Introducing SMS Interview Engagement: Helping Caregivers Show Up, Helping Agencies Hire Faster

Written By Ona

SMS engagement tools improve show-up rates of candidates.

Hiring caregivers is hard enough. Too often, agencies spend valuable time sourcing candidates, only to see interviews fall through because a caregiver never confirms or doesn’t show up.

It’s not always about caregiver quality - many are highly skilled and motivated. But with busy lives, competing job offers, and unclear communication, even the best caregivers can slip away before they make it through the hiring process.

We heard this frustration loud and clear from our partner agencies. That’s why we built SMS Interview Engagement, a new way to make interview scheduling smoother, confirmations more reliable, and no-shows less frequent.

Listening to Agencies

Our partner agencies told us:

  • “Caregivers don’t always check email.”

  • “We don’t know who’s confirmed until the last minute.”

  • “Too many candidates disappear before the first interview.”

These insights guided us to rethink how interviews are scheduled and tracked. With SMS engagement, we’re putting communication where caregivers are most responsive: on their phones.

The SMS Difference

Text messaging is one of the fastest, most effective ways to connect with caregivers. By moving interview invites and confirmations into SMS, agencies can expect:

  • Faster scheduling – caregivers can accept invites with a simple tap.

  • Higher confirmation rates – automated reminders keep interviews top of mind.

  • Less chasing – agencies spend less time following up manually.

The goal is simple: reduce friction so more caregivers make it through the door for their interviews.

What’s New

With this update, agencies now benefit from three major improvements:

  • SMS Invites
    Caregivers receive their interview invitations directly by text, with clear details and a quick way to confirm.

  • Confirmation Prompts
    Automated reminders nudge caregivers to confirm or reschedule, giving agencies better visibility ahead of time.

  • Real-Time Interview Tracking
    Your Agency Dashboard now shows scheduled and confirmed interviews in one place - no more guessing who’s showing up.

Results That Matter

For agencies, this means fewer no-shows, faster hiring, and better use of recruiting time. Instead of wasting effort chasing unresponsive candidates, recruiters can focus on engaging caregivers who are truly ready to work.

For caregivers, it means a smoother, clearer process - and more opportunities to land the right job quickly.

Why This Matters

By improving show-up rates, agencies can:

  • Increase show-ups rates of candidates.

  • Speed up time-to-hire for urgent cases.

  • Build stronger caregiver pipelines that actually convert.

It’s a win for agencies, caregivers, and most importantly, the clients who depend on timely staffing.

Ready to Try It?

SMS Interview Engagement is now live for all Ona partner agencies.

  • Agencies already on Ona: Log in today to explore your new Interview Dashboard.

  • Interested in joining? Book a demo to see how SMS engagement can reduce no-shows and help you staff faster.

✨ At Ona, we’re committed to solving the challenges agencies face every day. SMS Interview Engagement is one more step toward making caregiver hiring faster, smoother, and more reliable.

Ona
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