Custom virtual reception rollout for recruiting agencies

Decide why the agency needs a custom rollout

Start with a concrete operating problem. A custom conversation may be appropriate for high-volume role campaigns, many client organizations, a large verified visitor population, or retention, DPA, security-review, guided-onboarding, or support requirements described in Kiguri's public Custom materials. Write the desired outcome in one sentence, such as: "Candidates and hiring clients should have one branded arrival, see only the destination intended for their purpose, and reach the right consultant with their first explanation attached."

The [Kiguri customer reception](/) page is a useful reference for the public front-door experience. Compare the agency's needs with the current pricing and plans page, then ask Kiguri to confirm what Custom includes today. Custom is volume pricing; this article does not assign a dollar amount.

Phase one: map visitor audiences and owners

List every external audience that can arrive. Recruiting agencies commonly serve:

• candidates asking about an advertised role; • candidates making a general introduction; • hiring clients starting a new search; • active clients requesting a status update; • referral partners, universities, and employer-brand contacts.

For each audience, define the first human owner and a backup. A candidate-care lead may own candidate questions. An account owner may handle an active search. A specialist may join a technical or executive search. Operations can receive an inquiry that does not fit a known path.

This map prevents a common rollout error: buying capacity without deciding who responds. Presence can show who may be available, and a response queue can organize waiting inquiries, but availability does not replace ownership. Put the owner name or role in the internal playbook even when the visitor only sees a friendly public label.

Phase two: design the public arrival

Create one branded reception link for the main site, then decide whether a campaign needs a more specific entry. The welcome should identify the agency and offer a small number of choices in visitor language: ask about a role, discuss hiring, follow up on a search, or find another contact.

Explain live and offline expectations before the visitor submits details. If a consultant may join now, say what kind of conversation is available. If the request enters a queue, acknowledge the queue and give an honest next step. Avoid promising an immediate recruiter, a guaranteed response time, or a placement outcome unless the agency can meet that promise.

The AI receptionist can answer approved public questions and collect missing context. Keep the approved knowledge narrow enough to review. Role titles, process descriptions, locations, and current availability should have an owner. The AI should not make an employment decision, infer protected characteristics, invent compensation, or disclose a confidential client brief.

Phase three: establish access boundaries

Treat the public reception as an arrival, not a directory of every employee and room. Candidates should not see other candidate conversations. A hiring client should not enter another client's search room. An internal desk or private consultation room should be reachable only through the intended workflow.

Define when an employee can move a visitor from public chat to a private destination. A routine role question may remain in chat. A hiring intake may need a browser call or video. A candidate sharing personal circumstances may need a private consultation room and an appropriate human owner. Screen sharing should be offered only when the employee and visitor agree on what will be visible.

Review the Kiguri security information alongside the agency's privacy policy, client contracts, and data-retention requirements. If the Custom discussion includes DPA or retention terms, record the decision and owner before launch.

Phase four: prepare content and handoff rules

Write the first five answers visitors are likely to need. For a candidate, those may cover how to ask about a role, what information to include, and how an employee will follow up. For a hiring client, they may explain how to start a search conversation and what happens after an inquiry is received.

For every answer, specify:

1. the approved wording or source; 2. the date or owner for review; 3. the visitor purpose it applies to; 4. the human destination when the question needs judgment.

Then define the handoff message. It should tell the visitor that the request was received, summarize the stated purpose, identify the next person or queue, and explain the channel. The employee should receive the same context. A handoff is successful when the recruiter can continue naturally without asking the visitor to repeat the entire arrival.

Phase five: test with realistic journeys

Run a controlled pilot before making the link the agency's universal contact button. Ask colleagues to test at least these journeys:

• a candidate asking a simple role question; • a candidate with a sensitive personal question; • a hiring client opening a new search; • an active client requesting a status update; • a referral partner whose purpose is unclear.

For each test, record what the visitor could see, which questions were asked, where the inquiry went, who received the context, and whether the next step was clear. Try one test while the intended owner is unavailable. The offline message should be accurate, and the response queue should not silently lose the inquiry.

Test access again after map, room, or role changes. Keep a small change log with the date, owner, and reason for each update.

Phase six: train the recruiting team

The rollout is complete only when recruiters know how to use it. Train them to read the visitor's purpose, confirm identity without requesting unnecessary sensitive data, choose a suitable channel, and move to a private room when the topic requires it. Show how to mark an inquiry for follow-up if the visitor is not ready for a live conversation.

Explain what the AI receptionist does and does not do. It provides an intake and guidance layer; it does not replace candidate care, client advice, or hiring judgment. This distinction protects trust and keeps public copy aligned with the actual workflow.

Measure useful outcomes after launch

Review a sample of candidate and client conversations each week during the pilot. Ask:

• Did the visitor choose the right purpose without knowing internal team names? • Did the employee have enough context to respond? • Did any visitor see a room or conversation outside the intended boundary? • Were offline expectations understood? • Did the chosen channel match the sensitivity of the topic? • Which approved answer was outdated or unclear?

Use unanswered questions, reassignment patterns, repeated explanations, and boundary incidents as improvement signals. Do not measure success only by the number of AI responses. A strong outcome is a respectful human conversation that begins with useful context.

How to discuss Custom with Kiguri

Bring the visitor map, daily and campaign-volume estimates, paid-seat roles, required channels, access rules, and review requirements to a Custom conversation. Ask which allowances are verified, which capabilities are available in the intended workspace, and what onboarding or support is included. Request current written terms for volume pricing instead of relying on a remembered number.

If the agency is still validating the workflow, the public Free and Business options may provide a useful test path. Business is publicly listed at $12 per user per month and describes two guest-days per paid seat every day, AI reception, response queue and handoff, browser phone, longer meetings, and private consultation rooms. Confirm whether those facts match the current workspace before using them in a launch plan.

Frequently asked questions

Does Custom guarantee a particular number of visitors?

No guarantee should be assumed from the word Custom. Public materials describe Custom as volume pricing with higher seat or verified-visitor allowances; confirm the actual allowance in writing.

Is a custom rollout only for large recruiting agencies?

Not necessarily. The decision should follow visitor volume, access requirements, review needs, and operational complexity. A smaller agency may prefer a simpler plan while it validates the workflow.

Can the AI receptionist make candidate decisions?

No. It can support approved information, intake, and routing. Recruiters and clients remain responsible for assessment, selection, accommodations, and hiring decisions.

What should be ready before a Custom conversation?

Bring audience paths, owner and backup rules, visitor-volume estimates, private-room requirements, approved answers, and questions about retention, DPA, security review, onboarding, and support.

Sources and further reading

• [Kiguri customer reception](/) • Kiguri pricing and plans • Kiguri security information • AI receptionist for recruiting agencies • Kiguri Guides

Sources and further reading

Kiguri product overview, Kiguri pricing, security information, and Kiguri guides.