Group Leader, Marketing Group, Talent Platform Business Division
Mr. Yuhei Mitani
Human Resources Platform Division, Marketing Group
Ms. Toshiko Hanzawa
Services Used
SMS Connect (Web Console / API) (HubSpot / LITTLE HELP CONNECT Integration)
――Please tell us about Techouse’s business operations and the areas each of you is responsible for.
Mr. Yuhei Mitani (hereinafter “Mitani”): Our company operates two business divisions: “Cloud House,” an integrated IT platform for enterprises, and “Job House,” a talent platform service. Through “Cloud House,” we provide a platform that supports a wide range of business operations, including human resources, labor management, accounting, and production management.
Meanwhile, “Job House” matches companies looking to hire with job seekers, focusing primarily on on-site jobs such as factory work, driving, and construction.
We are part of the Marketing Group, and our main responsibilities include attracting job seekers, raising awareness of “Job House,” and communicating with candidates via email, SMS, and LINE. As the group leader, I oversee all aspects of marketing, including advertising and SEO.
Ms. Toshiko Hanzawa (hereinafter referred to as Hanzawa): I am in charge of communication strategies with job seekers via email, SMS, and LINE, and have been involved in the operation of SMS Connect since its implementation.
――Is Job House a job listing platform? Or is it a recruitment agency?
Mitani: It’s a hybrid model. We mainly post job listings we receive from staffing agencies as well as those we receive directly from companies.
For job openings entrusted to us by staffing agencies, we act as a job-posting platform to refer job seekers to those agencies. In cases where we receive job openings directly from companies, our career advisors work closely with job seekers to support them throughout the selection process, including interviews and document submissions.
――Since you handle both media and agency functions, your responsibilities must be quite diverse. Given that, what were the reasons and circumstances that led you to consider implementing SMS (Short Message Service)?
Mitani: When we receive job postings directly from companies, communicating with job seekers is essential to moving the selection process forward. At Job House, we require job seekers to provide a phone number when they register, so we can generally contact them by phone. However, since some job seekers prefer text-based communication, we introduced SMS to facilitate closer communication. That’s how it started—as one of our one-on-one communication tools.
This was also one of the reasons we introduced one-to-many communication. Even if we wanted to send out information to everyone at once, our only options for reaching people who hadn’t registered their email addresses were phone calls or LINE. With LINE, we can’t send messages unless they’ve added us as a friend. So, we decided to implement SMS—which allows us to send information using just a phone number—for our one-to-many communication as well.
――So it was introduced as a measure to increase contact with job seekers, wasn't it?
――Could you tell us what led you to implement Acrit's SMS Connect?
Mitani: When I first joined the company, we were using a service from another provider, but we switched to Acreet because it was too expensive. For one-to-one communication, it wasn’t a problem since we didn’t send a large volume of messages, but for one-to-many communication, we were relying heavily on SMS. We actually wanted to share more information, but cost was a bottleneck—we figured that if we could reduce costs just a little more, we’d be able to reach even more people.
We also use a CRM tool called “HubSpot,” and when we send messages to job seekers via LINE, we do so by integrating “HubSpot” with “LITTLE HELP CONNECT.” However, the number of SMS services that can integrate with “LITTLE HELP CONNECT” is limited. The main reasons we chose Acrit were its low pricing and the fact that it continues to integrate with “LITTLE HELP CONNECT” just as before.
Also, since the previous service was provided by a foreign company, any communication in the event of an issue inevitably had to be in English. In that regard, since Acrit is a Japanese company, communication is in Japanese, and I felt that their support system and follow-up would be smooth, so I decided to implement their service.
*A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool is a tool used to manage customer information and interaction history, thereby streamlining sales, marketing, and customer service.
*HubSpot is a CRM platform used by over 290,000 companies in more than 135 countries worldwide. Acreet is the first Japanese SMS provider to integrate with HubSpot.
*LITTLE HELP CONNECT is a communication platform that integrates HubSpot with LINE Official Accounts and SMS delivery services. It can be integrated with Acreet’s SMS Connect.
――When it came to the actual implementation, were there any challenges or aspects that went smoothly during the SMS Connect rollout?
Mitani: As for the actual implementation, the development team was fully involved, so I can’t think of any particular challenges we faced. My impression is that the transition went relatively smoothly.
――You currently have three accounts. What do you use each one for?
Mitani: I use two accounts for one-way communication and one account for two-way communication.
We use two-way communication for one-on-one interactions between career advisors and job seekers.
One of the two one-way methods is one-to-many communication. Based on a job seeker’s recent search history and criteria on JobHouse, we send out email newsletters featuring recommended job listings tailored to their needs. For example, if someone is searching for “XX Prefecture, monthly salary of XX yen or more,” we deliver job listings that match those criteria. However, since we can’t reach everyone via email, we send SMS messages to those individuals instead.
We also use it to send information that we are required to provide to job seekers. For example, when a job seeker applies for a position through a staffing agency, there will be communication between the agency and the job seeker regarding the interview process after the application is submitted. Since the staffing agency will always send administrative communications, we use the service appropriately depending on the purpose.
――I understand you use HubSpot. How do you integrate HubSpot with SMS to make the most of it?
