A.0. Supported Browsers

A.1. Company Settings

A.2. Home Base: The Openings Page

A.3. Openings, Locations, Positions, and the Jobs Directory

A.4. Understanding & Editing Openings

1. Building an Opening
2. Editing an Opening
3. Common Opening settings and where to find them

A.5. Quick-toggling between Applicants and Workflow

B.1. Sync your Calendar and set your timezone

B.2. Customize the Applicant view (Applicant Portal)

B.3. Customize Applicant Settings

B.4. Enable SMS

C.1. Build a Clean Workflow

C.2. Customize Every Stage

C.3. Build Rules Last

C.4. Create Questions Thoughtfully

1. Use Custom Questions Instead of Standard Questions
2. Be Mindful of Data Keys when Creating Questions
3. Make Questions Required When They are Linked to Rules or When Their Answers are Vital

C.5. Customize Each Scheduler Stage

C.6. Create Email and SMS Message Templates and Link them to All Stages

E.1. Fountain Enterprise Help Center

E.2. Fountain Enterprise Support Team

Fountain supports Safari, Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Windows, iOS, Android, and Mac. We DO NOT support Internet Explorer.

From any page, access Company Settings by hovering over your name in the top right corner, then clicking on Company Settings.

Create an Opening: Before creating an Opening, you must first create both a Location and a Position. Once these are in place, create an Opening, then create the Workflow where you will add stages and design the application process. 

1. Navigate to the Openings Page, hover over the Jobs dropdown menu, and select Locations to create a Location. Return to this menu to create a Position from the Positions dropdown option. You may return to each of these later to make changes.
2. From the Openings page, click Add Opening.
   
   
   
3. Select the Location and Position you’d like to use and name your Opening.
   
   
4. Select whether you’d like to create a new Workflow or clone an existing Workflow.
   
   

Edit an Opening: From the Openings page, select the three dots on an Opening to view and edit any part of that Opening.

• The Openings page displays which Location and Position are attached to each Opening.
  
  
  

Common Opening settings:

• Opening Settings
  • Opening name
  • Opening owner: the User who will receive email responses from Applicants in this Opening
  • Visible or Hidden from Jobs Directory (‘Active’ or ‘Inactive’)
• An Opening = Location + Position + Workflow
• Workflow
  • Content for the entire screening process except for the initial landing page (the Position)
• The Workflow is a series of stages that an applicant passes through, such as Data Collection Stage (Questionnaire), Scheduler (Interview, Orientation, etc.), Background check, etc.
• Position: 
  • Job description and responsibilities
  • Add any initial screening questions, for e.g., which city they’re applying to
  • Name, Email and Phone number are automatically included in the Position page
• The Position page is the initial landing page of an Opening. It is separate from the Workflow but functions the same way a stage does and you can think of it as the first stage in your Application.
• Location: The Location is typically set as the city or state where you base operations, but you may customize this to your needs.
  • Location Owner
  • Address or General service area
  • Language
  • Time zone
  • Brand
  • SMS

Find more information about Openings here.

1. Access the Applicant Table in any of three ways. From either the Openings Page or the Workflow Editor, click Applicants in the upper left corner. Alternatively, navigate to the Openings page and the Opening for which you would like to view Applicants, click the Actions button, and select View Applicants.  Find more information on viewing Applicants here.
   
   
2. Access the Workflow Editor in either of two ways. From the Openings page, navigate to the Opening for which you would like to edit the workflow, then click Edit Workflow. From the Applicant Table, click on the Settings gear icon in the upper right corner, then select Edit Workflow.
   
   
   

Navigate to Company Settings > My Profile >

1. User Info > Time Zone > Select your time zone. Note that this should be the timezone in which you live, not the timezone in which you are accepting Applicants. Each Opening's timezone is set in the associated Location. This way Applicants view information like Scheduler availability in their own timezone while you see Scheduler sessions in your own timezone.
   
