Shift Group improves recruiting with HubSpot SMS integration

Shift Group helps athletes and veterans transition into successful careers in sales and technology. These candidates bring highly valuable skills such as teamwork, resilience, and coachability — but the career change process can also be overwhelming. To guide them effectively, Shift Group needs communication that is clear, fast, and reliable.

“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,” said Austin Plevy, Director of Marketing at Shift Group.

The challenge was that traditional channels like phone and email weren’t reaching candidates effectively. Many were busy balancing training, job applications, and major life changes, making it easy to miss calls or overlook emails. Shift Group needed a better way to cut through the noise and ensure messages were received.

To meet this need, Shift Group implemented HubSpot SMS integration from Sinch Engage (formerly MessageMedia) Now, the recruiting team can send and receive texts directly from HubSpot, creating a seamless, centralized workflow.

This approach not only simplified communication but also saved staff valuable time. Instead of chasing unreturned calls or sending multiple follow-up emails, recruiters could quickly connect with candidates through SMS and track every interaction within the CRM.

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

The immediacy of SMS meant important updates — from interview reminders to next steps — landed directly with candidates when they needed them most.

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

The shift to SMS also transformed how candidates engage with Shift Group. Texting provided a more personal and accessible channel, which led to higher response rates compared to calls and email.

“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 explained.

Beyond faster responses, SMS created new opportunities for real-time feedback. Candidates shared their thoughts on the program through text, giving Shift Group the data it needed to refine its recruiting process and better meet candidate needs.

“We get a lot of real-time feedback from our candidates on all aspects of our program. 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,” Austin said.

Ultimately, SMS helped Shift Group balance scale with personalization. The ability to communicate directly — in a way that felt natural for candidates — built trust and strengthened relationships.

By integrating SMS into HubSpot, Shift Group not only made its process more efficient but also delivered a better experience for candidates navigating life-changing career transitions.

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