If you spend more time reminding candidates to reply than you do actually recruiting, you’re not alone. Chasing people for replies is boring, repetitive, and—let’s be honest—easy to screw up. This guide is for recruiters and talent teams who use Loxoapp and want to get back a chunk of their day by automating candidate follow-ups. No fluff, no never-ending setup. Just what actually works, what doesn’t, and how to get started.
Why Automate Candidate Follow-Ups in Loxoapp?
Let’s not pretend: keeping candidates engaged is a grind. Missed follow-ups mean lost hires, but manual check-ins eat up your day. Automating this process in Loxoapp can:
- Save you hours each week
- Reduce “oops, I forgot” moments
- Keep candidates in the loop (even when you’re swamped)
- Free up your brain for things only humans can do—like reading between the lines
But before you get visions of a magical, AI-powered hiring machine, remember: automation is only as good as the system behind it. Set it up right and it works. Set it up badly and it spams people or drops the ball.
Step 1: Decide What Should (and Shouldn’t) Be Automated
Not every follow-up is a good fit for automation. Here’s the honest take:
Great for automation: - Confirming receipt of applications - Scheduling reminders - “Thanks for applying” or “We’ll let you know soon” messages - Nudges for unresponsive candidates (“Still interested?”)
Not so great: - Anything highly personalized (“I loved your GitHub project!”) - Delicate news (rejections, salary negotiation, complex feedback)
Pro tip:
Start small. Automate the boring, repetitive stuff first. If you try to automate every touchpoint, you’ll end up with a bland, robotic process—or worse, a mess.
Step 2: Map Out Your Candidate Journey
Before you click anything in Loxoapp, sketch out the steps a candidate goes through in your process:
- Application received
- Screening call scheduled
- Interview rounds
- Offer stage
- Hired/rejected
For each stage, jot down: - Where people tend to drop off or go quiet - What messages you typically send (“Can you send your availability?” “Any updates?”) - Where a gentle nudge could save you time
Why bother mapping?
If you don’t know where candidates need a push, you’ll end up automating follow-ups that don’t matter—or missing key spots where automation could help.
Step 3: Set Up Email and SMS Templates in Loxoapp
Loxoapp lets you create message templates for both email and SMS. These are building blocks for your automations.
How to do it:
1. Go to your Loxoapp dashboard.
2. Head to “Templates” (usually under Settings or Communications).
3. Create a new template for each type of follow-up (e.g., “Application Received,” “Interview Reminder”).
4. Use merge tags (like {First Name}) to keep it personal-ish, but don’t overdo it.
What works: - Clear, short messages (“Hi {First Name}, just checking in about your interview availability.”) - One call to action per message - Including your real name and contact info
What to skip: - Overly formal language (no one wants to be “Dear Applicant”) - Walls of text - Promises you can’t keep (“We’ll get back to you tomorrow” if you never do)
Step 4: Build Automated Workflows (Sequences) in Loxoapp
This is where the magic (sometimes) happens. Loxoapp has a “Sequences” or “Workflows” feature, which lets you chain together messages based on triggers.
Setting up a basic follow-up sequence:
- Go to the “Sequences” section.
- Create a new sequence for a specific use case (e.g., “Unresponsive Candidate Nudge”).
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Add steps:
- Step 1: Send initial message (email or SMS template)
- Step 2: Wait X days (pick a reasonable delay—48 hours is common)
- Step 3: If no reply, send a gentle reminder
- Step 4: Optional—wait again, then send a final check-in
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Set triggers:
- Candidate moves to a certain stage
- No response within X days
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Test your sequence on yourself or a teammate before rolling it out.
Real talk:
Don’t string together five reminders. If someone ghosts after two or three nudges, let it go. Too many follow-ups just annoy people and hurt your reputation.
Step 5: Assign Sequences to Candidates or Jobs
Automations are useless if you don’t actually use them. Assign your sequences to candidates as they hit certain stages:
- Manually: Select candidates and add them to a sequence
- Automatically: Set rules (e.g., every new applicant gets the “Application Received” sequence)
Tips: - Double-check which candidates are getting which messages—especially if some need a personal touch - Pause a sequence if you end up talking to the candidate directly
What to ignore:
Don’t automate to the point where you forget to check your own inbox. Automation is a helper, not a replacement for real conversations.
Step 6: Monitor, Adjust, and Don’t Set and Forget
Automated doesn’t mean “fire and forget.” Here’s what to watch out for:
- Check response rates: Are people replying, or are your messages being ignored?
- Look for complaints: If anyone says your messages are robotic or annoying, tweak or cut back.
- Update templates: If you spot typos or stale info (“We’re all remote now!”), fix them fast.
- Pause automation during holidays or crises: No one wants a “Have you scheduled your interview?” email on New Year’s Day.
Pro tip:
Set a reminder—monthly or quarterly—to review your sequences. Automations that work today can go stale fast if your process or culture changes.
Bonus: What Loxoapp Automation Can’t (and Shouldn’t) Do
Loxoapp is solid for basic follow-ups, but it’s not a magic wand. Here’s where it falls short:
- Personalization: Merge tags only go so far. For high-value candidates, always send a real note.
- Complex logic: If you want branching workflows (e.g., “If candidate replies with X, do Y”), you’ll hit limits fast.
- Human judgment: No tool can replace reading between the lines or knowing when a call is better than an email.
If you need more:
Consider connecting Loxoapp to other tools (like Zapier or Make) for advanced workflows, but only if you’re comfortable tinkering. Keep it simple unless you have a real need.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Automating candidate follow-ups in Loxoapp is about working smarter, not turning your process into a robot army. Start with a couple of key messages, watch how candidates respond, and tweak as you go. The best automations are invisible—they just save you time without making you (or your candidates) feel like a robot. Don’t overcomplicate it. Get the basics working, then improve from there.