter sets each role's panel and approves any slot outside the normal rules.
- Questions about pay or offers go to the recruiter.
- The assistant identifies itself as automated.
05 rollout
From kickoff to live in 3 weeks
- Week 1Connect calendars and the applicant tracker; agree rules.
- Week 2Pilot on two open roles.
- Week 3Use for all interviews.
06 after
What changes
Interviews get booked the same day instead of over several. Recruiters stop acting as a switchboard, and candidates see a quick, organised process.
Assume 120 interviews a month and 25 minutes of recruiter time each to arrange by email.
120 × 25 minutes = 50 hours a month of scheduling, most of which disappears.
What to measure
- Days from shortlist to interview.
- Recruiter time per interview booked.
- No-show rate for interviews.
- Candidates who drop out before interview.
07 evidence
What the research says
Across randomised trials, attendance was 78.6% with text reminders against 67.8% with none, and text reminders worked about as well as phone calls at lower cost per attendance.
From August 2026, AI systems that talk directly to people in the EU must make clear they are AI, unless that is obvious.
EU AI Act, Article 50: transparency obligations (opens in a new tab) · 2024
08 lessons
Mistakes to avoid
- Ignoring time zones. Always show the candidate's local time.
- No buffers. Back-to-back panels run late.
- Silence after booking. Reminders cut no-shows.
09 questions
Common questions
- Can candidates book by text message?
- Yes. SMS and email both work.
- Does it work with Greenhouse?
- Yes, and with most applicant trackers that have an API.