Most recruiters have heard the term. Far fewer know what it actually means — or why the version they have probably seen is not the one that moves the numbers.
There are three distinct types of AI screening. Only one of them changes your contact rate, your time-to-offer, and how many candidates your team actually speaks to.
The Three Types — and Why It Matters Which One You Use
CV parsing reads application documents and ranks candidates by keyword match. Fast, but it only scores what people write — not how they communicate, whether they are actually available, or whether they will last more than a month.
Chatbot screening sends candidates a text or web-based questionnaire after they apply. Captures structured data without requiring a human. The problem: most candidates, especially those applying for physical roles who are not glued to a screen, ignore it. Drop-off rates are high and the conversation cannot adapt when an answer needs probing.
Voice AI screening is different. It calls the candidate directly and conducts a structured conversational interview with dynamic follow-up questions based on what the candidate actually says. Everything is transcribed, scored, and pushed straight to the ATS. The recruiter gets a shortlist. Not an inbox.
This is what Ami does.
What the Call Actually Looks Like
A care worker applies at 9pm on a Sunday. Within five minutes, they get a call. Ami discloses it is AI, then asks the questions that matter for the role — right to work, shift availability, DBS status, relevant experience, any specific requirements.
The call takes four to seven minutes. The candidate is told a human will follow up. The recruiter arrives the next morning to a scored, transcribed shortlist or with interviews already booked into their diary.
Candidates who did not answer are logged and retried. Every applicant — progressed, screened out, or unreachable — is accounted for.
Across 40,000+ screens, the contact rate sits at approximately 73%, against an industry baseline of around 17%. The candidate satisfaction rate is 99.5%. Most applicants prefer an immediate response to waiting three days for a callback.
When It Works Best
If you are receiving more than 50 applications a month for a role type, your current response time is over 24 hours, or you are losing candidates between application and first contact — AI screening solves a real problem in your organisation.
Ami calls candidates within five minutes of application and hands your team a scored shortlist.
See how it works for your roles in a 15-minute call.