Mitani: Using HubSpot’s workflow feature, we can automate SMS messaging. For example, as soon as someone submits an application, we send an SMS inviting them to add us as a friend on LINE. Although the application completion screen says, “Click here to add us as a friend on LINE,” not everyone actually does so, which is why we send the URL right when they submit their application. By integrating HubSpot with SMS, we can automate this process, which improves operational efficiency compared to sending messages manually on a case-by-case basis.
We also use it to send interview reminders. If we set the interview date as a property (data field), the system is designed to trigger a workflow as the date approaches, allowing us to automatically send messages such as, “Your interview is tomorrow. Please make sure you have everything you need,” or “Here are some important points to keep in mind.” Automating this process via a workflow—rather than having career advisors manually check and send these messages to each candidate—helps streamline our operations.
――When integrating with HubSpot via LITTLE HELP CONNECT, how do you differentiate between using LINE and SMS?
Mitani: The information we send via LINE is intended to facilitate communication. When we follow up with job seekers after they’ve applied, communication goes much more smoothly if they’ve added us as a friend on LINE. However, since LINE requires users to add us as a friend, it’s not exactly a mandatory method. In contrast, with SMS, we can send messages as long as we have the recipient’s phone number, so we often use SMS for information that absolutely must reach everyone.
I think the best thing about SMS and LINE is that they’re communication tools that are easy to notice. With email, messages come in from all over and end up in your inbox, so they’re easy to miss, aren’t they? That’s why, when you really want to make sure a message gets through, you end up using SMS.
――LINE also supports two-way messaging, but how does it differ from two-way SMS?
Mitani: For example, when I want to easily share visuals—like sending a screenshot—I think LINE is better suited for that. I feel that SMS tends to be more text-based, so I usually choose which app to use based on that.
――In what situations is SMS particularly effective when communicating with job seekers?
Mitani: At Job House, the job search cycle tends to be relatively short, so it doesn’t end once someone applies and joins a company. Since many people continue to use our services even after they start their new jobs, we reach out to those who seem likely to change jobs with job listings.
When people browse or search for job listings, it’s clear they’re considering a career change. Job listings sent to these individuals are actually more likely to be viewed via SMS. Rather than simply sending out a large volume of messages, the percentage of job seekers who actually view the messages is higher. When comparing open rates, there’s a world of difference between email and SMS, which I believe is one of SMS’s key strengths.
――Is there a difference in the responses between new registrants and those who use Job House on a regular basis?
Mitani: I get the impression that people who frequently browse job listings are regular users of Job House. Even when looking for a new job just once, very few people limit themselves to a single job opening; rather, some apply to multiple positions and take one to two months to decide on a new employer. As a result, they tend to continuously check various job-related information throughout their job search.
――Compared to other forms of communication, such as email, are there any advantages or disadvantages you see with SMS?
Mitani: Compared to email and other methods, SMS inevitably costs more per message. However, while email is inexpensive and allows us to reach a large audience at once, I feel it lacks depth. Since SMS is more expensive, I believe we need to carefully narrow down the content and target audience. Specifically, we send email newsletters to all members who have registered their email addresses. In contrast, we send job recommendations via SMS only to those who have shown interest.
A "signal" refers to actions that suggest a person has "started looking for a new job" or is "currently looking for a new job"—such as registering as a member of JobHouse or recently reading a job listing on the JobHouse website. We believe that sending SMS messages to these individuals yields a high response rate.
――So, by refining the content and target audience, you’re seeing even better results, right?
――Have you noticed any changes in your operations or metrics since you started using SMS Connect?
Mitani: I noticed a change fairly soon after we implemented the system. With other providers, the costs were high, and there were quite a few people who wanted to send documents but couldn’t. Since switching to Acrit, that number has likely dropped to less than half, so the volume we can send has simply doubled.
After targeting our messages primarily at people currently looking for new jobs, the number of monthly applications received via SMS more than tripled.
As the number of applications has increased, our sales have roughly tripled. I think we’ve achieved the goal we had in mind when we switched to Acrit.
While we don’t have exact figures because this depends on the job seeker’s circumstances at the time and their interactions with career advisors, we feel that the interview attendance rates—which we track through our reminder emails—are showing positive results.
――So it’s not just the number of applications that’s increased—it’s also had a significant impact on sales. Aside from the changes in the numbers, are there any other benefits you’ve noticed since implementing SMS Connect?
Mitani: The service we used before was provided by an overseas company, so there was almost no communication. But with Acrit, we’ve been assigned a dedicated contact person who provides us with a wide range of information—from updates during outages to pricing plans and features—which gives us a whole different level of peace of mind. They’re also flexible when it comes to implementing new features, so I definitely feel that’s a clear improvement.
For this article, we spoke with Techouse. We believe their efforts to tailor information to job seekers could serve as a valuable reference for everyone working in the recruitment industry. During the interview, they also shared questions and requests based on their day-to-day operations. We will use this feedback to continue improving the usability of SMS Connect.
Founded in 2012. Guided by the principle of “Solving the challenges of our time through business,” the company operates businesses aimed at addressing social issues, including the integrated IT platform “Cloud House” and the integrated HR platform “Job House,” which supports Japan’s key industries.