   
   
2. General Settings > check the box Display sessions in Opening time zone on the Applicant Table and Applicant Profile.
   
3. Calendar Settings > Connect 
   
   
   

Find more information about syncing your calendar here.

1. Navigate to Company Settings > brand > Edit.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Add your company Logo and Brand Color.
   
   

• Navigate to Company Settings > Applicants.
• Check the make all stages in an opening visible to the applicants in their applications to show all stages visible within the applicant's progress dial, and check the Send new applicants a one time SMS with instructions to unsubscribe checkbox to enable applicants to unsubscribe from SMS messages.
  
  
  
  • You may hide any stage you’d like from this menu and it won’t be counted in the progress dial percentage. To do so, navigate to the stage in the Workflow Editor and check the box next to Hide this stage from Applicant Portal.
• Compare the applicant view with and without the menu and progress bar.
           

Benefits: Applicants will know where they are in the application process and applicants who prefer not to receive SMS messages can opt themselves out.

• Navigate to Company Settings > Add-ons > SMS.
• Select the My Numbers tab then Add a new number to enable SMS messaging.
• In most cases, you can select Add a New Number to set your preferred area code, make this the default number, then delete the original default number. This helps assure Applicants that the SMS number is not spam. Note that you may not select a specific phone number.

Benefit: SMS messages lead to higher applicant conversion rates.

Find more information about enabling SMS here.

Keep your workflow as straightforward as possible.

• Ask ‘knockout’ questions first so you don’t spend time on unqualified Applicants.
• Ask only questions you need the answer to.
• Minimize the amount of ‘free response’ questions and opt instead for distinct answers so you can run reports on this information later.

Benefit: A simple workflow is easy to manage and clone as your business expands into new markets. Keeping your application short and to the point keeps Applicants moving forward.

Find more information about building a successful workflow here.

Consider distinct stage names for Users and for Applicants. 

• Stage Title is what Users see.
• Applicant Facing Name is what Applicants see.

Enhance the Applicant experience by customizing content in each stage. In both options listed below, you may add content and links and embed videos. 

• Edit Questions - This is only available in the Data Collection stage type.
  

• When you click the button, the Edit Questions page will open. Here you can:
  • Add/edit page title (Form Name)
  • Add/edit the pop-up modal that is presented to applicants before the questions (Form Description)
  • Create/edit questions

• Customize - This is available in every stage type. 
  
  
• When you click the button, the Customize Stage popup will open. Here you can:
  • Edit the page title (Stage Name)
  • Edit the page body (Stage Instructions)
  • Edit the completion message (Success Message)
  • Embed code for Video, PDF, HTML, CSS, and Pixels (Custom Scripts - Stage Script and Post-completion script) 

Visit the Using Fountain section for detailed information on building a Workflow.

Benefit: Customization enhances your brand and guides Applicants through the application.

To build a rule, you must first build the question on which the rule is based. It’s best to build rules after you’ve created all questions and finalized the order of stages (refer to C.4. - C.6. for guidance on building questions).

• For a rule to work, you must use the exact Data key and answer Option for the question on which it is based.
  • When listing Options with the condition is in the list, separate Options with a comma and do not add spaces.
• When building the question, use only multiple choice, checkbox, or dropdown formats so applicants must choose a specific answer.
  
  
  
• When building the rule, be mindful that the answer option is case sensitive.
  
  

For example, in the pictures above, ‘18_age’ is the Data key and ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ are the Options. Notice that ‘No’ is capitalized to exactly match the Option.

Benefit: Functioning rules save you time by eliminating unqualified candidates early in the application process.  

Find more information about Rules here.

Use Custom Questions Instead of Standard Questions

• Standard questions display a green box whereas Custom questions do not.
  
  
  
• Standard questions are built to house secure data and thus have severely limited functionality.
• This is to prevent easy access to and export of information such as SSNs.
• Always create Custom questions unless the use of a Standard question for data security is absolutely necessary.
• You may replace a Standard question title with a Custom question by typing the same title, but be sure to create a distinct Data key.
• For example, "What is your driver's license number?" is  standard question with the standard data key, 'driver_license_number'. But you can create the same as a Custom question with a different data key such as, 'dl_number'.
• Refer to the table for differences between Custom and Standard questions.

