Best Practices for Surveys and Chat Engagements in Bullhorn Automation

These best practices help you design effective surveys and chat engagements in Bullhorn Automation, improve response rates, and get the most out of your engagement data.

Best Practices for Creating Surveys

How do I improve survey completion rates?

Keep surveys short. Surveys with 5-10 questions have higher completion rates than longer surveys. Only ask for information you will act on, and use branching to show relevant follow-up questions instead of asking everyone every question.

What question type should I use?

Use the question type that makes responding easiest:

How do I write good survey questions?

Write clear, specific questions that can only be interpreted one way. Instead of "How was your experience?" ask "How would you rate your onboarding experience with our team?"

Use plain language and avoid jargon, acronyms, or specialist terms.

Which survey entity type should I choose?

Choose the entity type that matches your use case and gives you access to the merge tags you need:

  • Candidate-based: General candidate communication, data updates, and surveys that need branching

  • Sales Contact-based: Client feedback and relationship management

  • Submission-based: Feedback tied to a specific job application

  • Placement-based: Post-assignment satisfaction surveys and check-ins

When should I use survey branching?

Use branching to personalize the survey experience based on answers. Common uses include:

  • Asking follow-up questions only when relevant

  • Routing low NPS scores to questions about how to improve

  • Skipping sections that don't apply

Branching is only available for Candidate-based surveys and must follow a Choose One Answer, NPS, or Rating question.

Should I turn on survey notifications?

Yes, if you need to act quickly on responses. Enable notifications to alert the record owner or a specific team member immediately when a survey is completed. This is especially useful for following up with unhappy candidates or time-sensitive feedback.

Best Practices for Creating Chatbot Engagements

How do I get Chatbot to appear on my website?

Configure default chats in Settings > Company Settings > Engagement Branding:

  • Default Candidate Chat: Displays to known candidates returning to your site

  • Default Sales Contact Chat: Displays to known clients returning to your site

  • Default New Visitor Chat: Displays to unknown visitors or people on new devices

If no default chats are configured, no chat will appear on your website.

Should I create different chats for candidates and clients?

Yes. Candidates and clients have different needs. Create separate chat engagements tailored to each audience to improve engagement and data quality.

How do I make Chatbot conversations feel more natural?

Use keyword branching. Chatbot can analyze keywords in free-text responses and select the next question based on what the person typed. This creates a conversational flow instead of rigid multiple-choice paths.

How do I connect a chat visitor to a recruiter?

Use the Send Text step to hand off high-value conversations to a real person via SMS. This works well for urgent inquiries or candidates ready to move forward immediately.

Can Chatbot show job openings to candidates?

Yes. Use the Display Jobs step to show candidates matching opportunities based on their profile. This keeps candidates engaged and can drive applications directly from the chat.

Can I personalize New Visitor Chats?

No. You cannot use merge tokens, dynamic jobs, or personalization in New Visitor Chats because there is no stored information about the visitor. Focus on capturing basic information (name, email, what they're looking for) first, then direct them to more personalized experiences.

Best Practices for Managing Engagements

How do I make sure recruiters see survey responses?

Enable "Add Responses to a Single Note" in Survey Settings. This saves all responses as a single note on the candidate or contact record in Bullhorn ATS, so recruiters can review feedback without logging into Bullhorn Automation.

How do I automate follow-up based on survey responses?

Create lists based on survey responses and add those lists to automations:

  • List of candidates with low NPS scores → Add to recovery automation

  • List of candidates interested in new opportunities → Send matching jobs

  • List of contacts who haven't completed a survey → Send reminder

How often should I review my engagements?

Review engagements periodically to keep them effective:

  • Archive or delete engagements no longer in use

  • Update questions that reference outdated information

  • Check completion rates and revise engagements with poor performance

How do I make my engagements accessible?

Accessible engagements ensure all candidates and contacts can respond, including those using screen readers or with color vision deficiencies. For guidance on accessible branding colors, writing clear questions, and supported screen readers, see Best Practices to Promote Accessibility.