Frequently Asked Questions
Below is a list of common questions and answers related to CAI:
Can applicants complete the application via the AI Agent?
Yes! If you have chosen Help candidates find a job and answer question when customizing the AI Agent functions, it will help applicants apply.
The AI Agent will help applicants complete the application form via Chat Apply on SMS, WhatsApp or within the Widget. Once the application is created, the AI Agent can send a link to the applicant portal. The AI Agent will not help the applicant complete any stages in the workflow.
If the applicant is interacting with the AI Agent via SMS or WhatsApp and using Chat Apply, File Upload, Date Picker, and Work Availability questions are not supported. Additionally, the SMS/WhatsApp Chat Apply will only direct the applicant to one Opening.
Can the AI Agent send a keyword for applicants to apply via SMS or WhatsApp?
Yes! The keyword is defined per Opening. There will be one phone number provided per keyword.
Is Chat Apply the same as Fountain’s Text to Apply?
No. Although similar, Text to Apply is a different Fountain feature. Text to Apply uses a general 464646 keyword. Chat Apply uses phone numbers within the company account and different keywords per Opening.
How does the AI Agent handle remote jobs if I’ve selected Show jobs by location when customizing the AI Agent functions?
Location search is limited to accounts where Openings include a full address or at the very least a city name. Openings with only a state listed will be limited to a search radius of 100 miles.
Remote jobs will not be shown to an applicant if the location search option was selected. Fountain recommends choosing the Show all available jobs option if you have remote Openings.
Can I customize which Openings are included in the AI Agent?
Yes! This is done in the Advanced Settings under your Job Details screen. Ensure the Visible on CAI is toggled on. Only active Openings will this toggle on will show in the AI Agent. Please note, this toggle is set to on by default.
Does the AI Agent communication override automated messages set up in Fountain Hire?
Nope! These communications will be sent in addition to any communication with the AI Agent.
Does the AI Agent support multi-language?
Yes! If the AI Agent auto-detects the applicant’s device language is Spanish, French, German, or Italian, the entire widget will update into that language including any disclaimers, buttons, and the Agent’s first greeting message.
Additionally, if the applicant asks a question in a different language (CAI can recognize more than 80 languages) it will respond in that language. However, the disclaimer, buttons, and greeting message will remain in English.
If the applicant asks about pay, the AI Agent will respond with the pay type in the Job Description. It cannot translate the pay into the pay type of the language chatted by the applicant.
Can the AI Agent reschedule interviews?
Yes! It will provide relevant portal links to the Applicant Portal where the applicant can book, reschedule, or cancel a booked slot.
The AI Agent will not be able to conversationally book or reschedule via SMS, WhatsApp, or within the widget.
Can I only have the AI Agent visible on a specific stage in my hiring workflow?
Unfortunately, no. If you choose Fountain Website as a location to display the widget, it will be visible in all stages of your hiring workflow.
Does CAI support human handoff?
Unfortunately, not at this time. However, this may be a future enhancement.
Can I hardcode CAI's answers or change when it tells applicants to contact the recruiter?
No. CAI writes every reply itself from your Knowledge Base, the applicant's application, and the Opening's details. There is no setting for a fixed answer to a question.
CAI is built to tell applicants to contact the recruiter directly when they want to update their profile or contact details, change an application they already submitted, or apply for another job. This instruction is part of CAI and cannot be edited.
To send applicants somewhere else, use these settings when you set up or edit your Candidate AI Agent:
Jobs Directory/Career site URL: when you fill it in, CAI points applicants who want to apply for another job to that site. When it is empty, CAI tells them to search online or talk to the recruiter.
Fallback contact: CAI shares this contact only when it cannot answer a question from any source. It does not replace the instruction to contact the recruiter. To send applicants to your own help page or chat, add it as a website.
Knowledge Base: add an entry for the questions applicants ask, with the answer you want them to get, such as where to find help in your own app. CAI bases its reply on that entry but words the reply itself.
Can I export CAI conversation data?
No. CAI conversations can't be exported. To read the questions applicants ask and CAI's answers across all applicants, open the agent's conversation log from the Candidate AI Agent page. See Review Candidate AI Conversations.
Does the AI Agent widget use cookies or local storage?
Yes. The widget stores a few small items in the applicant's browser so it can keep the conversation going and remember their language. It runs in a frame served from a Fountain domain, so on your own website these are third-party items from Fountain, not cookies of your site.
When the widget loads, it stores:
session-guid: a random session ID, as a cookie kept for 400 days and renewed on each visit. In browsers that block the cookie, the same ID is kept in local storage instead.
The applicant's language, in a cookie and in local storage, so the widget opens in the same language next time.
Two cookies that let the applicant pick their conversation back up: one kept for 1 day, one for 7 days.
If the applicant accepts or rejects the terms and the choice cannot be saved right away, it is kept in local storage (fai-terms-decisions) for up to 7 days and sent again on their next visit.
When the page address carries campaign parameters (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_content, utm_term), the widget's script also saves them as cookies on your own site, named fai_utm_source and so on, for 30 days. This keeps the campaign attached to the applicant when they move to another page.
The Fountain cookies are secure cookies that your site's scripts cannot read. To list them in your cookie banner, use the names above.