Benefit: Ensure you can access and use your data across all features. 

Be Mindful of Data Keys when Creating Questions

The Data key is the unique identifier for each question you create.

Data keys:

• Appear in rules, filters, applicant profiles, and data exports
• Should be intuitive and easily recognizable for all Users
• May include only lowercase alphanumeric characters (no special symbols)
• May include underscores in place of spaces
• For example, to display ‘Car Make’ on the applicant profile, create the Data key ‘car_make’ 

Benefit: Clear Data keys enable easier analytics interpretation and applicant profile navigation.

Find more information on data keys and data collection here.

Make questions are marked as required when they are linked to rules or when their answers are vital.

• Click the * icon in the lower right menu of the question.

Benefit: Required questions ensure that you get all the information you need and that your rules function properly.

• If you have a Scheduler stage, expand the Advanced Booking Options in the Scheduler stage.
• Adjust settings to your needs. 
  
  

Benefit: Customizing the scheduler stage increases urgency and attendance rates.

Navigate to Company Settings > Message Templates.

In all message templates, you can:

• Include content, attachments, and external links
• Use merge keys to:
• Provide a link to return to their most recent stage
• Personalize your templates with applicant or opening-specific information

*Note that message templates carry over when you clone a stage or opening, so if you plan to clone either, a shortcut is to get your templates in place first. You can always create basic templates and return to edit them later.

Benefit: Saves you time by automating follow ups and common notifications.

• Stage Landing Messages: send to applicants upon them landing in a stage.
  • We suggest you set a 30-minute delay on all stage landing messages so applicants will only receive the message if they have not completed the stage within 30 minutes (You can set this time delay within each stage).
  • Do not set a delay in the scheduler stage as this may confuse applicants who have scheduled a session.
• Follow-up Messages: send to applicants after X days idle in a stage.
  • We suggest setting at least two follow-up messages for 1 and 3 days. Ideally, you would set more at 6, 10, and 15 days, for example, with the final message notifying the applicant that their application will be placed on hold unless they continue.
• On Hold, Rejection, and Approved Messages: send to applicants who land in these stages.
  • Customize On Hold and Rejection Reasons within Company Settings > Reasons
  • Create distinct On hold and Rejection messages and link them to On hold and Rejection Reasons

Find more information about Message Templates here.

Create several Test Applicants to thoroughly test all Stages and Rules.

What to look for:

• Mind each stage name and header - they should be brief, clear, and informative. Applicants do not read wordy content so keep it easy and keep them moving.
• Proofread your content - avoid typos and poor grammar which can discredit you.
• Ensure rules are working properly - test every option.
• When testing, set your stage landing timers to zero so you receive emails immediately. Proofread content and be sure applicants receive information, links, and instructions in proper order.

There are two ways to test applicants:

1. Start from the beginning. In the Applicant Table, click the Settings gear icon, then click View Job.
   
   This will take you to the Application page where create an Applicant that will stay in your Applicant Table and that you can then take actions on, like moving them to another stage or manually editing their profile.
   
   
2. Test per stage. Select Preview, located on the bottom right corner of the stage. It will route you to the stage of the application you just selected.
   
   
   1. Use this as a short cut to view a particular stage or to start the application at any point. Upon completing the stage, you will be able to advance through the workflow until you reach a hold stage or scheduler stage.
   2. Use this to test stage landing messages.
   3. This will create a temporary Applicant that will not appear in your Applicant Table and for which all internal data will disappear in 3 hours.

Benefit: Confirms your workflow is ready to go! 

Find more information about test Applicants here.

Click on the Support button in the bottom left corner of any page in your account or email support@fountain.com, or contact your dedicated Implementation/Onboarding Manager and Customer Success Manager for other questions or issues!