Message Technologies launched its AssuredVoice Retail Employment Pre-Assessment Tool for use by retailers and with retail solution providers.

"Retailers, with their consistently high turnover and employee theft rates, have the most critical need for pre-hiring screening programs," stated Aberdeen Group vice president of retail research Paula Rosenblum. "While the ultimate hope is to reduce turnover, ROI can also be achieved by hiring trustworthy employees who can learn systems and procedures rapidly."

Working with Professional Datasolutions, a provider of solutions to the convenience store industry, MTI developed and provided a speaker-independent voice response (SIVR) application that provides a telephonic interface to PDI's proprietary pre-employment test. The PDI HR3 P.A.S.S III pre-employment test has been integrated with MTI's AssuredVoice Survey tool and has been designed for telephonic delivery and scoring.

The AssuredVoice IVR interface allows a job applicant to access the system via a toll-free number and answer questions by speaking. Candidates can answer generic questions and respond with yes/no/maybe responses by using speech recognition software or touchtone inputs. Retailers can specify the functionality of the surveys and provide questions that allow candidates to proceed to various levels or disqualify them. The system can also provide a candidate or applicant identification number for future IVR system access or use as an identifier at a later interview.