Police Scotland’s Recruitment Team is Leading the Force in AI Chatbot Innovation!
The world of talent acquisition is facing a dual challenge…rampant candidate ghosting and widespread recruiter burnout.
In 2024, a staggering 92% of candidates reported being ghosted, while 63% of talent acquisition teams are grappling with burnout.
However, what if there was a powerful solution to transform interactions, streamline processes, and elevate the experience for everyone involved?
This was the central question we explored in a recent HR Grapevine webinar. As Benjamin Broomfield, Head of Content for HR Grapevine, highlighted in his opening, the conversation promised a fascinating dive into the future of talent acquisition.
The Problem: A Vicious Cycle of Disengagement
The current landscape paints a clear picture of frustration. Recruiters, stretched thin by shrinking budgets and limited resources, struggle to provide timely updates to the sheer volume of applications. This leads to candidates feeling ignored and undervalued, ultimately harming the employer brand and forcing organizations to spend more time and money re-attracting talent they’ve already lost.
Hayley Skivington, Head of Product at Oleeo, articulated this perfectly: “None of this happens through malicious intent. This, for me, is a symptom of that overwhelmed and under-resourced state that we’re finding within recruitment teams across every sector.”
The Solution: AI as a Catalyst for Change
The good news? AI, particularly in the form of conversational chatbots, is emerging as a powerful antidote. Beyond the initial “buzzword” phase, AI is now delivering tangible results, improving communication, boosting engagement, and significantly increasing efficiency.
“There’s one thing that AI loves more than anything in the world, and it’s a repeatable process,” Hayley explained. “By bringing AI in, not only is it repeatable, it’s consistent. So candidates are getting delivered a consistent approach to responses. They’re getting a consistency in when you’re contacting them about where they are in the process.”
But how are candidates themselves embracing AI? They’re already leveraging it to refine cover letters, polish CVs, practice for interviews, and research organizations. This highlights a critical need for organizations to provide clear “guardrails” for appropriate AI use, ensuring a fair and transparent process.
Police Scotland’s Pioneering AI Journey
A real-world example of AI’s transformative power comes from Police Scotland. Lorna Allison, their E-Recruitment Systems Manager, shared their groundbreaking experience. As the UK’s second-largest police force, handling over 65,000 applications since 2021, Police Scotland faces immense volume recruitment challenges. Their dedicated recruitment team of 48 officers and staff were often bogged down by administrative tasks.
“Our recruitment teams spend a significant amount of time bogged down with the administrative tasks, repetitive processes, and that, for us, is a problem because it takes away valuable resources from the other value-added tasks that we want to be doing,” Lorna explained.
The Conversational Chatbot Technology: OleeoQ Police Scotland implemented two Oleeo AI-powered chatbots: one for external candidates and another for internal police officer applicants. These chatbots offer 24/7 instant and personalized responses, effectively handling repetitive inquiries and freeing up the recruitment team.
Testimonial: Lorna Allison, E-Recruitment Systems Manager, Police Scotland
“The introduction of AI into our recruitment function has been a really exciting time for us. It’s been very, very easy to adopt and deploy, and we were quite taken aback at how easy it was for us to introduce this into our organization.”
The impact has been significant:
Time Savings: The chatbots have dramatically reduced the administrative burden, freeing up recruiters for higher-value tasks.
Modernization: AI has enabled Police Scotland to embrace a modern, forward-thinking approach to recruitment, appealing to younger generations who expect 24/7 support.
Enhanced Candidate Experience: Continuous, instant support improves candidate satisfaction ratings.
Inclusion & Accessibility: Chatbots offer a judgment-free space for applicants to ask questions, and importantly, they do not link to personal or live application data, ensuring an equitable and inclusive service.
Testimonial: Lorna Allison, E-Recruitment Systems Manager, Police Scotland
“Because policing is 24/7, it makes sense for us to have technology that supports that 24/7 as well. This gives us that additional leverage to be able to be available for routine inquiries, even for our internal police officers who are working shifts and on duty late and through the night.”
Overcoming Blockers and Measuring Impact
Implementing AI isn’t without its challenges.
Hayley identified two main blockers:
Legislation and Compliance: The complexity of new regulations can feel daunting. Hayley advises speaking to vendors who understand the technology and can guide organizations through compliance.
Personal Fear of AI: Many recruiters feel uncertain about how AI works or how candidates are using it. The solution? “Play with these tools,” Hayley urged. “Get on ChatGPT. Get on the resume enhancers. Go and see how they work so you can reduce your own fear barrier.”
Measuring the impact of AI is crucial. Lorna highlighted Police Scotland’s robust internal monitoring group and the valuable data provided by Oleeo on ratings, feedback, and time savings.
Testimonial: Lorna Allison, E-Recruitment Systems Manager, Police Scotland
“One of the concerns when we were introducing it from a lot of people within the organization, was, ‘How do we make sure that it’s behaving? How do we make sure that it’s actually doing what we want it to do?’ We’re tracking that ourselves, and the supplier is able to give us a really good data matrix in relation to the type of responses… we really see the true time saving that is quite remarkable.”
The Future is Now…
The session concluded with some crucial takeaways:
Start Small, High Impact: AI chatbots offer a lower-risk entry point for AI adoption, demonstrating immediate impact on recruiter time and candidate experience.
Address Critical Pain Points: Identify your organization’s biggest recruitment challenges and seek out AI tools that directly address them, whether it’s screening, scheduling, or feedback.
Don’t Be Afraid to Innovate: The recruitment landscape is rapidly evolving. Embrace the innovation available today.
Educate and Upskill: Understand the fundamentals of AI, its rules, and how it applies to your role and organization.
Be the Human in the Loop: AI is a powerful guide, not a decision-maker. You remain in control of hiring great talent; AI simply streamlines the processes.
Hayley strongly encouraged joining an AI community, like Oleeo’s, as “one of the best ways to learn and to upskill yourself.” These forums provide a space for recruiters to share insights, attend workshops, and navigate the evolving AI landscape together.
The message is clear: the time to embrace AI in recruitment is now. By starting small, focusing on key pain points, and fostering a culture of learning, organizations can unlock unprecedented efficiency, elevate the candidate and recruiter experience, and ultimately build stronger employer brands.
Ready to start your AI journey? Explore the possibilities and join the conversation!
Register for Oleeo’s AI forum HERE!
