Shift Group unlocks athlete and veteran potential through game-changing texts

Learn how a career transition service for athletes and veterans uses Sinch’s messaging integration with HubSpot to drive program completion and gather valuable feedback.

Challenge: Improve communication and engagement with athletes transitioning to professional careers

Solution: Implement Sinch MessageMedia for targeted SMS outreach integrated with HubSpot CRM

Results:

• Significant increase in candidate engagement and program completion rates
• Real-time communication and feedback from candidates
• Ability to quickly identify and remove uninterested candidates from the system

Shift Group, a career transition service for former athletes and military veterans, has made its mission to help these unique individuals find exciting careers where they can leverage their strengths. With more than 300 partner companies, Shift Group bridges the gap between talented candidates and businesses seeking their specific skill sets.

Austin Plevy, the Director of Marketing at Shift Group, plays a crucial role in attracting both candidates and companies to their platform. “We believe, and we can prove it with data, that people with these backgrounds tend to be super successful,” Austin explains.

“There are a lot of traits that are inherently built into athletes and veterans—resiliency, coachability, how to work on a team, how to be an individual contributor on a team.”

“The ability to have a dynamic inbox where I can send and receive texts right out of HubSpot with Sinch MessageMedia has been huge. It saves us so much time.”

– Austin Plevy, Director of Marketing, Shift Group

Reaching a tech-savvy audience effectively

Shift Group’s commitment to helping athletes and veterans transition into new careers meant they needed to effectively communicate with a mobile-first audience. While they were already utilizing email, they recognized SMS would improve their ability to engage with candidates quickly and conveniently.

“Email can sometimes be challenging to ensure our messages are actually reaching our athletes & veterans,” Austin says. “With SMS, we can make sure our messages land with them.”

“With SMS, we can make sure our messages land with them.”

– Austin Plevy, Director of Marketing, Shift Group

Sinch MessageMedia: The game-changer for candidate communication

After identifying the need for a more direct communication channel, Shift Group chose Sinch MessageMedia. The seamless integration with HubSpot, coupled with an intuitive interface for creating SMS workflows, made it the ideal solution.

“We’ve had huge success with texting. Our audience is going through a busy and challenging period in their life. But when we send them a text, we see interactions go way up.”

Austin particularly appreciates the ability to manage two-way conversations directly within their CRM, saving time and keeping all communications in one place.

Driving engagement and gathering feedback

By incorporating SMS into its communication strategy, Shift Group transformed its candidate interactions. The company now uses text messages in tandem with emails to guide candidates through program stages, send timely reminders, and answer questions promptly.

This approach has yielded impressive results. Not only has it improved candidate progression through the program, but it’s also provided Shift Group with valuable insights.

“We get a lot of real-time feedback from our candidates on all aspects of our program,” Austin notes, “If we see a trend, it allows us to make informed decisions on changes to our process or the ability to answer any questions they have quickly.”

“We’ve had huge success with texting. Our audience is going through a busy and challenging period in their life. But if when we send them a text, we see interactions go way up.”

– Austin Plevy, Director of Marketing, Shift Group

A winning strategy for candidate engagement

The implementation of Sinch MessageMedia has had a substantial impact on Shift Group’s operations:

SMS has become a crucial tool for improving candidate progression and engagement. The team can now reach candidates more effectively on their preferred device, leading to higher response rates. The integration with HubSpot allows for efficient management of a high volume of candidates, saving time and resources. Perhaps most importantly, the real-time feedback from candidates helps Shift Group continuously refine and optimize their services.

For businesses considering SMS integration, Austin offers this advice: “If you have the right message, SMS offers a personal touch. It’s a great way to communicate with your market.”

With Sinch MessageMedia, Shift Group ensures no candidate falls through the cracks in their journey to professional success.

“If you have the right message, SMS offers a personal touch. It’s a great way to communicate with your market.”

– Austin Plevy, Director of Marketing, Shift Group